I can't be any happier with my Asgard 2. 

Quite the opposite experience in some ways with me. I mostly listen to classical music. My HD650s were bassy, foggy, clear but unremarkable. When I initially purchased my ATH-W5000 (I needed closed back headphones) and tried them I was put away by how dry they sounded and how moderate, even...

I just received my Asgard 2 on Tuesday. I can't believe I only paid 249$ (plus shipping) for such an amazing device. Everything from its looks to its fantastic build quality scream "way more than 249$" to me. And the sound.... even though they are meant to be portable, my Beyerdynamic T5ps...

All headphones. My speakers end up being mostly for movies, games and tv. The dedicated serious music-listening happens in my bedroom with my headphones. 

I want one day to have a set of Stax Omegas, either the 007 or the 009. I have to say I'm not too sure I'll ever be able to afford the 009 with the type of equipment it needs. Two questions:    1. Is it THAT much better than the 007?  2. Do you REALLY need a 5000$+ amp to make it work? What...

I wonder if there ever has been someone who actually started loving equipment before the music itself. No matter how much you can love hifi equipment, it's still useless and dead without music playing through it. I don't think it possible that someone said "Oh how beautiful that amplifier and...

Of course they won't, they are open. I know the OP wants open headphones to be able to hear environmental noises and keep out of danger but he will have to accept an almost complete lack of isolation. 

Grado has a long list of open headphones which come in different prices, some close to your target, and that could help you avoid death. . Check them out.    The fold ability might be a problem though...  

I'm not an audiophile, (don;t have the money to be a high-end one) I'm kind of new to this, but to answer your question: I bought my first head-fi-worthy headphones (the HD650) about 2 years ago. By then I already had over 1500 cds of classical music in my collection and a good amount of other...

Well I currently own 4 but I will list 5 headphones in my list since I owned it for a long time and just this weekend I gave it away to a family member who needs some head-fi introduction/education.    1. Beyerdynamic T5p - amazing, perfect for my closed-headphone needs. Very detailed, warm...

I need a couple hundred thousand and a ticket to Japan and some way to get into this next year... Please contribute. 

The W5000 works well with classical music (though now my opinion of it has lowered since starting using Beyerdynamic's T5p), especially with opera and voices, and also baroque music. Dense orchestral Mahlerian Shostakovichean music presents more of a problem. But the W5000 absolutely fails with...

By the way there should be a "both" option in this poll... 

Very good point. Thanks.      Even audiophile-phobic brands like Bose have their moments, too. While their speaker systems leave a lot to be desired, their iPod docks are pretty decent, and their QC15 cans, though just good from a sound quality perspective, have THE best noice cancelling, bar...

Sorry if this is slightly ignorant, but isn't Bang & Olufsen like the European Bose? You pay a lot for a big brand name that some wealthy people have but that is not really appreciated by audio experts. Is that a misconception? 

Agreed. Probably the two additions I would like to know about the most are Beyerdynamic's T5P and Audez'e LCD-XC. 

They're big, somewhat heavy, and not that secure on your head (they can slip off). They are home headphones. And man now that I'm finally listening to my T5p with orchestral recordings it's starting to really kick the W5000 where it hurts...

Each has its strength. PS4 is definitely powerful and all the non-exclusives will go there; the xbox one's system actually impressed me (I detest Windows 8 yet I like the Win8-flavored Xbox os) and its controller is awesome; and the Wii U, well... After ZombiU nothing really has shown what the...

I have all three consoles. :o

Thought they definitely sound better with an amp, they perform pretty decently straight out of an iPhone/pod. Unlike my HD650 which sound kind of miserable without an amp, the W5000 do a good job. Now, whether you like their sound or not and whether you like their fit or not is another matter...

I've been researching around for an unexpensive (below 500$) but good amplifier that could work as well with my low-impedance T5ps and my HD650s, which I use less frequently. Main music is classical music. I looked into Woo's Wa3 but it seems it only works to its fullest with high impedance...

Thanks!

That's pretty good advice, it seems I'll go for the Asgard. Thanks!

Of course you do. But with the PSBs you can use without NC without batteries and they still have pretty good sound. And even the passive noise isolation is quite acceptable.

I've narrowed it down to these three amps within my budget. Main goal is driving both my T5p (which sound even without amplification) and on ocassion my HD650s, both quite different headphones. Main choice of music classical. Ideas?