[kendryna]

i know nothing of heaphones and have very little to work with (an ipod touch and mp3 music files). I am interested in buying high quality headphones, solely for the purpose of listening to music. I listen to everything and need headphones that will be capable of playing everything with crystal clear sounds.  I was wondering if i could still get that 3d sound that people keep talking about from headphones with only those things to work with.  what headphones would i buy? would a headphone preamp help? any information is very appreciated.

 

[thoughtcriminal]

What's your budget? Where will you be using them, at home or on the go?

 

[kendryna]

my budget max's out at around 600, but if i can achieve that 3d sound from my music for cheaper i would prefer to.  i will use them almost entirely at home, but i would enjoy having the option of taking them on the go as well. again, i will only be listening to my ipod

 

[thoughtcriminal]

Line out dock for iPod > Objective2 amplifier > sennheiser hd650 or hifiman he400 headphones. Possibly the akg k701 headphones instead, but they're kinda a love it or hate it thing. Listen to each before you buy

 

[kendryna]

thanks for the advice. can you tell me more about the headphone amp? what exactly does it do? can i adjust the bass and treble levels with it? is it a noticible difference without out it and/or is there another one slightly more portable that would do the trick?

 

[thoughtcriminal]

thanks for the advice. can you tell me more about the headphone amp? what exactly does it do? can i adjust the bass and treble levels with it? is it a noticible difference without out it and/or is there another one slightly more portable that would do the trick?

An amplifier increases the available power to the drivers. Two of these headphones simply cannot be driven to listenable levels without one. The other.an benefit from more available power. the o2 is the most powerful and transparent portable amp in its price range, though it is on the large size. Other amps can offer better portability and some offer more features like bass boost, but they will be a downgrade in sound quality. This is figuring a sub $200 amp (spending close to $400 on the cans). If you can get the cans cheaper youll end up with more for an amp.
Check this out http://www.head-fi.org/t/620775/the-sub-200-portable-amps-shootout-11-10-amps-compared for a comparison of amps. And note that if you decide on the AKG cans, they are notoriously hard to drive. So plan on lots of power for them

 

[FrequencyBlue]

600 bucks mean you have a lot of choices. If I was you, I'd better be steady and patient. Buy some recommended low prices headphone and see if you have a liking for specific sound signature(s), then go for bigger upgrades.
 
I actually giggled a littlbe bit when you said you want headphones that have "crystal clear" and "3D" sound. Once you go deeper into this hoppy, you will have a different way of thinking

 

[kore]

go for he400

 

[kendryna]

thanks so much for your help guys.  I have a lot of research/experimenting to do i guess.  does anyone know where i could go to listen to some of these?