Sennheiser HD598
http://static1.squarespace.com/stati...headphones.jpg

and

HiFiMan HE400
http://the-gadgeteer.com/wp-content/..._6-500x333.jpg

I'll be buying the HE560, later on this year. :)

^ Those Sennhesier look pretty fancy. Do they sound good?

Definitely. I personally think they sound really damn good! I do have to say that some genres don't really sound that good on them, though.

I have some good ol' Sony's. Sound good enough for a pseudo-audiophile such as myself.

JFX Ha-M5X 'Xtreme' (stupid marketing ploy, but decent headphones. Need to replace the jack though)

http://i.imgur.com/DQCHd41.jpg

Audio technicas mx20s. They are beautifully clear in sound.I've had them for quite some time now.

Those Sennheiser 598s are the sexiest headphones going. I know one lad who got given a pair of them and because he was clueless and expected them to sound like closed back headphones, gave them away as he thought the sound was sh*t :D

I only use my Audio Technica ATH M50x headphones these days. Much prefer over ear to on ear, my HD25s are gathering dust so I'm gonna whack them on eBay.

Lol, I'm sure he expected a lot of bass. I had the original ATH-M50, but I sold them because I was going to get a different pair of closed back headphones. I ended up using the money on something else, though. lol I have never heard the HD25's, people say they sound good, but I'll have to give them a hear, if some store ever has them up for demo. :)

I'm starting to feel the audiophile itch - the desire to upgrade my setup.

Headphones are easily the component for which an upgrade would yield the greatest impact to my listening experience.

90% of my listening is currently spent with my closed back circumaural Sennheiser HD380 Pro cans. I love the 32db passive cancellation, the comfort over extended periods of wear, and the neutral, accurate delivery of most classical, ambient, minimalist 20th century, drone, choral works, and other more delicate musics.

So I went on a hunt this evening (inspired by this thread) to see what fit the bill of the upgrade I was imagining. I wanted to see if there was a similar format of a monitor, with wood ear cups (for that regal look), in the ballpark of ~$600.

I know everyone goes for the Grado References at that price point, but the on-ear design would sacrifice comfort over my 8-hr nocturnal listening sessions and sound leakage would be an issue. Furthermore, I'm too neo-Victorian for the Grado Labs' minimalist aesthetic.

I'm seriously considering the AudioQuest Nighthawk headphones. They meet all of my specs and is from a trusted name in cables and portable DACs.

Has anyone in the thread tried them out?

http://i.imgur.com/afDDZFfl.jpg

Any of you guys use bluetooth headphones? I'm looking at upgrading my pair, which are a ****ty cheap pair anyway, so any help or advice would be good. Before you ask, why am I using b/t phones? Because when I'm out, it's so much easier to be able to push a button on the earcup to pause the playback, rather than fish out my phone from my pocket, put in the code to shut off the screensaver, and hit pause, then repeat it when I want to continue. Also, leads get in the way.

What I'm looking for basically is a pair somewhere in the region of 100 - 150 Euro, doesn't have to be a big name (but fine if it is) with:

Play button that picks up quickly, and also is able to restart play after some time of inactivity. In other words, at the moment, if I'm playing my music and go, say, into a shop, and turn off (pause) the music, when I come back out my phones generally do not recognise the resume play command. I then have to go through the annoying process described above in the first paragraph to get the music going again.

Separate volume button on the earcup. Most phones I've seen and used have had the volume button double as something else, where you press quickly for the other function (say, fast forward or skip) and more slowly and longer for volume up or down. Naturally, it's easy to accidentally press too quickly and you end up activating the other function. So a separate volume button would be nice, though in fairness not actually a dealbreaker, as I can set the volume anyway from my phone.

A good reception. I find that when I go into the city, or even pass traffic on the road, sometimes even sitting on the bus, the sound will cut in and out as the phones encounter interference from other bluetooth-enabled devices, or maybe just other electronics. This is annoying as it breaks up the flow of the music, sometimes meaning I have to shut it off completely till I'm in a quieter zone, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of listening to music on the go.

Extendable "arms". I know this seems obvious, but the pair I just bought are rigid, so if they don't fit your head there's nothing you can do about it. I'd like to be able to adjust the phones so they cover my ears properly.

That's about it I guess. So any suggestions, fire away.
Thanks!
TH