chintimin

Errr. Classical, huh? Like, the question is still: do you want thrummy, or do you want detail and clarity? Thrummy is good for power, gives a strong emotional response, esp. to bassheads. closed is louder, less amping required, open is more detail, takes more power, has less bass as a rule of thumb. Also need to know your level of portability requirements. Headphones to check out: Grado SR80i, AKG K701 (K702 same thing) <- both of these NEED an amp, at least a CMOY), Sennheiser HD280/380, Denon D2000, Beyerdynamic DT770/880 (benefits from an amp a fair bit), Bose TriPort Around-Ear, and you pretty much get what you pay for at whatever price point from Audiotechnica.

sansa fuze has fantastic sound quality.

Look at the RE2's, my recommendation. Cheap, too.

Buy a CMOY off Ebay. no, really. Use one for a bit, then upgrade, if you need to. 30$ you won't regret.

Yes, it totally gets in your way. Also, if you're interested in cheaper headphones, but still want good power? You might want to consider mostly closed-back headphones, especially if you get weather where you're at. Look up the Koss KSC75 on Amazon, if you need a great-sounding pair of headphones for <20$. Clip-ear, but really good.

Now, as for headphones, I'd point out a couple things. One, check Amazon for the HD-555s- they're STUPID cheap right now. If you want what audiophiles would call a more "revealing" headphone, you should give the Grado SR-60is a try - they're much better at providing clear, undistorted detail, and not mushing different sounds together like the muddier 280s. If you're a fan of the heavier bass sound of the HD-280s, you'll prolly need an amp to make the Grados or other open-backed headphones provide the same level of punch, if at all. the CMOY I mentioned before, while not a super-amazing amp, provides startling power at a very reasonable price. It's a good item to use to see if a pair of headphones NEEDS an amp. Now, if you want another closed-back pair of headphones, you could give the Bose Tri-Port Around Ear Headphones a try, they're pretty good, and not a lot more expensive. For around 120, you can pick up a pair of used Beyerdynamic DT-770s, which will provide much better detail and heavier bass, with a great deal less distortion. Hell, you can buy mine for 110$ and shipping, if you want. Also, Duggeh? What the hell are you doing here, go back to head-fi.

Honestly? So, senn hd280s go for 60-70$. which is good - they're pretty decent, if "unmusical" compared to any higher-end headphones. good detail for a closed-back headphone, get pretty punchy bass out of even an mp3 phone. But as for amps? Well, a couple things. one, headphone amps are usually needed more for headphones that need a LOT of power. There's a few ways you can tell if your headphones need more than you're giving them: if they're really quiet, if the volume changes in a way that's inconsistent with the source signal, or if some frequencies you just can't hear. Now, some headphones really DO blossom out and start having less "flabby" or "bloated" bass, better response speeds (you heard me, speeds) on notes - but the 280s, while fun, don't really demand much. If your source really is super-weak, they might have issues? But something as small as one of the 1st gen ipod shuffles can make those sing with surprising force and clarity. If you're still feeling like you need to amp your source, keep your amp shopping proportionate to the phones: I'd recommend buying a CMOY off Ebay or a FiiO E5. price range on those is from 15-30, the cmoy being a sloppier box, physically, but louder and sometimes cleaner than the more compact E5. hope this has been helpful. Going to make another post about headphone selections after this.