Need new headphone setup.

As a budget Audiophile. Basically one who has no budget 😁 I needed something that was affordable and could be a mix of office and portable. It was hard to have a nice system at home then come in to work to listen to earbuds. So I thought how do I do this without breaking the bank, but can also use at home and office as well. So I picked up A Fiio X5MIII(used for $150.Plus two 256SD cards) portable unit so I could use the DAC on the go. I also wanted one that would do most Hi=Res file options but wanted Native DSD Conversion and this had the AK4490. you get two for them, one for each channel . It also has the ability to pick up DLNA for streaming from a Serviio server I have running. I then picked up two K5 (75.00 used ) Amplifiers that use the X5 as the DAC. Then I added a pair ESS422H Heil headphone (on sale for $99.00 ) Swapped out the cushions with Sure 1540 Pads. This opened them up quite a bit. I had read many reviews that put them up against 800 to 1000 dollar headphones and still preferred them. I have to say the sound vs $$ has worked out better than I could have imagined. Milage may very as the Dap is getting a little on the old side and there are many newer ones out depending on your needs.

rvpiano,

I've been a headphone believer for decades; currently, I splurged on a set of the HiFiMan HE1000 (an insane $3,000!).  But the Sennheiser line is outstanding for the money, if you can use an open-back design. The HiFiMan is so open, by the way, that one can listen to it without too much loss from several feet away.

FWIW, I'm also a believer in the HeadRoom headphone amp with its crossfeed processing circuit. The circuit's effect is very subtle; the only dramatic way to confirm it's doing anything is to unplug one of the channel leads while listening. With ordinary amplification (or the processing circuit switched off), the result is like having one's head split in two, or going suddenly deaf in one ear. In other words, not at all like disconnecting one speaker of a stereo pair. But with the processing circuit in, the effect is startlingly like losing one of a stereo pair of speakers. You still have a 3-D sense of space, even though all the music seems to be located at the still-active earcup.

Of course, no one listens to music like that. So what is the real world effect of the circuit? Well, less headphone fatigue, for one thing. And the music really does seem to be coming from in front, rather than being piped directly into your brain.

There are several versions of this device, and used ones are available from time to time on eBay for $200 or so, depending on the model. They're all very well made.

Incidentally, the mind behind HeadRoom is Tyll Hertsens, an interesting person in his own right.

Just pulled a reverse and cancelled the Sennheiser and spent a lot more on the AUDEZE.

I love you man!  Which model did you get?  I hate to say it, but they will scale up considerably with a better amp/DAC, but the Cobalt will definitely be a good start.  Congrats...again!

Was going to suggest the Meze 99 Classics.  They have a richer sound great for classical and jazz.  Not so great for bass heavy music like rock, etc.  Just too much bass IMO.  Excellent build quality and super comfortable as well.  I am in the process of researching an amp for them.  Something dynamic with a clear top end.  Extra bass emphasis not required!  Any suggestions welcome!

I got the LCD-2, Audeze.