Which Headphone do I need?

Quick Pick!!! 

If you feel lucky, and ready to buy at this moment, and try to trust my judgement...go and buy these headphone....

• For Ipod: Shure E3C, Shure E4C, Koss KSC35, Koss KSC75,Sony Fontopia Ex71, Sennheiser CX300
• For Home/Office/Critical Listening: Grado SR125, Grado SR325, Grado RS-1/RS-2, Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser HD650, AKG 501, AKG 601, AKG 701, Beyer Dynamics DT880
• Important note: For most Grado, amplification (that is Headphone Amplifier) is not necessary, I even use Grado straight from my Ipod and still sounds great! but Amp make it better though. The Sennheiser, AKG and Beyer Dynamics (the high end type) a headphone amplifier is a must!

Info about headphones 

• Headphone is the cheapest way to listen a high quality audio. Even there's alot of "boomboxes" and "microsets" of CD player, at the same amount of money you can get decent portable CD player (walkman?) and Grado headphones and hear the sound that equal with speaker system worth tenth of thousand dollar!
• Circumaural vs. Supra-aural vs. Earplug, the Circumaural means that the heaphone size is bigger than your ear and it is the best way to listen and more comfortable, the Supra-aural is that the headphone "same size" with your ear or little bit smaller, which means it will touch to your ear, while the ear plug is inserted to your ear and will give you the isolation from outside sound
• Wired vs Wireless, up until today (2006) wireless headphones still can't match the quality of the typical wired headphones. Wireless definately will give you more freedom but at the expense of sound quality
• There such thing as "burn-in" time, which mean everytime you buy new headphones it actually not it "real sound" the character of each headphones will reveal after 100-200 hours of continuous listening, so make sure if you try to buy and judging from the first listening out the box you know that you will not hear the real sound. The after burn-in sound usually "wider" and "softer" and "punchier" while the brand new usually sound "cramped". That's why I only "sells" you what headphone lovers believe a good headphone...
• Some headphone 'must' use headphone amplifier, such Senn HD-600/650 AKG K501/K701 while Grado and Sony usually don't need it, of course it will sound much better with the amplifier too
• Where do you listen also very important, no matter how good and expensive your equipment but you listen to it next to construction project or in public area you won't get the quality at all, so for busy area, the earplug is the best way to go! Also if you listening in the airplane
• It's the sound, not the volume! the higher quality headphone shown here consider "the best" of each level price, so if you listen to them, you will hear everything and that's the beauty of critical headphone experience, you will be surprise, for example that there's alot of sounds going on at Radiohead's album, or you also can hear the breath of Tori Amos, and the background noise of live performance. The more you can hear, the easier it deliver, will lead you to lower sound volume. In that case, headphone not always "bad" for ears. just make sure don't listen for continuous long hour though...hey, I'm not a doctor!

So which headphone? 

• Here's the "basic" character, you know its like a rock singer = long hair, jazz singer = short hair/no hair....of course there will be exception one or two...so let me try:
  Grado Headphones = It will make you "move", give you experience"in" the band, very strong bass and drum impact, also very good in represent acoustic guitar, but like you are in the band, it sounds "noisy" for some people, typically who likes to hear it from the spectator point of view, then it is good for them to purchase....
  
  ...Sennheiser HD600/HD650, it has a "huge" feeling, that you are "in the hall/room" watching performance, so for 'big scale' musical representation, this headphone is the best...and for long period of listening, this one very comfort...but if you are really serious kind of person, bit analitycal..so then..
  
  AKG 501/701 should be your choice, can I say "dry"? and "sober" for this? not in a bad way though, I really love hear acoustic jazz from this one, also some small chamber orchestra, very serious, and critical, you will hear "lack of punch" or "no bass" in this phone, it wont make you move, but will make you appreciate the music (sounds serious enough right?)
• Any Grado headphone and AKG 501/701 = Norah Jones "come away", Extreme "more than words", REM "nightswimming", Tori Amos "winter", Tracy Chapman "fast car", Kate Bush "breathe", Madonna "something to remember", John Legend "ordinary people"...Any Jazz Trio (standard), Small Acoustic performance (jazz, folks, pop unplugged) Solo performance with acoustic instruments, or Solo classical acoustic instruments (Yo Yo Ma solo)
• Sennheiser HD600 or HD650 = Celine Dion "My heart will go on", Andrea Bocelli "Con Te Partiro", Soundtrack "Gladiator" Soundtrack "Lord of the rings", Any Symphony Orchestra....
• Grado (any model) = mostly sounds amazing with acoustic guitar and cello...and also with typical rock songs and "punchy" drums songs, the character is like you are "IN" the band...so John Mayer, Dave Matthews..to Van Halen, Alanis Morisette (especially Jagged Little Pill acoustic), Chick Corea "mad hatter"
• So, How about IPOD? Lately there are lots of earplug headphone coming around, My best suggestion is Shure E4 or Etymotics, okay if that's too scary for you, the lower price like E3C Shure it's okay, then Koss KSC35 is waaayy cheaper..but sounds very good indeed, but that's not earplug but using "ear clip", so some people feels uncomfortable for long perior...
• So is there "all round" headphone? like everything in the world, there's no such thing as "the ultimate", there will be "pros and cons" by believing this...I able to keep my marriage! she's not the perfect one, but sure is good for me... ;-)