Best headphones for Piano music

[pianojohnw]

I want some very good headphones for monitoring my music in studio, the main music I do is orchestral and Piano music, Ive heard that the SHURE SRH940 are good or the sennheiser HD600 are good for Piano, I have also heard you need a headphone amp for this, I have no idea how to use a headphone amp and have never owned one and dont how I would set up one in my current set up, this is my current set up; im using my laptop (dell xps 15z) and have a usb alesis io2 audio interface with reveal 601a monitor speaker (which are really nice monitor speakers) and I am using some panasonic rp htf600 headphones in the alesis i02 audio interface but they are really rubish and too bassy headphones.

[49410enrique]

do you have $8,000.00 US dollars burning a hole in your pocket, the Muramasa VIII's are supposed to be among the best you can get 

https://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57394243-1/muramasa-viii-headphones-heavy-in-weight-price/

sorry other than that i got nothing, since i just buy whatever is on sale, a bit lower on the price spectrum are the v modas, normally expensive but worth it if you get em at a bargain price amazon has a pair or two or more for abot 50% off
https://www.amazon.com/Crossfade-Over-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone-Phantom/dp/B003BYRGLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334862282&sr=8-1

[pianojohnw]

hey thanks for your post haha i wish i had $8,000.00 US dollars burning a hole in my pocket unfortunatly I dont :-D

[quantum]

I found that you really need to audition headphones when you are looking at items in this price range.  There is no use spending $500 on a set that doesn't fit your head right, or has a sound that is not what you are after.  At the very least you need to read though detailed reviews of them.  

Personally I went for the HD 558.  Excellent soundstage, a sound appropriate for critical listening, good low end.  I tried the HD 650 and although there was detectable difference to my ears, I could not justify the price.  

Some links:
https://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-hd-600/reviews
https://www.head-fi.org/t/538255/sennheiser-hd-600-appreciation-thread
https://www.head-fi.org/products/shure-srh-940
https://www.head-fi.org/t/581211/headphones-for-classical-music-which-are-best-and-how-much-will-i-need-to-invest
https://www.head-fi.org/t/565673/best-piano-classical-full-sized-headphones-for-350-or-less

[pianojohnw]

Ok Thanks for your advice quantum, is there much difference between the HD600 or HD 558 also would I need a headphone amp for either of these.

[quantum]

The HD 600 is 300 ohms, HD 558 is 50 ohms.  Generally headphones with higher impedance will benefit from a headphone amp.  

I have read that the HD 600 may not perform to its full potential without an amp.  You could probably drive it directly from your interface, but not benefit from the full potential you are paying for in these cans. I have not tested the HD 600 with or without amp for comparison.  The shop I visited had all their headphones plugged into appropriate amps for auditioning.  

My HD 558 is driven directly from my audio interface.  Although an amp would definitely help the sound, the 558's are relatively lower impedance than the 600's and an amp is not as crucial in the signal chain.  I have the option of using the 558's in circumstances where an amp is not available:  such as remote recording locations, or plugging into someone's iPod.  Of course there is always an option to add an amp at a later date to further enhance the sound.  

IMO, if you don't wish to get an amp at the moment, it would be better to spend your money on headphones that don't heavily depend on one to produce their best sound.  If you are considering the HD 600, keep in mind that you may find an amp is necessary with your particular setup.  Have room in your budget if that ends up being the case.  Going with the higher end option will afford you to grow your audio setup in the future.  Down the line you may wish to get a good headphone amp, a better DAC and interface.  The HD 600 or HD 650 would grow with such setup. 

From my understanding you just insert the amp between your sound source and headphones:
sound source line out > headphone amp > headphones.  

Some reading for the HD 600 with amp:
https://www.head-fi.org/t/603111/headphone-amp-for-hd-600-complete-noob-here

The HD 600 is probably better build quality than the HD 558.  I did detect a difference when auditioning them, but that is to my ears.  You need to hear them for yourself.  To some people the difference may be negligible, to others it may be huge.