^ These would be the Sennheiser 650 headphones - 8 years since I bought them. As you'd expect at the price, they are typically well built and hard to lose, especially since they come with a box to store them after use. The cables are also replaceable, which is neat option for when they get old and break (not that they have yet), or for audio upgrade potential.
As I mentioned before, these headphones are designed for hi-fi use, so I avoid running them through portable stereos, as with them their amps are typically tiny and simply aren't up to the task of driving a pair of power-hungry cans. Instead I run my headphones through my
Audiolab M-DAC, which also doubles as a headphone amp, and (with a well shielded USB interconnect) allows for hi-fi quality, jitter-free sound even from my humble laptop.
Sennheiser headphones at this price are often compared to Grado headphones (which I also rate rather highly) as they are both aimed at high-end hi-fi sound. Which pair sounds better depends on the preferences of the listener. Those who like rock and jazz might prefer the soundstage of Grado headphones, which are very special in the midrange and have a slight edge in terms of outright detail. On the other hand the soundstage of Sennhieser headphones is typically warm-bassed, open, dynamic, yet smooth enough to permit fatigue-free listening over long periods of time, which is more to my liking.
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