I just picked up a pair of AKG K-501 headphones with an Airhead amp. Not sure if I like the Airhead amp - pretty cheap build quality, then again there isn't much to the thing - but the K-501s sound
fantastic!! Wow.
I have my full playback system out in the living room and I'm using these in the office while at my PC. I considered firing up an ancient laptop and going wireless so I could be on the network in the living room, but...the laptop needs some work, it's ancient.
Anyway...hot damn, these sucker sound good. My first real exposure to 'open' headphones and I'm blown away. Nice detail,
really rich mids (I'm loving the guitar work on Son Volt's
Trace right now), crisp and clean highs, a little rolled off in the bass, but overall seem really balanced and smooth across the range. Man, this is gonna get me thinking about upgrading the upstream CD player/ADC I'm using (just an old POS Sony desktop system).
I read soooo many good reviews about the Grados, but I just couldn't do it - I can't stand headphones that rest on my ears (supra-aural) and really wanted something that surrounds my ears (circumaural).
The K-501s aren't super cheap, but not terribly expensive either. All I can say is I'm fired up to do some headphone listening! To think I've been in the dark on the headphone front for so long...sad, really!