Daily headphones

[JulienG]

Much as it pains me to admit it my daily use headphones are dying after about three years. And naturally Sony have long discontinued them (MDR-CD580). So any suggestions?

Must haves:
* Removable cable
* Solid enough I can clip inside the flap of my backpack
* Full over-ear
* Prefer not sennheiser (just not a fan)
* Prefer semi-open, but not too picky
* Budget about max $400

Also interested in any USB DAC's/amps that anyone can suggest.

[wez]

AKG K271. sound great, really comfy. i have an older pair of K240s (fixed cable) but the new ones have the detachable. they have been great but the K271s are excellent, much better isolation if that's what you want, but they don't feel like fully closed cans.

[Howard Jones]

Hi Julian,

Regarding your USB DACs question, we are now selling a little standalone box that does USB<>AES conversion. It may of interest to you - you can find it here: http://www.stusol.com/sales/henry_usb_aes_matchbox.htm

We are waiting on stock to arrive from the US, should be about 3 weeks.

Thanks,
Howard

[JulienG]

Thanks for the pointer Wez, I'll probably go for the AKG 261's which seem to be the semi-open equivilent of the 271's (daily use not reference again and I find closed phones uncomfortable after a few hours).

But after having browsed around I've decided to at least try the current Sennheiser high-end so when I finally get an afternoon off I'll probably head over to Factory Sound or something.

Howard, neat box, but probably won't be of any use, I'm after something more like the BitHead that can just go in the backpack.