SHP9600

I'm a HUGE fan of the Philips SHP9600. For the money, I think it's the best headphone ever made by anyone.

The Fosi doesn't do much to the sound other than provide more power. You might not need it for most things, but something like a dongle dac will choke out as frequencies peak and the impedance curve of the headphone gets very high. Something like Why So Serious? around 3:20 in is a decent sub bass test track that is pretty obvious when the stack falls apart. Superstition by Stevie Wonder has very clear cymbals and tambourines, that will clip and sound weird without enough amplification. Also the hd 6xx are 300ohms and really shine on OTL tube amps imo. Something like the ta-26 is a good start. lol, if you don't hear a difference between that the Fosi, you'll need to get your ears checked. Also, when auditioning new stuff; I recommend spending a week or two using only the 6xx and fosi as much as possible. Make sure you get well and used to what it can do on your head and in your environment. Then when switching to something else the changes are more obvious.

Sony mdr7506 is pretty great for vinyl. Classic HiFi type sound that people growing up with Vinyl 30 years ago appreciates. Koss KPH40 or 30i are also pretty good though on-ear. Phillips sph9600 are an open back over ear probably the most similar to the HD 600 but in your budget.. AKG K240 aren't my favorite, but do work well for the price and are awfully comfy.

shp9600. Spare parts are easy to find, build quality is great for the price. I love my shp9500 and it's still in good condition even after 7 years. I bet the 9600 is better since the treble isn't as piercing as the 9500

The shp9500 is alright, but I think the shp9600 should be the move right now, especially with the lower treble it offers. Shp9500 treble is just sibilance

because difference of "generally" accepted good performance is right at the $200-300 level. The exceptions are known... The pair of FIIO FT1 and FT1 Pro, Philips SHP9600, Koss's 4 on ear "headphones", Grado SR60x, Sennheiser x Drop HD6xx (sale price) or even the HD58x...🤷🏻‍♂️ There's a reason why IEM is competitive with headphones at that under $300 price point. Price to performance...IEM usually perform better than headphones

I’m using Philips shp9600’s.  Huge soundstage, open back. You can connect a mic to it if needed.