Here we go.
#1
I need a open headphones recommendation. They would be used with portable and hooked to a PC only. No amps. They shouldn't be completely neutral, a little boost of bass and highs is a good idea but not too much coloration. That is needed since some portables lack a good equlizer and like to EQ my music on the highs and bass.
The sound should be as detailed as possible. They should also be as comfortable and robust as possible but that's not the deciding factor.
Price is of little concern. Of course I exclude those that could cost as much as a whole PC rig. If I have to give a price limit, let's say around $250 (210 euro), if they're really worth it - $300 (250 euro). Another brand limiter: the headphones must be available in Germany. So Audio Technica and Grado are left excluded as I think they're either impossible or near impossible to find. Not 100% sure though.

#2
Head-Fi recommends burning in headphones. Doubting a bit this claim (not completely though) I want a second opinion and since HA.org is the audio related site I trust the most I ask here: Will burning in headphones make them sound better and if yes what would there be a big difference?
I know burning in cables is simply stupid (to say the least) but since speakers have mechanical parts burning them just might an effect. So I guess what goes for speakers should go for headphones as well. Could be wrong though.

Quick reply to #1, I own Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro's and they are great, and should be easy to aquire in your neck of the woods.

I won't comment on #2, I'm pretty sure it can't hurt to burn in, but many would argue it has no advantage either.

The Alessandro MS-1 (99$) or MS-2 (299$) are made by Grado and are said to be fantastic and can be used without amp. You can order them here directly from Alessandro with international shipping IIRC. Check out head-fi.org, there have been numerous threads about their quality and also some about the ordering process if you are outside the US. IIRC, it is no problem ordering them from anywhere, and the 99$ for the MS-1 are said to be much too cheap for the quality you get.

I'd recommend the Sennheiser PX100, they fit pretty well to your demands.
See
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....=38659&hl=px100
for a discussion.


Edit: typo

BeyerDynamic makes some fantastic headphones (I've just ordered a pair of DT880 from Germany), but I don't think they'll fit in your scheme, as first of all theire hard driven and need an amp to really shine (just bought a Xin SuperMacro-3 V6 myself), and secondly, theire big and bulky and have velour paddings (not very compatible with the kind of weather in my hometown; rain, rain, rain), so theire not very fitted for outdoor use I think....

I'm currently just using a pair of AKG K 26 P (very good for being so cheap, a little uncomfortable though) for outdoor use, while I'm trying to figure out myself what might be the perfect outdoor set in my climate (and getting the money to buy it..... )

Many people seem to think canalphones are the thing. Good ones (from Etymotic Research, Shure and Ultimate Ears) are expensive though, and then it's the issue of inserting stuff into your earcanals.... I haven't tried this myself, but I feel a little sceptic... Anybody tried? But as for avoiding an amp, canalphones are easily driven and probably the least in need of amping.... (amping does wonders though, and Xin has made some really tiny ones now).

So I myself are wondering about best outdoors set.... Some sites I've been looking at are:
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/show...ad.php?t=168386
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=2
http://www.headphonereviews.org/
http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/all-headphones/

More people with thoughts on the issue?

OK, change of plan.
I'd like to ask if a SonyEricsson W800i would be as good as a standalone mp3 player concerning quality as I'm thinking of either getting a nice mp3 player or a W800i with a bigger MemoryStick.
#1 So is there a big difference in terms of quality between the W800i and Creative mp3 players?
#2 Which mp3 player(if I go for that) Creative MuVo2 or MuVo V200. The MuVo2 looks better but does it have an EQ? And how are those mp3 players concerning sound quality? Which one is better? EDIT: Strangely the MuVo V200 is a little more expensive than tha MuVo2 (a few euros). The MuVo2 has a Li-ion battery and 4 GB memory (the MuVo V200 has only 1)so I guess the MuVo V200 must be better at something else to cost a few euros more. I'm stumped!
#3 Are the earbuds included in the package with either a W800i or Creative mp3 player good enough or should I buy additional?
#4 If additional, which ones? Some choices I've put on my list: Sony EX81, Sennheisers MX 400, PX 100, PX 200 or Beyerdynamic DTX 10, 20 and 30.
Any suggestions?

As a user of Etymotic ER-4P's, I can tell you they are excellent for home and portable listening. Very detailed...almost a bit much at times as they're very revealing of the source material. They ship with foam earplugs and tri-tip rubbery ones. I've used both and find them equally comfortable. I do have to point out, since they're in-canal types, that you don't simply "pop" them on for a quick listen. They're not hard to get in and positioned, but it does take a bit more than the .5 nanoseconds for something that sits outside your ear.

Overall, I love them.

I don't know 'bout SE W800i. Myself I have older SE K700i, and it does play mp3. However, the quality of the decoder are not great and it skips on VBR files (don't mean much though, as I have iRiver H340 all I need mp3 function on my cellphone for are ringtones). Guess the W800i are much better, but I feel the stuff they put in cellphones to make them more attractive in the markedplace (mp3 playback, radio, digital camera etc.) never are top notch qualitywise...... If you want an all-in-one solution it might be good, but don't expect too much....

As for buds I don't think any buds will ever give any real quality sound. Go for cans or canalphones.

EDIT: Typo.

Thanks for the replies but can anyone give some info on
#2 Which mp3 player(if I go for that) Creative MuVo2 or MuVo V200. EDIT: Both of them have EQ, my fault for missing that. The MuVo2 has 4 band and MuVo V200 has 5 band.
The specific MuVo2 is without FM radio. I guess that's why it costs as much as 3GB less MuVo V200. Still, is there difference in terms of quality? If not I'll go for the MuVo2. 3GB extra storage is better than FM radio and it uses a Li-Ion battery.

EDIT #2: OK, the Zen Micro and iRiver are also a choice.
Here are the requirements (in high to low priority order):
- sound quality
- nice capacity (min 1GB and as much as possible)
- long battery life
- ID3 tag reading and nice music orginizing (viewing mp3s while listening)
- ease of use

The other side (nice to have but only after the previous requirements are met):
- included headphones are not an issue as I'd most likely buy separate canal phones
- OGG support would be nice but not vital
- size and wieght are not much of a problem. The smaller and lighter, the better but several grams and millimeters are no problem
- FM radio - again nice to have but not vital

about the burn-in, personally, i think it is all placebo, but it is very difficult to test, so i have no proof.

It depends on specific headphones. I wouldn't say differences you can hear after burn-in are always placebo.

I'm very sceptical of it too. Actually it wouldn't be too difficult to test for headphones, but you'd need two pairs - one unused and one well used. ABX might be tricky, but a comparison or even a blind comparison wouldn't be. Burn-in for components with mechanical parts I have an open mind on, burn-in for things like cables just has to be audiophile tosh. "burn-in" is actually a poor term anyway, since hopefully nothing gets burned! Bedding-in might be more accurate.

As an aside, I recently bought some Shure E2c canal phones and I think they sound better now after some use. I freely admit that I can't prove it though, having no reference, so it's equally possible that it's "placebo". I was a little underwhelmed by the bass on them, initially and that's the bit that I think *may* have improved.