headphones for Cowon S9

[enot]

I have developed an allergy to my otherwise excellent in ear phones so am considering over earphones. I usually listen to classical, anything from piano to opera, in .flac format at high bitrate so am quite fussy. I also like rock and blues so bass is important but not at expense of clarity.
The Grado SR80i sounds as if it is suitable but I am concerned that the Cowan S9 will not be able to drive them without big battery drain or other problems (I am not very technical!). The earphones supplied with the Cowon have an impedance of 16 Ohm and max output of 2 X 29mW if that helps. I would rather not have to use an amp, the less bits and pieces the better.

[ShaunG]

The Cowon S9 is an excellent MP3 player and therefore does warrant a decent pair of headphones.

Your musical tastes would suit the sound signature of the Grado SR80i rather well, but there are some things you should know about this pair of headphones. Firstly they are on-ear, which means they do press down on the ears a little (unlike a pair of fully over-ear headphones). Also they are open back, so leak lots of noise in and your music out (unlike closed back headphones).

If those characteristics aren't a problem, then the SR80i is an excellent headphone that comes highly recommended. If they are a problem then let me know how you are planning to use them and I can make some other suggestions.

[enot]

Thanks for that Shaun. I have no objection in principle to open back, sit on ear, as you describe. I rarely listen in company. M main concern is if there is a lot of leakage does that mean I have to ramp up the output volume considerably to get the same percieved volume as from my in ear phones. Is the cowan output enough to drive the headphones at a sufficient volume without an amp. I do like opera and rock to be loud!
If you have any suggestions as to what might suit me better I would be grateful but bear in mind that the grados are already slightly above my guide max budget of £ 100. Regards, Tony

[ShaunG]

If sound leakage is not a problem, and you think the on-ear design would be OK then I would go for the Grado SR80i or SR60i. The open design does not mean you have to turn them up louder, it's just means anyone nearby has to put up with your music!

The entire Grado range is low impedance and very sensitive, which means even the humble iPod is able to drive them. The Cowon S9 I understand has a better headphone output than the iPod, so this power output should be no problem.