Considering people outside of very major worldwide cities can’t just demo an expensive amp… how do you take the plunge? For example, I have some (basic, I know) HD6XX’s . To be honest, they don’t sound all that amazing powered by an iPhone, PC or Schitt Amp. Is it just sunken cost that gets people to buy more and more expensive amps and headphones until it either sounds better or you’re so deep that you can’t back out?
Amps and DAC’s have been figured out to the point where you do not need to spend much money on them at this point. Get yourself a clean amp with low distortion and pretty much any newer DAC you’ll be all set on that side. You do not need to spend much on the Amp or DAC. Then from there, as others have mentioned, you can experiment with different headphones. Or, you can just get a separate EQ and tune your headphones how you prefer them.