[jtwrace]

Please make some suggestions.   

[JP78]

I love the Sennheiser house sound, so I'm going to be the first one to throw in HD650's. Easy to drive (even an iPhone sounds musical enough), sound great with sub-par front end, and fits my largish head comfortably for hours.

Of course, it's not sealed, so anyone in a 3ft radius will be able to very faintly make out what you're listening to.

[jtwrace]

I love the Sennheiser house sound, so I'm going to be the first one to throw in HD650's. Easy to drive (even an iPhone sounds musical enough), sound great with sub-par front end, and fits my largish head comfortably for hours.

Of course, it's not sealed, so anyone in a 3ft radius will be able to very faintly make out what you're listening to.

Thanks but they are not $300 max. 

[Kinger]

Do you want open cans or closed?

For closed cans with a $300 budget, how about Denon D2000's?

[jtwrace]

Will the Shure 840's and the Audio Technica M50S both be good for use with iPods or iPads?  They both seem to get glowing reviews.  Any good?

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATHM50S-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B004ZG9TMA/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1328887364&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH840-Professional-Monitoring-Earphones/dp/B002DP8IEK

[uncouth]

I'm partial to Grado's and the SR325is fits right into your budget. I've found them to be a reliable all around performer...

[bregez]

When I am on the road I like to use a set of Sony MDR-V6's.  They are well under your budget at around $80, can be powered by an iPod, have an uncolored linear sound, and are comfortable.  The only downside is the 10' coiled cord that is a little much for traveling.  When buying these, it is desirable to get the ones made in Thailand,  the Chinese version seems not as well made.

[rklein]

Jason:

Depends on your usage...  I own a pair of the M50S cans and for my usage, I am VERY pleased.  I use them in conjunction with my Cowon J3(no additional amplification) and I can lay in bed with the volume at a reasonable level and my wife cannot hear them at all. 

In addition, I prefer them over my Stax cans (which I have wired to my speaker "B" on my Elite SC-35).  I plug the M50S right into the headphone jack and they are very enjoyable when I want to watch a movie/TV at 10 pm or later.  In fact, the bass response makes them very good for HT use.

They are not so good in terms of noise cancelling when on plane.  If I travelled more, I would probably go the BOSE route. 

You can also re-wire them(I have not) and have a very nice set of cans for your $300 budget.  I would check out Mogami wire for DIY'ing a cable.  At first, I was worried about the 9 foot long cable when travelling.  However, it is really not much of a hassle for me and I definately like the cable length when I have it plugged into my Elite SC-35!

For approximately $150 I think the AT M50S are definately a contender.

Regards,

Randy

[mhconley]

Will the Shure 840's and the Audio Technica M50S both be good for use with iPods or iPads?  They both seem to get glowing reviews.  Any good?

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATHM50S-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B004ZG9TMA/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1328887364&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH840-Professional-Monitoring-Earphones/dp/B002DP8IEK

I looked VERY seriously at both plus the KRK KNS 8400.  I too read all the glowing reviews and was ready to buy the ATH-M50s.  But I kept running across similar comments from different people on various forums about the fact that they were all designed as monitoring/mixing headphones and may not be well suited for extended casual listening sessions.  I fondly recalled how easy my old (1970's old) Sennheiser HD400 headphones sounded and purchased a pair of Sennheiser HD 598 at just under $200.  I am extremely happy with my purchase.  If you're willing to go to $315 the HD 600 seem to get very good reviews.

I use the HD 598 at home only as I have a pair of Shure e3 IEM for use while traveling.  I can tell you that at normal listening volumes the leakage from the HD 598 open headphones is almost nil.

Martin

[rklein]

I too read all the glowing reviews and was ready to buy the ATH-M50s.  But I kept running across similar comments from different people on various forums about the fact that they were all designed as monitoring/mixing headphones and may not be well suited for extended casual listening sessions.

Martin:

I have heard very good things about the Senn's when you get into the HD 598 and higher.  However, I own the ATH-M50s and have not experienced any fatigue whatsoever even when I have them on for extended periods of time.  I also an quite sure that the M50s is pretty easy to drive with just an Ipod/Ipad.  Maybe the Senns are also easy to drive as well although I can't speak to this as I have no first hand experience with them.

Regards,

Randy

[roymail]

ATH-M50's would get my vote for all the reasons previously mentioned, and they are very comfortable, too.

[mhconley]

Martin:

I have heard very good things about the Senn's when you get into the HD 598 and higher.  However, I own the ATH-M50s and have not experienced any fatigue whatsoever even when I have them on for extended periods of time.  I also an quite sure that the M50s is pretty easy to drive with just an Ipod/Ipad.  Maybe the Senns are also easy to drive as well although I can't speak to this as I have no first hand experience with them.

Regards,

Randy

I think I would have also been quite happy with the ATH-M50s, or the KNS 8400.  I really like the KRK Rokit RP-6 on my desktop.

They all look pretty similar spec-wise:
     ATH-M50s 38 Ω 99 db/W
     KNS 8400 36 Ω 97 db/W
     SRH840 44 Ω 102 db/W
     HD 598 50 Ω 102 db/W

The HD 600 may be too difficult to drive without a headphone amp; they're 300 Ω.

Martin

[Russell Dawkins]

You still haven't specified whether you are looking for open or closed back.

Are you looking for accuracy or entertainment? Most headphones to me fall into the latter category.

I haven't heard them, but if I were you (based on the comments on Amazon, plus Shure's reputation in pro circles) I would try to get a listen to the Shures you mentioned if you are looking for accuracy.

(edited to expand on Shure comments)

[roymail]

One of the "best buys" I know of is ATH-30 for about $50.  Very close to the ATH-50.

[ecramer]

you can get the 32 ohm Beyer Dynamic dt880, dt990, dt770 on Amazon for under the $300 dollar mark I think they are all good phones and very comfy. 

[jtwrace]

You still haven't specified whether you are looking for open or closed back.

Closed

Are you looking for accuracy or entertainment? Most headphones to me fall into the latter category.

Accuracy for sure!

I haven't heard them, but if I were you (based on the comments on Amazon, plus Shure's reputation in pro circles) I would try to get a listen to the Shures you mentioned if you are looking for accuracy.

(edited to expand on Shure comments)

I'm leaning that way.   

[eclein]

I didn't read all the posts but I have heard some real accurate Sennheisers and I have only heard Cheap like $25 ones so I wouldn't rule them out, or Beyer.....Jason when get to that $300 number its like a wide open race.......I haven't heard any Shure's yet so I'm out of that camp.....I have found the  guys at headroom.com the web store to be very helpful when I have called and asked for advice..one guy told me about Etymotics which I use like all the time..love them....and another guy steered me away from buying some IEM's that I later found out were not so hot...I ended up buying nothing that time and there was zero pressure...just a thought, you've heard enough speils that you can sort out the BS......Use "The Force Luke"...LOL

[DS-21]

The Denon D2000's are worth a listen. When I got them they ended up basically supplanting the Senn HD-580's for home listening use. I've had the 580's had since the mid-1990s, and they've been to every continent save Antarctica. Actually, come to think of it I don't know wherem my '580s are. Unlike the '580s, the D2000's don't need an amp. (The 580s have high impedance, and need more voltage than most headphone jacks have behind them.) I would say the only advantage to a separate amp with them is a crossfeed circuit.

When I lived in Vienna, I compared the 580s to the Senn Orpheus electrostats, and clearly preferred the 580/Total AirHead combination. (Even though those tubes are beautiful.) I also listened to the best AKG's of the time (they're based in Wien), the K1000 I think, and the 580s were clearly better to me.

I also compared them in a Guitar Center to the Sony closed cans that John Dunlavy liked (7506?) and preferred the Senns.

At any rate, the Denons sound fuller and richer, with no loss up top. The unipivot hinge design is a bit dodgy, though, so you'll need to periodically make sure the screw doesn't come loose.

Actually, the Denons are almost all of my home headphone listening. Though I also have a couple IEM's: Apple dual-driver IEM - which are really very good, so good that after I heard them I sold the triple-driver Shure E500's they replaced as my go-to travel headphone, Ety ER4S. I also had the Altec-branded single-driver Ultimate Ears one Geddes liked, until the cable socket ripped out of one of them. Which was, fortunately for me, inside Amazon's return window.

Though I will say if you like the sound of Grados, my tastes are a poor match for yours. Grados sound like a bad car stereo (or, to put it another way, Wilson Watt/Puppies...) to me.

[Sparky14]

If you have a decent amp, I'd recommend the Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohm) headphones.

Great sound and really comfortable.

[ecramer]

If you have a decent amp, I'd recommend the Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohm) headphones.

Great sound and really comfortable.

Don't think you can buy the 600 ohm for under $300