Hi,

I cannot pretend to be an audiophile, but I want to get good sounding headphones. After 2 one hour flights with the headphones that came with my Memorex CD/MP3 player I knew that I needed to buy better phones. I currently own Earhugger EH-710 phones in addition to the phones that came with my PCDP, however these phones boom at moderate volume and their design sitting on the ear made them uncomfortable for extended use.
That being said I placed an order for the Sony V700DJ headphones. This was before I found the headphone review sites that said that the headphone was not very good for musical use. I bought these phones because one of my hallmates has the V500 headphones and they are comfortable and sound better than my phones while their folding ability makes them somewhat portable.
I now play to return the phones to ETronics unopened when they arrive. I need to know however what phones to replace my current phones with. I want a few things in my headphones. I want headphones that are fairly portable, are confortable (preferably the headphones that surround the ear), block out a lot of sound, and are within the <$125 price range.
I have heard good things on several boards about the Sony MDR-V6. However I will not have a chance to hear the next set of phones I buy until I buy them because I am at college.
So what are your opinions on good headphones. I will use them with a memorex PCDP headphone jack at first, and I will probably make a CMoy for them over winter break for the line out on my PCDP, I will also use them in my room when my room is too noisy to use and they will be plugged into a technics stereo reciever until I make a headphone amp for it. Thank you in advance for any replies as I cannot go out and listen to phones as I have no car and there aren't any good audio stores in Collonial Williamsburg.

ill let more capable members answer this, but lemme recap what i think you want/need.

1. <$125
2. portable
3. isolate
4. driven by PCDP and receiver, may add an amp later

my recs:

ppl seems to love the V6, so its seems to be a good match.

i really like my Beyerdynamic DT231s. ~$100 retail, but try to look for some used. I think they have great highs, warm mids, good base. i'm going to post my impressions of the DT831s soon, and DT231 impressions will be included within. i really recommend them. theyre sturdy plastic, can take a beating, but dont fold unfortunately, if thats what you want.


i would say Grado SR-60s, but theyre not great for portable since theyre open (they LEAK and not that isolating) and dont fold. not the studiest suckers out there. but they sound great for ~$60.

i dont know sennheisers that well, but go browse what headroom has to offer.
The HD497's seem good, ~$50. from what i recall, theyre detailed, but prob nowhere as much bass as the V6, if youre into that.
Also look at the HD 280...i think they fold, and well rated by users.

Maybe a used pair for Beyer 250-80s?

more to come. gluck!!

Try the Grado SR-40's. They're the same drivers as the SR-60's in a more portable package. Very decent headphone for $40

I did look at the Grado line of headphones, and the SR-40 were the most attractive headphones as far as what I am looking for. However there are a few issues that I have with these phones.

1. They are open back, I don't know how these will sound in noisy enviroments(in planes, cars, ect.)

2. They aren't the circum-aural type, I don't know if they will be comfortable.

3. I heard somewhere that Grado secures the headphone wires with glue. Do they look cheap and do they fall apart?

Please, anyone who can address my questions please reply, I am currently looking at the Sony MDR-V6 and the Beyer DT 231 headphones that are shown in the 2nd post. All opinions are welcome.

ONLY use high-isolation closed headphones in planes, cars, etc.

That means models like Etymotic ER6, Ultrasone HFI-650, Sennheiser PXC-250, and Sennheiser HD280 Pro.

The senn HD 280 PRO look very good. Can anyone who has heard both the senn 280 pro and the V6 compare and contrast them? I am getting close to making a decision.

I like the 280 Pro a little bit better than the V6, because it isolates better and has better soundstage. It also seems a tiny bit better balanced to my ears. The V6 offers more midbass, but both phones go very deep. It looks goofier than the V6 -- like someone has attached a C-clamp to your head -- but I look goofy anyway so I don't care.

The V6 may be better bang for the buck. But I decided the 280 Pro was worth the extra dough.

Listen to the Sony V700's when they arrive. Etronics should still accept a refund if they're open. You might like them. The Ixos DJ1001, though, is better than the V700, V6, or hd280pro. You can get them from bestbuy.com. Ixos is a high end british cable manufacturer.

I took Reticuli's suggestion and listened to the V700's. All that I have to say is if these sound bad then I can't wait to hear what good sound is like. I ordered the V6 headphones and they should arrive next week. If the V6's perform simmilarly to the V700 then I will definatly need a headphone amp. The headphone out on my PCDP make an audible hiss with these low impedence phones. Thanks to all who replied.