Actually, in my opinion, the best Koss's for exercise would be THESE, over the Sportapros, which are also "sports" headphones:

http://www.koss.com/koss/kossweb.nsf...ReadForm&KSC35

http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0020130035

Oh, by the way, headphoens for use without an amp can get quite expensive...

I mean, heck, look at the Etymotic ER4P, the Grado SR-325, the Grado RS-1, and the Sony MDR-CD3000... all would work great for your tastes, apparently. You may even want to look at the MDR-V6, the Beyerdynamic DT250-80, and the Denon AHD-950, depending on your needs...

but, regardless, I still say that, if you don't want overkill, and want something that will plug into anything, a modded SR-80 will be plenty.

Heck, listen to how headphone.com describes the RS-1's....

"Grado RS-1
Considered by many the best headphones for listening without an amplifier."

Price? $695.

Is money still no object?

Wow, I didn't realize that headphones over say, $150, would still be 32 ohm. Yeah, I wouldn't want to spend that much, but as I said before, under $200 would be ideal.

Edit: Going to add a question in here instead of a new post, what are the sonic differences between closed and open-ear headphones? I've heard that closed was better for gaming, but since I know nothing about this stuff, I'll leave that to you.

Hey man, read this for a good overview of headphones....

http://headwize.com/articles/hguide_art.htm

Anyways, more often than not, a closed headphone will be better for gaming, just because of the fact that, oftentimes, things are localized in a more exact space with closed headphones. But not always....for example, Sennheiser makes some open headphoens that are *great* for gaming. I just bought a pair of HD565, which I intend to use for gaming a lot... It is GRADO'S that are mostly bad for gaming....

Anyways, the more detailed you can be about your uses, needs, and source, the better we can reccomend something to you, you know?

For under $200, I would whole-heartedly endorse the recommendation of modified SR-80s. Especially if you like the grado sound.
Good luck in your search!
Mike

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Should we tell him/her now....or let him/her find out for themselves when they get look at their VISA bill six months from now and discover how "inexpensive" this headpbone hobby is....

Don't discount the Koss KSC-35. They are more enjoyable, to me, than the Sony V6, and comparable to the Grado SR60. I own all three, and the KSC-35 get the most use because they sound great and are by far the most comfortable. For $30, you can't go wrong. Plus you still have $170 left in your budget to get something else You simply can't beat them for portable use unless you really need isolation.

You could get a pair of the KSC-35 and a pair of Beyer DT 250-80. Then you'd have two GREAT pairs of headphones that sound great without an amp. Both are comfortable. You would have one "active" pair and one "stationary" pair. You would have one open and one closed. Basically, you'd have an all-purpose setup. If I had $200 to spend on headphones, that's what I would buy.

Hm... I was looking through the Buy/Sell threads and saw someone mention Circuit City... well I didn't find the KSC-35's, but I did find this...

http://www.circuitcity.com/ewebIMa/d...rk_8&oid=39244


How do those compare, and only $12? Something has to be wrong.

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Unfortunately, Circuit City won't let you use those URLs, since they are session ID-dependent. What was the product?

It's the KSC-50.

I haven't tried the 35 yet but I do own 4 pair (!) of the 50s I like them that much. They use the same drivers as the 35s but the fit is much looser and that changes the sound.

I wouldn't recommend the 50s for active use as they could fall off of most ears pretty easily (they actually stay on mine very well).

Overall the KSC-50 is a *great* headphone for the price as are all the Koss 60-ohm cheapie models.