Most comfortable, detailed headphones under $300?

I don't know anything about Grado's but HD 598's seem the best for your price range if you want good all around sound.

If you don't have a problem with the driver's grill slightly touching your ear lobes i'd recommend ATH-AD900 and AKG K240mkII. The AT is fully open, very sensitive (sounds loud enough and decent out of a computer i.e) and has a spacious headstage and is midrange oriented- it emphasizes string instruments and vocals the most. the AKG is semi-open, more balanced sounding, bass has more presnce but looser in comparison ( though more accurate maybe). It can be quite dark (weak treble) without proper amplification, despite it's apparent low impedance at 55ohms.  Personally i'd prefer the AD900's brighter and airier presentation, depite some compromise in bass presence.

Probably the DT-880. Only if you're not one of the 1% who find them uncomfortable. The cups are too shallow, but this is not a problem for most people.

Those things are detail monsters. They're are a fairly hard headphone to like. Maybe an acquired taste for some.

IMO the HD-598 doesn't have detail overkill until you recable it. Still better for detail than the HD-600 and HD-650 (yes, I said it. Sorry).

My favorite though is the Koss Pro DJ100 with M50 pads. Tons of detail and the extra money can be spent on a good portable amp.

If you are looking for portable use, save yourself some trouble and go closed.

That said, I'd echo the DT880--supreme comfort, and incredible detail.

Depending on whether you want that "etched" sound, though, some Ultrasones might also make you happy.

DT 880 as well.

You might get lucky and snag a vintage Stax Lambda system for $300 or less, but that assumes that you have a speaker amp to feed the mere transformer box it'll likely come with...or even find a Lambda and a transformer box for $300 or less in the first place. (You can't just get the headphones by themselves since they're electrostatics.)

But if you're in the right place at the right time (like I was a month ago, that place being Head-Fi's own B/S/T section), you'd be hard-pressed to find a more comfortable and detailed headphone at that price point.

As for something more readily available...I don't have any experience with the AD900 or DT880 at all, but I can at least feel reasonably confident that the AD900 is a very comfortable headphone if the AD700 is anything to go by, and the DT880 was going to be my step up from the AD700 (given its reputation as a gaming headphone) until I started hearing about alternative options.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdonova33 


Are the AD900's good for portable use as well?

They have huge earcups and a are fully-open design, with no attenuation on both sides... if that doesn't concern you than yeah, plug 'em in any battery powered device and they'll sound great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdonova33 

And are they comfortable?

Except the shallow earcups, one of the most comfortable i've worn.

I do prefer them to the DT880 on both aspects, Though it's been awhile since i've heard the Beyers. They obviously have great detail, but the PRaT just wasn't there... Btw, If you can stretch it to around 350$ the Sony SA5000 are even better. One of the best out there IMO, regardless of price.
 

Consider the Fischer Audio FA003 as well