Whenever I'm at home i find myself using my DT880s over the shure840 since isolation is not really an issue. However, music listening at the office is another story. The 840s are fine for now, but I'd like something more portable to maybe wear on the go (on my train commute in particular).
I'm looking for something that can hopefully match the sound quality of the 840 in a 200 dollar price range. It doesn't need to mirror the sound signature, but I generally prefer a more analytic reference sound. Perhaps a tall order for a portable in that price range.
Models i've considered and their potential drawbacks:
ESW9A - I had a pair of ATH A700 and didn't really like the sound on them, so I'm hesitant when it comes to audio technica models. These do look very nice, though - and with the price tag i should hope they sound better than the A700.
Phiaton ms400 - I've heard that instruments sound really mushed together on these. I can't stand that sort of sound, but maybe others have had a different experience?
V-moda m80 - semi open, i know, but so long as they don't leak too much sound, their inferior isolation might not be a problem.
I personally don't really like IEMs, those that i've heard just dont hold up in sound quality to larger size headphones without getting really expensive. Unless there are some really outstanding models you can think of in the price range, i'll generally be avoiding them.
Unfortunately I don't have access to any place to demo these headphones, so i'm going to have to rely on the advice of head-fi instead.
