100$ bugdet.

Grados SR80i, cheap, good sound for metal and rock. Not the best at comfort or style but you don't care so there ya go.

The Grado SR-80 is a great sounding phone but it doesn't fit your criteria for comfort and it's an open design so it isn't good in noisy public places. Consider the Sony MDR-V6, they're a comfortable, closed design with good sound and well within you budget.

 http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Headphones-Voice/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1323124638&sr=1-1

Koss portaporos are mega cheap (around $30), sound great (phenomenal for the price), and are fairly comfortable.  They're semi-open, so maybe not totally ideal if you're in very noisy settings, but definitely better than the Grados in this regard (note: I am so in love with my modded Grado SR80is that I take them everywhere...including noisy buses, so take that into account).  

If it comes down to the SR80 and the Koss PortaPro, I'd say go with the Koss, because from listening to Grado headphones, they are overly efficient at treble reproduction to the point of sounding tinny, whereas the PortaPro has plenty of decent bass, some good clear treble, and more comfort.

The PortaPro has bass, and a midbass hump.

The Etymotic is flat and a benchmark for accuracy.

The Grado has less bass than either of those, and far more treble. Maybe 'tinny' isn't a perfect word: The treble is harsh, and borderline painful to listen to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoboFlexness 
I am a complete amatuer with sound and such, so my question is what headset would I get most out of for 100$ ish.

I have no idea what is relevant and what is not, so I'll just post every possible relevant thing I can imagine.

I want a headset for casual listening, on the run and at home. I spend a lot of time in a bus every day, and I would also use them for several hours in a row when working/playing games with friends (over skype), so they need to be comfortable.

Music: I listen to everything from Metal to soft rock / classic / rap. (Mostly rock.)
No techno / dubstep etc.

So far I've been looking at Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and Audio-Technica ATH-AD700, but everything that you think would be fitting is welcome :)  (lower than 100$ is welcome if it has a good quality for its cost.)

Priortizing:
Prize > sound > comfortable > style.

Thanks in advance.

I'm assuming that because you are using headphones in public, you would use closed headphones.

ATH-M50 are closed, ATH-AD700s are open, the ATH-A700 is the closed version.

Check out the CALs (Creative Aurvana Live), closed, nice sound.

If you need headphones for portable listening, I would not recommend the ATH-AD700 or A700 headphones.  Because of their split headband and light clamping force, the headphones literally bounce up and down on your head when you walk.  I noticed this from walking around campus with them on my head, and it is very annoying.  Not to mention just how obnoxiously large they are.  You can't really carry them on your neck or put them in a bag, they are just too big.  The A700 doesn't block sound that well despite being a closed design and the AD700 is completely open, so they aren't great in public places such as on the bus either.

Both the headphones you looked at were closed, circumaural headphones, so here's my recommendations.

1.) Audio-Technica ATH-M50/M50S:

If you can find the ATH-M50 around $100, it is definitely worth it.  $150 is pushing it.  They have decent sound isolation, excellent comfort and great sound quality.  They also have extremely good build quality and feel very durable, and are easy to carry around thanks to the pivoting ear cups.  They rest just fine around your neck, and fit inside a bag well.

Get the ATH-M50S if you can, as it has a straight cable.  However, the coiled cable of the ATH-M50 is very easily manageable for a coiled cable, so pick whatever's cheaper.  It's not worth paying $20-$50 extra for the straight cable version.

2.) Sennheiser HD280 Pro:

Another option is the Sennheiser HD280 at about $80, which has the best isolation of any stock headphone I've ever tried.  Some people complain about the headband clamping a bit, but I never had issues with that myself.  They aren't very heavy on bass, so bass heavy genres like dubstep aren't the best match, but you have the exact opposite musical tastes, so these are still a good fit.  They are slightly bigger than the ATH-M50, but fold up the exact same way and are much easier to find at a lower price.  The coiled cable can be a bit of a pain sometimes, but is manageable.

The HD280 comes in both Black and Silver.  I prefer the black version.  Weirdly enough, I purchased a silver version, but I received a black version in a silver version's box.  

I know there are plenty of other options at this price range, but these are the headphones I've either owned myself or have had the opportunity to try for more than 30 seconds.

Recommend:

• Audio Technica ATH-M50/M50S (If you can find at around $100)
• Sennheiser HD280 Pro

Don't Recommend:

• Audio Technica ATH-A700/ATH-AD700

Heya,

Look into:

Sennheiser HD449

Shure SRH440

Sony MDR7506

AKG K271 MKII

CAD Audio MH310 (upgraded with AKG 240 velour pads)

Very best,

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevenswall 

If it comes down to the SR80 and the Koss PortaPro, I'd say go with the Koss, because from listening to Grado headphones, they are overly efficient at treble reproduction to the point of sounding tinny, whereas the PortaPro has plenty of decent bass, some good clear treble, and more comfort.

Can't say I agree with this.

The SR80 are NOT tinny. 

They don't have any soundstage to speak off, leaks a lot, does not isolate, has a thick cable. I wouldn't use them for hours on end because they're quite uncomfortable, being supra-aural. Great for rock and metal songs that aren't very bassy. If you listen to rap, I don't think you'd want Grados. If you're thinking of using them on the go, consider some IEMs. There are great IEMs in that price range, plus they isolate a lot better than most headphones. 

If you still want to stick to headphones, I suggest trying the M50, HFI-580 and Sennheiser HD438, 448. (haven't heard the 4x9s). The Sennheisers are not very well-built though.