Best Headphones? - Page 2

Clearly you're not looking for an audiophile sound signature/sound. For low sound leakage and great bass I would look no further than the CAL! They're cheap and have great sound. Ultrasones are awful and I wouldn't recommend them. AKG K701's are analytical all rounder cans and are reasonably well regarded among audiophiles, but the only genres they don't do well are bass heavy genres that rely on the beat (i.e. genres that most audiophiles don't listen to.) Since you don't seem to be looking for a headphone that falls under the "audiophile" category, I don't recommend you to pay over $100 but if you're dying for that 5% increase in sonic performance which you probably won't even notice then the AKG K550 is a viable option. All of Denon's (discontinued) Dx000 lineup is great, choose your price point and you won't be disappointed, although sound isolation is poor at best. m80's are apparently great headphones but I haven't heard them so I can't comment.

I would second the previous HFI-580 / ATH-M50 recommendation...both seem to fit with what you are looking for well, and neither of them needs to be amped, which is nice.
I love my K702s, actually...for acoustic music they are some of my favorite headphones considering their price..... They are likely not what you are looking for though.......
Edited by Snag1e - 10/7/12 at 1:13pm

The m50s are a safe first headphone but you should also look into the jvc has500 (~$55). The m50s have good sounding bass.

The K/Q 701s have just as peaky of a treble as the Ultrasones do. And realistic bass  ?

 

" but the only genres they don't do well are bass heavy genres that rely on the beat (i.e. genres that most audiophiles don't listen to.) "

 

They actually don't reproduce bass well period, regardless of genre. And I like that assumption at the end... I've seen too many people spend hundreds of dollars solely for their EDM and dubstep music. 

 

 

The CAL! is a good recommendation for your purposes. If you were willing to spend as much as the K/Q 701s and M80, I'd look into some of the portable noise isolating headphones like the Sennheiser Momentum, Senn HD-25iis, Beyer DT-1350, etc. Actually I'd even recommend the Bose noise cancelling models if you are strictly listening to music on airplanes. Personally, I'd just read a book or something on an airplane with a couple of cheap good noise isolation ear plugs/ in-ear monitors. Save the music for quiet settings with open back headphones. 

What about the Etymonic HF3s with an equalizer for the low end? (Link: http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ER23-HF3-BLACK-I-A-Headset-3-Button/dp/B007TCXGVC/ref=dp_ob_title_ce)