[xctfeuph]

Hi Everyone, 
 
I've been looking for a good first pair of over-ear headphones, and I'm just wondering if anyone has some good suggestions. Here's basically what I'm looking for (sorry for my lack of experience, I'm pretty new to this.) They would be used with a laptop and iPod touch. Listed in order of importance to me:
 
I'd like to spend $200 or less. I could spend maybe $20-$30 more if it's REALLY going to make a difference. 
 
Sound quality is really important to me, I'm not looking for something like Beats where you're paying mostly for a brand. I listen to a huge variety of music, I'm a classical musician so I listen to a lot of orchestral stuff as well as rock/some hip hop. I DO want something that has at minimum, decent bass response. I probably prefer a slight emphasis on bass, but not to the point where it overwhelms everything else. I want something that could at the very least, do a somewhat decent job of recreating heavy bass effects in things like action movies, which I woud also watch with these headphones on my laptop. 
 
I need something that is durable and won't break. I don't want to have to buy new headphones for at least a few years, and I want to be able to carry them around without worrying that they will break if carefully put in a secure part of a backpack, for example. I would obviously not be rough with them, but I don't want to always be terrified of them breaking. 
 
Going along with durability, a detachable cord would be much preferred. 
 
I would rather have something that isolates sound decently. Headphones that leak a lot of sound at low to mid volume would be a deal-breaker. Good passive noise isolation would be a plus, but isn't my biggest concern. I don't need or want active noise canceling. 
 
I DO NOT want to have to mess with amps. 
 
I much prefer over-ear to on-ear. 
 
I'd like something that doesn't look super ugly, but I also don't care about "fashion" models.
 
 
Models I've considered:
 
Bose AE2- I've heard bad things about the company in general around this site. Also, they look flimsy to me. 
V-Moda LP2- Heard bad things about bass bleeding into mids, I really like how durable these look though.
Audio-Technica M50- I've heard these don't have great bass, which makes me reluctant. The fact that the cord isn't detachable makes me nervous about the cord breaking. 
Ultrasone HiFi-580- Haven't heard a whole lot of conclusive opinions on these, seem to be all over the place with reviews. 
Shure SRH 840- Heard these sound bad with iPods, which is a deal breaker. 
 
Thanks SO MUCH for your help!

 

[syryanyang]

No,  spend maybe $20-$30 more won't make a real difference.
I haven't had much experience with Shure 840 but they sound reasonably good out of an iPhone, so shouldn't be too bad with an iPod.
AE2 is OK, I use them for gym 'cause they're cheap. But I've heard a lot people saying they break down pretty quick.
M-50 is a good choice but they aren't really portable.
 
You should look into a few new phones that came out last year, namely Sony MDR-1R, Phillips Fidelio L1, Beyerdynamic DT770 88th AE and a few other. They might be a tad out of your budget depending on where you gonna get them, new or used. But I'm sure they're worth the money.

 

[Bigshow33]

I use my Sennheiser HD380's in the same ways you described. Complete over the ear full closed can, detachable cable, compact folding design, and they also come with a carrying case.