Sennheiser HD-202 Closed Stereo Headphones

For the longest time I had used the most craptacular five-dollar headphones one could find.  When listening to metal they had a tendency to shred my ears. 
 
Then, I got these babies.
 
This was my first much better pair of headphones I had ever bought.  They blew my mind.  Many on these boards think that these aren't so great but they are awesome to my ears. 
 
The highs were decent.  Not harsh but not totally up front and clear like they could be.  They seem to roll off ever so slightly at the very top taking away any sparkle they may have.
 
Mids seem to have a bit of recession in them but they are adequate for metal and rock to me.  I'm kind of sensitive to "middey" type phones so they do very well for me.  I can pick out vocals and guitars just fine.  I focus on drums a lot anyway. 
 
Bass is where these shine a bit.  They are a little bloated but not completely.  The bass when eq'ed up can be quite slamming and downright frightening when a metal song gets the double kicks going.  It can quite impressive.  
 
Overall they are hardly high fidelity but they were my gateway to a better listening experience.  I still have them and still listen to them to this day.  Along with the Audio Technica M50 you can pry these out of my cold dead hands.

These were my 1st step up from earbuds and gaming headsets. I was very surprised by the difference, so much that I bought a 5 pack of these for less then $100 and gave them away for Christmas presents.
 
These Headphones were my 1st awareness that there was a better way to listen to my ipod and now here I am.
 
They sound Clean with no distortion or muddiness. They have fairly good isolation and I can't dispute any of the manufacturers claims.
 
They can get uncomfortable after a couple of hours but I got used to them after a couple of weeks.
 
If you are looking for a great entry level headphone for less then $30 this is a great value.
 
Highly Recommended