[walkemskies]

 
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[AudioTroll]

Welcome to Head-Fi,sorry about your wallet
 
For that kind of money,koss porta pro or Sennheiser PX-100 mabye?
 
never heard the px-100,but I read good things about them.
I loved my porta pro to death,until I heard better phones
 
use the search function to look for some reviews
 
good luck finding your perfect (for the moment) pairs

 

[SolidVictory]

I also recommend the Sennheiser PX-100. Some other phones you might want to check out: Sennheiser HD 218, Sennheiser HD-205 II, Sennheiser CX-250 (in-ear).
 
P.S.: I'm not only recommending Sennheisers, I just think these fit nicely with your bill and what you're looking for in that price range.

 

[Grimloki]

Creative Aurvana Live is $49.99 on amazon.

 

[tdockweiler]

The Koss UR-55 are the best sounding headphones under $50 or even $100 by far. The Creatives are good, but the build quality is not as good and they are ON the ear for some people like me. ON the ear phones are annoying to me. The Koss UR-55 headphones go over the entire ear. They sound better then the KSC75 and the Porta Pros.
 
If you're outside the USA though the UR-55s may be hard to find. Right now they're only in Best Buy, which is stupid. They're a new model I guess.
 
So far I've seen them on sale at Best Buy for $40 twice. Seriously, these sound as good as some $100 headphones i've heard.
 
It's almost like a poor man's Audio Technica M50. That's the only headphone I can compare them to. They sound similar in many ways.

 

[walkemskies]

 
 

 

[HappyFi]

 
Quote:

I kind of changed my mind, I'd rather not have IEMS because i'm trying to protect my ears.

 
If anything, IEMs are better for your hearing. The sound doesn't compete with your surroundings as much, so less volume is required. kinda Interesting article.

 

[AudioTroll]

mabye some ksc 75´s,again,never heard but read alot of really nice reviews.
 
just love the Aurvana for the money,if you find them on sale your golden
 
try getting to test some phones from your source to se what you prefer,same track same source,going A-B on the phones.
 

 

[BlackSushi222]

U gunna use it on the go? Or for everything?
 
I suggest the 218 or if u can, the 228 like the other's have mentioned.
 
U can also try the JVC HA-S650 which I own, and they are wonderful.
 
All 3 mentioned are closed, so they block outer noise.
 
I guess there are also the AKG K518s, and much much more within your price range.

 

[Ishcabible]

 
Quote:

 

 
If anything, IEMs are better for your hearing. The sound doesn't compete with your surroundings as much, so less volume is required. kinda Interesting article.

 
QFT.
 
If you're going to use the headphones you're using in public places, IEMs are generally the way to go. But for the sake of helping, I'll say the Portapros are good for your needs. They have pretty big bass for hip hop, forward (exciting sounding) enough for rock, and forgiving enough for most pop.

The KSC75s are my vote for clip ons. Basically the same thing. The KSC75s have less bass and more treble though.
 
IEMs are probably the best in public places like trains and planes and...shoot nothing else rhymes with that. Anyways, the Portas are open (let sound in and out) so you'll have to turn them up louder than you need to to get the same volume compared to IEMs. The only valid argument against IEMs in any case is if you need to hear someone or if they're uncomfortable. The Meelectronics M6/9 gets my vote for those genres, mostly because they're the only ones other than the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4 in that price range, and they (SF4) probably won't have the bass you want. There are also Marshmallows, but you can do better than them in that price range.
 
What kind of sound do you think is good sound? Do you like a bassy sound, a vocal centered sound, a treble focused sound?
 
Yipes, I see that you want good looks. That's entirely subjective though. I'm guessing you looked up Skullcandy, Wesc, and Aerial7? It's kind of ironic how my age group is the target Skullcandy audience and I think they all look hideous, and instead like the looks of headphones whose target is audience is 2, 3, even 4 times my age. Wood headphones...*insert pun* The Portas have that nice retro look though.

None of the headphones we'll recommend will be as rainbow-ey as SC stuff though.

 

[SolidVictory]

Quote:

 

 
If anything, IEMs are better for your hearing. The sound doesn't compete with your surroundings as much, so less volume is required. kinda Interesting article.

x3 to this. IEMs are in a technical sense, safer than earbud types.

 

[rawrster]

I definitely agree. The great thing about iem's is that if used properly they should preserve your hearing compared to buds where you  have to turn up the volume to hear in noisy environments. You get good isolation which means you do not have to turn the volume up as much which should help your hearing. However if you turn it up to damaging levels your hearing will probably get damaged much faster. Actually I was thinking something similar on my way home. I was able to hear someone's music from their buds when my music was paused but e-Q7 was still on..I found that pretty interesting and not that good for their ears

 

[HappyFi]

Technically IEMs can raise the effective volume level by 4-6db, due to the seal and closer proximity. I read an article where some guy was using that as evidence that IEMs were worse for your hearing. All that means is that people who crank up the volume all the way up past damaging levels get free bonus damage. Problem is still with the user.
 
They can potentially create a better environment for bacteria growth, but that would require wearing them for a really long time. Falling asleep in them on a regular basis is probably not a good thing.

 

[walkemskies]

 
 

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

@Happyfi, solidvictory, rawrster
Thanks.  I see you guys's point.  I agree that IEMs are better than regular buds for the most part.  I've been using Skullcandy Inkd's and they were amazing for the price, in terms of sound and isolation and looks and price.  But the wire was fragile and I kept having the one-bud failure thing.  So now I'm thinking of moving away from buds in general.  I'm thinking headphones will be farther away from my ears while still providing some isolation.  And more durable  Right?
 
@audiotroll
yeah the ksc75's seem really nice, super cheap too. 
Which aurvanas? there's like 5 diffferent types or something?
and I don't know of any headphone shops in my area where I can try headphones on..
 
@blacksushi
i'm gonna use it mostly on the go, on the bus and walking around or whatever.  i might use them at home too.
what's the difference between the 218, 228 and 238? they all look similar.
i can't find the akg k518's. all i see are the limited editions, which sell for wayyyy more than i can afford.
 
@ishcabible
thanks. i've heard lots of good stuff about the portapros, but they're kinda ugly imo =P 
i've heard lots about the ksc75's too, they seem really really nice 
i'm trying to move away from earbuds, but the m9 seem good..
I don't know exactly what sound I like.  I'm not much of an audiophile.  I like the sound of the SC Ink'd's.  I guess I like a balanced sound, where the bass isn't the heavy and I can hear everything.
I do want good looks, but sound matters too =P I've never actually looked at any Wesc or Aerial7 headphones (except for the Aerial7 Tank.. those look nice haha)  I'm not into like "rainbowsy" looks, just nothing that's too big or weird looking.
 
 
Thanks a lot for the replies guys.  I realized that my first post was pretty unclear, so I'm gonna redo it haha.
I have a Zune 1st gen if that matters.  I've used SC inkd and liked them, but I need something more durable.  I've gone through at least 5 pairs of headphones.  
These headphones are mainly for on the bus or walking around or whatever.  Sometimes at home.
I'm looking for either compact/portable over-the-head ones or clip-ons.
Right now the PX-100's and the KSC75's are looking pretty good, and maybe the Sennheiser 218's.
 
What do you guys think about the JVC Flats and the Audio-Technica ATH-M2X's?

 
I had a pair of Ink'ds. They weren't really all that balanced imo. They were kind of hazy sounding. I lost them so I can't really say much else. Durable...that's kind of a mixed bag. There are some pretty fragile headphones and some pretty durable IEMs.
 
Creative Aurvana Live!'s.
 
The HD228 is closed and sounds a bit worse. The HD238 is open and sounds pretty good. The AKG K81 can be had for under $50 and is the exact same thing besides color.
 
Portapros ugly? No way!

I find them lovely the same way I like the look of Grados. The Best Buy version which is all black looks really nice. The Kosses have a lifetime warranty just so you know. Just send 5 dollars plus shipping and get a new pair no questions asked, I think. They took my modded KSC75 that I kind of killed with a soldering iron.
 
The Flats are so so. They're great for $5 though! They're decent for $20. I prefer the M9s though. IEMs will only break if you really abuse them. I've never had a pair crap out on me, and I admittedly didn't take care of them. Haven't heard the M2X. For the bus, IEMs would work best. You'd have to turn your music up louder with clip  ons or Portas than with IEMs so IEMs actually benefit your hearing.