Either the V-MODA M-80 / M-100 are good choices in terms of portable headphones that sound good without amps. If you're looking for a more natural sound, I'd say go with the M-80 because the M-100 isn't very accurate sounding. You can also look into the Sennheiser Amperiors too which are very...

Quote: Pretty much. Essentially an amp helps drive your headphones which is especially important if you headphones have a high Impedance, giving them a much cleaner signal w/o distortion. When you use an amp you are getting the full benefit from the headphones. A good analogy would be using...

Personally, I've found my Vibratos to be almost painful to listen to on certain genres, the sibilance is too harsh on my ears. However, if you're going to listen to music genres with very little vocals and heavy bass, I can see them be a good choice.

My Bose IE2 - $100.

Sign me up!   I currently own: - V-MODA V-80 - Bose IE2  

  Quote:   Yeah with those you will need an amp. The V-MODA M-80 / V-80 have an Impedance of 28 ohms so those will be easy to drive without an amp. You may want to keep that into consideration.

http://www.amazon.com/Bennett-TBSE1-Signature-Edition-Headphone/dp/B005K5I9QW/ref=sr_du_1_map?ie=UTF8&qid=1335486501&sr=8-1 Pretty much everything you asked, if you want to save $6 but lose the branding and removable cable you can get the Koss DJ Pro 100 which is essentially the same headphone...

  Quote:   WaT dO YoU MeAn? DeY HaVe BoSe iN BeSt BuY.

V-MODA M-80/V-80, Sennheiser HD25-1 II, or Beryadynamic 1350 are what you want for portable on ear cans.

V-MODA Crossfade LP/LP2.

I'd go with the DT770's or Denon AH-D2000 for that price point. Both offer excellent sound quality and bass. If you need a closed headphone that offers good isolation the DT770's are better but as far as sound quality goes I would definitely go with the D2000.

Quote: +1

V-MODA M-80 used pair for $130. Excellent sound, portability, and looks. Also it does not require an amp.

Quote: Doesn't work :(

Quote: While the M50's are decent headphones however, they are also one of the most overhyped headphones currently on the market. For the current price, I would say that there are better options available. The mids are recessed and the highs can be harsh at times. I also found there to be...

Quote:   Do they need to be portable? If not, the Denon AH-D2000 and the FiiO E10 DAC (or FiiO E7 if you want an amp/DAC) is a great choice. Also, the quality of your sound files is HUGE. I would recommend you have at least 320 kbps if you don't want to use FLAC/AAC.    

Quote: Used is $127, great deal.

Quote: +1 for the D2000, can't go wrong with them. I would call and ask them what's the best price that they can give you.

Quote: Pioneer HDJ200 seem to be a popular choice among DJs and are under you budget.  

I don't know if EE is US exclusive but when they do have D2000's in stock usually they are the place to buy them from.

Denon AH-D2000 + Fiio E10 will be great for your needs, good for all genres and have a nice bass for hip hop/electronic music.

Quote: Yeah, the new ones come in a blueish box. To my knowledge there is also some slight differences in audio quality, I think the old ones have a heavier bass.

Quote: You probably bought the older version which went for ~$100 before they released the "new" version.

If it's for movies/videos the XB500 have a very heavy bass so you might want to go with those.

You could always go to an electronics store and compare them. They are so mainstream that nearly every electronics store has a sample display available for you to compare them with.