[NonApplicable]

I have been using a pair of $8 earbuds bought at Walmart for about half a year now. I think now it is time I upgrade.
 
I was planning to buy "Bose On-Ear Headphones" but I had read, bang for your buck isn't there in terms of sound quality and the bass is just dumb. In the end many forum posters relate Bose with being overhyped.
 
Then I started looking at the Shure Se530's which were a bit on the expensive side. Despite having good reviews, it seems they don't suit my casual needs as I do not own a amp(except for my Guitar) and better alternatives exist for my particular genre of music.
 
I'm looking for headphones that compliment the fast paced BPM Metal Music produces. (Correct me if I'm Wrong) I'm also looking for good Low Bass to bring out the individuality of the bass(instrument) and guitar. I own a ZuneHD(PMP) so I'm looking to be able to get as much out as that as possible as I don't listen to music any other way. Preferably no sound leaking would be better but I would sacrifice this for sound quality(ex."Vented Diaphragms on Grados[size=x-small].) [/size][size=x-small]Strictly from reading around the internet, I have heard that Grado and Sennheiser excel at what I'm looking for and are common favorites among people who invest in a quality set. All I need is your recommendation![/size]
 
So in short I am a casual music listener who wants to be confident that I am buying the best headphones fitting these restrictions:

1. $100-200
2. Awesome For Metal Music
3. Works Well On My Zune
4. Decently Comfortable
5. Sturdy(Want to Last at least 2 years)
6. Earbuds or On-Ear Design

 
THANKS FOR READING!

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

 
So in short I am a casual music listener who wants to be confident that I am buying the best headphones fitting these restrictions:

1. $100-200
2. Awesome For Metal Music
3. Works Well On My Zune
4. Decently Comfortable
5. Sturdy(Want to Last at least 2 years)
6. Earbuds or On-Ear Design

 
THANKS FOR READING!

Monster Turbine Pro Coppers:
 
1-Between Ebay, Onecall, etc you should find them for $190-$230
2-They shred Metal, very quick for a dynamic driver, full bodied, good bass, vocals and guitars scream, no sibilance
3-Works on a nano should do fine on a Zune
4-with right tips and the full set from Monster you are likely to find a good fit
5-lifetime warranty on manufacturer defects and a one-time you break it they replace it warranty also
6-Can be worn over ear and $10 silicone guides can be used to secure them over the ear even better
 
Radius DDM's or Fischer DBA-02's might be good for $160 but I have yet to hear them.

 

[pez]

You can find Shure SE530 used, but I didn't like them for metal at all.  They're great IEM's, don't get me wrong, but metal is not their genre.  I've found my happiness with the TripleFi 10's though. 

 

[NonApplicable]

Im having a hard time finding Monster Turbines Cu in Canada for a decent price. If I could I would grab em. I was thinking as a alternative maybe the Sennheiser HD25-1 Mk.II

 

[Painful Chafe]

Here is a good place to look for headphones:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/433318/shootout-35-portable-headphones-compared-panasonic-rp-htx7-philips-shp5400-added-05-02-10
 
I'm in the same boat(Trivium, Metallica, old Megadeth, Slipknot, Slayer, etc) I'm leaning towards the Sennheiser HD25-1 II or the Creative Aurvana if i want to save some $. I've also heard that the Grado SR225i's are great for rock/metal.
 
As far as IEM's, though I haven't head them, the Panasonic HJE900's are supposed to be really good for rock. They are on amazon for $110.
 
 
Fisher Audo is also making a good name for themselves around here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/450772/review-fischer-audio-from-russia-with-love
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/484569/review-fischer-audio-s-dba-02
 

 

[NonApplicable]

Thanks guys, I`ve been really taking a liking to some of the suggestions in this thread. The Fischer Audio DBA-02 has really sparked my attention. Between the DBAs, Turbine Pros, and HD20-1 iis, I have been hard pressed to find a review that doesn`t recommend them. It will probably come down to which I can get for the best price.
 
RUST IN PEACE! Endgame Is a banger too. I wouldn`t restrict myself to the old stuff as the newest album is probably the best since Youthanasia or Countdown.
I think that should say *Old Metallica. World Painted Blood top 10 of 2009!
Ascendancy is also a beast, however judging by your list of bands you probably prefer Sogun(which aint bad either). Any on topic!
 
BTW, can any explain to me the difference between the Copper and Gold species of Monster earbuds Copper is $100 more expensive but I cant find out why.

 

[Painful Chafe]

Quote:

RUST IN PEACE! Endgame Is a banger too
I think that should say *Old Metallica. World Painted Blood top 10 of 2009!
Ascendancy is also a beast, however judging by your list of bands you probably prefer Sogun(which aint bad either). Any on topic!
 
BTW, can any explain to me the difference between the Copper and Gold species of Monster earbuds

I liked Rust, and Endgame is a great album. There was just so much crap in between. Even songs I was supposed to like were crap. Anything with "Pied Piper" in the lyrics I can't listen to, I don't care how good of a riff it has in it. And yes. IMHO, Metallica hasn't made anything good since Master of Puppets, except for "One". Garage Days is right up there as my favorite. Amazing 'almost live" raw sound. I liked World Painted Blood a lot when it came out, but then I started listening to the lyrics. When did Slayer become such an anti-American bunch of whiners? Hasn't Green Day filled the quota of "I hate America" songs?

 
 
As for the Copper vs Golds, go for the Golds. They are more "fun". Better for your type of music.
 

 

[Big Kev]

Quote:

I liked Rust, and Endgame is a great album. There was just so much crap in between. Even songs I was supposed to like were crap. Anything with "Pied Piper" in the lyrics I can't listen to, I don't care how good of a riff it has in it. And yes. IMHO, Metallica hasn't made anything good since Master of Puppets, except for "One". Garage Days is right up there as my favorite. Amazing 'almost live" raw sound. I liked World Painted Blood a lot when it came out, but then I started listening to the lyrics. When did Slayer become such an anti-American bunch of whiners? Hasn't Green Day filled the quota of "I hate America" songs?

 
As for the Copper vs Golds, go for the Golds. They are more "fun". Better for your type of music.
 

Have you heard Death Magnetic, I think it's a great album and although not quite as good as Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets or and Justice for All, it's a great effort mate.  Then again, I don't think Load, Reload or the Black Album were that bad either, but I really did like Garage Days as well.  Endgame is a good album for me, no better than that and not in the same league as their earlier stuff.
 
I used to like the Triple.fi's with metal as well and I also found the IE8's to be quite decent, although rather bass loaded.  I also liked the Golds, which had deep bass and decent clarity, but my Coppers haven't turned up yet, so I can't comment on them.
 
I do prefer the SM3's and Westone 3's overall, but they're in a different price bracket.

 

[NonApplicable]

I agree, Death Magnetic is a very good album one of my 2008 favorites!
 
Despite the Coppers being $100 more expensive I am able to get them for around $230 Canadian and the Gold for the same price. Shouldn't the Coppers be better because of the higher MSRB? 
 
BigKev when you get your Coppers do tell.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

I agree, Death Magnetic is a very good album one of my 2008 favorites!

 
I'm sorry to say that I think you'll be very disappointed listening to Death Magnetic with decent headphones. I own all of the Metallica albums and Death Magnetic is by far the loudest and most brickwalled of all of them. The digital loudness war has really gone too far with this one - with decent gear you get the full gamut of issues that that causes - limited dynamic range, distortion, even clipping. I believe one of the recording engineers from the studio that mastered the album even washed his hands of it, saying that it was already beyond hope when it reached their studio.
 
To my ears all of the later Megadeth re-masters suffer from the same issue, though to a smaller extent. I'd much rather listen to the original mixes.
 

 

[mark2410]

C751

 

[ProtegeManiac]

JLab J3, but through the headphone out of my Zen MX some bass notes are overbearing and begin to distort at about 13/20 volume. No prob with my 5g iPod, but the treble is louder. Bass tightens up and treble is better controlled with the Icon Mobile but I think the Zune has no fixed output, so amps are really out of the question. Although at about $40 including shipping it might be worth for you to look into that one.
 
I think some Amazon sellers are selling Klipsch Custom 1's for $100, and Custom 2's for $150 I think, Check those out too.
 

 

[G3n0c|d3]

Quote:

Quote:

I agree, Death Magnetic is a very good album one of my 2008 favorites!

 
I'm sorry to say that I think you'll be very disappointed listening to Death Magnetic with decent headphones. I own all of the Metallica albums and Death Magnetic is by far the loudest and most brickwalled of all of them. The digital loudness war has really gone too far with this one - with decent gear you get the full gamut of issues that that causes - limited dynamic range, distortion, even clipping. I believe one of the recording engineers from the studio that mastered the album even washed his hands of it, saying that it was already beyond hope when it reached their studio.
 
To my ears all of the later Megadeth re-masters suffer from the same issue, though to a smaller extent. I'd much rather listen to the original mixes.
 

i just cant stand listening to my apocalypse and death magnetic... its just too loud and i cant bare the distortion 

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

JLab J3, but through the headphone out of my Zen MX some bass notes are overbearing and begin to distort at about 13/20 volume. No prob with my 5g iPod, but the treble is louder. Bass tightens up and treble is better controlled with the Icon Mobile but I think the Zune has no fixed output, so amps are really out of the question. Although at about $40 including shipping it might be worth for you to look into that one.
 
I think some Amazon sellers are selling Klipsch Custom 1's for $100, and Custom 2's for $150 I think, Check those out too.
 

 
Those prices are horrible. Custom 1 should cost around $40, Custom 2 around $80 (and I still wouldn't pay that much for them), and Custom 3 around $150. 
 

 

[NonApplicable]

Death Magnetic can't have worse production than St. Anger
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
 
J3s are bit too low end as are Zen MX. Go loud or go home, on my zune I go 24/30 of the way on sound; so distortion would be a problem for me. 
 
The C751s look like quality headphones. Purely from reading internet reviews, people generally happy with them and give the somewhere between 80-85%. However I wont be getting these as Amazon is out of stock.
 
If I can find a Klipsch Image S4 I will be getting a pair.