[Artenuis]

I need a pair of headphones, and thought I could carry out the purchase during a trip to the US. In a week, I will travel to the US for two weeks. I will be staying in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Usually, the cheapest method of acquiring electronics around here is through the web, but I'm fairly certain it's quite a bit cheaper in the US, even if it's in a retail store.
 
My roof is $150, but if I am presented with a very good reason, I can extend that roof up to an additional $50.
 
Main usage area is music, with movie watching and gaming being variable in level of activity. Gaming is at a casual level, so I don't want much emphasis on that part, but I don't want the headphones to butcher my gaming experience either. Music taste is all around; mostly power metal, classical, and scores from films, TV series and games, but also rock, acoustic, and so forth. The vast majority of the time used at home, but can be used on the occasional bus and train ride. Would be nice if the headphones don't leak too much sound and if they're quite forgiving to the source, as I do spend some time watching videos on the web, for instance.
 
Are there any retailers worth checking out in LA or San Francisco?

 

[Artenuis]

Bumpitybump.

 

[cel4145]

Have you seen the Innerfidelity Wall of Fame lists? Good place to start as each comes with a full review

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame

Also, open headphones are great because of their big soundstage, although you would not be able to use them for portable use. Have you considered getting a good set of open headphones for at home, and then finding some IEMs later on for portable use?

 

[Artenuis]

I will check out the list. Also, your suggestion is a good one. I hadn't thought of that. Then again, it would take time to save up money for IEMs, as I don't have much of an income, being a student, but I will consider it.

 

[cel4145]

The guys in the Chinese Asian brand thread have found some IEMs that are quite good for a very reasonable price ($30 or so for a $100 sounding IEM). You just generally have to order them from Hong Kong and wait a few weeks to get them.

 

[Artenuis]

InnerFidelity's list doesn't contain any full-sized open headphones within my budget, even counting with the extension.
 
After looking around a little I've gathered a little list of headphones within my budget:
 
Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x
Shure SRH840
Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9A
Audio-Technica ATH-A900x
 
And some more bass-heavy ones:
Denon AH-D1100
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (and M50x, although I don't know if it is as bass-heavy as the M50)
Creative Aurvana Live! 2 (is this a headset?)
 
I am somewhat skeptical towards bass-heavy headphones, as I am under the impression that they are a no-go for things like movie-watching, which I do quite a bit of.