Alright guys and gals, I'm new at this so be gentle.

[gossamer]

I've owned these Portapros for over a year now and I feel like I might like an upgrade. I've been all over reviews for all sorts of different headphones and here are my requirements and things I listen to a lot:
 
I need a headphone that:
1. Is good for online gaming
2. Less than $100, not over... my wife is having a fit as it is and can't truley comprehend why anyone would spend $100 on headphones
 
It's an investment, any guy knows this. Our toys aren't toys, they're investments. 
lol, anyway.
 
3. has a good punch to it, a good slam sort of sound when it comes to hard rock or techno. My favorite bands are Aphex Twin, Dinosaur Jr, Gorillaz, Radiohead, Deerhunter, Nirvana... and so on, that should give you a good idea but the odd thing is that I don't like being tied to his, sometimes I do listen to classical and instrumental music. I'd hate to be up a creek without a paddle if I bought a pair of headphones that couldn't adapt to the circumstances.
 
4. Open, I like my cans to breathe and I don't really have anyone to bother... I sit far enough from my wife that she can't hear the portapros anyway and if she can, they aren't a bother.
 
 
The odd thing is that I don't really want to be tied down by whatever I buy. Every review I read seems to dedicate one or two headphones to one certain area.
 
The AD700's being tied to classical music and gaming
SR80i's being tied to brightness and "in your face" sound
K240's for being well-rounded but having muddy highs
 
I'm torn, guys. It's sad that there's no possible way to just copulate a pair of SR80i's and a pair of AD700's and make the perfect headphone set out of the resulting demon seed.
 
I've also considered a pair of HD555's and doing the foam mod to turn them into HD595's but nobody really says that much about them on reviews I read and several people have told me to stay away from them, for whatever reason... some people don't really explain themselves well.
 
I really hope this isn't a path to nowhere and I'm not just looking for something that doesn't exist.
So just what are the best headphones for me?
 
To be honest, I'm so close to hitting the button on the Grado's. I've got a feeling but I don't like the fact that I might be limited or that I might dislike the sound of the brightness. Another thing on my mind is that... being that these are really just something to set me up well for a long time, I don't have a headphone amp. I have a very nice Turtle Beach sound card that sounds amazing... but I don't have any sort of amp.
 
I hope whatever headphones I pick don't cause a problem because of this.
 
by the way, your spell-check doesn't work. You ought to fix that.

 

[gossamer]

For a forum about headphones, I would think you guys would know enough about my questions and ideas to at least comment about them, even if it isn't helpful.
 
Here's a bump hoping you guys might still be able to at least say hello or something.

 

[Sophonax]

To my knowledge, good gaming performance and good "punch" or "slam" are somewhat difficult traits to find together in a single headphone.  Something like a Beyerdynamic DT990 might be able to do it, but they are at least 2x the price you are considering.
 
I don't know of any open headphone options at $100 that will be good for both.  My best advice is to decide which is more important to you, your music or your gaming.  If the music is more important, I'd go with the Grados.  If the gaming is, I'd go with the Audio Technicas.
 
The Grados will be great for music and just OK with gaming.  The Audio Technicas will be great for gaming but probably won't satisfy your desire for bass impact.

 

[Sophonax]

Oh, and welcome to Head-Fi!

 

[gossamer]

 
Hm, I was afraid of this but music will always be more important as it is the lifeblood that drives my soul!
I mean it's good to have nice sound in a game or a movie which I'm sure the Grados can still do decently and still well even if it isn't quite as open as the AD700's would be blowing up pyros and scouts on TF2... but I can't give up my music. I'm still swayed towards the Grados thanks to your comment so thanks.

Quote:

To my knowledge, good gaming performance and good "punch" or "slam" are somewhat difficult traits to find together in a single headphone.  Something like a Beyerdynamic DT990 might be able to do it, but they are at least 2x the price you are considering.
 
I don't know of any open headphone options at $100 that will be good for both.  My best advice is to decide which is more important to you, your music or your gaming.  If the music is more important, I'd go with the Grados.  If the gaming is, I'd go with the Audio Technicas.
 
The Grados will be great for music and just OK with gaming.  The Audio Technicas will be great for gaming but probably won't satisfy your desire for bass impact.

 

[Melvins]

grados if your leaning more towards music, AD700's if your leaning more toward Soundstage and gaming. Shure has some nice headphones in your price range as well as does Sennheiser.

 

[WhiteCrow]

if your going for gaming stay as far away from grado as you can, if your going for music make good friends with grado.
 

 

[blufox4900]

Less than $100, not over... my wife is having a fit as it is and can't truley comprehend why anyone would spend $100 on headphones

Heh, clearly she's never been to this place. I've only been here for a few weeks and I'm already considering in a $100+ dac/amp for my desktop. If saving money is your objective then leave while you can!

I cannot speak for the audio technicas but I can vouch that the grados lack soundstage that one would want for games. For music, though, they're...they're just great. Artists like Pink Floyd and Journey really come alive through em!

 

[Tilpo]

I'd also consider the Sennheiser HD 555's. I heard theywere decent for they price, though I don't know anything about how they sound. If you get those, try to get the low impedance version, since the 120ohm one will be harder to drive.

And it's true: this place is evil. I wanted to spend around $200 to upgrade my headphones. Ended up being around $800, and counting. It's going to be $1000 in a couple weeks when I'm going to buy a sound card.

 

[cswann1]

Wife management is one of the first things you need to learn,
 
Wife management 101 Lesson 1
       If you want a headphone that costs X, ask if it's ok to buy a headphone that costs 3*X.
 
Example:
 
You: "Gee whiz hunneh-bunneh these headphones with plutonium coated drivers and an unobtanium frame are sure nifty, can I buy a pair?"
Your SO: "How much do they cost my protector-and-guardian"?
You: "Only $1500 my Amazonian-she-goddess-of-sensuality".
Your SO: "Oh but that's so expensive my Stallion-of-manly-potency".
You: "Ok, well for you I'll settle for the crappy $500 model my beacon-of-feminine-fertility-and-desire".
Your SO: "You are so good to me my love, come to me and I will do that special thing I only do on your birthday".
 
 
Questions?
 

 

[WhiteCrow]

HAHAHAHAHAHA that made my day.