[shanebryant]

Did I say something wrong?

 

[wakeride74]

Where will these mostly be used? (home or portable)
What is your max budget?
What kind of music do you listen to most?

 

[shanebryant]

I will mostly be using these at home, but will be listening to vinyl, ibook, and ipod. As for music, I swing between two spectrums - one being hip-hop and electro, the other being acoustic and or softer things like folk or bluegrass.

Pricewise I'm shooting for $100, but could stretch that to $125 or so if needed.

I want a solid choice for a headset and a solid choice for a set of IEMs.

 

[shanebryant]

bump? Please?

 

[LaBreaHead]

Sennheiser HD-555's are supposed to be more comfortable than most, and can be found at the outer limits of your price range for around-the-ear headphones.

I reiterate that, if head-mashing is an issue, go the IEM route. I've never heard Westone "1's" but I've read good things about them, at your price range. I have Shure E3C's (recommended -- check Head-Fi sponsors and click for "real" price) and Etymotics ER6's (I'd recommend the ER6i's over the ER6's ... Etymotics aren't for everyone, though ... search around for the numerous pros and the few cons).

 

[shanebryant]

Shure E3C's or Etymotics ER6i's? What are the differences?

 

[LaBreaHead]

Shures -- Thicker cords gives impression of greater day-to-day on-the-go durability. More musical (less analytical) sounding ... more of a "normal" listening experience.

Etymotics -- Tiny, light, even more portable than the Shures. Very bright, detailed, analytical sound -- many who want thumping bass find them lacking, but they isolate even better than the Shures (they go way into the ear canal ... might seem intrusive to some users). More fiddly -- not as easy to get the right fit when putting them in, and not as easy to take out (but again, higher potential upside with isolation if fitted properly, and perhaps greater potential downside if you don't like the bright sound ... what bass there is really depends on the seal).

All this is my opinion, of course, based on my experience with my 'phones.