[MAntonSim]

My recommendation: for overears Sennheiser PX200 II or v-Jays
Both are foldable so suitable for commuting
Quality wise: very good, Senn PX 200 II is almost neutral with strong clarity. vJays has better bass impact and much better clarity.
Foldability: Senn PX 200 II is completely foldable with casing included. But vJays is half foldable (only halfway folded) and no bag included.

Hope it helps

 

[NiceCans]

 
PX200 - I never tried the PX200 II, only the original PX200 . . . 
I found the sound to be fairly decent, but the main issue most complained about with these was trouble getting a good seal, without which you lose both isolation and bass.
 
It is a good suggestion for portability, but even when I got a good seal the isolation was not exceptional.
 
Quote:

FYI, the system I have at home revolves around Naim electronics and the Harbeth P3ESR. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 

 
and I do not expect the PX200 will come close to this type of sound quality.

 

[jferreir]

Thank you for the helpful replies and my apologies for not following up sooner...
 
Quote:

Look into Westone, Shure and Earsonics--their IEMs can all use the Shure olives, and the top-tier offerings can have truly fantastic sound.

I already own the Westone UM1s, but their isolation is mediocre at best. I might look into the Shure olives, but I'm really getting fed up with IEMs. Of the four or five pairs that I've owned, I've never been even 90% satisfied with any of them. Comfort is probably the biggest issue, followed by durability and mediocre sound quality. The Monster Turbines are good for what they are, but I've grown tired of them.
 
Quote:

Hmm, it seems that Sennheiser's HD25-1 are probably the right headphones for you.  They have exceptional sound quality as well as sound isolation(up to 32db!) that rivals iems, plus they have a foldable design that increases their portabilty.  You're ipod is really not all that bad(recent ipods use Wolfson DACs which are actually pretty good) when utilizing the line function.  The line out allow you to completely bypass the internal amp of the ipod, ensuring the cleanest, best possible sound.  Like others have mentioned, pair the line out function with Fiio's E7 or another portable amplifier like iBasso's T3 and you'll find that your commutes become quite enoyable.

Interesting, I didn't know I could bypass the internal DAC with an external portable amp. Are you sure this would work with the 5th Gen. iPod Nano (as opposed to classic)? Does anyone have any thoughts on the Grado SR-80i or SR-325i? The SR-80i looks to be a good value and someone once recommended the SR-325i. Just to clarify, I'm not a bass junkie by any means - I just find that strong bass helps to drown out background noise. With respect to sonic attributes, I much prefer a natural/clear, non-fatiguing mid-range and a nice open/wide soundstage. A bit of bass would be a bonus, but I wouldn't consider it an absolute top priority. I'm not the best with the audio adjectives, so if you have any experience with the Harbeth P3ESR, please use that as the benchmark for your recommendations.
 
Thanks again for all the replies!

 

[Digital-Pride]

Yep!  All ipods from the classic to the iphone have the line out function.  The SR80i is an excellent headphone, the only problem here is due to their open-back design, they off no sound isolation at all.

 

[NiceCans]

Quote:

Interesting, I didn't know I could bypass the internal DAC with an external portable amp. Are you sure this would work with the 5th Gen. iPod Nano (as opposed to classic)? Does anyone have any thoughts on the Grado SR-80i or SR-325i? 

The Grado phones are a great value, but they are often a love it or hate it thing.
 
More important is that they are an open headphone, leaking a great deal of sound both in and out, making them totally inappropriate for your commuting situation. If you wanted them for at home use only then they would be worth considering.
 
I do not own an iPod, but from what I've read you need to have them modified internally in order to bypass the internal amp and/or DAC.

 

[Digital-Pride]

Quote:

Interesting, I didn't know I could bypass the internal DAC with an external portable amp. Are you sure this would work with the 5th Gen. iPod Nano (as opposed to classic)? Does anyone have any thoughts on the Grado SR-80i or SR-325i? The SR-80i looks to be a good value and someone once recommended the SR-325i. Just to clarify, I'm not a bass junkie by any means - I just find that strong bass helps to drown out background noise. With respect to sonic attributes, I much prefer a natural/clear, non-fatiguing mid-range and a nice open/wide soundstage. A bit of bass would be a bonus, but I wouldn't consider it an absolute top priority. I'm not the best with the audio adjectives, so if you have any experience with the Harbeth P3ESR, please use that as the benchmark for your recommendations.
 
Thanks again for all the replies!

Actually, with the line out function you can only bypass the internal amp.  There are amps that allow you to bypass the internal DAC completely, but they're a bit pricey and a bit hard to come by.

 

[Eric_C]

jferreir: UM1 is lacking. Its drivers can only handle 40Hz - 16KHz, so performance-wise it's not surprising that you're unsatisfied with them. Especially since it seems you have good speakers at home.
 
As what Digital-Pride said, bypassing an iPod's amp is easy and solutions are common; bypassing the DAC is a much more expensive affair and there are only a handful of products that can do that.

 

[MAntonSim]

Regarding Senn PX 200 II: you'll be surprised by the improvement Sennheisser made from PX 200 to 200II. Basically all the weakness of PX 200 are gone in the new version, including seal.

If you don't mind plastic hanging on the back ofnthe next, Grado iGrado is also very powerful, but it is bass heavy and not at all foldable.

In term of seal, i must rate them as follows ( weak to strong sealing): iGrado, vJays, PX 200II.

Mynapologynthat I have just noticed your price range, then I must also recomment Ultrasone HFI580 or HFI780. Both are full closed headphone, foldable and powerful bass with strong details ( high and mid). Great soundstage also. The only troublesome character to these Ultrasone is they have 3m long cable.