[noosphere]

I have a pair of Grado SR-80s that have done me well for several years, but of course they have an open design so my coworker is able to hear my music. I'm looking for a decent set of closed headphones to use in the office, for ~$200-250 or so. I mostly listen to metal, and don't really want something with super-heavy bass. Just looking for something with good frequency response, soundstage, etc. Portability is not a concern, as I would just be using these at the desk, although I would like something with a decently long cord (but not the super thick cord that the Grados have).
 
I have a PA2V2 amp: http://www.electric-avenues.com/audio8.html but could consider investing in another amp if it would be a huge improvement. 
 
It seems like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 are right around my budget and have great reviews. I also see the ATH-M50x which is slightly more expensive - how do these compare?

 

[Peccz]

AKG K550! Love the sound of mine, detailed and clean with tight bass. Also easy to drive from a phone, but I think my O2+ODAC improves them a lot. I like them more than my Sennheiser HD-650, most of all due to their tighter bass. However, the laid back sound of the HD-650 is easier to forget, just letting them play some "background music" . To me, the K550 can be a bit to detailed for working with, because details in the music catch my attention.

 

[noosphere]

Interesting, I'm not familiar with AKG. It seems that model is around $200 though, so I will consider it. The HD650 would definitely be out of budget.

 

[liamstrain]

The 650 are not closed anyway. You might look at the Sennheiser Momentums (the full size, not the on-ears). I enjoyed mine.

 

[Peccz]

You should also check out NAD Visio HP50. They sound awesome, but doesn't look or feel as good as the K550.

 

[liamstrain]

Good call - I forgot they were in that price range. I thought they were up with the B&O H6

 

[schalliol]

I really enjoy my Beyerdynamic T5p for a busy environment. I transitioned from a pretty big private office to a primarily open office environment and shifted accordingly from the HD 800 to the T5p. Since I've been a HD 580 user since the fairly early 90s, I have to say I can't help but prefer the open sound the open cans have, but it's the best I've found otherwise.

I tried a few before I settled on these. I had the Alpha Dogs, but they were so big, bulky and heavy that I felt like I was a pit crew member. I found a new T5p on eBay for way under list price, which I think is pretty common. I wouldn't have considered them at list. The only thing I don't like about these comfortable and great sounding cans are that the cable is fixed with 1/8". I had someone make them socketed and now I use them with the great-for-portable Centrance HiFi-M8 XL4.

 

[noosphere]

I'm not sure how cheap you mean by "way under list price" but the lowest I saw them on eBay was $900...that is definitely out of my budget @_@

 

[schalliol]

Ahh. I saw them before at least a couple hundred cheaper, but that still might be out of the range. Sorry!