[2TallTim]

So on friday, my mom sat on my previous pair of headphones, which were skullcandy Hesh. Obviously, I'm now in the market for a new pair of cans. My budget is around $120, with a hard ceiling at $150. I'll mostly be playing music off of my laptop (G75VW) and my iPod Touch (5th Gen), if it matters. My music preferences are primarily EDM, but quite frankly, I listen to a little bit of everything, as well as some gaming. Portability is not a major concern, as I'll be mostly using these headphones at home. I'd love to hear your suggestions! So far, I've found the Grado SR80i to be pretty much what I'm looking for, but I'm obviously open to other options.

 

[asingh]

 
Sol Republic HD V10
 
$89.67 from Amazon (go to best buy and price match)
 
These are good for EDM and Hip Hop. 

 

[formula1]

Welcome! 
 
Do you have a preference of closed vs open headphones? have in mind that open headphones will leak a lot. 

 

[2TallTim]

WOW! that was quick! I really don't have a preference as far as open or closed. One of my friends has the SR60 i'm aware of how much they leak. Another point is that I'm not looking for something with a punch you in the face level of bass, I'm actually looking for a balanced headphone.

 

[asingh]

Quote:

WOW! that was quick! I really don't have a preference as far as open or closed. One of my friends has the SR60 i'm aware of how much they leak. Another point is that I'm not looking for something with a punch you in the face level of bass, I'm actually looking for a balanced headphone.

I was in same boat as you, going through threads on here looking for that one pair of headphones, i almost made purchases on ebay but never had the courage to do it. I found the BEST way to find a proper headphone is simply by hearing Your music through them. Since the sounds are subjective.Anyways.... 
 
The V12 model is more 'balanced' and for audiophiles imo and You can purchase it for 125 USD using best buy price match. It has a Flatter sound with weaker bass, however its much clearer. 
 
People on here hate on headphones that look trendy and attractive. Dont let it fool you. Just because the headphone doesnt have a arbitrary long name with some number next to it doesnt make it "lower quality." Similarly just because a headphone isnt the contemporary black color with typical shape doesn't mean it is worse. You don't always have to sacrifice quality for aesthetics. 
 
I tried numerous senheisser HD's and I have a Pioneer 2000 HDJ set at home (my sisters, i frequently use). These provide a more powerful sound than them. But the choice is yours. And since portability isnt an issue i m sure you can get a large pair of headphones. Personally I needed something versatile. 

 

[formula1]

Quote:

WOW! that was quick! I really don't have a preference as far as open or closed. One of my friends has the SR60 i'm aware of how much they leak. Another point is that I'm not looking for something with a punch you in the face level of bass, I'm actually looking for a balanced headphone.

 
I think you'll like the Ultrasone Pro 550, its a great can for music and gaming. Bass is not exaggerated. 

 

[cel4145]

WOW! that was quick! I really don't have a preference as far as open or closed. One of my friends has the SR60 i'm aware of how much they leak. Another point is that I'm not looking for something with a punch you in the face level of bass, I'm actually looking for a balanced headphone.

The SR80i will be a slight step up over the SR60i (if that's what your friend has). You can then get the L-Cush pads for about $20 to make the SR80i sound more like the SR225i.

If you go with the SR80i, you can also get a fantastic portable headphone for $25 and stay in budget: JVC-HA-S400. It's a little darker sound than the Grados, but with with more depth of bass, and they sound more like $75 headphones. Great for EDM use. Of the headphones I have heard, they are the best price/performance value out there. Here's discussion about them: http://www.head-fi.org/t/626332/the-new-jvc-ha-s400-affordable-carbon-nanotube-cans-for-the-masses

 

[Tanjent]

Alessandro MS1i's  

 

[2TallTim]

@Cel I like the idea of a back-up portable pair. Is there a good pair of IEM's that I can get for around that amount with similar quality?
@Tanjent What's the difference between the Grados and the Alessandros? I can't tell because the information on Alessandro's website is so sparse.
again, thanks to everyone for their recommendations so far, I'm impressed by the expediency in response to my question, and my wallet weeps as I browse this forum.

 

[Tanjent]

Found this...as I have not owned both....... but I know the MS1i's are great...but no isolation...
 
 
 
 
 
"I have owned both now.  Time to compare.
 
They are essentially the same headphone, with a couple of minor differences.  First off, they look identical except the MS1i's have different lettering on the earpieces, and they don't have the little button on the middle of the grill.  Everything else is the same.  Same plastic, same earpads, same cable.
 
The high-highs on the MS1i's are a tiny bit better - more rounded, less harsh.  But the SR80i's aren't really harsh.  Maybe a tad.  The lows are about the same.  Deep and punchy.  But the MS1i's are a bit clearer all around.  I can pick out little details on songs that I couldn't with the SR80i's, which are very good in this regard.  So I'm going MS1i in sound quality over the SR80i, but only by a teeny tiny amount.  I believe the MS1i's leak a bit more sound than the SR80i's, but they're both in the same catagory.  They both leak sound like you wouldn't believe.  I find the MS1i's are a bit harder to drive, but it might be my imagination.  I have a Luxman R-113 reciever with a built-in headphone amp and the drive them easily, but I have the volume up almost to maximum on my laptop.  The SR80i's were pretty good on my laptop.  My iPod Nano can handle both headphones with no problem.
 
But here's the crunch for you fellow Canadians out there.  The SR80i's, after taxes, are almost $200 here.  The MS1i's are $99 with free shipping, no duty, and no taxes.  I don't know why there are no taxes.  Maybe because they ship from "George Alessandro" which doesn't look like a business at all.  We might have fooled the taxman, I don't know.
 
I ordered them last Thursday, and got them the next Wednesday.  
 
So, the bottom line:  I recommend the Alessandro MS1i over the Grado SR80i if you live in Canada.  The differences between the two headphones are minor, but the difference in price is huge.
 
They are both excellent headphones in my opinion.  I personally have no need or desire to up in quality unless I win the lottery."

 

[cel4145]

@Cel I like the idea of a back-up portable pair. Is there a good pair of IEM's that I can get for around that amount with similar quality?

I doubt for $25 that any IEM will compete with the JVC HA-S400. They are amazing for the price. But I could be wrong

To learn more about IEMs, see joker's reviews in your budget range: http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-293-iems-compared-etymotic-research-ety-kids-added-08-12-13-p-748

 

[2TallTim]

What about semi-open headphones? Another friend of mine pointed me at these which seem like a nice balance of openness and isolation. When I said i didn't mind opens, I completely forgot that sound leakage is two-way, and that external sounds will leak in as well as out, so that's a bit of a deterrent.

 

[cel4145]

Some semi-open headphones are almost as bad as full open headphones in terms of leakage and isolation. I would go for closed if those things are important.

 

[2TallTim]

gosh. It's such a hard choice. So now, I'm between the Ultrasone Pro 550's, the Alessandro MS-1's, and maaaaybe the AKG K240's. Choices, choices. any other good closed options?

 

[cel4145]

Another suggestion. Look into the Brainwavz HM5 and Fischer Audio FA-003 on head-fi (google their model numbers, including the term "head-fi"). Same headphone being sourced out of China from one factory, and you can buy the Jaycar version from Australia for a good price