[Sam9797]

Ive recently joined head-fi but ive been using the forum for about a year now. After tons and tons of research i still am unsure about which headphones to get, heres my criteria:
 
-under $150
-good for ipod use
-on or around ear headphones
-closed-back
-i am a bass head, but i dont want to sacrifice quality in the mids and highs
-id prefer if they looked nice, but thats not a must
-i also would prefer if they werent massive, cuz im going to be using them with my ipod.
 
i was going to get the ath m50, but i was told that wasn't very good for ipod because of the long cord and power usage. i checked out the more portable ath ws70, but those supposedly dont have the best sound quality. Any suggestions are helpful and greatly appreciated!! 

 

[Digital-Pride]

That person who told the M50 would not work out of an ipod is mistaken.  They work very well unamped and if the length of the cord is an issue for you there a version with a coiled cord.  Here are some additional suggestion for your consideration:
 
Beyerdynamic DT 660
 
Denon AH-D1100
 
Sennheiser HD438, HD238
 
Shure SRH840
 
Ultrasone HFi-580
 
All of these options boast a strong and deep bass response as well as excellent overall sound quality, plus they perform well unamped by portable sources like the ipod.

 

[Sam9797]

thank you!!! ive actually surprised myself and decided that looks are pretty important to me. ive narrowed it down to phiaton ms300 or the ultrasone HFi 580 that you recommended. are you familiar with the ms300? if so, what is your take on it?

 

[Sam9797]

oh and how big are the Hfi 580 in comparison to the ms300?

 

[Digital-Pride]

The MS300 is actually a pretty good option for you as it also has a bass centric sound signature.  It's a little smaller than the HFi-580 as it has an on-ear design instead of the over-ear design of the Ultrasone.  In terms of overall sound reproduction the HFi-580 has the edge here, but the MS300 is not a bad option at all.

 

[earerror]

Quote:

oh and how big are the Hfi 580 in comparison to the ms300?

I'd go for the ultrasones, if you love bass.