Best Buys:
1. Koss KSC-35 or PortaPro
2. Sennheiser HD 600/HD 580
3. Sony MDR-V6 with Beyer pads
4. Ety ER-4 series
5. Sennheiser MX 400/500 (only because IMO it's the best earbud on the market and it's under $20)
Favorite Headphones:
(Tie for 1st place, depending on the situation/mood/music)
1. HD 600 w/ Cardas cable upgrade
1. Ety ER-4S (or 4P with adapter)
1. AKG K1000
Then a big dropoff. I haven't yet heard the Grado HP series or the R10
Worst Buys (among the "good" headphones -- i.e., V700 and their ilk not included
):
1. Sony CD1700
2. Grado RS1 (great headphone, just way overpriced)
3. Sony R10 ($4,000? Even on sale, $2,500? Maybe the greatest ever made, but still not worth the money
to me)
4. Ety ER-6 (even though the ER-4 are twice as much, they're worth it)
5. CD3000 (sorry, just didn't like them)
[P.S. Remember, these are personal views -- nobody needs to attack me because I feel that $4,000 is a "worst buy" no matter how good it is. I
personally just don't think any headphone is worth spending that much money on.]