[eksplosions]

I've read a few posts on the matter while lurking, but I'd like to have a concise discussion here tailored to me-- I hope that's not too selfish! So here's the deal...
 
I've been rocking iPod earbuds since forever--  they never hurt my ear, they were portable enough, and both sounded and looked good enough to me. Now that I'm at school, I find myself in noisy environments on the regular and I can't bring myself to raise the volume more than 1/4 of the way for the sake of my hearing. As such, I'm thinking a pair of nice over-the-ear headphones (or on-ear?) could help alleviate these issues. So what now?
 
Musically, my tastes vary; I enjoy some hip-hop/rap with nice bass, but I also dabble in post-rock (hence the name), rock, reggae, acoustic-- just about anything besides country to be honest. 
In hopes of sounding completely vein, I would like them to be decently stylish if I'm going to be walking around with them on campus. 
 
So I've done some research and I've got a few ideas...
- Audio Technica ATH-M50 or ATH A700
- Grado SR-60i or SR80i, though that padding doesn't really float my boat much. 
- AKG 240 or 140 series? 
- Sony MDR7506 or similar..
 
That's all I can think of at the moment-- I can't justify spending the money on Dre Beats, as good as they look... anyone have any thoughts? 
 
Thank you! 

 

[Drakokirby]

Where are you looking to use these phones?

 

[tzhuge]

Actually... I think you might want to look at IEMs instead. If you're in school, you're already packing a bunch of stuff, and a headphone would just be one more thing. IEMs will fit in your life right where the earbuds left off, and they provide better sound isolation than headphones.

 

[eksplosions]

Mainly just in the dorm room to drown out sound when working and walking to class (it's never more than a ten minute walk). 
 
To be honest, I've never been one for in-ears; I've tried a pair before and I just dismissed them-- felt weird, you know? 

 

[sumathias]

In ears isolate better, which is what you need the most imo. They're closer to your ear canal making it easier to hear and at lower volumes compared to fullsized cans.
 
However, if you still want a set of cans, I recommend against the grados as they leak sound both in and out very easily.
 
The audio technica range do not isolate very well. You can try the AKG K240 or the Sony MDRs. Both are nice options.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

The Grados will sound great with everything but the rap/hip hop I would suspect. They are a bit weak on the bass. Also like sumthias said...they are very open so they have ZERO isolating properties. Not sure where you are located...but possibly you can check around to see if there is anyplace in your area that sells headphones that you can demo (NOT Best Buy). 

 

[disastermouse]

You want closed cans or IEMs as others have said. Grados are out.

How much can you spend? On the high-end, Earsonics SM3 would be what I'd get. But I didn't go high-end so I settled for Klipsch Image 4i. Eventually I'll move up to the SM3.

My home cans are Grado SR80i and Sennheiser HD 650, but both are open or semi-open and the HD 650s really need an amp.

IEMs are great for inconspicuousness and isolation.

 

[Marximus]

Perhaps the HFI series by Ultrasone, which are closed, durable, have good isolation, and excellent bass impact.  You mentioned an aversion to spending a lot of money; I'm not sure what your budget is but you can find the HFI-780s for under $200.

 

[eksplosions]

I should have mentioned I'm not trying to spend more than $150 on a pair, though the less the better. It's tough to tell from the pictures, but are all the full sized cans roughly the same size too? Or do some protrude out further than others?