[Corvo]

Hi everyone! I have embarked on a quest to find a replacement set for my trusty PortaPro and would very much appreciate some suggestions / advice from you guys (since you clearly know quite a lot about these things here). I do like these Koss PortaPros a lot, but they let quite much noise in/out and are so worn out by now that it is only a matter of time for them to break down completely. I have tried browsing through the gazillions of articles and reviews but the information amount is just overwhelming and a bit confusing for a novice like me. 
 
So what I am looking for is something that would fit into these specs:
- Price should be about 100$, less is fine of course as well
- The usage would mostly be while travelling (airplane or the daily commute) so outside noise reduction is pretty important, however no active noise cancellation is preferred (since I believe that brings the price up, requires batteries etc) So I probably have to go with closed -type of headphones?
- Over-ear or on-ear model is required. Earbuds are definetely a no-no, even though they are the most portable. I cannot get any of these damn things to stay inside my ears...my ears just reject them somehow and they keep popping out which is most annoying
- Appearance not so important, but rather nothing too outrageous (neon colours, bright pink, overly decorated...you get the idea)
- The music is listen to may be a problem, since I like a variety of music styles, each requiring something different from the sound range (or whatever the right term would be). Mostly either electronic music (like drum & bass, tehcno, dubstep, ambient, psychedelic chillout etc) or metal/rock (progressive, trash, alternative, hardcore punk) so those areas are the most important. The bass should have enough substance to it, but not overpowering. And of course the highs and mids should sound decent also. Ambient music especially requires quite a bit of "clarity" to the sound, but as I probably have to compromise a bit in this price range I´d say that punchy bass is more important.
- The sound source will mostly be either my smartphone or a tablet (and sometimes and ipod) so lower impedance is better than higher right? (to make sure these devices can put out enough juice to power the headphones?) I do realise that since I will be mostly listening to lossy audio, such as mp3s and streamed music, the sound quality is also dependant on that source
- I do not want to get a headphone amp separately because of inconvenience while travelling (another device to pack and to power with something)
- Comfort is important, but I am aware that this is subjective and will of course actually try a few choices at some store before buying anything
- No preference on brands, I´ve heard Sennheiser is generally a valued brand, but brand name won´t matter to me (just as long it´s not something like Justin Bieber collection by Hello Kitty sort of thing)
- If the headphones would fold up to smaller space that would definetely be a plus, but it is not an absolute requirement
 
So if you could recommend a few good choices based on your experiences, that would ease this search up quite a bit.
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[KG Jag]

Get a used or refurbed UE 6000.  They also have active noise cancellation, but you can use them without it on.

 

[zahav]

Try the AKG K518LE.  They have great, clear sound, are the folding type, on-ear but not super small, and clamp well for an on-ear headphone, (may be a little too much, so just take breathers).  Plus, there are threads on Head-Fi of how people made nice mod's of the cable. Tyll of InnerFidelity.com also mentions them in the review of the AKG Q460, (which he didn't like but gave these as a good alternative).