[dctravis]

Alright so firsg off i will say that i never really cared about audio quality until recently. Right now i own the beats studios and have a friend who might be buying them from me to get some money to put towards a new headphone set. I am in the navy so portability would be nice, however i probably will not see a ship for at least another year so i have some time to play around. My main two things are comfort and price. I need to stay below $500 but if i can go lower it would be nice. I just recently tried out a friends audeze lcd2 with a dac and amp and holy crap. I would prefer to not need a amp if possible as i would mainly be using them with my cowon x7 . So in the end i guess im asking for recommendations on comfortable, sub $500 headphones that would be good for a wide range of music but mostly i listen to bands like nightwish, dragonforce, etc as well as rap, alternative (muse) and some classical(not too much). No amp needed would be nice but i guess might be something that i would invest in in the future. Thank you for any help you may give, and i apologize for any typos or bad grammar as i am typing this with my cell phone right now.

 

[KingOfTheWild]

Well I can't help you much except by making this comment your thread will be on or near the first page of all the threads for a little while so you should expect to get a lot of answers quickly after this post. Cuing more comments in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

 

[suburbanite]

Comfort and Price?
 
Sennheiser's HD 5x8 line is good. Easy to wear for hours due partly to their high clamping force which takes weight off the top of your head and therefore concentrates less weight on the headband. I've worn both my HD 555's and HD 518's for watching movies, works great.
 
The HD 518's are very bassy so it should satisfy your rap/hip-hop needs though they aren't that neutral. You may want to op for the 558 or 598 instead.
 
Audio-Technica's "audiophile" line has a reputation for good comfort, too.
 
See this thread in which I say the same thing

but there are many more responses from seasoned listeners.

 

[pdiddypdler]

I think the Denon AH-D line suits your needs quite well. Specifically the D2000 in your price range.
 
All the best,

 

[KingOfTheWild]

Quote:

Well I can't help you much except by making this comment your thread will be on or near the first page of all the threads for a little while so you should expect to get a lot of answers quickly after this post. Cuing more comments in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

See?

 

[Allforheather]

bad idea auditioning those lcd2s....your wallet certainly won't appreciate that.

 
anyway back to the main topic, considering your budget is actually quite high and the music you listen to. I would recommend you to find your self a pair of Grado, 325s and rs2s are great cans within that budget. that being said, they are open, so you can't really use them on the road. 
D2000 is also a great choice, but imo, they need an amp to sound great, a portable ibasso should do the job. Btw, the d2ks are closed, but they leak quite badly.

 

[Maxvla]

Check out the V-Moda M80 (or V80 for more stylish looks). Not as refined as the LCD2 for sure, but at ~$190 it ticks all your boxes. Very portable, comfortable, great bass, good for all genres, no need for an amp.