[TheDarkKnight]

Hello all, I've been in the market for new headphones for a week or two now.
 
I'm a singer, and will be recording stuff here soon, and I'd like to know what's considered a decent pair for recording? The only full-sized headphones I ever owned were the old Bose Tri-Ports, which I think are rebranded as the AE2's now. All I heard about was how overrated Bose was, and now it seems the Beats brand has overtaken them as most overpriced/overrated headphones.
 
I was pretty close to snatching up a pair of Beats Studio (just because I tried them in best buy and liked them, but I'm sure there's other brands out there that cost less with better quality).
 
I've heard about Sennheiser, Shure, etc. being decent brands to start off with.
 
But I'm not an audiophile (although I have tons of FLAC music files and converted them to 320 mp3s for my mp3 player), so I have no idea where to even begin!
 
 
If possible, I'd like it if the pair I bought was also good for listening to music as well not just recording it. I listen to all sorts of music, rap/hip hop, r&b, pop, rock, 80's, 70's, 60's, 50's, rat pack, classical, etc. If I have to buy one pair just for listening on the side and one pair for recording, I'd consider it, but I'd hope there was a really good all-around headphone pair already out there for both.

 

[alltex]

A good start at a reasonable price would be either the Grado SR60i headphones, which retail at $79, or the their big brother, the SR80i. Both have excellent quality for the price, and from what I've experienced, are comfortable for long-term use (e.g. recording). 
 
I don't know about Sennheiser, as I've never owned any of their headphones, but I've heard good things about them. They offer many varieties of headphones for different purposes, and I'm sure that they'd leave you satisfied. Oh, and they're made in Germany, if that changes your mind.
 
In response to whether you should get the Beats or not: I've only listened to one pair of Beats, the "Tour" earbuds, and they were absolutely awful--the sound was muddy and weak, and the bass overrode everything else (not in a good way). I haven't listened to any of the other actual headphones, but from what I understand, they all have the same problem as the Tours, which is obnoxiously loud bass. Also, it's pretty common knowledge that they're marketed towards towards teens and non-audiophiles, so they might not be exactly what you're in the market for. In short, if you truly want the best for both listening and recording, then you could do better than buying Beats. 
 
Now, if you're ready to really shell out the cash, then there are a few pairs worth noting:
- Sennheiser HD800 ($1499.95): The top-of-the line cans from Sennheiser; not much to be said here--if you're paying 1.5k for a set of headphones, then they're gonna be good. I've heard many great things about these things.
- Grado PS500 ($595): One of Grado's more recent releases; again, like most Grado headphones, you're really getting more than what you're paying for here. These could probably rival the HD800s with a proper amplifier.
- Grado RS1i ($695): A slight step up in price from the PS500s, but virtually the same aside from two slight differences--1) they trade the PS500s' punchier bass for a cleaner, more pronounced treble, and 2) they're wooden, not metal, which means that they rest lighter on your ears if weight is important to you. Oh, and as a bonus Grado throws in a 1/4" female to 1/8" male adaptor and an extension cable to compensate that extra $100.

 

[BillsonChang007]

hello!
 
for basic home listening, the Grados are great while for neutral, Shures are great xD
 
Billson

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
AKG K240 MK II
 
Edit: Doh! Thread-necromancy...
 
Very best,

 

[ThinkAwesome]

The industry standard stuff like that is the Sony MDR-V6/7506. Well isolating, neutral enough, comfortable, very durable and relatively cheap. The MDR-V6 can be had off of Amazon now for slightly under $70. 
 
What, this was necro'd fro last December...

 

[Tsujigiri]

Ah good catch. Doubt he's still reading it.

 

[ThinkAwesome]

With how active this forum is, I'm sorta surprised no one replied to a pretty easy question until now...