[Nadraxin]

I'm trying to decide between the V-Moda M-80 ($190); Sennheiser Momentum On Ear ($200); Onkyo ES-HF300 ($180) and the Philips Fidelio L1 ($130). It would mainly be used to listen to a wide variety of music genres including Country, Pop, Rock, Rap and Electronic music on an iPod/iPhone and laptop minus an amp. 
 
I'm mainly looking for SQ as priority over comfort and build quality since reviews have led me to believe that the durability on all 4 is quite good with the MOE just a bit more comfortable than the rest. Based on your listening experience with some or all of these headphones (for those lucky enough to hear all 4), which would you recommend?

 

[iHelp]

I haven't heard those headphones... but...
 
I have the Sennheiser Amperior; those are more than $200 (unfortunately not on sale anymore), but the HD 25 is usually around or under 200. They are the same except that the Amperiors have aluminium cups
 
I love the sound. Bassy enough for me to enjoy rap and R&B, but still enough detail in enjoy most other genres. The comfort is pretty good, I can wear them for about 2 hours before my ears hurt (without glasses). With glasses, that's a different story.
 
Legendary durability and fantastic SQ. It's a solid choice. Plus, the HD 25 FWIR are easy to drive.
 
Happy buying!

 

[grizzlybeast]

I have heard all of the above except the onkyo's and for the money I would cross out the philips l1 and vmoda m80. The sennheiser momentum or the onkyos would be what I would narrow down to choosing from

 

[Me x3]

Hi,
 
You should also consider Shure SRH-840 and SoundMagic HP100. Both are among the best closed back headphones under 200.
 
L1s are dark sounding headphones with powerful sub bass. Built quality is very good.
 
Best Luck!

 

[Nadraxin]

  I have heard all of the above except the onkyo's and for the money I would cross out the philips l1 and vmoda m80.

 
At $130 and least expensive of the four, the L1 seems like a great deal. I would be hesitant to eliminate the cheapest pair when it could possibly provide SQ to rival and maybe even surpass the other three.

 

[Xtralglactic]

Maybe trawl through the for sale forum here. For your $200, you may get lucky and get a $300 or more headphone!! But yeah Momentum and Beyerdynamic T1350 are duking it out for the top portable spot I believe. See if you can get a 2nd hand fidelio L2..

 

[Nadraxin]

^ New 'phones only. Those 4 (minus discontinued Amperior; High Impedance Beyerdynamic DT1350) seem to be best in class.
 
I'd really like to limit my choices to those four only.

 

[grizzlybeast]

   
At $130 and least expensive of the four, the L1 seems like a great deal. I would be hesitant to eliminate the cheapest pair when it could possibly provide SQ to rival and maybe even surpass the other three.

yes but for hip hop and bass it was pretty underwhelming to be honest and i had them. Also without eq they weren't pleasant. But they have a hifi quality to them.
 
also bassheads rave about the m-audio q40 which if you bought some beyerdynamic dt770 pads would probably seal the deal. I just bought some. The reason they rave about it unanimously is because the bass is amazing and the mids and highs are left untouched which is not to be said about many headphones. Everyone buys it and keeps it so they kinda forced my hand on one as well. 
 
I would give that a look.

 

[Nadraxin]

^ Fair enough. Is there any reason why you would place the Momentum On-Ear above the M-80's though?

 

[Druphis]

I choose the M80s when I was looking for an on ear option. Their build is great. I use them to travel and the hard case was great. Also, the boom mic option is great for gaming.

 

[grizzlybeast]

  ^ Fair enough. Is there any reason why you would place the Momentum On-Ear above the M-80's though?

it has better balance imo and sounds less closed in. also the bass is more enjoyable. 
 
the m80 has a hifi sound to it though but I just prefer the momentum on ear I heard. I heard the momentum on ear a couple of times but owned the m-80 and only briefly.