[AwkwardSheep]

Hello community!
 
My Sennheiser MM70i's which I've used for nearly two years (that or I'm mixing it up with another pair of Sennheiser IEMs I used the three years before that) have finally worn out so I'm in the market looking for some new gear.
 
Right now all I have to my name is a pair of Siberia V2's which I use while gaming with friends. I've been fishing around for a few days looking at various headphone lists but I'm having some trouble picking because I'm not sure I understand exactly how I should evaluate "bright treble", "muddy bass" etc which is why I've come to ask for an informed personalized opinion.
 
Probably top priority, it needs to be fairly sturdy because I'll be taking it around a lot, I'm not especially careful and sometimes I like walking in rain (with a hoodie or umbrella above my head usually, but my IEMs used to still get wet all the time). Not super tank-like, I'm not that careless, but I'd be returning it in a month if it broke with slight pulling/occasional dropping.
 
It also definitely has to be closed because I'll primarily be using these on the commute and in class.
 
With regards to budget, an Onkyo ES-HF300 (which is what I'm really considering right now) is more or less top range for me. I could flex a little if there's something much better for just a little more but otherwise that's the price range.
 
I listen to a lot of stuff, I don't know how to pinpoint it but in order of frequency:
1. Artists like: Passion Pit; AWOLNation; Tycho; Daughter; Bon Iver; John Mayer
2. Soundtracks like Final Fantasies, Ace Attorneys, anime. Especially the orchestral or jazzy variations.
3. Musical tracks like Les Mis or Wicked (frankly I only really know these two)
 
Simply lurking the forums/articles in the last day or two has both confused me a lot and given me some great informative reading material, so thanks to everyone.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Hello,

I am not so familiar with all the artists you mentioned above (frankly) but for all genre kind of listening with good isolation and build quality, I suggest the AKG K550 for neutral sound, V-Modas for bassy and possible a Sennheiser momentum.

Hope it helps!
Billson

 

[AwkwardSheep]

I suppose if I had to say, I lean towards the various electronic genres. 
 
I like the Momentums but they are way out of my price range, unfortunately! If not I'd be getting myself a pair of Fidelio X1s, haha.

I quite like the AKG550's look, though they too are a little bit out of my price range. Hopefully I can chance upon some at MOOK in December

 

[BillsonChang007]

Yes! If you live somewhere at Singapore, it is best to wait till the MOOK festival, pretty sure there will be plenty to offer, otherwise, you can keep on track with Jaben @ Facebook, once in awhile, they make good deals.

Philips headphones' parts are not replaceable, best to avoid it if you are planning to use this headphone for long run (several years). The X1 to my knowledge, are open and does leaks sound. You might want to replace it with a new cable as well as the stock cable's impedance is too high (correct me if I am wrong)

Billson