[NuclearKumquat]

I'm currently in college and really enjoy walking around campus with my music. I'm also really into music, and while I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile, I certainly appreciate quality sound. I'm looking for a portable set of headphones (NOT earbuds!!!) that I can carry around campus. I typically listen to metal (Progressive, Death, Djent, etc.) or big band Jazz (Sinatra, Nat King Cole, etc.). I'm looking for some cans that have a deep, rich bass while also not overpowering the mids and highs. I also am in college, so I'm trying to find something around the $50 range. I've looked at Sennheiser HD 439s and Audio Technica ATH-M20X, but can't really decide between the two. If someone could help me out with that decision, or even offer a better option, I would be extremely grateful!

 

[ahunatu]

HD 439 are actually pretty nice headphones but they don't really have anything special about them. They just reproduce good sound with a relatively rolled off treble. It's a safe sound signature that doesn't have any crispness to the highs or substantial weight in the bass. 
 
For your genre's ironically Koss DJ 100's would work very well for both. Very good mids that bring out vocals and all the right instruments. A treble peak in the right region and good rumbling bass go well with metal. That being said they are kind of uncomfortable if you have bigger ears but you can get m50 earpads to fix that.

 

[KG Jag]

For less than $60 you can get the CAL!.  They are excellent but lightly built--not made to banged around in a backpack.