[A Ham Sandwich]

The more I research the more muddled things get.  I generally listen 90% Electronic (Psychedelic, IDM, Indie Electronica) and EDM (House, Electro, Trance) and the rest is mostly hip-hop and rock.  A strong bass presence is really preferable, but I do like a balanced sound.  For reference, my cans of choice are the Denon AH-D2000.  Source will be a 6Gen. iPod Nano with no amp almost exclusively.  I want a supra-aural portable can with iPod controls, which can also be worn around the neck comfortably.  I've narrowed down my list to the AiAiAi TSA-1, V-Moda M-80, and B&W P5 however I may have missed a model and I'm open to suggestions.  If anyone has owned these, how would you compare the sound stages?  These cans will be used as portables at school and during other out and about activities.  Hopefully there's a model out of these that would be OK tossed into my backpack without a case.  Though I'd be careful with my backpack, I don't feel like they'd get babied.  I'm not sure how large the case for the M-80 is in person, I've only seen pics online but it may be small enough to carry around in my backpack too.
Budget is nonexistent.

 

[DaBomb77766]

I really like the M-80!  You could also wait until the M-100 comes out and see how the reviews are of that - it's not supra-aural, but it will be more portable than the M-80 simply because it can fold.

 

[A Ham Sandwich]

I've looked into the M-100 but passed it over assuming that the 50mm drivers would need an amp to really sound their best on the go vs. straight out of my wimp iPod Nano.  It also seems a little big, but it's hard to judge since I haven't seen an M-80 or M-100 in person.

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

I've looked into the M-100 but passed it over assuming that the 50mm drivers would need an amp to really sound their best on the go vs. straight out of my wimp iPod Nano.  It also seems a little big, but it's hard to judge since I haven't seen an M-80 or M-100 in person.

Well Val did say they won't need an amp to sound good, but they will sound better with an amp.  Guess you'd just have to wait for reviews. (they will probably be released within a month)
 
The M-80s are pretty tiny though.  They're a lot smaller than they look in pictures.  The only problem is that they don't fold up - but I wouldn't be too worried about throwing them into a backpack, as long as I were to take the cable out first.  The cable is probably liable to break first since it sticks out so far when plugged in...
(by that I mean the port the cable is plugged into might break)

 

[A Ham Sandwich]

I'm fairly confident in the M-80's treble, midrange, and soundstage based on reviews I've read.  In all the reviews I've read, the opinion on the bass is so varied.  Some say it's prominent, others neutral, some say balanced, and others say lacking.  This is the only thing I'm hung up on, because I otherwise really like the M-80's features and design.  I've had a lot of head time with the B&W P5, how does the M-80 compare in terms of bass quantity, quality, depth, etc. to the P5 if anyone knows?

 

[Phifer]

P5: A well built unit that I think looks very nice. The cable does not inspire confidence but is easily replaceable. I found them comfortable but eventually they had to go because they were too dark for me.
 
TMA-1: Seems solid enough. They felt very durable and would be fine without a case thrown into a backpack. Another very dark set of headphones. Have good detail but very attenuated treble. Not suitable for all music. I returned these simply because I found the missing treble to be too much. I'm not sure if they all have the coiled cable but that drove me nuts and would have to be replaced if I was to use these regularly as a portable. I wanted to like them more than I did.
 
M-80: I really think these are the best value in Supraaural headphones. By far the most balanced audio quality of the 3. Have good bass quantity and the quality is very good. Treble is "polite" for lack of a better word but overall the headphone is very well balanced. Sound quality is on par with more expensive headphones. These are smaller than they look in pictures. The case fit into my backpack without any trouble but even without the case they feel like they are built like a tank. I miss these headphones and frequently consider buying another pair.
 
 
EDIT: I should be more specific so edited the top part.

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

I'm fairly confident in the M-80's treble, midrange, and soundstage based on reviews I've read.  In all the reviews I've read, the opinion on the bass is so varied.  Some say it's prominent, others neutral, some say balanced, and others say lacking.  This is the only thing I'm hung up on, because I otherwise really like the M-80's features and design.  I've had a lot of head time with the B&W P5, how does the M-80 compare in terms of bass quantity, quality, depth, etc. to the P5 if anyone knows?

If I recall, the bass on the M-80 and P5 are fairly similar.  But I overall vastly prefer the signature of the M-80 over the P5 when I tried them (I've tried the P5 a few times at future shop).  The P5 just sounded a bit...congested, with some strange midrange resonance that the M-80 doesn't have.

 

[A Ham Sandwich]

I think the P5 benefits a lot from a long burn in time because when I first tried them out they sounded muffled as could be and they had less than 10 hours on them.  Muuuuuuuuch later, the darkness had dissipated substantially.  It was surprising to say the least but they actually had a little bit of sparkle.
 
@Phifer
As far as the TMA-1, it sounds like you got the Beatport edition, which differs from the standard model in the green cable, and only includes the 1.7m coiled cable.  The standard TMA-1 comes with both a black 1.7m coiled cable and a 1.2m straight cable with iStuff controls and mic.

 

[Phifer]

I always found the p5 dark even after extended usage. I think people just tend to get used to the sound where it does t sound dark till you listen to a more balanced set.

The tma-1 wasn't the new beat port edition. Originally they all came with a dj style coiled cable but newer revisions I've heard dumped that in favor of a more portable cable design.