Recommendations wanted for sub $300 solidly built headphones.

[tigerAspect]

Hi all, this is my first post, so forgive me if this is in the wrong section.
Basically, I'm totally lost and I need recommendations.
My main use for these is music and gaming at my computer. I don't currently have a USB amp, but getting one as a part of all this is a possibility, my actual headphone port is nasty, and I'm running them though the headphone port of a random Plantronics USB headset adapter (it's actually higher quality than the real headphone port, go figure)
Some background: I just lost a pair of Sony SA-1000s due to their shoddy build quality (the cup support broke and the wire connecting the right side must have frayed and stopped working), after about a year an a half. My previous pair, the cable split, frayed and the whole thing stopped working.
 
So, some points on what I'm looking for:
1) Hefty build quality, high durability. I'm probably rougher than I should be with my headphones, I try not to drop them, but occasionally accidents happen, and I take them on and off constantly throughout the day, all day, everyday (I'm a programmer). All metal construction would be a plus. Yes, I expect to pay through the nose for this one.
 
2) Replaceable cord. Like, you can just unplug the cord from the phones, no soldering or disassembly required. It's a serious disappointment to lose a pair to something as trivial as the cord, never again.
 
3) Sound quality. This is a given seeing where I'm posting this, but some points anyway. I really, really, liked the SA-1000's sound, to my n00b ears they had really good mids, incredibly detailed highs and solid bass. Something with similarly high detail would be good, and absolutely no recessed mids, or lacking in the bass.
 
4) Price. I'm looking for a solid upgrade from my SA-1000 which I paid about $120 for. I WAS looking at the SA-5000 at $300 but they don't have a replaceable cord and require an amp. Also sony's the Z1000s are too new to have hefty discounts so they're out on my price range at $500, and I'm worried about the durability of the connection to the right earphone. So, an overall price of around $300, preferably less, but maybe up to $350 if they're phenomenal.
 
5) Circumaural. I hate on-ear phones now. 
 
Open, closed, I have no preference, the SA-1000 were open
 
As an aside, I don't need a mic on these, even though I use 'em for gaming, I have a separate headset that I wear backwards, with the phones clamped around my neck and the mic swivelled into position.
 
 
Thanks in advance!
 
 

 

[barid]

what about the shure 940's or 840's?  solid build, replaceable cord, good sound, doesn't 'need' and amp.....can get them way cheaper than $300.  They may be lacking the bass for you, I found them fine, but friends of mine did not like their bass.
 
 

 

[tigerAspect]

Thanks! I'll check them out. If they're lacking in the bass, that could be an issue, I listen to a fair bit of bass-heavy stuff.

 

[n-phect]

if i had $300 bucks and needed something comfortable to wear all day while programming, id buy denon d2000.  Denon makes good products in my opinion, and they make some of the most comfortable headphones to me.  thats how i would play it.
 
there is lots of headphones to choose from though

 

[tigerAspect]

Yeah, that's my main problem, too much to choose from, the selection explodes around this price range.
 
Hmm, it looks as if the d2000s have a durability problem with a connecting screw that's a major stress point and is prone to breakage. That's something I don't think I could compromise on for $350.

 

[rsgladwin85]

You could pick up a set of Ultrasone Pro 750's, or possibly even a pair of Pro 900's used off the forum in your budget range.  I have a pair of the 900's.  They are built durably and have removable cables.  The sound to me was something that required some adjustment of my ears, but now I love it.  The mids on certain content are just ever so slightly recessed to me, and I do mean slightly, not enough to detract in my opinion.  The bass is definitely present without any doubt.
 
Also the D2000's can be had for less than $350 if you wanted to go that route.  I picked up a new pair at J&R brand new a couple months ago for $189 when I gave them a call.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Ultrasone Pro 900's.
 
Metal and hard-rubber over durable plastic. Swivel cups. Cups are cloth pad and foam. They're very comfortable. Only a Beyer is more comfortable to me. Comes in a reinforced carrying case with foam inlay. Comes with a second pair of cloth cup pads for replacement. Comes with two detachable cables (one short, one longer, both size jacks); these cables screw in for securement, not just yank out. Finish is a matte rubber. It's very durable. I use my 900's as my portable headphones, so they hit the table, go outside, eat the weather, etc, all the time. They're not small headphones, they're actually big--they surprised me with their size. I thought my Beyers were big. These are as big and the headband is bigger actually. They're tanks. Far more durable than my HD580's and honestly more durable than my Beyers too. Fits in your max budget. These are excellent headphones. Serious bass, but still retains it's other frequencies. They're closed cup, so you won't be sharing everything with everyone and leakage is pretty minimal on your end too. Sound stage is better than most closed cups I've heard (due to size of cup and the s-logic which is simply a non-centered driver). As for style, they look elegant and sporty at the same time. They seeth class. Made of rubber, plastic and aluminum with some titanium inside. I noticed they changed significantly after burn-in in the high frequency ranges, it was less piercing at high volume (I listen loud, not even moderate), so your first listen compared to a couple days in, it will change and all I can say is they get better and better. Initial sound is metallic, cold. They warm up--but they're not a warm set of cans for sound. A tube amp adds that if you need/want it though.
 
The only upgrade from these set of cans in terms of fidelity would be a lateral move to a different sound signature in the same range, or a jump into the $750~1,000 range headphones.
 
Easily could be the last pair you buy for 10 years.
 
I love mine. Highly recommended. They're quality.
 
Very best,

 

[Digital-Pride]

Here are some additional suggestions for ya:
 
Beyerdynamic DT770 32 Ohm, DT990 32 Ohm
 
Sennheiser HD595, HD598
 
Ultrasone HFi-780
 
None of these options have a user removable cord(except the HD598/95), but they're known to excellent build quality and durability with possible exception of the HD598.

 

[tigerAspect]

I've been looking into the Ultrasone Pro 900s, and they look veeery tempting so far.
 
The build quality and durability seems exactly what I'm looking for, and from what I've read the sound is extremely detailed and precise, I just have a small concern about the sound character, mainly I worry the the bass is... over-emphasized? Too much? Overwhelming? Is that true? I'm also worrying that maybe the mids are a tad recessed. However, I may just be being crazy and the mids will be better than anything I've heard to-date.

 

[rsgladwin85]

Quote:

I've been looking into the Ultrasone Pro 900s, and they look veeery tempting so far.
 
The build quality and durability seems exactly what I'm looking for, and from what I've read the sound is extremely detailed and precise, I just have a small concern about the sound character, mainly I worry the the bass is... over-emphasized? Too much? Overwhelming? Is that true? I'm also worrying that maybe the mids are a tad recessed. However, I may just be being crazy and the mids will be better than anything I've heard to-date.

 
Well, there is lots of bass in the 900's.  But the nice thing about them seems to be that they don't flood the other ranges, and you can still hear all of the music.  As I said before, in my opinion the mids are ever so slightly recessed in certain content but not everything.  I can tell you I won't be letting mine go for a while.

 

[caracara08]

HE4 is a pretty nice headphone.

 

[ZARIM]

I think Pro900 or Pro2900 willbe real upgrade over SA1000.

 

[Tacoboy]

If you have problems with headphones breaking, why not go cheap, get a Superlux headphone and tube headphone amp. off eBay.
 
Or get the JVC HA-Rx900s, do the modds and install a removeable cable.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Grados

 

[fabio-fi]

Another vote for the Pro900. I really liked how they sound with bass heavy stuff. They are on my buy list.