[mllerena]

Hello. First posting and new member, but long time guest at this site.
 
I've had my AKG-44 for many years now. My AKG have been good to me so far and have enjoyed listening to music (all types.) Recently hearing a pair of headphones at a friends house makes me feel I've been in the dark ages.
 
Is something like the Phillips downtown or Grado S60 a upgrade or should I be looking at something else. My max I would like to spend is $130 base cost. 
 
Any suggestions? Thanks!!

 

[GREQ]

Philips downtown might be bad surprise - it doesn't receive a huge amount of love around these forums, but the overall sound isn't terrible, it's just slightly overpriced compared to the competition.
Grado SR60i will be a downgrade in comfort, and the ultimate downgrade in privacy and leakage, but it's the most detail revealing headphone at the price, and fantastic for rock and small chamber or acoustic music. 
 
Others to consider are:
Audio Technica M50 (bass heavy)
Sennheiser HD518 (all-rounder)
Sony MDR-V6 (analytical studio sound, may sound too 'bass light')
Grado SR80i - significant bass improvement over the SR60i is worth the extra money.

 

[mllerena]

Thanks for the update. How about anything made by AKG? Just thinking since I already have them. I tested the Sony and wasn't too thrilled with them. Sennheiser sounded good, and I found some S80 at me price range.

 

[GREQ]

Most of my favourite AKGs require or benefit from an amp. You didn't give a lot to go on, so I only made a few simple recommendations.
Not to mention I prefer a lot of vintage models to some of the new stuff. Most vintage K240 variants are brilliant, but all need a fairly powerful amp to really sing properly.
 
But the K271 gets a lot of love on these forums, I've just never heard (or seen) one in person before so I couldn't fully recommend it.