[waitou]

Hi, I am planning to buy a pair of headphones to use in the office where I cannot use my speakers. All the headphones I have owned are Sennheiser HD202 and Koss KSC75 (yes, I am totally new to head-fi), neither of them gives me a comfortable fit. Could you guys give me some suggestions based on the following criterias (ranked by importance to me)?

1) Comfortable. I would like to wear it for hours and not feeling my head being squeezed. I do prefer those cans which completely cover my ears.
2) Sound quality. I like listening to classical and country music. So I prefer headphones which give a crisp, dynamic treble, with warm mids for vocal part, and and reasonably tight bass (I don't listen to rock, so no need for heavy bass).
3) Sound leakage is small, I don't want to disturb my officemates.
4) Perform well enough without amp, since I wouldn't have enough budget for amp recently.
5) Budget for the headphone is less than $200.

Could you guys recommend some cans which you think are good for the above requirements? Thank you very much!!

 

[StealthR6]

Audio Technica A900
It covers 1,3,4,5 perfectly. Now for #2, it does have tight bass, good sound quality with an airy bright feel for a closed can and great soundstage, but the mids are slightly recessed. You can't have it all for this price point.

 

[AudioCats]

how about $32 for a pair of MB quart 55x and $50 for a used speaker amp? Clear sounding and super comfy (if you want to wear them 8 hours straight... no problem)

sound leak might be a problem though

 

[waitou]

A900 seems very nice to me! any other recommends?

 

[dagobah]

Another vote for the A900. They should accommodate all of your wants nicely. Although, in terms of comfort, while they shouldn't squeeze your head at all, you may find that they are sweat inducing if worn for long periods of time, depending on what your office environment is like.