[lucraak]

So I have bought my AKG K500 a few years back (2nd hand for I think about 30 euro's) and I absolutely love it. 
I don't know if they are considered "good" around here but I just love it. I don't know much about hi-fi and how to "describe" how something sounds (that's where I'm here for to learn) but compared to other headphones I have heard (Sennheiser Momentum, Some over-ear Beats things, Urban Ears Zinken, Harman Kardon CL, Sony MDR 10RBT and some others) I think the K500 has a nice clear sound, where the clarity is especially prominent when listening to vioces and classical music. I find it fantastic to listen to it for hours. It is comfortable and the sound is never tiring. The only downside I have is that the headphones lack a little punch or bass and the sound is not that good on my Macbook and iPhone as they do on my Amplifier (Onkyo Integra A-8450, I got this amp for free from my dad and I also love it). But still, I love listening to my K500 through my phone and macbook.
 
Maybe some of you know this headphone and totally disagree with me on the sound characteristics of the K500 but I am looking for a sort of the same thing but than more portable (preferrably with an iPhone controller ... yes) with a little more bass/punch (I really love my metal every now and then) but I don't want too much bass. I think the bass in the Sennheiser momentum is actually pretty heavy for my taste, especially on higher volumes.
I am looking for portable in the broad sense of the word, I think the Bowers and Wilkins P5 is portable, the new Sennheiser momentum on-ear is sort of portable and obviously any in-ear headphone is portable. But from my experience (read: almost none) the on-ear/over ear headphones sound always more "roomier" than in-ears but I am willing to be enlightend if anyone can tell me otherwise. The reason I want something portable is I want to use them at work, during my trainride to work and for wandering around in the city. And how much I love the K500, I don't want to be walking around with a full-size headphone so size is a serious issue.
 
Now I was thinking about buying the Bowers and Wilkins P5 or the Beyerdynamic T51i or the Sennheiser momentum.
I also looked at the Harman Kardon CL (i think) but after 2 minutes the headband started to hurt my skull so that is a no-go
The stores I am looking are very noisy so I cannot always hear the differences that well and I haven't had the chance to listen to the Beyerdynamics. How do you guys think about these headphones are they getting close? Am I looking for something that is non-existent? If not, what should I definately check out? What can I scrape of my list etc...
 
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your suggestions
 
edit: Another thing I want in the headphones is that they isolate the sound. The K500 is an open headphone so my girlfriend hears everything I play on that thing. My new one should be a little more discreet for the people around me

 

[Roy Munson]

How portable does it need to be? If you like the AKG sound take a look at the K551. It's a K550 with iPod controls. I use a K550 for my portable cans but I don't use them to walk around with, just travel. They're clean, relatively neutral sounding and have nice bass definition without being in your face with it. Good soundstage for a closed can and they look pretty sharp.
 
- Roy

 

[lucraak]

Hmnah I'm looking for a little smaller headset. 
I'd like to walk around in the city and ride the bike with it. Especially in traffic a big headphone is a bit cumersome. 

 

[cel4145]

I don't know enough about the K500s sound signature. But if the K550 looks too big, check out the Soundmagic HP150. Bit smaller, better cable. Bass and treble are enhanced a little from neutral, so really good mids. Great clarity, IMO.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

AKG K545 - a smaller and reportedly (haven't heard them myself) better K550 - might be worth looking into. There might be comparison reviews out already.