AD700 closed is wicked for gaming and that electronic music that is all the rage today while not being sloppy for real music as well lolol.
AD700 open is a crowd pleaser for sure. Bigger soundstage and airer presentation at the expense of bass impact. The bass is still there you can just hear it more instead of feel it now since open air headphones allow for deeper extension at the expense of midbass physical impact.
Grado SR-80i is wicked for music-ing, if you can get over the initial shock of decades of reviews building them up to be god tier end-all headphones. They cost 100 dollars, and have more detail and a more present midrange than some 200 dollar cans. That being said the treble presentation which objectively described, extends far compared to neutral headphones and can come off as "sparkly" which some people like, some people don't. At the SR-80 level, it's toned down a bit so I wouldn't worry about it. They look cool to me, are easily serviceable if they ever break, are backed by a credible warranty, have a really durable cable, and if youre a midrange and treble seeker like myself, you'll really enjoy them.
Allessandro MS-1i is another option, free shipping too (yay). The "i" models don't really make a difference to me, I'll buy either. I own an SR-80i which I'm about to sell. It's an SR-80 that is impossible for me to sleep with since the deeper earcups stop me from laying on my side (I sleep at an angle that isn't quite 90 degrees lol). It's like an SR-125 except you don't have to use a 3.5mm adapter since it's already terminated that way, it is buttonless, and they claim more neutrality but it's really hard to say that when there isn't quite a Grado to compare it to, (Grados become more neutral as you go up, but honestly none of them are even remotely neutral unless you're talking vintage out of production G-cans). I can't really hear any differences between SR-125 and MS-1 unless I'm listening to really transparent music, but it's still not enough to even take a stance on how each one sounds. The treble is a bit less sparkly and more polished (less fun to some), but it's by such a small degree that I'd just buy the first one I saw.
Hmm what else have I owned at around 100 dollars..
Oh I like AKG K240 Studio. A lot. It's not an audiophile headphone, it's sort of closed I remember, but it sounded really good, was very comfortable, looked kind of cool, had a good build quality and I liked the single ended cable. It also can compete with more expensive headphones because it has a sound signature that can please a lot of people and obviously even if you buy headphones that cost more, if you don't like them, then that means these are better for the money right? Go to your local Guitar Center or something and listen to these, that was the first place I heard them and liked them.
Unfortunately I have a condition where I like almost all sound signatures except for really dirty basshead cans, so it's kind of sad that I'm attracted to all manner of expensive headphones! Except for the K701, I probably still don't like those lol.
TLDR; yeah they're worth it. I have a broken Siberia Icemat that I don't even bother with anymore and just for gaming and movies the Grados already trounced the,. So before anybody even goes on a rant like I did, they're going to be better than those for sure, just use a 10-15 dollar clip-on mic and you'll be happy. It's what I do lol.
