I have only used one of those brands before- Sennheiser. I have been using a pair of Sennhesier PC350's for over a decade now. In that time I have replaced the ear cushions once. This model is long since discontinued. This is a headset though- not dedicated headphones. I mention it only to give you an idea of the longevity and quality of Sennheiser. I do not have any knowledge or experience of the other brands you mention. They cost about if not slightly more than what I think is your price point.

I would however advise that you do not beat yourself up about impedance as your are probably over-complicating things. Set yourself a price point (I am sure you have but you have not mentioned it) and forget about high impedance models if you are only using the phones for a PC or some type of direct connection to a turntable-this really is not hi-end enough source equipment to start worrying about impedance. Also, no need for a separate headphone amp in the type of system you mention.

The main headphone questions are:

a) Will you be listening to your stuff alone in a quiet room? b) There will be other people watching TV or just sleeping while you'll be using headphones and you'll be also using those headphones in a bus/train/whatever?

If it's a): Go with open headphones. Better, more natural sound and you won't miss phone calls/people entering your room and calling you. Open headphones are ABSOLUTELY unsuitable for use on the go unless you'll be just walking and want to be aware of stuff around you (it will be safer), so yeah those are mostly for quiet home/studio environment

I really like my Roland RH-A30 aka the biggest bang for the buck (using right now). And more expensive Sennheiser HD599 (i keep them at work)

In case of b):

Go with closed headphones and if you're planning to use them for more than an hour straight - don't go for any headphones with rubber-like earmuffs - you'll have hard time in the summer when your ears will be sweating.

for particular models i'm using or used - people mentioned ATH-M50x - really good ones. Never owned them personally but used for a few days. Koss Pro4S - not too expensive, very accurate sound - they will play what you throw at them exactly as it should sound, so not a good choice for bassheads who like extra boom-boom (well there's equalizer if you like that). Very comfortable when you want to use something for hours. Shure SRH-1540 - a bit on expensive side but totally worth it. Also very comfortable when you want to wear closed headphones for hours.

You forgot C) semi-open
I like my AKG K240s... but I mostly use them in the (sound) studio - for secondary monitoring.

Guys, thanks. I wanted closed back so that nobody would listen in on my stuff :D also, I ordered the beyerdynamic dt770 pro 80ohm, I hope I made a good choice. They seemed teh most comfortable and with very good references on teh sound. I might consider picking up a spare AKG K371 or a Sennheiser one, if I later need headphones for more devices. I still don't really trust the design of the K371 though. :D


I hope the cable doesn't break though :D Like it happened with my oldie cheapo headphones.

Earlier this year I was also looking for a good pair of headphones, I love listening to music so I wanted to go just like you for the best sound possible but ended up buying something totally different.

One on my friend told me that after he went wireless he could never go back to a wired one and it got me thinking. After digging through some information online, it occurred to me that Astro (a brand of gaming headset, not headphones) was often praised for its sound quality, with some people going as far as claiming that for the price, they are as good if not better than regular "made for music" headphones.

I had no idea how it was going to turn out so I went with the cheaper Astro model and surprisingly it works great. The sound quality is very good for the price and works well even when you are far away from the reiceiver, unfortunately the mic quality is not that great but I wasn’t going to use it anyway. The only downside it that it only works with PC and consoles but if you don’t mind it can be a good alternative to more expensive headphones depending on what deals you can find online :)

I use the only pair of headphones I will ever need - MDR7506

So my new Beyerdynamic dt 770 pro headphones just came in and they sound incredibly good. I can now hear bits of the music that just simply "weren't there" with the cheapo headphones, like if you listen to Bobby McFerrin's Invocation there's a piano solo around 4:30 and there are very quiet vocal bits in the right channel that I just couldn't hear over the piano, I didn't know about them, but now I do :D

I have a pair of Sony MDR-XB50AP I got for my birthday from my (ex -.-') boyfriend and they are good for what I listen to. Also I like that he has the same. Sadly my phone is crap and the headphones jack doesn't work and have to use some cheap Bluetooth earplugs I got for free until I can get a new one.
I had the DT990 Pro 250, the open ones, I gave them to bf along with my desktop pc and DAC. They were pretty cool, expecially with FLAC files.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-bluetooth-headphone-adapter/
(Feel free to look up other reviews)
It's a lot cheaper than buying a new phone...

thanks, but my bt headphones are rubbish and I just need a decent phone, hopefully before this one stops working at all XD And I want to finally use the Sony i got for my birthday.

But those adapter ARE for your Sony - to connect it to your current phone (via Bluetooth).

Ah ok you're right, but I will need a new phone at some point, I don't want to buy an extra gimmick for this one that I will not use later. The phone I have is so bad that people laughs at the pictures I take, because it's impossible to understand their subject. Today I was walking in a street and the GPS said I was in a park several kilometers away. My position and direction are always wrong. It weights 350 grams and its only good use is as a brick against an aggressor. Maybe I could break a window with it and steal a decent phone! When people call me they get angry/annoyed at me for the noises and low quality of the call. And of course if I try to play a game I'll die because the touch screen only works at times. The speakers are broken and make a barely audible noise. Plus it's very slow and is stuck with Android 8. Every cent invested in that phone and not in getting any other one is wasted money. Sorry for the OT, I love complaining about my cr*ppy phone XD

I use Xiaomi Redmi Airdots 2 .For my money, For my money, Xiaomi is really top.

I'd recommend a cheap $10-$15 headset from Dollar General, Walmart or whatever stores you have in your area; go for the 3mm plug.

If you go bluetooth the delay may cause issues, not to mention the radiation it releases is said not to be the best for you (not as bad as putting your phone to your ear).

Sony MDR-7506, the original and the best. Still using the same pair I bought like 10 years old and still going strong.