Looking for a nice pair of headphones... with a catch.

[CurseTheSky]

Basically, I'm looking for a good-quality pair of headphones (not a headset - no microphone). They will be used for general gaming and music listening, nothing professional. They should also be generally comfortable.

However, I HATE headphones that cover your entire ear. I prefer the open-style headphones, even though the sound quality will suffer. I also prefer "behind the ear" style headphones, with the connecting plastic positioned behind the head rather than on top.

The final requirement is a single cord, rather than one cord coming out of each speaker. My budget is around $40-70, but I'm flexible.

I already have a pair that I'm satisfied with (some Sony brand that I bought from a local music store), but they're made for portability, not comfort. This new pair will be my main "home" headphones.

Anything that falls into this category? Thanks.

 

[CurseTheSky]

FYI: I already know this post is going to make the audio experts cry... I just can't stand the huge studio-style headphones. If there's something that isn't very big and performs REALLY well, I MIGHT be able to be persuaded...

 

[Matthias99]

The last time I was headphone shopping I compared a few different models.

If you want very lightweight headphones, I'd recommend the Koss 'PortaPro' or 'SportaPro'. Decent sound quality, very lightweight, open-ear. Also an outstanding warranty. The PortaPro is a little more solid and is only over-the-head; the SportaPro is convertible and can also be used 'behind the ear'. As far as I can tell, they use the same drivers -- or at least they sound nearly identical. They're also both collapsible and so store nicely in a pocket or backpack. I use the SportaPro with my CD player and/or iPod.

The best 'open' headphones I found were the Grado S80s. They're kind of 'semi-open', actually; they cover your ear, but it's soft, lightweight foam, and the driver isn't sealed in the back (which does mean that everyone around you can hear what you are listening to, for better or worse). Sound quality was good, but a little lacking in bass. Not a good choice if you are going to be listening in noisy environments either.

By far the best sound quality I found at an affordable price was the Koss Pro-4AA. Ugly as sin and heavy, but they sounded far better than anything else I could find at even 2-3x the price.

I was not impressed -- at all -- with Sony or Sennheiser headphones in the sub-$150 range. Very muddy in the midrange and bass. Maybe their high-end stuff is better, but I didn't want to spend that much.

 

[Kwaipie]

Check out the SennHeiser PC160s. While there is a microphone, you can move it out of the way. I've worn these for up to 8 hours at a shot with no discomfort. BUY has them for $61

 

[CurseTheSky]

Bump

 

[Auric]

Generally the most comfortable encapsulate the ears without touching them and the best sound quality comes from same with open drivers -with closed suffering a li'l but obviously gaining isolation. What you seem to be describing is the type which press on the ear which is the worst combination of comfort and quality. Then, the behind the neck type are notoriously ill-fitting and unadjustable. So, why not just use in-ear headphones to eliminate the comfort issues but at least achieve middling quality?