Figured I’d throw this out there, because these headphones are only $40 at sweetwater for the next couple of days. I haven’t tried every headphone on the market, but I can say that of all the ones I’ve tried, these have been my favorite. They’re super comfortable, and they sound good to me.
They are not good for tracking because they are semi-open back and bleed a lot, but for listening, they’re pretty darn good, especially for the price. I’m tempted to snag another pair, even though I can’t think of a single reason to have 2 pair.
+1 for the AKG 240’s. I’ve got a pair that I’ve been using since about 1995. The circumaural design is comfortable for long listening sessions as it puts no pressure on your ears. The version I have doesn’t have the removable cord and I’ve never had any trouble with them. The ear-pads show some wear after 20+ years but they have not cracked or split at all. Of course, they sound terrific. I think I paid about $100 back then, so seeing these for $40 makes me want to grab another set for backup!
I have the Austrian made ones and bought a pair of these 2 years ago for a friend, while not bad, they’re definitely not the same headphones. $40 worth a pop though. Mine haven’t given up the ghost yet, so I don’t know but I can definitely recommend these to some of the guys in my band.