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Grado Prestige Series SR125i Headphones
From Grado Labs

Grado's ability to combine lightness with extreme rigidity and internal damping has been put to good use on the SR125. The SR125 features an improved diaphragm and voice coil design and UHPLC (Ultra-high purity, long crystal) copper voice coil wire. The diaphragms are put through a special 'de-stressing' process in order to enhance inner detail. An improved headband spring provides even greater comfort allowing the listener to relax and enjoy the fine tonal spread and balance. Bass, midrange and treble are all more open.
Brand: Grado Model: SR125i Dimensions: 2.00" h x 8.00" w x 8.00" l, 3.00 pounds

Superior clarity for the price It seems like I'm always a bit disappointed when shelling out relatively big bucks for headphones. The Bose QC2 offer great overall sound, but they cost $300 and don't operate without a battery. The Koss Pro4a's are also nice and far less costly, but they are extremely heavy and sound too flat (especially on the bass side of the spectrum) for my tastes. Upon reading about the Grados and given all the accolades these headphones have received, I decided to add them to my ever-growing collection. The Grado 125s really surprised me in more ways than one. They look a bit goofy and the foam headphones didn't seem to fit well, at least right out of the box. The headband can be bent to provide a tighter or looser fit. The other surprise was the full 1/4" stereo plug - not a 1/8" with a 1/4" adapter. Thus, you'll need a reducer to play these on your MP3 player. Now the good news. Voice and instrument clarity surpass even the Bose in my opinion. I have finally been able to decipher the words to some classics, which is to say you'll hear very minor nuances that provide superb realism and impact. Check out, for instance, Dire Straits 'Brothers In Arms' CD. Plus, the extreme lightness is truly astonishing. I listened for hours with no need to give my ears or head a rest. I can't speak for headphones beyond the $300 range, but I'd recommend these $150 phones to anyone, hands down. Extremely good First and foremost as others have mentioned, hook these guys up to a stereo and run it for 12 - 24hrs to break them in before passing judgement on them. Vary the volume while you do this, start out low, then after a few hours go to a mid volume setting, then to a medium loud setting for the last few hours (Not loud enough to blow them mind you). These headphones after the break in period are the clearest headphones you'll ever put on your head and I'll stand behind that statement-I'm an audiophile and have tried most every high end headphone in existence from Sony's V series to AKG to Beyerdynamic to Sennheiser. However, I'm only giving them 4 stars for 2 reasons. They're not the most comfortable, at least not at first. The ear pads are stiff and to me smelled of petro chemical residue. I softened mine down the first day I had them by placing them in a sink with very warm water with a soy based fabric softener, I soaked em for 10 minutes all the while squeezing the water between them. The also are a bit light on the bass, if you want some of these that are perfect with just the right bass response, look one more notch up in the line for $50 more, the SR225's. Outstanding *** Update *** After having these for a couple of weeks, I definitely notice that there has been a "breaking-in" period. The same music I first played through these is noticeably "warmer", with primarily low frequencies now being even more distinct. I.e. the sound is getting better - I am still happier with them now. I wanted very good headphones - great sound for various music types, comfortable, light if possible, decent length cord. I've had Sennheisers many years ago. I did a lot of reading and inevitably ran into reviews everywhere, with everyone touting "their" favorite brand based on various aspects (clarity, range, etc. etc.) which could easily lead to analysis paralysis. Anyway, I went for it and got these. Initial impressions: very retro-looking, without the hi-tech molded plastic and fancy box other brands have. That was my first "what did I just spend a bunch of my money on?" moment. The earcups spin freely, which is nice. They are not very tight on my biggish ears, and sit very lightly on my large head; as someone else noted, the headband can be bent. The cord is very thick and long; you'll need an adapter for a standard MP3 player headset, but Radio Shack has good gold-plated ones and Grado also sells one. I sometimes listen to music in a noisy environment and upgraded to these from a pair of Sony noise-cancelling headphones. The Sonys had awful sound but did a good job of canceling out noise (though not as well as the much more expensive Boses, of course). The Grados, despite no gimmicks like noise cancellation, actually did very well in this environment. Overall, the sound is very good with a variety of sources. It's very balanced and light, and lots of nuances come through that I've never heard before. For example, in a Beethoven piano CD I have, I heard for the first time that a particular phrase's harmony (deep notes) actually alternated between two adjacent notes; previously, that phrase always sounded like the same low note played repeatedly under the melody. Rock, metal, electronica, orchestral classical, vocal, pop, and other types of music all sound great on these, and after running various types of music past them I decided I had a real upgrade on my hands. If, like I was, you are trying to decide on a good pair of headphones on a mid-level budget and are a little lost between Sennheiser, these, and maybe other good brands, you won't go wrong with these. That said, Sennheiser also makes some great headphones, though you'll probably spend more than for these for similar sound quality. Either way, you'll enjoy your music a lot, which is what counts. Good luck!