Headphones - Sennheiser HD 558 (I have these and love them) or Audio Technica ATH-M50x

or

Headset - HyperX Cloud II (if you wanted a mic as well)

There are tons of headphone choices (AKG, Beyerdynamic, Grado as well) and preference plays a part in your decision but the two mid range recommendations I see the most are the ones I listed. I have also used all three of these and can recommend them

I use the Sony MDR 7506 and I love them.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424305135&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+mdr+7506

I plan on getting these. Anyone know if it would be worth it getting an external dac/amp like this in tandem with good headphones?

I use them plugged straight into my headphone jack and they sound great. I'm not an audiophile but I'd assume these headphones wouldn't gain much from an external dac/amp

It wouldn't hurt to get an amp and a dac, but these headphones aren't the hardest to drive. You might not notice that much of a difference with a amp/dac. IMO, get the dac/amp if you really want to, no need to spend more than you planned to. And if you want a mobile amp/dac, I would reccomend Fiio over Schiit.

Dont spend too much on headphones. This isnt just a edgy shitpost i honestly dont think its a wise financial decision in terms of what you spend and what you get even if you're really young and got gift money.

I hope I'm not coming off as an asshole but I'm pretty content right now, I don't see anything in the foreseeable future where I'd need this $150 desperately. If I come to regret it later I promise I'll look back & say "oh, runescape_boy_420 was right! How I regret buying these headphones.".

Hyper x cloud is the shit, using the non fake leather earcups is a need, the fake leather ones are tight aff and leave marks on your head(i also have a huge head)

edit: oh, runescape_boy_420 was right! How I regret buying these headphones ayy lmao

if you live with your parents and get over 100 dollars you should at least invest some of it cause its not like every dollar you get is spent to put food on the table and its too late to put any thought into your future. I wouldnt be as pretentious if you said you were going to spend it on something that isnt a gigantic sack of shit thats only given legitimacy to by retarded audiophiles that jack off over reciting tech terms.

i have use my sennheiser 595s for like 6 years now

they sound amazing and hold up rly well

switching to some akg 700s on friday though

Are you looking for a mic as well, also, do you have a good soundcard?

You can't go wrong with sennheisers but you may want to look into the various sound signatures out there and consider that as well as price/overall sound. Ie if you're a basshead ultrasones fit you better than a pair of 558s or similar.

In general something analytic/flat like the sony v6 is a one-size fits all but some enjoy more fun phones (casual listening vs studio recording and whatnot). I listen to grado 225is mostly myself because I like the odd sound signature and dont care about flat responses

Something else to consider is open back vs closed back. Open will lead to better soundstage and a more roomy feel at the cost of sound leakage (people around you hearing your music) and no noise cancellation. Closed back eliminates sound leak and helps with noise isolation plus generally more bass, at the cost of soundstage.

Amps and dacs from my knowledge aren't generally worth investing in until you have a bigger budget (eg. $150 headphones > $75 headphones + $75 amp). Hope this helped somewhat.

sennheiser 595s are amazingly made ones. Also, for the love of god don't buy SS Siberia, please. Thank you.

Headphones + mic is generally much better than a headset for the record

Sennheiser HD 598 have an amazing sound stage and overall comfort. Not suitable if you dislike people hearing what you can. I only use them indoors so that doesn't concern me. (my current)

ATH-M50s have great bass and noise cancellation. Not great for sound stage accuracy or long term comfort.

The cord is pretty long for both of these and both don't need an amp (most headphones at this cost range don't). Stay away from wireless, you'll be sacrificing a lot of sound quality. Also stay away from any headset with a mic attached and don't fall for surround sound nonsense when it comes to headphones.

Drop 10 bucks on a clip on mic. Happy shopping!

I recently had to make the choice between Sennheiser HD598 (open), Beyerdynamic DT990 (open, 250 Ohm) and DT770 (closed, 80 Ohm). I previously owned a pair of Sennheiser cans, I ruled the HD598s out, as I'm not a fan of Sennheiser's plastic build and general bulkiness. Both DT770s and DT990s feel sturdier to me and man, those velour pads! So comfortable!
Finally went with the DT990s because of the soundstage and less boomy and more natural sound compared to the DT770s, and the coiled cable. I don't really need closed headphones, since I only use mine at home anyway.
All three pairs are amazing, it all comes down to personal preference to be honest.

Though the prices probably exceed OP's budget, especially in Australia. Sennheiser HD558 are a good and cheaper alternative to the 598s (they're almost the same). ATH-M50s are also great but since they're on-ear, I wouldn't choose them if you plan longer sessions. Don't underestimate comfort.
It may be obvious, but don't pick high-impedance headphones if you don't have an amp to drive them.

Your best bet is to find an audio store and try different pairs yourself and maybe ask for advice there. You could also order some online, keep the headphones you like and return the others, you'll have to pay extra for the shipping though.

I wouldn't recommend just asking people what headphones are good and throw your money at whatever they say, OP.

The best thing you can do is spend time researching on your own to understand your options because then you'll better understand what you're buying and why you want to buy it. Like, I have AKG K240s because, after doing some research, I decided that I would prefer open or semi open headphones so that the sound can "breathe" and I decided that I'd prefer over ear instead of on ear since that sounded more comfortable. I had no idea what open and closed meant before buying these, and I had no idea what on or over ear meant before buying these. But I'm glad I learned instead of buying what was recommended to me, ATH M50s, because they're on ear, closed, and favor bass, which is a combination of things I wouldn't personally dig.

What I'm saying is, you don't seem to know what you want since you didn't specify anything in your original post other than your budget, so I think it's best to do enough research to find out what you want, and then make a choice based on your preferences. If you're reading this thread right now and you have no idea what people mean by "open back vs closed back" or "noise cancellation" then it's definitely best to check out some guide on buying headphones just so that you understand all the stuff that should be taken into account to make a truly good purchase. It's a mild timesink but it's worth it to be a better consumer; plus you'll be more loyal to your headphones if you know why you bought them down to every last detail.

Check out head-fi.org for a headphone buying guide, or go to the /g/ board on 4chan and look through the stick for visual based guides.

Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, V-Moda and more all have headphones in the price range you are looking in, compare their features and reviews and see what you like best because honestly among the popular quality brands there isn't much variation in quality in a certain price range.

There are ATH-M50x's which are an updated version with detatchable cables, and are apparantly more comfortable. They also come with 3 different types of cord (coiled, 1.2m straight, 3m straight). I haven't come across a reason to get the M50's over the M50x's.

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/99aff89488ddd6b1/

#20
iirc the reasons quoted to get the m50 over the m50x were
-build quality (although I don't believe that one)
-price

If you want/need the cables it's a no-brainer.