I've been out of the loop for some time, but I need to beak down and buy some headphones. I'm not all to worried about active noise reduction (not too safe when youre on a bicycle), but I would like a good even response with some good isolation too. (I want piece of mind when I listen to militant music)
I've focused on these, but I'm open to suggestions. (I primarily listen on a USB DAC and an iAudio DAP.):

Pioneer SE-MJ3B (not available)/M390
Grado SR-60 (I was surprised at their price reduction over 3 years)
and on the higher end:
Sennheiser HD-280

Thanks guys for all the help

edit: I wrote something better and then accidently reloaded the page. Yay for keyboard shortcuts

Certainly, there are fans of the two phones you listed. But a more linear response headphone is the MDR-V6(same as MDR-7506; different model name only) - but not the MDR-V600 - which is a totally inferior device. The MDR-v6 is also made a far higher standard, physically, as compared to the other two headphones(and in fact, it's made superior to most headphones that go into the 500 dollar range). What kind of sound to expect? If you have heard say, Duntech or Dunlavy monitor speakers - it sounds a lot like these, overall. Pleasant? I guess enough so for the price range of the headphone - but more of a monitor really. I use the MDR-7506(same as MDR-V6) for monitoring recordings.

-Chris

Sennheiser PX100 is a great set.
Koss Porta Pros get good reviews.
This link was helpful to me:

http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-applicat...est-headphones/

Thanks WmAx. I remember using the MDR-7506 's for a computer music class i took. I remember liking them. As far as longterm comfort, and durability, you'd say they're good?

ddrawley: thank you. i knew that link also. i'm using them as a reference too, but i like the knowledge pool here too.

Reading what I have, I'm torn between the MDR-V6 and beyerdynamic DT 231. happy to have something to debate about....

They are okay in the comfort department. There is an available velvet pad with greater comfort that will fit the V6, sold as a pad for the Beyer DT250. However, the pad for the beyer is considerably deeper and places the driver farther from your ear than the V6 was designed to operate. The result is that the mid-range tonal balance is skewed, causing a lifting of the upper midrange balance. It has a negative effect on linearity, as such, I can not recommend this more comfortable pad, despite it's popularity. You can increase comfort by some degree on the V6 by removing the ear pads and then removing the circular small foam donut on the driver edge. This foam does not have any function that I can determine. It does, however, place pressure on your ear cartilage that causes discomfort. Simply remove it and put the pads back on, and you should have a noticeably more comfortable headphone.

-Chris

Another pair to consider is the AKG K-81 DJ (now replaced by the K-518 DJ, but apparently the only difference is the colour scheme). I'm very happy with my pair - I use them as work headphones. The isolation is good, perhaps a bit too good if you're going to be using them in traffic though - my colleagues have to struggle to get my attention at times . Another plus is that they keep the sound in very well, so you can listen to music at a comfortable volume without annoying everyone around you.

Check this thread at head-fi if you'd like to see some opinions, beware though as it is 250 pages long!

I've really enjoyed my Sennheiser HD-280's since I got them for Christmas a little over a year ago. Drum/cymbals are crystal clear and I can hear the low freq's very well. So many albums that I listened to I picked up things that I couldn't hear before on either my crappy stereo or my portable CD player(yes I still have one thank you very much). One of the nice things about these is that the headphones are modular. So if one earpiece or the headphone cord gets screwed up, you can buy those pieces and replace them.

On the downside,the HD-280's are very heavy and take some getting used to. Also they block sound pretty well so if you need to be able to hear other people you probably shouldn't wear them in those particular settings. And if you are listening on a computer you will pick up any significant computer noises eg. loud hard drives.

All in all I'd recommend the HD-280's. I will say that a DJ friend of mine bought some Grado cans and he liked those a lot. Not sure whether there are any in your price range, but it might be worth a look.

I've had the 280's for a few years now, still working and sounding perfect after years of constant (work) day use.

amazon has nearly 400 reviews, you should check some of them out, as there are few people who may not tolerate (or take some time to get used to) the rather snug fit and/or the mildly heavy weight of them.

+1 for the AKGs.
I bought mine for use at home and portable use, and they are perfect for that.

positive:
- probably best sound under 100€
- low price (~45-50€)
- responds well to EQ
- good isolation
- also good for portable use

negative:
- trades off comfort for isolation
- some people find them too bass heavy

I would definately test them first at the store to see if they are not too small or uncomfortable.