[Titan]

I'm looking for some headphones, of any style. If they're on or around ear, they need to be compact, or at least not everly bulky. Around ears headphones would have to be very specific, since I have rather large ears. If they're in ear, they need to be bud headphones, not ones like apple headphones that just sorta sit in your ears. Also, they have to have something to protect the cord from getting ripped out (has happened to two pairs in the last year), something like the ring that goes around the base of your ear or something.

Uber sound quality isn't important, as long as they're as good as iPod headphones or better. My primary concern is durability and compactness. I need them to last a while, I use my headphones constantly and can't really afford to be going through Skullcandy's or such. If they're in-ear, they'd need to fit in my pocket with my itouch. If they're on/around ear, I'll just put them around my neck when not using them, so it's less of a problem. But they'd have to be in my backpack during a school day.

My other big concern is price. I'm thinking up to $30, but possibly up to $60 for a pair if it's REALLY worth it.

Do you have any reccomendations?

[CP5670]

Even if you don't care about sound quality, I think you'll have to spend at least $50 or so to get something that will last. All the cheap headphones I've used in the past developed some issue or another within a year.

Also, they have to have something to protect the cord from getting ripped out (has happened to two pairs in the last year), something like the ring that goes around the base of your ear or something.

The best way to avoid this is for the cable to be one-sided and detachable, but I only know of a few headphones that are designed like this.

[Titan]

How much are they?

I forgot to add, they'd either have to be available at walmart (unfortunetly the only big store around here) or online delivery.

[CP5670]

You mean with detachable cables? I don't know of any in the sub-$50 category. My Beyer DT250 has a cord like that but it's $220 (although it can be found for $150-ish on ebay). There are a few others out there but they're much more expensive.

Look at the stuff listed here and see if anything appeals to you. Koss headphones in general are good values in this price range. They have good sound quality for the price, and although they aren't necessary any more durable than other brands, Koss has a nice lifetime warranty, so if yours breaks you can get a replacement at any time.

[Titan]

As long as I don't sodder them back together like I did to one of my pairs of SKullcandies, not realizing they had a warranty.

[Nuke]

i usually buy the cheapest earbuds i can find, then i get like 3 or 4 sets of them. usually lasts me all year.

[Titan]

I'm looking at those, and I notice a lot of the cords are long, as in 8 to 10 feet. I need something I can be out and about with.

[Scourge of Ages]

I would recommend e-bay. I found some earbuds for about a buck each, bought a dozen, and am still using the second pair in two years. Good quality too, and you won't cry when they go bad.

[Nuke]

i find that theres not a massive amount of quality difference between $3 headphones and $30 headphones, at least in terms of their wiring. whats important is that they are comfortable, and some cheap ones are and some arent. id never spend more than $10 bucks though.

[Woolie Wool]

A $150 pair of headphones will last you much, much longer than a pair of $30 headphones and sound infinitely better. Even a $100 pair like Sennheiser HD 280s will wipe the floor with Skullcandy headphones and the like. Mid-grade headphones in the low triple digits are the most cost-effective improvement to your sound quality money can buy.. Sennheiser, Grado, and Audio-Technica are good brands; avoid Bose or mainstream electronics manufacturers at all costs. Also, unless you absolutely must use earbuds/in-ears for fear of being put on the pillory or something, buy full-sized headphones. They're much more durable and sound better than any compact models. With a pair of decent headphones, the cable will be kind of long so you will want to use zip ties or twist ties to tie up the excess cable length. My last pair of Sennheiser HD 595s lasted around four years despite experiencing a considerable amount of abuse; I'm being more careful with my new ones, which will probably last me ten years.

[Scourge of Ages]

Yes, that is mostly true, but it's definitely not a good idea to take $150 headphones to high school, even if one felt like dropping that sort of money on them.

[JGZinv]

Nice cans that I own.

Audio Technica ATH-AD700

Current price is about half of when I bought them.
I use them with a Astro Gaming Mixamp for SS gaming or
pretty much whatever.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Still using the pair of headphones I paid around 5 bucks for about 10 years ago.  Yea the mic quit working but I never used it anyway.  Also have a pair that I got free from collecting Pepsi caps.  Work perfectly fine and have had them for about 2 years now. 

Seriously though if you want your hearing to last don't ever use headphones unless you have to.  I thank my parents for not allowing me to wear them when I was young.  I can still here that dang mosquito sound out of one ear and I'm 41. 

[Woolie Wool]

Headphones won't damage your hearing unless you turn them up too loud. If the sound starts to make you tired, fatigued, or uncomfortable in any way the volume is too high. It's easier to damage your ears with headphones than with speakers, but it's perfectly possible to use them responsibly and not get hearing damage. Unfortunately a lot of people don't care about protecting their hearing until it's too late.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Sorry I disagree.  The sound source is too close to the ear.  This is why kids loose their high frequency hearing faster then they should.  Also blasting music on a stereo at 100 watts and blasting it through headphones at 100 watts are the same but the distance from the speakers to the ear is a lot less.  And no one really wants to turn the music down. 

[Colonol Dekker]

Sennheiser MX-50 yah!
 
 
Or any high end Bose with noise cancellation. They really do have to be sampled to be believed. Most large retailer stores feature demo stands now.
 
 
 
I'm currently using some relatively cheap Sony MDR-AS30's.

[Jeff Vader]

Sennheiser HD438. The best I've ever owned. And still the reviews said that they're nothing compared to the hardcore **** out there. They seem to be a bit over $100. That really seems to be within the price range where you get the most bang for your buck.

[Woolie Wool]

Sorry I disagree.  The sound source is too close to the ear.  This is why kids loose their high frequency hearing faster then they should.  Also blasting music on a stereo at 100 watts and blasting it through headphones at 100 watts are the same but the distance from the speakers to the ear is a lot less.  And no one really wants to turn the music down.  

Putting 100 watts directly through a pair of headphones is insane, headphones aren't like speakers and hooking a pair of headphones directly up to a 100W amplifier running at full blast would destroy them (it would probably blow the speakers too, but not as quickly). Now if you mean 100 decibels in volume, that is way too loud. You should not listen to anything over 90 dB for an extended length of time. Headphones can damage your hearing more at excessive volume but neither headphones nor speakers will damage your hearing at reasonable volumes. Everyone listens to music too loud these days, the only way to avoid long-term hearing damage is to turn the music down. Just because the speakers might give you a bit less damage doesn't mean that your hearing isn't being damaged. Overly loud music is bad for you, regardless of the source.

[newman]

A vast majority of my headphone use is computer related; I mostly play music in the car, when driving, and rarely at home. With that in mind, I got a pair of Razer Barracudas. They're full 5.1 headphones, sound quality is excellent whether you're listening to music or gaming, and volume / bass / other **** controls right on the cable is very convenient. I suppose a detachable mic can also be useful though I rarely ever use it. They're a bit pricey but I consider them worth the $.

[Woolie Wool]

I would never buy a pair of headphones from Razer, they make great mice, but they're not a headphone company. Companies like Sennheiser and Grado make headphones as their primary business, they're much more trustworthy than a peripherals company making something outside their normal realm of expertise.