Need help choosing new earbuds/headphones!

[VNilla]

Hello, OCR; today is a sad day; my old, loyal, beloved pair of iPod earbuds (SHUT UP OUR LOVE WAS TRUE ) finally died. I put them away for literally less than a minute as I walked to class, only to find when I took them out again that the left earbud had a fully detached cover and was unable to play any sound at all (I can't leave you two alone for even a minute, can I? ) I'm going to go to the store this weekend to buy a replacement pair, but I wanted you guys' suggestions as to what pair of earbuds or headphones I should get.

What I need:

• Earbuds or portable headphones (over-ear headphones preferred, if possible)
  
• Low cost ($50 at most, but preferably less)
  
• Available at a major retailer in Northern Virginia (Apple Store, Best Buy, or Target plz) OR an online retailer that can ship them to me very quickly
  
• Good all-around sound quality, including bass (I <3 phat bass, but it shouldn't overpower everything else)
  
• Doesn't "leak" sound (those nearby should not hear my music; sadly, iPod 'buds fail at this catastrophically)
  
• Cord length >= 3'6" (42", or 106.7cm)
  
• Fits comfortably in/on ear and stays there (must not fall out/off when I'm headbanging)
  
• Longevity -- I really don't want to do this again any time soon!
  

I do not need or care about an on-cord microphone/volume control or noise-cancelling capability (actually, I'd prefer if they weren't noise-cancelling).

I checked Consumer Reports' latest headphone ratings, but they're all way too expensive (the only pair within my budget was Apple iPhone earbuds:tomatoface:), so I definitely need suggestions from you guys! Any recommendations are appreciated.

EDIT: ABSOLUTELY NO CLIP-ONS. THOSE THINGS HURT. A LOT.

EDIT 2: I would like some guidance on headphone specs (what the heck do "THD," "Frequency Response," "Impedance," and "Signal Sensitivity" mean?) and some example values for each (i.e. "Frequency Response with 30Hz or less has good treble," etc).

EDIT 3: I'm making a list of OCR tracks that represent my personal favorite genres with which to test my headphones (against my family-room stereo set), but I need some help on certain genres. Here's my list so far:

• General (does everything equally, but nothing exceptionally; middle-of-the-road): NEED SUGGESTIONS
  
• Orchestral: The Angels of Hell by Random Hero
  
• Phat, "Evil" Techno: Sturm und Kong by djpretzel
  
• Clean Techno/Electro House: Casino Lounge by Mattias Häggström Gerdt and GSlicer; Chemixtrixx by PrototypeRaptor
  
• Chiptunes! Agahnim Arsenik by AeroZ
  
• "Chiptunes Plus": Spoiled R0TT3N by Benjamin Briggs
  
• Ambient/Trance: The Forerunner Mix (Alpha) by Nick Singer; NEED TRANCE SUGGESTIONS
  
• Rock (NOT METAL): NEED SUGGESTIONS
  
• Choral/Vocal: Oil Ocean (WT-40 Mix) by PlanetSkill; Time to Oil Up by zircon and Jillian Aversa
  

[Nabeel Ansari]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106508&cm_sp=ProductSpotlight-_-26-106-508-_-05122011

Really a stupid-great choice. Bass is definitely not flat, but it's not too much either.

I mix my music on these, and can handle compensating for the extra bass without killing my ears.

Steal for $20.

[StigtriX]

It all depends on what you are looking for.

Do you want in-ear monitors?

Over the ear monitors?

Headphones?

Is comfort important?

+++

But to be honest with you: you won't ever get a good pair for 50$. If you want something with really good sound and quality you should aim for 100$+

I've been through several IEMs, and I simply got tired of bad sound. Then I bought Monster Beats Tour <3

The best quality I've ever had and the company is extremely serious. If you have questions, you can talk to a representative and you'll get detailed and good answers.

But on the other side, you have an iPod, and it has crappy sound without an amp, so it's not worth buying too expensive a pair of IEMs for it. It's the truth - if you want sound quality without having to buy a portable amp (oh the horror and extra weight), stay away from Apple.

Head-Fi is a really good source for solid reviews:

http://www.head-fi.org/

Lifehacker & Gizmodo: How to Choose the Perfect Pair of Headphones:

http://lifehacker.com/5800772/how-to-choose-the-perfect-pair-of-headphones

[VNilla]

Thanks for the links, StigTrix. I'll check them out in a minute.

It all depends on what you are looking for.

Do you want in-ear monitors?

Over the ear monitors?

Headphones?

Is comfort important?

I'm looking for portable over-ear headphones or good-quality earbuds. Not sure what "monitors" are (a certain style of headphones, maybe? Made for a certain purpose?) or why they're special, but that's because i iz terminology n00b

As for comfort, it's... moderately important. Obviously, pain is bad and should be avoided, but past that, they only need to be comfortable enough that I'm not constantly aware of their presence.

It's safe to say that I will use my new headphones/earbuds more for pleasure listening than for serious production (in case this has any effect on anything).

But on the other side, you have an iPod, and it has crappy sound without an amp, so it's not worth buying too expensive a pair of IEMs for it. It's the truth - if you want sound quality without having to buy a portable amp...stay away from Apple.

Oh don't worry; my iPod's battery life became unusably short about a year ago I use my earbuds mainly on my laptop and on my original ("chunky") DS. And I do agree that iPod sound quality could use some improvement.

EDIT: When I'm shopping around, I'd like to know what the different specs mean--mainly "Frequency Response," "THD," and "Impedance"--and maybe some example values for each (i.e. what frequency is bass at?, etc).

EDIT 2: I'm starting to compile a list of songs (all from OCR, of course) that represent all of the genres that I like to listen to, so I have a constant to test headphones against (a.k.a. my family-room stereo). I've updated the OP with my list and my other updates.

[VNilla]

Grrr. I lost my weekend to buying a new suit for senior yearbook photos (why they do this in junior year beats me), so no new headphones were bought... so I have another week to choose. Suggestions are still welcome, but I did some research and I have decided to purchase Sennheiser headphones (haven't picked a specific model yet, though).

UPDATE: I have just ordered a pair of Sennheiser HD 203 headphones (and a 360 copy of L.A. Noire) on Amazon. Since this shopping journey has (hopefully...) ended, Moderators: you may lock this thread at your earliest convenience (despite the lively, fast-paced discussion it triggered ).