For nicely isolated, accurately-reproduced listening in the office, I use the very capable Shure SRH440 headphones. The coiled cable is extremely useful in the office setting.

For recording, I use the Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs headphones. As these come with a 1/4-inch stereo plug, I use a Grado adapter cable when plugging into 1/8-inch sources. This avoids any unneeded stress on the plug. You can wear these for hours without fatigue, so sometimes I just use them for listening.


My oldest pair of Sennheisers are from the late 1980s. They are open design, have very accurate reproduction of digitally-recorded music, so they are good when I am in a quiet place. Also very lightweight and comfortable to wear, the HD480:

For traveling, I place a premium on isolation, comfort and avoiding tangled cords. For those purposes, and because I can equalize my music to counteract the enhanced bass response (the overall sound is still quite good), I make use of the Philips O'Neill SHO9560 headphones, which I picked up for 50% off on Amazon last September.

All of the above headphones have replaceable cords and/or parts, which helps ensure they continue to be useful well into the future. I also have a handful of other interesting portable headphones collected over the years. I've tried many times, but just cannot use earbuds, as they drive my ears crazy.