[Titan]

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.

Don't worry about me. I'm usually doing something else while I use them, so they're always kept down so that I can carry a conversation, etc.

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/audio-technica-ath-fc700a.php

These look somewhat like what I'm after. They don't seem to be extremely durable, but I generally take care as much as possible. It's just accidents happen, I guess. Cord is 4.5 feet, and it's only ~2.5 feet from my pocket to my ears when I'm standing, so there should be some slack incase something does happen. That said, I've also taken to dropping my iPod inside my shirt (or between my shirt and jacket) and pulling it out the bottom, so the wire isn't swinging everywhere. Anyway, I'm gonna look into them more, but any opinions..?

[newman]

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.

Well, I'm not really an audiophile. I just need them for movies, gaming, etc. As far as I can tell the sound quality is excellent, at least for me.

[Bob-san]

Using Sennheiser HD-555's around here. I bought mine for about $55 "refurb" through Amazon. I didn't get a retail box but they were literally brand new; a small scratch was the only flaw, but even the cord was never unwrapped. They sound fantastic with proper amplification and half-decent through lower-quality sources. I'd, personally, never spend more than $500 on one pair of headphones, especially when fantastic cans like AKG K701/K702's go for $250. That said, why not something like Koss PortaPro's? They're not the most durable headphones, but they're basically top audio quality for $30. Koss's warranty is fantastic and has been for 25 years now; if your headphones break, toss them in an envelope/small box and Koss will replace them for US$6. So even if you end up sitting on them, they'll replace them for the price of cheap Wal-Mart headphones.

[Woolie Wool]

The headphones were probably recabled; many mid-high grade headphones are designed so that the cable can be replaced.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Actually they do make headphones capable of 100 watt output or at least they did back in the 80's. 

I'll stick by my any headphones are bad.  I only use them for testing when people are asleep. 

[Androgeos Exeunt]

I'm using a pair of canalphones from Creative. I only use them for my iPod or at night.

[Bob-san]

The headphones were probably recabled; many mid-high grade headphones are designed so that the cable can be replaced.

Why bother recabling? Maybe on HD-600/HD-650's, but not on HD-555's. And I have used headphones with removable cables (AKG K702's). I find the connector annoying.

[Nuke]

shrink tubing is your friend. you can make any hackishly repaired wire look professionally spliced.

[Titan]

Probably gonna go for these.

http://www.jlabaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=12

[Woolie Wool]

The headphones were probably recabled; many mid-high grade headphones are designed so that the cable can be replaced.

Why bother recabling? Maybe on HD-600/HD-650's, but not on HD-555's. And I have used headphones with removable cables (AKG K702's). I find the connector annoying.

Annoying? The HD-650 connector is strong enough that you have to really try to get the cable out. It won't come out just from an accidental tug.

[Bob-san]

The headphones were probably recabled; many mid-high grade headphones are designed so that the cable can be replaced.

Why bother recabling? Maybe on HD-600/HD-650's, but not on HD-555's. And I have used headphones with removable cables (AKG K702's). I find the connector annoying.

Annoying? The HD-650 connector is strong enough that you have to really try to get the cable out. It won't come out just from an accidental tug.

Excuse me: the K702's removable cable is a *****. It's a mini-XLR connector that sticks out about 2" from the bottom of the left can. You throw your head over to the left side and the connector is hitting your shoulder and that side of the headphone is slipping up your head. I'm not saying that it's not strong, I'm not saying that it's not useful, but as a businessman and inventor, I find the bulk of the connector used to be a negative aspect of those particular headphones. I love the sound and, other than the connector, they've very comfortable.

[CP5670]

Some removable cables out there do have excessively long connectors, but I would still take that any day over a hardwired cable. Such cables have to be the single most common cause of headphones failing over time. My DT250's connector comes down about 3/4" below the headphone, which throws off the look a bit but is not long enough to be noticeable while wearing it.

There are surprisingly few headphone companies that get these basic ergonomic issues right. There are many high end headphones out there that sound great, but which I would not consider buying due to their annoying cable design. Any cable that is two-sided or hardwired is unacceptable to me, and ideally it should be coiled as well.