Open backs tend to have a better sound quality.
However, that is not to say they are bad sounding, well engineered they can be good(and equally good sounding).
Also seeing your requirements they will not only sound good but have the added benefit of isolation and quite possibly better comfort.

What source(player) are you using?
I have a DDM(Radius HP TWF-11R) for sale. New unit replaced by Radius, but only 6 months of warranty left. It is good with rock and metal stuff, but greater with acoustics. Organic string instruments are its forte, but electric guitars are full bodied and well textured. Bass is very very good and very big in these. Tight, fast and controlled. It's an IEM BTW.
Oh and I do listen to Linkin Park with these.
However fit and comfort may be an issue.

I do believe that Grado and Alessandro as recommended by CoolBoy89 has the slight edge when it comes to rock. They give the distortion of electric guitars that slight more energy. Grado(especially the ones under 125i) tends to be a bit bright though(I own an SR60i). Also they don't isolate(not that the DDM is that much better though. ).

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Apr 25 2011, 11:41 PM

Iphone 4? I hear from many people, even some audiophiles say that as far as handphones go. they're not that bad.
I do find that my SR60i needs slightly more volume on my player to play at a decent volume level. Looking at the specs, the SR80i may require the same thing(more volume). If you're gonna use your Iphone 4 I assume that you're going portable. Sorry, these just suck at isolation. They leak sound in and out and they're rather big. Although I do bring my Grado around just for the fun of it.
The DDM doesn't fair better either. Isolation is better but not as good as you might expect from an IEM, but music can drown out sound given enough volume. Also cable noise is horrendous. But it does sound much better overall. Oh, do note that the DDM that fits your budget is the one I'm selling, so a new DDM won't.

I think you'd be better with something other than these....assuming that I am right with your requirements of portability. I'd say something like a Shure SE215 is a good choice for you. I think it's perfect.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Apr 26 2011, 05:53 PM

Shroom EB is quite unique in design.
The other 2 I've tried that are at the same price; Sony MDR-EX300, Soundmagic PL50.
Sony: Warm sound, big bass, piercing treble, recessed vocals.
Soundmagic: Warm sound, smooth treble, rich vocals, average bass quantity(but high in quality).

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Apr 28 2011, 08:45 PM

RM150 is quite good already. I think Soundmagic PL20, PL11, PL21, PL30. Fischer Audio Omega. Slightly above your budget, Fischer Audio Enigma. Then there is also Hippo Pearl. Quite a lot to choose from and suits your needs(some may be too much bass for your taste though), and I think there are more out there that I can't recall/don't know.

Ok ur welcome. I think there are more within that price, such as the Final Audio design Piano forte II, but that's an earbud and I haven't tried one.

Either 2 is good. They come from a company that actually cares about audio.

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Added on April 28, 2011, 9:27 pmMany say they both are very close.
MS1i is cheaper, go for that....

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Apr 28 2011, 09:27 PM

I suggest you try them out.
But by all means if you see one that tickles your fancy, go ahead.

Below RM50 = Crap, save money and get something else.
Below RM200 = Quite good for starting out, but there are many traps(overpriced junks). Choose wisely.
RM300-600 = Getting close to audiophile territory, and some even achieve it. Easy to find good value. Rarely disappoints, mostly boils down to sound preference rather than lousy quality(most cases). You'd still have to watch out for overpriced junks.
Over RM1000 = Audiophile region. Multi-driver stuff, highly complex engineering, bla bla bla. Personal preference dictates what you perceive as the best. As ever, some can be overpriced however rarely occurs. Only the critical can find points to criticize the stuff in this price range.

Good enough answer?

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Apr 30 2011, 05:15 PM

AKG K430?
Looks pretty good, foldable as well and it's an on-ear.....If I recall correctly.
Audio Technica ones are good looking as well. Forgot which model that fits your price though.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Apr 30 2011, 09:31 PM

I have had PL30 before. Getting a good fit can become an issue and requires practice(well, at least I did. My friend whom I sold it to didn't). However it did have a good warm sound signature and decent overall clarity. Overall sound is balanced. Bass isn't too shy or too big, treble is sparkly but not too bright and mids is rich and quite forward, also it was never sibilant. The adjustable bass knob does quite little to the bass but is noticeable. The selection of tips is also very good. I used foam for easier fitting. Also very very solid build quality.

I have no comments on the other 2. The Brainwavz however looks to be promising as well.

Well for you maybe a Hippo 10 or Soundmagic PL50. Both are warm sounding and non-fatiguing.
Then there's Hippo Shroom EB and Crossroad Dome. They're all very good.

For your friend....I have no idea. There are new Superlux headphones that came out, and they tend to be more musical(the older ones tend to be more for studio monitoring). Also a model from Koss, which I forgot already. Headphone gurus are needed for this bit.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: May 3 2011, 10:58 PM

The HD440...and some other ones which I forgot.

I recommend you, either the new Sony MDR-EX310SL or the Fischer Audio Enigma/the Fischer Audio Omega. I've owned the older Sony MDR-EX300. Ain't bad, just that treble can be slightly piercing, and bass is more of a mid-bass. However, the fit and comfort is very good, and I do use it when running. Though a bit overpriced sound quality wise, I think it's worth taking a look at considering your needs.

Refer to your Sony local dealer and WS Tradings, respectively.

Oh and there's also Hippo 10, which can be tried and/or bought at Jaben Malaysia.

Oh, forgot to mention that WS Tradings is also a forumer here.

Hippo is available at Jaben Malaysia. Refer to forumers called yuheng and walabies, they run it.

So those kinds ay....well there is the AKG K321(slightly more than your budget), a-Jays One or Two, and oh how could I have forgotten the Audio Technica CKP300. That one is perfect for sports activities.

Although the CKP-300 is a bit different, it is designed with sporting activities in mind.

Oh and one more, CrossRoads Bijou 3.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: May 6 2011, 08:10 PM

Nope, there is an SE215. The newest hot stuff from Shure. The cheapest IEM with detachable cables.

The rough rule of thumb is, yes the wider the range the better.
HOWEVER, it will be harder for the driver to respond to all that frequency, especially single driver(speaker) designs. Therefore, although a certain headphone might be able to respond to a very wide frequency(measured in Hz or kHz) range, it is a matter of how well they are presented that will determine how good the sound is. That and along with other factors as well. There are a lot of IEM/headphones out there that are class leading and yet only need to produce 20Hz-22kHz. It's not entirely a matter of how much it can do, but more of how well it can actually do it. Cheap headphones can do that as well, but some can have muddy bass, peaky highs, too fat mids, thin mids, etc. etc.

Try the Sony XB headphone series, the ones with very fat cushions. Like the MDR-XB300 or MDR-XB500...those have an insane amount of bass.

Oh, I thought you were purely looking for bass.
In that case, the others you mention may have a better sound quality.....in fact seeing your list yeah they are definitely better. I don't know bass wise how much 'quantity' they're able to give, but I'm sure they will be good in 'quality' for the price.

I have not tried any of them honestly. Although did try one of the XB. The 'monster truck tyre' cushions really are comfy and I do wear glasses...although they do look ridiculous.
I pretended I was interested in the XB so that they'll take it out of the box....I tried it, and said, "yeah they sound alright, but I thought they were going to be less ugly on me". So they put it back in and I walked out of the store. That's the only way I can audition one where I am.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: May 8 2011, 11:24 AM

If you are simply going to use it for strategy games, an audiophile headphone is the better choice. FPS requires a different characteristic than strategy. Positioning isn't as crucial, so any music oriented headphone will do the job well for strategy games, and you get to enjoy music better with them too.

Oh and you can audition all that you mentioned at Jaben Malaysia, or the AKG K450 at the place that E1-AKG mentioned.

IINM there is an LOD for Iphone. If you use the LOD it will bypass the internal amp and offer a cleaner signal for your external amp, and therefore increased sound quality. You'd need an amp with volume control though or else you'd be hearing your music at 100% volume.

Oh, BTW they're pretty cheap too.

As for mp3 players...you can get Sansa Fuze/Fuze+, Clip/Clip+. Also Cube C30(there are very few sellers around here though). I only know of Hippo Gumstick which is bundled with nice IEMs for well under RM500 that you are willing to pay for. Maybe you can just wait for it? (The mp3 recommendation question should be asked at the other thread).

Besides Jaben there's SLCC at Kuching, that I'm aware of at least.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: May 9 2011, 08:02 PM