So, headphones and stuff surrounding headphones.

I've been stuck in this stupid cycle of buying a pair of headphones, using them for a few months, and then having them or just one bud die and then buying another pair. I got sick of this and bought two pairs today, one of them of the earbud variety and the other of the....over...the head variety. Both of them were of the SkullCandy variety because I was under the impression that they were good and they were on sale. Right now they're not bad, look a little dumb with skulls all over them but they sound nice (but maybe I'm just used to really awful kinds or something). I looked up some reviews online and it appears that the general consensus is that people hate the shit out of them and that they're terrible. Alright then. Clearly I'm not hip.

Anyways, to the main point of conversation - what kind of headphones do you use? Earbuds? Big ones? What brand? Do you care about the brand? For the financially impaired individual, what kind would you recommend (I have thirty days to return these if I want to)? What kind would you strongly urge against? How often do you run through headphones? Do you find wearing the over-the-ear/head variety in public make you feel like an idiot? These are all questions that make me curious.

I know tested is working on a big headphone comparison thing, but who knows when that will be done.

Over the ear is the only way to go for maximum comfort! I wear Sennheiser HD555's and they are the best headset i have ever used.

edit: i have had them for almost a year now and they have no noticable damage so far

I use these, I've had 'em for a year and they're still in perfect condition, they have great sound, are relatively cheap, comfortable, and, although I don't think they're noise-canceling or anything special like that, I can never really hear anything else going on when I wear them. They are a little big, however, and I don't know if I could recommend them for on-the-go use. 

I use over the ear open back Sennheisers (HD-595's to be precise) and an Astro mixamp. I bought them on sale for around $175 in 2004 or 2005. I had to replace them once well after the warranty expired (just $50 when dealing directly with Sennheiser) when one of the cans broke from the plastic headband after I was way too rough with them. I strongly recommend Sennheiser brand, even if this particular set of headphones is a little light on the bass.

If you go through headphones as much as you say, you should just bite the bullet and invest in a real, high quality pair. I don't use mine out in public because they're expensive and too fragile to throw in a backpack or something. However Sennheiser does make more portable versions of headphones than the kind I use.

Skullcandy is all about the brand and design. They're not well known for their sound quality.

I use headphones for lets say 4 hours a day minimum.  I also edit audio, and want something that has the best of quality.  I also ride public transport and want something that will cancel out background noise.

So, I have been through pairs and pairs of Sony MDR series, several Shure SE-210s, and I would suggest this:

1.  Get sennheiser, shure is one of those companies where the idea is better then the actual, where having headphones that you can only wear when you wrap them over your ear is just plain stupid because if you wear them normally you have a 5 lb fishing weight hanging from your head and every time you turn your head you will lose an earbud.  As in number 2, the cheaper quality buds have major fraying issues and such things where you end up buying a lot of sets of headphones, I have also been through 3 or 4 sets of Shures and those are 200 dollar headphones (thankfully the warranty is a lot better).

2.  Beware of the consequences, as I mentioned, I wear headphones a LOT, and have suffered some severe ear issues due to the Shures having to be deeper in my eardrum to provide a seal and some bass to the audio.  On the cheaper side, the sony MDRs have much better sound without such a deep fit and the major issue is the cord always ends up fraying and I would eventually get shocked because they cord would have some static electricity build-up and go into my ear.

3.  Buy a pair of the older gen headphones on the cheap from amazon or elsewhere, I got mine from JR.com for 1/2 the price.  Take a month or so, find out what you want, do some research on features and new vs. old, and then meanwhile keep the price tracked on several sites and buy it when the price drops low enough.

I use these big ones for the home: Sony MDR7506

I use ones that go in my ear, and I too have to replace them every two or three months. It's like 15 bucks though, so I'm not too worried. At least with these ones I don't feel bad when I take terrible care of them. I also use headphones a lot more than normal people since my speakers on my computer are completely broken and so headphones are my only option.

I have a pair of Klipsch Image S4 in-ear headphones. They're really comfortable and sound on par with Shure se-310's. They're $70 which is out of your budget, but mine have been going for two years now so the price seems justified.

I've used a lot of Sennheiser's stuff though, and if you don't mind the bulk they're really good for the price. 

I'm enjoying some noise cancelling headphones from Bose. They are a bit pricey though so it depends on what your budget is.

I use a pair of over the ear sennhiesers. Given that I only paid like 40 bucks for the HD 280 pros it makes skull candy headphones seem really dumb.

I use sennheisers and the soft earbud apple headphones for iphone (with mic). Both have a solid build quality and sound great and I recommend either one, depending on what you're looking for.

I was in the same situation as you, then i decided to put down some cash for some really good ones, and the ones i have right now I love, and they're durable as hell. Used them for 10 mile jogging runs, working in industrial workplaces, everyday life for over a year and i haven't exactly been gentle with them and they're not even close to breaking as far as i can tell. They're called Atomic Floyd HiDef Jax. Atomic Floyd is a fairly new premium audio brand on the market, but I hear good stuff. anyway, They were around $150 when i bought them.

I generally use earphones instead of the over the head ones. I currently have a pair of Jbuds which I got off Amazon for 20 bones and the sound quality is amazing.

As I've seen some people mentioning them, I'll say this now, look elsewhere then Bose, they have amazing marketing, but they overprice their products. You can get the same quality for less if you know what to look for. Also, never touch Skull Candy, if you ever do yourself a single favor, it's stay far, far away from those; terrible, terrible sound quality.

Anyway, we can rattle off names all day, but what it comes down is what type of sound signature you're looking for and what you're using them with. Grado SR60i, Audio-Technica ATH-M50S, AKG K701 among others are some great pairs, but one or another might not be to your tastes.

As for what I use, for home use I have Audeze LCD-2's connected to a Schitt Lyr tube amp, which is then connected to my Audio-GD DAC. Headphones are serious business.

For travel I just use my M-Audio Q40 which are a blast to listen to, and are sturdy as heck.

Grado headphones are the delicious and well-kept secret of the headphone world. Expensive, but worth every penny.

I'm in the same situation as you, but only because I sleep with them on often, so I just buy a shitty pair of 10 dollar or less headphones every few months to keep me listening to my iPod in bed.

For my normal headphone use (Which is all damned day, I have them on while I'm on the computer unless I'm playing an action game) I use a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pros.  Fucking love 'em.  If you're a dude who is way into bass though, maybe look somewhere else as they don't have amazing bass.  Other than the bass though, I can not really tell the difference between these (80 dollars) and my brother's Bose noise canceling ones which were 300.

Edit:  Forgot to mention - DAMNED comfortable.  I can wear them 15 hours straight on a day which I sit on my ass and do nothing but use my computer, and my ears never get sore.

I wouldn't really call them a secret, unless you mean outside the headphone community. The biggest thing about Grado's is you either love them or hate them, they have a very acquired taste.

" @nabokovfan87: Thanks for the advice and pointers. I'm definitely going to take them into consideration next time I need to buy a pair, or I come into some more money. Now that you've pointed out the ear issues, I think I might return the smaller ear-buds I have since they are of the kind that drive way into your ear. I'm getting paranoid.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of ear issues have you developed as a result of using headphones?

I'm using $12.99 bargain bin Sony headphones.