I'm considering buying some headphones for my home theater so that I can continue to blast a movie after my wife turns in (the thump of the bass understandably drives her nuts.) So what would you recommend? They need to be available at Amazon as I have some gift certificate money to spend, and I don't want to spend a fortune on them. I really have no idea what is a reasonable price for a good set of headphones, but I'd be willing to spend $50 or perhaps upwards of $100, if necessary. BTW, I'd need the cord to be at least 15' or so, so you might comment on cord extensions as well. Thanks for the help!

Senheiser makes some great phones, depending on your budget. The quality will go up as the price follows.

Other brands as well such as Grado but you're going higher in price.

There are closed phones and open phones, you would be best with closed.

If I am allowed to mention it, headwize.com has much about headphones and their applications.

I seccond Sennheiser. I use both wireless and wired. On the plus side, their cords seem to be freakishly long (maybe 10 ft). Either way, you can just get an extension for those. Since wifey poo is asleep, make sure you get closed phones.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...&s=pc&n=507846

Good ones that will do you proud and only $50

I've always liked AKG. I've had a pair of K240s for over 25 years and am still really happy with them.

Very comfortable. And very transparent, very accurate sound. That's why they're used so much in studios.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...onics&n=172282

Check out the reviews:

http://www.epinions.com/elec_Audio-H...splay_~reviews

The non-coiled cord is pretty long but I also use a $8 20' Radio Shack extension with them.

How well of a job do these do in mimicking a quality DD/DTS setup?

kvrdave: those Sennheisers you link to are open phone (a new term to me, but I surmise it means the audio is still quite detectable to others in the area). Per your advice, am I right to assume these wouldn't fit my purpose? If so, what other Sennheisers might I want to check out?

X: The AKGs you link to are "semi-open." What exactly does that mean?

Oops http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...985462-5178532
$79.99

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...&s=electronics
$49.97

Ship me your address and I will send you out a pair to try for nothing. If you like them, you can pay me whatever you want, and if you don't you can send them back.

I don't use these (I have a number of Sennheisers). Feel free to try them out.

They fit completely over the ear but don't totally isolate you from outside sound. They don't let out much, if any sound though.

I've had all types, open, semi-open, and completely sealed and prefer these for day-to-day use.

Wow, kvrdave, that's really cool of you. YGM.

Here's a link to the type I am sending you

http://music1online.com/senehhead2.html

The cord is 3 meters long so it might suit your needs, or you might still want an extension.

Trying again. Would quality headphones do a good job of mimicking a traditional 5.1 setup or does it end up sounding like stereo?

To get the 5.1 effect you really need the Pioneer SE DIR800C Dolby Headphones. A friend of mine has a pair, and he says that they're outstanding. The only problem is they're around $300.

So the ones mentioned (previous to the Pioneer's) above are pretty much like watching a movie in stereo then?

Thanks for the info PlumPeach. I'll keep those in mind.

I've heard people say that the Pioneer SE DIR800C headphones are just as good as listening to their home theater systems. They can decode Dolby and DTS. Personally, I haven't tried them, but I'm hoping to get them for Christmas. I believe my friend purchased them for around $300 at datavis.com