I have owned so many headphones I lost track.
Grado are very nice and I used Grado RS-1 for a long time. Grados have their own sound and you will not find anything like them. There are good closed heaphones but I really can't think of one under $400.
I would recommend using two pairs of headphones. Use your Grados at home and buy a pair of in ear monitors for out and about. Ulitmate Ears Triple-Fi 10vi are very good. They retail for $400ish but I have seen new pairs on ebay/amazon for as low as $150 (the top of your range). They also have a mic and button for changing songs.
Ultimate Ears have a nice sound. The highs are a little more extended than Shure's IEM. The mids are very clear and will hang with some of the best speakers out there. The mids are a touch set back though and I feel the need played a little loud to sound there best. The bass is stunning really...
Ultimate Ears fit maybe hit or miss though. They stick out pretty far but do not need to sit way down in the ear like most IEM. They almost fit like cheap earbuds, just resting inside the inner ear. They provide much better isolation than over the ear headphones but other brands of IEM will provided more isolation.
Here is an unrelated like to Alessandro headphones, they take Grados and modify them and they are a touch smother with softer highs.
Grado are very nice and I used Grado RS-1 for a long time. Grados have their own sound and you will not find anything like them. There are good closed heaphones but I really can't think of one under $400.
I would recommend using two pairs of headphones. Use your Grados at home and buy a pair of in ear monitors for out and about. Ulitmate Ears Triple-Fi 10vi are very good. They retail for $400ish but I have seen new pairs on ebay/amazon for as low as $150 (the top of your range). They also have a mic and button for changing songs.
Ultimate Ears have a nice sound. The highs are a little more extended than Shure's IEM. The mids are very clear and will hang with some of the best speakers out there. The mids are a touch set back though and I feel the need played a little loud to sound there best. The bass is stunning really...
Ultimate Ears fit maybe hit or miss though. They stick out pretty far but do not need to sit way down in the ear like most IEM. They almost fit like cheap earbuds, just resting inside the inner ear. They provide much better isolation than over the ear headphones but other brands of IEM will provided more isolation.
Here is an unrelated like to Alessandro headphones, they take Grados and modify them and they are a touch smother with softer highs.