I have an older pair of Grado headphones (SR-60's, I believe). They're wonderful. The only problem with them is that they're "open air", so any sound outside the headphones easily gets inside the headphones. But, if you have a truly quiet environment, they're great. Also, as a nice bonus, the head band is metal, not plastic. This means you can bend and tweak the headphones until they sit lightly on your head, rather than many of the fancy Sony's, which seem designed to squeeze your head until your eyes pop out.