I have to agree that the Sony MDR phones are GREAT for their intended use (studio listening) and that they are CHEAP relative to their quality. But yeah, not anything like the bass-boosted “Beats” phones by Dre or anything.
If you want to avoid bothering people, I’d really recommend in-ear phones. Even beyond the spilling audio, I’ve noticed that people get more “distracted” by other people wearing on-ear headphones.
If you want really high quality without breaking the bank, I’ve found the Xiaomi Hybrid in-ears to be exceptional for the price. Nice build quality with metallic bodies, comfortable, and extremely good audio.
Also, since in-ears generally block ambient noise better, you can have more perceived volume while listening with less actual volume. Your eardrums will thank you in the future.
If anyone wants to go “low profile”, earbuds are better, and wireless earbuds even moreso. I spend most of my life with the wireless-with-a-wire-between-the-buds earbuds tucked into my shirt.
No one knows they’re there, and I can “sneak” a listen to a podcast or audiobook whenever I get a spare minute, sometimes with just one ear if I need to listen for someone (coworker or wife).
Earbuds aren’t going to give you messed up hair, either, a problem I often have with headphones (depending on how long my hair is at the time, it’s actually worse when shorter).
Hi all! My apologies for not participating in my own thread and thanks for the recommendations. There’s lots to consider.
I use Audio Technica ATH-50A (made in Taiwan) regularly. They sound nice and seal pretty well. I also have some ATH-A900X (made in Japan) ones that are considered audiophile headphones. They have that weird head band cupping thing that actually is pretty comfortable.
The musical ones I’ve ever owned were Grado SR80s (made in Brooklyn, NY). Very open back. So much in fact that anything touching the outside of the driver vents drastically alter the sound. Having said that I have to say that they will pull you into another dimension with their effortless sound. They have amazing detail at low levels.
They’re not as robust as other brands, but that sound…
I also have some 20+ year old Sony mdr-v6s (made in Japan) that need new cushions. The cushions on those means everything. They can sound great.
Another set i had were JVC HA-990 Digital Reference (made in japan) and they were on Stereophiles recommended list back in the mid 90s. I wish I could find more. They sounded so awesome.
Bump: I have time to kill at an airport, and may pick up one of these.
Well, since this thread was bumped, I may as well follow up. I had time to kill, and I was the only customer at the airport headphone shop, so the attendant let me try on pretty much all of them. I ended up buying the Bose Quiet Comfort 35. I didn’t expect to like them, because they are huge muffs, but they were surprisingly comfortable when I put them on. And it turns out that I LOVE not having wires. Something I would never have purchased if the salesman didn’t let me play with them, first.
A bit out of budget perhaps but if I had a lot of disposable income I would go for these ACS custom moulded ear monitors which have five audio drivers in each ear: https://1of1custom.com/collections/home-page-collection/products/emotion-custom
I owned something similar years ago and they totally blocked out even the most ridiculously loud noises. I was always worried that if a truck mounted the pavement behind me, blowing furiously on its horn, I’d die in blessed ignorance.
As it is now I settle for the Sennheiser HD25’s which are modular. I have replaced every part on mine over the years at some point so I’m not sure if I own the same entity I originally purchased, philosophically speaking.
I have the velour earpads now… 
I have the Bose QuietComfort and I absolutely love them. Not only is the sound great and the noise-cancelling almost perfect, but they’re just amazingly comfortable to wear. I had to replace the foam earcups after about 5 years of use, and they’re as good as new.
They’re ridiculously over-priced, is the only problem. I was lucky to get them from a friend who had an employee discount. If you can find a way (a generous loved one?) to get them without paying full price yourself, I think they’re a great option.
I have the same - splurged about a year ago, when I was commuting via Metro and wanted to be able to listen to my audiobooks on the train (can’t read, I get motion sickness). I used an upcoming plane trip as an excuse, and cashed in a bunch of gift certificates.
They are out of the OP’s price range, unless you can get a great deal - they and the comparable Sony headphones were about 350 (US) when I bought mine.
What might make them a bad choice for the office: the active noise cancellation is very, very good. Someone can walk into the kitchen, while I’m working in the family room (open - the only barrier is 2 steps and a railing), speak to me, and I won’t hear that person. If you were to go for active cancellation, you may find it helpful to turn that feature off (it’ll also help the battery).
I don’t know if you want in-ear earbuds (which I despise; I have and use them but I do NOT like them), or over-ear types. The “on-ear” style won’t block your music from others, ear-cup phones (like mine) do a pretty decent job of it. Do look into comfort ratings if you go for traditional phones; some of them can grow heavy. The Bose are extremely comfy, for what it’s worth.
Size: over-the-head phones are, well, bulky. Some less so than others, but any of them will take up a lot more cubic in your desk or computer bag than a pair of earbuds.
Hah - I didn’t see that this was old, and that you’d bought the same set I have.
I do lurve them. The only negative is that I think there is some airwave turf-warring between my laptop and my phone. If i’m on a call, sometimes there is some static that can really impact the call. If I’m listening to something on the phone, and the computer chimes, that interrupts what I’m listening to. If I reload some web pages, they will cause the phone audio to stop completely (it’ll still play - but I can’t hear it until I turn them off and back on). And occasionally I’ll use them for something on the computer, and when that sound stops, the phone will start playing my audiobook - that I had not even been listening to before.
I purchased the Bose QC 25 on sale a couple of years back for under the OP’s price. These are the wired version which are less expensive than the wireless QC 35. And yes they are comfortable, the noise cancellation is great and they sound pretty good to my non-audiophile ears.