If you are willing to go a litle bit over your budget get
the Sennheiser HD600s, they are around $350. They are
used as reference for classical recordings (when they
don't have Stax around) and even for mastering (check
http://www.drtmastering.com, he uses the HD600s).

I personally prefer Grado headphones and latley I've been
using the Grado SR-80s (around $100) heavily for mixing
combined with a set of (cheap) nearfield monitors and the
results have been very good. If you get to know your cans
I think you can mix on them (but it took for me about 2 years).
If you're going to use your cans for mixing I have a TIP:
put your stereo bus in mono when equalizing tracks, that's
the only way you will hear the conflicting frequencies without
using nearfields because headphones separate the L and R
tracks artificially, whereas nearfields (obviously) combine them
in the air.

I recommend the site http://www.goodcans.com for headphone reviews,
although they are slightly biased toward Grado's (and I am too ... I think they are much more musical than Senns).

All the cans you referred to are supra-aural
"Im looking for the most accurate circumaural reference cans I can get for around $150-300.00(usd)."

If you're going to use your cans for mixing I have a TIP:
put your stereo bus in mono when equalizing tracks, that's
the only way you will hear the conflicting frequencies without
using nearfields because headphones separate the L and R
tracks artificially, whereas nearfields (obviously) combine them
in the air.

I'd never use cans alone for mixing/monitoring unless im doing something on a laptop. I just use a phase scope to test though.

I just need something flat and accurate enough for checking precise details like clicks, glitches, noise and just an overall separate reference.

Educate me. What is circumaural? I've heard the term, but don't recall... For that matter, what is supra-aural? I don't remember that term, period.

Why might one or the other be better for your(Our) purpose..?

TG

circumaural spiffy term for closed ear/rests over the ears.
supra-aural spiffy term for open ear/rests on top of the ears.

:)

Oh. OK...

I like my Beyer Dynamic DT-770's. I got them for 200 bucks - though now I see them for 150. I guess they are circumaural?

As usual, even 300 dollars is probably not "the" most accurate anything??? Beyer makes more expensive models, too. And, others have said the DT-770's are "bass-heavy". I wouldn't know... I use them for voiceover exclusively and I, myself, am unfortunately not bass-heavy, so any "artificial" bass they may "add" to me just makes me happy - not inquisitive...

They are comfortable - with a nice balance of enough "spring pressure" to seal around the ears well, but not so much they squish your head after awhile. At the same time they are rather light, the ear "pads" are very comfy, the build quality seems excellent(Let you know more in a few years..?) and they look very nice. Parts are said to be available. The ear piece covers may be cleanable? Certainly they will be easy to replace(If I can get them when I finally need them.)

I have used all manor of phones over the years and I like these Beyers, better than others I've used - Sennheiser, AKG, Sony, etc., MOST because they just didn't have enough "spring pressure" to seal well AND they all seemed kind've "chintzy", to me?((The old AKG's I was using in-studio Wednesday, were being held together with masking tape - but they sounded OK.)). Of all of the others, the Sony's came closest to being usable, for me. We have a SONY OUTLET, here in Lancaster, PA, where one can often find Sony's best phones for cheap(Most "normal" folk, not interested in the "clunky" things, I guess..?

Though the reason I never liked most others may be because:

The Last phones I liked this well were Koss Pro4AA's/600AA's, but that was 30 years ago(I still have parts of all 3 pairs. Very heavy, weight-wise.) and even they were said to be not superbly accurate, perse..? But when your Koss phones were on you, they were ON YOU!!! Liquid-filled earpads- Oooh, n-i-i-ice!

Maybe some sort of electrostatic phones? Used to be thought of as being - at least potentially - very accurate? Though these days, again, maybe not for 300 or less? I haven't looked(Or ever listened.)... Most I saw were not "closed"(I mean circumaural. Don't I?) anyway, so never interested me...

Best part about phones is - even if you spend a grand for them to get some kind of really great ones they are STILL much cheaper than really accurate speakers... Bad thing is MOST high-priced, possibly accurate, phones seem to be "Semi-closed"(Ahh, supra-aural? Am I learning!), as they are audiophile oriented. Often very light-weight, meant to be on one's head for hours at a time and NOT meant to be used around a live mic.

Fact is, most good phones intended to be used around mics(Like the old Koss "Red Devils") have been rather inexpensive- though some were still quite durable - designed for hard use and good sealing, with easily replaceable parts, etc., often very LOUD, but intended more as indicators that one is "in there somewhere", and not for supreme accuracy...

TG