I don't think that I would spend on a pair of headphones more than I spent on my monitors. Currently I have a pair of middle-end (for my standards). They are more than the regular PC user has and less than someone pretending to be a musical producing supposed to have in his desk. Oh well... it does mean that I shouldn't go beyond something around $250-300 for a headphone at this time.
There's good headphones that can be had for no more than $100....and some of them sound as good as stuff selling for $300.
It's hard to recommend one pair, because it can be a personal taste thing.
Some phones are bright and full of that "more me" kind of hype, which some people prefer, as they can cut through when there is loud music in the room. Some of the Sony MDR models are like that, and I find them rather harsh.
Of course, if you just record on your own for the most part, then you might not need that and might prefer phones that are not as hyped, but more balanced sounding.
Decent isolation is important when cutting vocals, so closed-back are the way to go, otherwise you will hear them bleeding into your vocal mic if they are open-back. You don't need super isolation, unless maybe you're playing drums.
For other things....a semi-open set will sound more natural, and allow you to hear some of the room along with what is coming from the headphones.
If you do need super isolation....you will have to give up a bit of comfort, as they have to really seal well around you ears and at the same time stay on your head firmly.
The old studio standard Koss Pro4AA are somwhat like that...but they are still used in studios and have a pretty good sound overall. They can be had for under $100.
I have a bunch of headphones of all three styles....including a whole bunch of of the Koss Pro4AA, which I only use when I have other people over.
For my own solo use, I have a few Fostex phones, closed and open back. The Fostex T50RP is a semi-open back, sounds as good as stuff $300+ and are great even for audiophile listening, not just recording. Very nice phones that can be had for under $100.
The other Fostex I have are the T40RP, which are closed back. I use those the most for my tracking, because of the decent isolation, but they don't sound as nice as the clarity of the T50RP, which I don't mind that much, and I just got use to the tone of the T40RPs, and now I know how they should sound so I still get what I want when tracking with them. They cost even less than the T50RP.
So I don't want to say get these or those, but that's some of the stuff that I think is very decent, and under $100.
I've thought about getting something higher-end....but frankly, to beat the T50RP headphones for more critical listening, I would have to get up in the $400-$500 price range, and frankly I would find that a waste of money for just a pair of headphones.
YMMV....
