aural soundstage has always been one of the more abstract and ephemeral qualities of high-end audio equipment. *
I totally agree. I don't really look at soundstage when looking at headphones but they're one of the factors to look at. I've never really experienced a true "3D" sound with just two monitors for each ear.


What I meant was that I have two small children, and an open over-the-ear headphone gives me the best chance of hearing them when they need me. More situational awareness, if you will. Also they make my ears sweat less.

The problem with my Grados is that they look goofy, but that's a small price to pay for good sound.
Ah in that case stick with the open over-the-ear headphones. The benefits in close headphones (increased sound blockage, also possibly make ears more prone to sweating) are obviously not what you're looking for.

True audiophiles will suffer aesthetics for sound quality any day.

In my opinion Grado hit the mark at the best quality/cost ratio for open-ear.
Seeing that your Grado's cost around $100 I can recommend the Sennheiser HD555/HD595's. I don't know if they're better than you're Grado's but I hear fantastic things about them.

I'm aware of other great over-the-ear headphone brands such as Audio Technica, Denon, and Sony but I'm not knowledgeable in their models.