I will gladly admit that I am no where close to a sound professional of any sort, but I do know good sound when I hear it. These are fantastic.
The detail is wonderful, as is the range. They beautifully render everything from Alasdair Fraser's intricate violin, to Jim Brickman's smooth piano, to Bach's grand "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor", to the huge drums that accompany Mairead Nesbitt's "The Butterfly" (which, by the way, nothing else I have can really do), to several different types of vocals, to...well you get the point. These are monitoring headphones which means that the bass is not enhanced, but it is accurate. So if you like massive bass, you should probably adjust the EQ of whatever you are using, or pick a different pair. They do a good job at passive isolating (not active noise isolation, just to be clear) from external noise, so you had better sit close to the phone.
The construction seems solid, but time will tell for sure. I've worn them for about 6 hours a day for the last couple of days, and have found them quite comfortable. Lighter than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. They are warm, but not excessively so. If you wear eyeglasses, circumaural headphones like these might press on the ear pieces some which can get a bit bothering. The jack end of the cord is built like a tank, and even has a metal spring on the first inch or so coming out of the jack to further toughen it. The cord is, as the specs say, really long. Great if you are plugging into the back of a computer or moving around.
Overall analysis: great sound for the price (truth be told though, I haven't used anything more expensive), well built, and very comfortable. Now click "add to cart"!
Edit: I am still very happy with these several months later. They are holding up great, though I am careful with my stuff. One thing I have noticed is that the pan seems to be slightly left. This may be because that is the side with the cord. Generally it isn't a big deal, and it is not even that dramatic. But if you are creating a mix that must be really precise, take it into consideration.
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Compare with similar items
This Item  Audio-Technica ATH-M30 Closed-Back Headphones | Recommendations  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $1,250.00 | $27.12 | $98.00 | $69.00 |
| Delivery | — | — | — | — | — |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| Sold By | — | Amazon.com | Amazon Resale | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired |
| headphones form factor | Over Ear | In Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear |
| connector type | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | — | 3.5mm Jack |
| noise control | passive noise cancellation | — | sound isolation | sound isolation | sound isolation |
| headphones jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm, 4.4 mm | 3.5/6.35 mm Jack | 3.5 mm and 1/4 inch Jack | 3.5 mm Jack |
| cable feature | Without Cable | Detachable | Detachable | 9.8 foot cord | Detachable |
| material | Aluminum | Leather | Plastic | Copper, Gold, Neodymium | Aluminum |
| model name | ATH-M30 | ATH-AP2000TI | A71 | Sony MDR | ATH-M30x |
Great sound, but not designed for mobile use
I wanted headphones that sound better than $20 earbuds, but I'm not enough of a hard-core audiophile to pay $200 (let alone $2000) for cans. I'm very happy with this choice: they sound great, and are comfortable to wear for hours and hours at work.The main drawback with the headphones is the cord: it's long and the plug is huge. This is okay if you're listening to music sitting on your couch plugged into your receiver. But trying to use them with a mobile device is laughably awkward; I had to wrap up 2m of extra cord, and the plug won't fit into anything that has a case.So a few days ago, I cut the cord down to about 1.5m and soldered on a new plug — one designed to fit into a recessed plug through an iPod or phone case. Now a great set of headphones is a perfect pair of headphones. If you'd like to do the same, there are three thin (30 gauge or so) wires in the cord: the blue one connects to the tip (left channel), the red one connects to the ring (right channel) and the yellow one connects to the sleeve (ground).
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