First and foremost: these cans pretty much REQUIRE a pad swap.I was seriously considering selling these before I swapped the pads because I was so displeased with the comfort with the stock pads. With the stock pads, the inside of the cups (the cover of the drivers), pressed up against my ears (not a nice feeling), the headphones clamped against my upper jaw (also not nice), and the headphones felt too far low on my head. YMMV, but many reviews of these headphones say the same things regarding comfort. Bad bad bad. I decided to try the Brainwavz XL velour memory foam pads availble at Amazon for $28.50 and highly recommend them. The Brainwavs velour pads transform the comfort of these from very bad to very good (but still not perfect as the headband does not adjust width-wise). Do it.These are very light-weight.No "head hammer" feeling here. The cups, drivers, headband, and wing supports are light-weight and that lightness goes along nicely with their sound.There are very open headphones.As advertised on the Audio Technica AD1000x webpage, these are open-sounding. I'd use the word "airy" too. The sound-stage is pretty wide, not huge like the HD800 that I once briefly owned (and people say that the AD900x are wider still, though I have not sampled those), but it's definitely still wide.The imaging is the party-trick of these headphones.It is so neat to listen to Pink Floyd's Division Bell album (or any Pink Floyd really) and just appreciate the locations of the different instruments along the sound-stage. There's good reason people have called these "The Gaming King" headphones.Strings and vocals sound majestic on these.If the imaging is the party-trick of the AD1000x, then strings and vocals are how they make their living. Voices are forward and crisp, not buried beneath the other details going on. You can pick out those little breaths and saliva sounds singers make before uttering their words (kinda gross I know, but also neat!). Stringed instruments are lively, and I can just immerse myself in them. I love it.These are what I consider to be bass-normal headphones.Other people call these bass-light headphones, but I think that is likely because there are just so many headphones out there that emphasize the bass that it's easy to think these are missing bass, especially if you're used to closed-back headphones. But after listening to these for a while, my ears have adjusted to the bright, open and airy sound-signature, and I find that there is sufficient bass even for hip-hop and electronic music. Now, I should probably point out that I don't like dark headphones, and if you do, you may not like this sound-signature. Then again, maybe your hearing will adjust and you'll find an appreciation for it. You never know!WHY OH WHY S THE CABLE NOT DETACHABLE?It's also 10' long and straight. I've run it over with my chair wheel like 7 times now.Easy to drive40 ohms, 102 dB/mW sensistivity. No powerful amp needed.TO SUM UP: if imaging, vocals, strings, and lightness are keywords for your next headphones, then look no further. Punchy bass lovers look elsewhere.