My pair was a supposed demo model from one of Hifiman's retailers. They came in mint condition, which is lucky for me. I'm not using a balanced cable yet, but I already feel it's a good upgrade from my AKG K701. The sound seems huge! So far they love some Donald Fagen the best. I've only listened to them for about 30 minutes now and they have made the hair stand on the back of my neck twice. 
Day 2: After about 6 hours on them, and realizing that my itunes was EQ'd and affecting the sound, I like them more than I did at first. I'm not a expert, but i can hear very well and have listened to music about all my 38 years. I hear many details in music that are lacking on my K701, especially echos which seem to fade more quickly on the k701. These are truly a great headphone for a great deal.

Got a deal on some of these 600 ohm out of stock beauties in mint condition and am about 3 hours into testing them. So far I am pleased with the quality and fit. Got mine hooked up to a Musical Fidelity V-can so there's no worries about power. When i first got them I hooked them up to my iphone and could barely hear them, even with the volume all the way up. I then realized how much more is needed for these and why they took the next generation k240's down to around 55 ohm. Once i burn them in I'm sure they will be a good casual listening can. Anyway, i couldn't pass up a good deal.
Why 600 ohm? Well I'm sure there's a reason to get them if you find some. I finally got my V-Can to near 11 o'clock, where it's normally at 9 o'clock or less with my AKG K701s. I think there's an advantage to being able to turn them up like hearing more of those imperfections when listening to studio mixes, hopefully not just for a future deafness. So far they are nice and nothing stands out in the lossless files I listen to, though I do like to give them a little EQing on iTunes which they seem to benefit from. Though they are not extremely bass heavy at any setting, I feel like I'm getting more of what was expected from those studio recordings.
Sweat is a small factor during long listening sessions with these. Also, can't imagine why they use a 3.5 mm plug, though my V-Can has a 3.5 mm output so it has worked out very well. I want to a-b them with my other headphones, but at the volume levels these need I will have to just listen for some time with them and then with the others I have in order to hear what I may be missing. I'm sure I'll always love my Yamaha YH-100 orthos the best of all my cans, and I don't really need these except as a throw around headphone, but we'll just have to wait and see how they burn in.    
 

Nice long distance wireless that I tested 75 feet away from transmitter and outside. Comfy all day. Wish all cans were patted and comfy like this. A little rickety due to light plastic construction. Sound nice and there's tons of reasons to get some. Like hook them to am/fm radio that uses a special antenna, no need to use walkman around home with these. I paid very little for them, but they are worth the price and are very useful for me where I live because I need a good antenna to hear AM talk radio. I also hook them up to the cable box, turn it on and listen to TV without having to turn on the TV. Hear anywhere in your house, around walls, outside, sounds good up to 75 feet and you don't have to bother neighbors

After my purchase of these on sale at Radio Shack, I couldn't get them to stay in my ears for anything. I changed all sizes of rubber insert pieces and nothing seemed to be just right. Then after finally getting them to fit alright, somehow the microphone came apart. But they still work, and after taping it back together with electrical tape I can still use the mic. Let's just say that when using them to talk on the phone, nobody ever complains that they can't hear me, even while I'm riding my bike at 20 plus mph down the windy ocean-side highways near my house. I use them for biking and working around the yard, etc and they are very tough. I hate buying new stuff and unless I don't have to then I'll wear these until they break. I like them way better than SkullCandy or some of the other cheapies, and with the mic option they are very good the Iphone. Sound is above average and noise isolation is good. They're not just another throw away set, which is why I keep them around. Worth what I paid.

Mines #181, so I know it's rare and hardly been viewed. The software was simple and almost effortless to begin, with included CD. The box and unit was small, but heavier than it looks. The included USB cable is nice and long, looks like 5-6 foot and works perfect for my use. My set-up: From iTunes lossless files on laptop to USB on W4S Micro Dac to Monster interconnect cable to V-Can headphone amp to AKG K701, and also out of my V-Can to my receiver with Monster interconnects (which is a hella nice option on a headphone amp, and very useful in my current setup to let me run all my stuff through this dac.) So far I instantly noticed detail that I didn't notice from a CD player through the same amp/headphone combo, even though the CD player was claimed to have a good DAC. On the W4S DAC inputs I have my computer in the USB, my TV hooked through the Coax, and CD player hooked through TOS, and all input signals can be changed by a switch on the Dac. As far as DAC burn-in I think that just having the AC plugged in for 200 hours will complete it. Also, I think using the included AC adapter gives for the best sound quality, though there is a switch to use either USB or 9V AC power. I have not tested the difference and why wouldn't I just plug it in anyway? About 2 hours into listening and so far nothing but good. Even if you have a DAC 1 or 2, or other high-end DAC, this thing could go with you to the office or anywhere your laptop goes to get that sound you expect from home.    

You hear what you want without cranking up your stereo receiver, how nice is that? Maybe if I had weaker headphones I wouldn't need this, but I have 3 pairs that starve with in my receiver. I turn the volume on my stereo to 75% for average listening on headphones and I could handle 100% on some albums. So, if you've been through the stereo and want to go big, this is good clean sound for a great price. I only seem to use about 25% volume with the v-amp. As far as I can see, this thing will grow with me, because as I go deaf from it, I will only need to turn it up a little to hear again (joke.) Note: since it is so loud, I tried hooking it straight up to a record player without a phono pre-amp. But it didn't get loud enough for what I like even all the way up.

BTW, this is not a portable amp and needs to be plugged in.

I don't know what kind of headphones they designed these for, but for my 300ohm Sennheiser HD-540 and AKG k701 I only turn up about 25%. If you wanted to use a splitter this should be able to power 3-4 pairs of nice headphones, which would be good if you wanted the band to hear during production and recording; however, I have not tested it for use of monitoring with many headphones.That said, they are nice and I can keep them low enough that I don't blow my ears out. I think it looks and feels very high quality and professional, as you'd expect from Musical Fidelity. I don't think it would be great for playing different albums off your mp3 type players in shuffle, as you might be changing the volume control very often with differently mixed albums. To play a single player or your special CD from Japan that you payed $80- for, it is very good and you will never have to worry about it not being loud enough, ever. For me, it's not hard to find the sweet spot of perfect volume when I'm listening to my SACD collection with the V-can hooked up to a Denon SACD player. This is an instant improvement from going out of almost of any stock stereo device with their stock headphone jack. You hear what you want without cranking up your stereo receiver, how nice is that? Maybe if I had weaker headphones I wouldn't need this, but I have 3 pairs that starve with in my receiver. I turn the volume on my stereo to 75% for average listening on headphones and I could handle 100% on some albums. So, if you've been through the stereo and want to go big, this is good clean sound for a great price. As far as I can see, this thing will grow with me, because as I go deaf from it, I will only need to turn it up a little to hear again (joke.) Note: since it is so loud, I tried hooking it straight up to a record player without a phono pre-amp. But it didn't get loud enough for what I like even all the way up.

Purchased used from a friend. I shoe-gooed the pads to keep them going, but otherwise... I have AKG 701 and Yamaha yh-100 and I keep going back to these. They are as good as my other cans in many ways, but just not as demanding physically. I mean they are light and comfortable like a glove. The AKGs leave huge dimples in my bald head, where these don't. They need power, which I can hardly supply with my equipment. But they are a true hifi experience every time I use them and you hear everything like it's in your head. I'm having a hard time finding pads though.

I use these for listening while in bed or on my amp-weak laptop. I think Sony may have overpriced them, but sometimes I'm amazed at the bass for these little things. I don't think, like the last review that the Porta Pro design and sound can beat these. I stepped on mine and broke the forks, but tape now holds them together (pretty well I must add.) Where the pads were coming apart I sewed them. I still wear them every night when I'm sleeping, which I wouldn't do with the Koss (which look like something I got with my first walkman.) Yeah, spend some money and buy nice equipment; but have a back-up beater like these, and these will serve a purpose in your collection, being comfortable doing whatever you like. Music that is.

It's a great music player. I play some full sized headphones with it, a pair of YH-100, with plenty of bass and volume. That said, audiophiles will need no extra amp with your gear. Luckily I got mine used and with a few updates it's as good as new; plus it's discontinued and 5 years old at this point. There's no software that I could find to sync with it but it will upload with your MP3's straight in like an external hard drive. It was surely ahead of its time 

I thought they sounded good out of the box, but I'll wait some hundred hours for burn in to see for sure. They look expensive but I can't help thinking I will break them because there's so much plastic on them. I would never wear them around anyone, but they're prettier IMO than the Sennheiser HD800 anyhow. They are very uncomfortable and squeeze my head "very" hard. Make sure to shower every time before using them so you can resale them easier. They are the ones you wish you had until you have them, then you'll wish you had tested them on your head before you ordered them. I give overall 4 stars because they can't help that my head is big.  

I really like Sony stuff, these are no exception. Best deal for around 20 bucks that I've found. The sound seems nice and bass is good. I like expensive stuff as much as the next guy but when you mountain bike through brush and get them ripped off all the time and damaged, I think you can't go wrong.

To start off, they fell out of my ears all the time because of design, not the rubber parts but the bud itself is just weird. The plug design ruined my Zune jack because the plug comes straight out and only one side works on my Zune now. Do not buy these and use without a L shaped plug adapter. Go with some others, Sony or Phillips worked as cheap bike riding ear buds.