I purchased these at a little set-in outlet at K.C.I. Airport,which is more like pumpkin center Co. airfield than the name asserts,being the if I have 1 $ I will spend 2$, I figure I will die broke and soon,and like clinical spenders I manage to find a store in a bare bones clinically dead facility and where as many would fell as if the had been sodomized for buying crappy coffee and paying 12.00 for their diabetes inducing desert and the only way to avoid a reality check on the fire sale mocha java au natural you get like a malt shop special with 2 or 3 shots of the bilge Well these things are like a 20 year old Bordeaux good year,great Châteaux. or a more recent Krug or Montrachet,they indeed had the 500$ ..SURE things w/ 3 separate "speakers" looking a metallic cluster of sebaceous cysts growing out of your ears. SURE the SURE things soundest the best but my turbines kick it-- the damage with any of these sound machines is of some concern,as is the price-- just think what 150$ will get you on the web,.thrift store,garage sale etc...... and for just a few Oz's of metal alloys!-- I LOVE EM' A FEW THING TO REMEMBER WITH ANY OF THESE--- CORDS ARE SHORT I SAY TOO SHORT--UP side one is less likely to get one spliced/Downside at home you are on a very short leash,even with those iPod things they get painfully limiting.. you need state of the art extenders and if a wire gets cut not even the top neuro surgeon could not graft, and don't loose them always have them in the sealed container--I could easily appreciate the extra 50$, but my frequency reception peak's w/ these.-get extra bulbs-they are perfect miniature sphygomanometer bulbs that seal so well-- that's prob 1/3rd of the performance and lastly real cooool space tech like. INVESTMENT fit's here--but the dreaded law of it'sonly as good as the source i some what mitigated by most out there is digital of course im not,all I have are 8 track tapes (kidding) and I don't do lol enjoy and dont buy a 1 or 2 year warranty,esp w/ SURES-you want 100's of $ for freakin' ear plug's your throwing in the "protection",I prob would have been talked into paying but KCI only had a few crop dusters and Jenny's that day so with no DC-8 $ money It was a buyers market.( I think I want payed for this wheee u )!