These are awesome headphones. I've had some nice audiophile grade ones before but truly astounded at how much detail/resolution these phones have. I did a direct comparison with the equally awesome Shure SRH-840's (which I was originally intending to buy). The 840's were burnt in and the M50's were out ot the box and even then, the M50's had the edge, especially in the smoothness of it's bass and overall resolution. They've only sounded better and better since. The one and only small thing I wasn't perfectly happy with was the over-use of plastic. This shouldn't turn anyone off buying these headphones but I just feel that for a pair that's so good, the feel should have been less plasticy. They still feel quite solid so it's not like they feel they're going to fall apart. That said, for this price (or anything even close), there are no better or clearer monitors!