Light and comfortable. Very clean and transparent. Accurate bass, tight and accurate, although I would not want, or expect, a rap/boombox/hip-hop sound from these.

None so far. I am breaking these in as I type this. I might never sleep again.

Replacing a worn-out pair of Senns......the 535's, I think........was gonna get the Grado 80's, but, eh, you know, wanted new cans TONIGHT. I have only spent a few hours with the 570's at this point, but I can't imagine that any sort of break-in would improve this. These are the warmest cans I have ever heard. Sweet. Granted, I listen to zero "techno" or "trance" or whatever it is. My listening is mostly classical, jazz, and pop of the Eagles/Steely Dan/Fleetwood Mac kind of variety. I did try Norah Jones, first thing (not literally, of course, heh heh). It was a revelation. These cans are silky, don't reach, seem to reproduce everything very faithfully, but with gentlesness and subtlety. Plus, they are extremely light and comfortable......love the velvet earpads.

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Senn 535's, AKG something, Senn 430 years ago, some kind of Koss, numerous computer-type headphones.

mids and highs coherency of sounds

mid bass can be weak stuff sticks to the pads

These are my first decent pair of hifi headphones other than the crap that came with my walkman. I listen to a lot of music from grunge to rock, rap, techno and r'b. The 570's have a good soundstage, all the information is there except the mid bass, which can get annoying on some songs, particularly hip hop and rap !. Vocals are sweet, highs are a tad bright, mid-bass is ok as long as you dont buy this headphone primarily for r'b, rap or techno. On classical music these phones shine and i mean really shine. They just sound so clear and transparent on classical music, i had to take my phones off to make sure that they were producing the sound, not my stereo. Another thing, they are very comfortable, especially with the velure padding, only con is that alot of stuff sticks to the pads. I had them hooked to my computer and mp3's had never sounded soo good. The mid bass gap seems to disappear on the computer, probably because of the bass emphasis on mp3's, dodgy quality ! I paided 300 australian dollars($160 US) for these, and for the money i'd say nothing else really beats them(ok, yes grado's are better but i couldn't find a supplier in aus, god damn it!). Sony's have better bass but suffer from restrained mids and highs. These phones are definately worth a place on anyone's short list. I give them 4/5 for value, and 4/5 for performannce.

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sony philips

mids and highs coherency of sounds

mid bass can be weak stuff sticks to the pads

These are my first decent pair of hifi headphones other than the crap that came with my walkman. I listen to a lot of music from grunge to rock, rap, techno and r'b. The 570's have a good soundstage, all the information is there except the mid bass, which can get annoying on some songs, particularly hip hop and rap !. Vocals are sweet, highs are a tad bright, mid-bass is ok as long as you dont buy this headphone primarily for r'b, rap or techno. On classical music these phones shine and i mean really shine. They just sound so clear and transparent on classical music, i had to take my phones off to make sure that they were producing the sound, not my stereo. Another thing, they are very comfortable, especially with the velure padding, only con is that alot of stuff sticks to the pads. I had them hooked to my computer and mp3's had never sounded soo good. The mid bass gap seems to disappear on the computer, probably because of the bass emphasis on mp3's, dodgy quality ! I paided 300 australian dollars($160 US) for these, and for the money i'd say nothing else really beats them(ok, yes grado's are better but i couldn't find a supplier in aus, god damn it!). Sony's have better bass but suffer from restrained mids and highs. These phones are definately worth a place on anyone's short list. I give them 4/5 for value, and 4/5 for performannce.

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sony philips

Superb sound, don't need a headphone amp or large receiver to enjoy the sound quality. Great bang for the buck.

None. Just be aware of the fact that w/ open headphones your close enviroment can hear you.

I did a lot of researching before purchasing my first "higher end" pair of headphones and I decided to go with these. They are absolutly amazing. The sound quality is excellent and I haven't even had the chance to break them in yet. The "open-aire" design gives very natural sounding acoustics; nicely balenced treble and bass. The only downside is that because of the open-aire design they leak quite a bit of sound at decent levels and outside noises are heard easier (I'm a college kid and sometimes the dorms get a little rowdy) but I knew that would be the case before I bought them so it was a sacrifice I was more than willing to make. Other than that I would highly recommend these to anyone!

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Various sony and aiwa.

Wide-open, spacious soundstage. Very transparent sound. They become much more warm and smooth after being broken in. Nice long chord that's detachable for storage, and very comfordable--good price too.

Innaccurate bass reproduction. Bass has a presence, but does not sound like it's coming from an instrument--not deep and tight, but either too light or overaggerated, depending on your receiver settings. Minimally defined mids and highs--they are there, they just have no definition.

For the $110 price tag, these are a good headphone. I bought these when I knew MUCH less about audio, and I was looking for something I could listen to at home when it got late, as well as something I could listen to for traveling--mostly for planes. I realized that I couldn't really get the quality I wanted with both uses, home and planes, so I bought these only for the house (their open air design wouldn't work anywhere but the house, and they're too big for portable use). After researching a lot, I decided to rule out Grado, even though they may be better quality, simply because I don't find any of them comfordable. I wanted something with good sound and something that was comfordable. I found the Sony MDR-CD2000 the only Sony headphone comparable to the HD-570, but it cost $100 more and had a very frustrating fit, so I sprung for the Sennheiser's. At first they had harsh highs and painfully sharp treble. Now that they're broken in, they sound much more smooth and warm. The main problem I have with these headphones is the bass. There is more of a precense of the lower-end, but it isn't accurate. It's like a lower-end boom that really has no definition or accuracy. If you're expecting these to re-create a live concert, you should upgrade to the HD-580's or the flagship HD-600's. I didn't buy the HD-580's because they were more money and the sound improvment was minimal. The sound on the HD-600's was quite a bit better, but for them to really sound good, you need a dedicated amp, and I wasn't prepared to pay $300 for headphones and then $200 on a nice little amp, so that idea got trashed. I feel the HD-570 is the most versatile of the Sennheiser line up, due to it's extreme comfort (you can listen for hours), great price, good looks, etc. I might upgrade one day to a higher end Sennheiser or Grado, but for now these are fine. When I had the Bose 201 speakers, I actually preferred listening to music through the Sennheiser's, but I have much better speakers now, and those obviously give a much more live sound, open and spacious, as opposed to the headphones, which do have a great soundstage for headphones, and are quite transparent, but just can't touch the sound from quality loudspeakers. The reason I even compare the two is because some say a $200 pair of headphones can sound like a $5000 system, and a $500 set of headphones can sound like

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Kenwood KPM-310, Sony MDR-CD500

Very comfortable for long periods of use, cord is easy to un-knot and wrap up, good quality construction

treble seemed a little over powering at first, but they seemed to 'break in', require to much power for a portable MD player

Being fed up with some cheep-o Sony headphones that made noise everytime I moved my head and hurt my ears after about 20 minutes, I decided to find something better. After searching around on the net for a while, I found that the Sennheiser phones looked the most comfortable and seemed to have a good reputation. I ordered them new over e-bay for $99 ($150 was to much on my no-income-college-student budget). I have been very impressed with these headphones; they are the first pair that I can wear for hours and not have pains. Also, the detachable cord is a nice feature- it has become stuck under the bottom of my chair and pulled from the headset a few time, but this has never caused been damaged- it just pops out. I often use these headphones even when there is no one around that would be disturbed by my loudspeakers, just becuase they have such nice sound (sorry, I don't know all the 'technical' terms) Overall, I have been very happy with this product.

Better at soundstaging (left-to-right, and front-to-back) than Grado models I've used

Very "dark" tonal balance--too dark, in fact, for anything except treble-heavy recordings

Way back when Sennheiser HD-580s were new to the market, I bought a pair and eventually discarded them in favor of Grados. After seven years of Grado use, I decided that just maybe Grados can be surpassed when listening to classical (a friend who's an even bigger classical fan than I am swears by his HD-600s) so I decided to give the HD-570s a try. The model's subtitle, "Symphony," implies (as does the text on the box, the owner's manual, and the Website) that the 570s are made for classical. Well, in some important ways they are the right 'phones for the job, and in some important ways they're about the most frustrating audio product I've ever owned. I get more of a "concert-hall" perspective listening through the 570s than I do through my Grado 225s, which really don't do perspective all that well (everything is very "close-up" through the Grados). With that more distant vantage point, instrumental and vocal strands are better delineated, even in gigantic works like Mahler's "Symphony of a Thousand." BUT. Listening through the 570s is a little like listening through speakers with blown-out tweeters. You may be able to hear every musical strand clearly, but the definition of those strands can be very poor, with the upper frequencies not so much rolled off as chopped off. By the way, this is with a fairly high-quality digital source, interconnects, and headphone amplifier. I wrote a letter of complaint to the manufacturer, who essentially told me (although in different words), "Hey, you've got better ears than the people we made this product for, we're not really standing behind the claims we made about the 570s, and why don't you trade up to a pair of HD-580s or 600s?" I was disappointed in this response from Sennheiser, because it was EXACTLY what I expected. Bottom line? I bought the 570s to replace my Grados, but the Grados aren't going anywhere, whereas I just make take Sennheiser up on their "generous trade-in allowance" and get the more pricey Senns I ought to have held out for.

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Grado SR-225

Beautiful, spacious, natural sound. Incredibly balanced...No sudden bursts of distorted treble like my old cans. These have just perfect, tight, deep, bass that you can feel in your throat, and are so comfordable I beleive they are a gift from God. I also like the detachable chord, although I''ll admit I see no point in this, I just think it may come handy at some point for storage.y

I wish these had some type of volume control on the chord for easy volume changing, but that''s not really a big deal, and the only other minor thing I can think of is to remind everyone in the market for higher quality headphones--how they sound right out of the box aren''t how they''ll sound after 30 hours of use--you have to break them in. The samples at the store were even smoother and deeper and more spacious than mine, which is hard to believe, because being brand new mine have that out-of-the-box thinness to the highs. I can''t wait til'' they''re broken in completely!

Wow. I think I''ve just been admitted into the world of audio enjoyment. I have been using these small, heavy, cheap, uncomfortable Kenwood "Personal Monitor" KPM-310 phones, and to compare those with my new Sennheiser HD-570''s is a crime against humanity. A few months ago I listened to my sister''s cheap Sony MDR-CD160 phones, and realized that mine were very uncomfortable compared to hers. Yes, my set sounded better, but it made me realize that I didn''t have the perfect phones, although they were the most expensive pair at my local store (about $40). A few months ago I went to a friends house and listened to the Sony MDR-CD570, phones that aren''t made any longer, and was amazed. It was then that I knew I was in desperate need of new cans. So I went on a mission, and did hours of research--reading reviews over and over again, comparing prices and very specific features, and going to stores all over trying to find out which cans had the best balance of price, sound, and comfort. I was leaning towards the Sony MDR-CD780, which is Sony''s 3rd best model, following the MDR-CD2000 and the MDR-CD3000. Then I heard about the German company Sennheiser that revolutionized the audio industry when they invented the open-air headphone in 1968. I read reviews from professionals and studio mixers to composers and casual listeners, all saying these were great. So I went to my local J & R store, and tried both. I noticed this pair was incredibly light and comfortable before the music even started, and much more nice and convenient to wear than any of the high end Sony''s. Then the sound came on. These cans had great sound staging, creating a wide-open, spacious sound matrix. The bass was very deep, tight, and natural. The Sony''s had less power on the same volume level, and tried to design a headphone so comfortable with thick pads and self-adjusting head pieces that they obviously forgot about the sound. So I bought the Sennheiser''s, which I believe are the best phones out anywhere for the price-even after comparison these sounded better than even the HD-590 or HD-600--at a certain point of quality I can''t tell a $100 difference, so for me, these cans are top of the line. After getting them home and listening to everything from rock to classical, the only fault I could see was that these had somewhat thin and painful highs at certain volume levels. But I had to keep

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Kenwood KPM-310:

Pleasurable midrange, treble, sufficient and deeb bass, exceedingly comfortable, detachable cord, open air design.

Slightly harsh with some music, brings out the worst in poor recordings. Somewhat thin cord.

The HD 570 is, in my opinion, one of the best headphones around. Sure, higher sound quality can be had, but at what price? Surely, if I used $100 bills as toilet tissue, I would purchase the Orpheus. But I think $149 is a fair price to pay for this level of quality. First, the not so good. When I got my first look at it, I was shocked at how flimsy the cord looked. It was about as thick as 10 guage wire I suppose. The cord was about 10ft, however, so much longer than most. In spite of my concern for its structural integrity, I have had no problems with build quality at all. My old Sony headphones used to crack a bit if you repositioned them on your head due to the several joints between the molded plastic cups. This brings my to a very nice feature of the HD 570. The open air design completely shocked me. I thought there would be little to no difference in sound. Boy was I wrong! The transparancy and open feel music has with these headphones is very pleasing. Voices and acoustic instruments all sound very natural and bass, much to my suprise, was not compromised by the open design. Vocals are not muddy at all, but are subdued sometimes. This is probably caused by my rather un-warm equipment. I''m sure on a better system they would liven up in the midrange. Comfort, I would have to say, is the strongest point of this headphone. The cloth velour earpieces and the padding on the headband are very nice and all, but what makes it terrific is their comparatively light weight. They are considerably bulkier than my Sony, but are on the order of twice as light! This equates to a much longer comfortable listening session. The only weaknesses in sound are perhaps the overaccentuation of very high frequencies. I noticed on very heavily distorted rock music, that the high treble can be a little harsh where my Sony headphone tended to be more dark sounding. This is hardly a weakness since only systems with a dark sound can make distorted rock sound pleasing. At least that''s my opinion. As far as classical or jazz music, these headphones simply make you want to cry in sheer joy at how natural and open the music is. Dance music fans need not feel left out! The bass is very deep without being overpowering. The THX bass test sounds extraordinary!

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Sony MDR-V600, Sennheiser HD535

awsome sound..very light and comfortable, replaceable parts...and at the price i got them..cant beat it, friends discount at best buy

none so far

I LOVE these things...they sound excellent..some of the reviews said they were a little boomy...i dont think so..it was probably the old farts out there..the bass is what gives the music rythem...they are very comfortable also..very light in weight..and also very stylish. cord is very long and all of the parts are replaceable which is nice

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none..