I have generally used quite a few headphones in the$200 -$400 range in the past, or what is known as mid-fi (though for the un-initiated, even $300 can seem like crazy money for headphones). For home use, you will be hard pressed to find a better value at this price range. It is basically a great all-rounder which handles all genres of music with panache and verve; supremely comfortable despite its size, and solidly built. It creates a wide out of head soundscape - with diurnal recordings I sometimes find myself instinctively turning right and left towards the apparent source of the instrument! It has a sound signature with slightly emphasized base and gradual fall off at the higher frequencies which would please the average listener stepping up from sub $100 headphones. Despite being quite consistent across the frequency range it has FUN and exciting sound signature which is non-fatiguing.



Let me elaborate on some of the main points one looks at, while choosing a headphone, in the paragraphs below:



Comfort

In terms of comfort, especially for extended hearings, THIS CAN'T BE BEAT! The huuge velour ear-muffs are like soft pillows cradling your noggin and it never gets too hot unlike memory foam+(p)leather combos like Sennheiser Momentum 2 (just sold) and B&W P7 (tried and returned).



Sound signature

Open and airy as expected with an open back but with more bass presence than expected of such headphones. This is a great balance that Philips has achieved. There is no need to get into more technicalities - this will suit most music genres. I listen to wide range, but mainly acoustic and vocal heavy genres like folk, country, blues, soft rock, and despite the slight V-signature, it handles vocals like a pro. This is also excellent for late night movie watching - the provided 10 feet long cable is perfect in this regard, and open backed nature of the headphones really help create the surround like atmosphere for the movie sounds and score (even though, technically, only stereo). Generally speaking, sound signature can be described as warmish and (only) slightly laid back. anyone who does not have a very specific set of preferences (such a very heavy bass leaning or completely flat signature) should be happy with the sound signature.

The sound profile is also non-fatiguing to my ears which, together with the physical comfort features, makes this my go to headphones for long listening sessions



Match-ability

To be honest, these turned out to be harder to drive than the 30 Ohms impedance and 100db @ mW specs suggest. I could drive them, just about, from my phone (LG G4) but I need to put the volume to atleast 85-90% to get a decent output and the SQ was not great, slightly muted, especially in the lower frequencies and without the detail and spaciousness which I know the cans are capable of. The ipad air (and a friend's iphone) do a much better job at driving the cans so maybe the LG g4 has a weak amp. Similarly, my Desktop (Asus 87-pro motherboard based, no extra soundcard) struggles to do justice, but I have better luck with my Dell Latitude work laptop, which is able to drive these satisfactorily at about 65-70% volume (your volume preferences may vary). Therefore, I conclude that these headphones are near the limits of what can be driven without external Amp-ing, and hence an amp (or DAC/Amp if you are so inclined) is recommended. Success will vary with source - a dedicated DAP will probably not require an amp. However, almost any portable amp should work - at least in terms of sufficient power. Since I use this almost exclusively with a Chord Mojo (with which it positively sings!) this is not an issue for me - but it is worth considering if you are planning to drive these straight from a mobile/computer.



Build Quality

Built like a tank. There's a lot of metal and a high quality hard plastic to go with the leather headband. It'll take a beating. the earmuffs can attract lot of lint and hair, but nothing a bit of lint remover cant fix.



Price-performance ratio

I got this "Used-Like New" at $194. At this price it is a no brainier. I would argue that even at $100 more than that - it justifies the price. It compares favorably with the more portability friendly can priced at $400 and above, without the portability and pretty frills, ofcourse. Which brings me to.



Portability/ travel use

None. Zilch. Nada. It stays at home (or if you have your own cabin, office). It leaks sound (nothing drastic but its there), lets in ambient sound, and more importantly, its huge and doesn't fold any.



Cable/ connections:



10 feet long and with both 3.5mm and 1/4 th connector options. Again, the thought is home use.



I like that it has the standard 3.5 inputs on both ends. This lets me change the huge-ass icluded cable for one of the many shorter aux-cables lying around when sitting at the computer. More importantly, when doing small chores around the house, I can connect a bluetooth receiver with a short 3.5 mm cable clipped to my shirt/tee (I use the aventree clipper pro for now which has apt-x). This flexibility is a game changer for me and often can be a factor that tilts buying choice (other factors remaining constant).



Conclusion

In short, if your budget is less than 250 bucks and you want a set of cans for marathon listening sessions at home, you need to get this. You will have to get to the $600 range and above to find an open-back appreciably better at SQ. I have the $999 focal Elear for home as well; which is subtly better in almost all respects (especially clarity and that sparkle in the highs, but NOT sound-stage possibly) but still I use this almost as often.