A wonderful set of German-quality sealed headphones

I used to have big bulky Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones, and I thought they had a pretty decent sound that was rich in bass and crystal clear in the highs. But then I managed to break the plug on those in an airplane and figured it's time I did some research before I bought another set of headphones. So I read reviews on this and other sites to try to find some audiophile-quality (or at least audiophile-tolerated) *sealed* (closed) headphones. I narrowed my search to just a handful of choices, which included Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, and Grado. After some more reading, I decided to go with Beyerdynamic, and I was very very happy about my decision. When I received my DT-250, I was initially unimpressed with how they looked in person - not too sleek, kind of plasticy-looking, a little angular... At least compared to the finish of the Sony's that I was used to. But I figured - what do appearances matter when you're after the sound. So I plugged those in.

It's been over a year since I began using my Beyers DT-250, and I couldn't be happier with them. They have excellent wide-range sound, with strong (but not overly so), tight bass; colorful midrange; and pristinely clear highs. Other reviewers have said that these headphones are relatively unbiased in sound reproduction, and I'd say I agree with that. Their bass response is somewhat more timid and controlled than you get with the Sony headphones. To me, it's a good thing because they don't overemphasize the bass that isn't naturally supposed to be there. That being said, they *will* reproduce the bass that the artist naturally put into their music, and they will excel at it. Jazz sounds beautifully on these headphones. Put in Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" disc and you'll see what I mean. To see how nice and tight they handle bass-rich music without overshadowing other sound ranges, put in George Benson's "Standing Together" disc. Make sure you turn up the volume. These headphones deliver very powerful sound that is almost distortion-free even at high volumes, with excellent surround characteristics. Of course, it depends what sort of a head unit you use these headphones with - need to make sure that your cd player isn't limiting the capability of your headphones. With a nice affordable headphone amplifier to help your CD player feed more power into your Beyerdynamics, these headphones will be really unbelievable.

These are a bit pricey but worth it for sure. The construction is very sturdy, and the cable actually unplugs from the headphones, so if you overstretch the cable or manage to damage the cable, your headphones will be safe - just change the cable! The ears on these are made to swivel a bit in several directions, which assures perfect fit without strain to the shape of your head. The velvety ear pads are very soft and comfy and won't get sweaty like that "pleather" that Sony loves to use on their headphones. The stereo plug is gold-plated. The headphones are lightweight, although not what I would call compact. Unlike the Sony MDR-V600, they don't fold up. But in my opinion, this shortcoming is by far surpassed by the amazing sound quality and comfort of these for the price you pay, and considering that these are closed (sealed) headphones. Great sealed headphones are a rare find these days.

Highly recommended.