Audio Technica ATH-PRO5MSA Camouflage Closed-back Dynamic Stereo Monitor Headphones with 40mm Neodymium Drivers and CCAW voice coils

Comment: These headphones probably sound better than a lot of other headphones at this price range or higher. That being said, if you're used to listening on a nice pair of Grados, Senns or any other brand known for their music reproduction then these headphones are not up to par with them. They have great midrange and bass but it definitely suffers a little at the treble ranges. What are these headphones good for then? I would say they have good sound isolation, good for the money sound reproduction and are extremely rugged. So wear them around, throw them here and there and they will hold up. The pleather padding does tend to start to peeling and cracking after a couple years of daily use. No complaints about their comfort at all. So if you're a music aficionado looking for a pair of 'work/street' closed-back headphones that can stand up to daily abuse and are fairly comfortable to wear then these headphones are for you. Also, relatively inexpensive so it won't hurt as much when you need to replace them (all you headphone users know what I mean).

Comment: These headphones are great sound-makers: As a value purchase, they provide great extension into both bass and treble extremities (though never harsh in either regard), a natural, warm midrange, and even, with the right equipment, a surprising amount of detail or texture to instrumentals. There is no soundstage to be heard (of)--even compared to other monitors, these cans have a strange ability to focus the music on the inside of your brain, rather than portraying the sense that the sound is coming from beyond your eardrums. Still, as far as sound tonality is concerned, these phones give a lot and ask for little in return. I do enjoy listening to them--they play all genres of music well and especially excel at warmer genres, including Latin-rhythm based music, like salsa or kumbia, as well as classic rock, folk rock, reggae and techno.

So what is their single, fatal flaw? Under the foam covering the driver, there is a plastic ridge that protrudes upon the outer edge of the ear. If you are only listening to these for 5 minutes at a time, you'll never notice it (but then again, if you're listening 5 minutes at a time, a proper pair of DJ headphones, with rotating cups, will serve you much better). Alas, having these clamped to your head longer than 15 minutes begins to wear on your ear. If, like me, you watch movies, or listen to hours of music on end, I ABSOLUTELY, UNEQUIVOCALLY must tell you to stay away. I often find myself aching to tear them away from my painfully pulsating ears, an inconvenience which, beyond the physical aggravation, includes having to interrupt the most suspenseful (and tonally involving) portions of your beloved films or music. Audio Technica would have an amazing value product on their hands if they had only made the cushions thicker, or not worked in that ridiculous, aggravating plastic ridge that rides on the ear. (Consider that my ear is very normally-proportioned.) If I could utilize my experience with these headphones to say one thing to someone who thought of buying them--STAY AWAY!

Instead, look into the Sennheiser 555 (or 585 if you enjoy listening to the finer details of the instrumentals) or, if you like the focused bass presence of a closed can, such as would be afforded by the Audio Technica PRO5MS's, perhaps the Denon AH-D2000's. They both offer great sound--for the money--as well as comfort far superior to the Audio Technicas'.