Pro headphones good for home use too

I bought these headphones because I was looking for a sealed model that I could use for listening during my daily commute. My Sennheiser HD-580s, while fantastic sounding, tended to bother the people around me because so much of the sound leaks out due to their open back design. I also wanted something that would block out some of the train noise I hear.

I haven't been a big fan of most of the Japanese brand headphones (Sony, Aiwa, etc) and had been impressed when I auditioned the Beyer DT-990s (the 770's open-backed cousin), so I figured I'd give these a try. I was not disappointed. The sound is open and incredibly detailed, with great bass. They sounded very close in quality to the 580s.

I use these headphones with a Headroom Supreme amp. You will not be able to use them with a portable CD player because it will not have enough power output (the Sennheiser 580s have the same problem). So I wouldn't recommend them to the *casual* portable listener, although they'd be fine for home use.

Comfort-wise, they're not as good as either the HD-580s, the DT-990s, or my previous portable favorite, the Koss TNT/77s (discontinued about 5 years ago). Part of the problem is due to the vinyl, rather than velour, ear pads (I suspect the use of vinyl is to assist in the sound isolation properties of these phones); also, the headband is not form fitting like on other headphones, so they don't stay in place as well. However, for the sound they provide it's worth the mild discomfort (if you can afford to spend a bit more, check out the DT-831, which is Beyer's top sealed model and has a better headband design).