Just an amazing headphone. The sound is just lush, 3-dimentional, and totally invoving without being fatiguing. I hear the air around instruments and they throw up an incredibly wide and deep soundstage. Involving headphone that makes it interesting to listen to genres of music that I would not have tried previously. I plug them directly into my integrated amplifier NAD or CD Player Marantz (that's right, no external amp) and I'm very happy with the sound. Very comfortable for me to wear for extended hours. The sound is just fine. Its "light and airy" nature give up a great deal of texture and detail, BUT a pure and preceise bass is very present ! LOOK: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/akg-k601-owners-unite-216596/ PRO: exceptional sound quality, crisp & clear sound, great for a wide range of types/styles of music and a wide variety of equipment. Very clear and precise bass, PERFECT mids and sweet treble. CONS: no for heavy overpowered bass-loving hip-hop/rap/funk/electronica