Thoughts from an audio idiot
347837
I am not a headphone enthusiast.  I have no idea if "warm sounds" or "tin sounds" or "midrange sounds" are good.  I don't work inside a piano all day.  There were a lot of things from the 1980's that needed improving but I thought the factory-stock speakers in a Chrysler K-car were just fine (especially with the built-in CB radio - awesome!).

Said another way, you're not getting expert advice here.

I had an upcoming trans-Pacific flight and decided that listening to the jet engines wasn't what I wanted to do again.  But even with 16 hours of flying I could never justify spending hundreds of dollars on the mall-store headphones from the in-flight magazine.  I just wanted something that would kill a little in-flight noise, let me hear my SYSK podcasts, and push out the Kid Rock "ABA" I use to psych myself up for clearing immigration and customs in Asia.

These did the trick.  You turn the earpiece to "activate" and bunch of the noise goes away.  It doesn't all disappear but it's much better. I'm grateful that smart people with an infinitely better sense for sound than me figured out this "cancelling" thing.  Maybe the ones from the magazine create complete silence but I'd rather trade the extra expense for the several dozen cans of chhai I ended up consuming.

Apparently these originally cost several hundred dollars, when I purchased an Amazon seller was offering them for much less than that.

Of course they only cancel "noise" so I could still smell the feet of that guy next to me with his shoes off for 12 hours.  Seriously, why do people do that?

The packaging is cool.  It's a paper retail cover wrapped around a hard shell case wrapped round a fabric, cloth, slightly padded zipper case.  You can jam the padded case in your carry-on or put the hard shell on your bookshelf next to the Septuagint and your "Married with Children" DVD's.  After roughly 50 hours of travel time the original AAA batteries are still going strong.

So no complaints here.
4848008
There are other reviews that talk about the technical details, I'm not too knowledgeable regarding all this so I will focus on the subjective experience.

This was my first upgrade from on-board motherboard audio. It all began after spending $250 on a nice pair of Denon AH-D2000s. When I received them I was mind-blown by the new musical experience. The more I listened the better trained my ears became. After about 3 months of daily listening I noticed that there was a "zzzzz" type of noise coming from the sound. The noise scaled with the volume. This led me to research more about audio, and learned that it was an internal problem tied to the motherboard. I decided it was time to upgrade my sound system. I chose this brand I'd never heard of before simply because this sound card had a built in headphone amp.

When compared to the on-board audio found in an Asus P8-Z68 V Pro there is a clear, noticeable difference in sound quality. It wasn't just the Denons that were improved, all of my other headphones had improved. The XB 300s and 700s, and even my cheap $20 pair of JVC marshmallows. The most noticeable difference I got from all those headphones was the quality and quantity of the whole bass spectrum. I also noticed that the highs were allowed to really peak. The on-board audio coated the whole sound spectrum with a dullness, blanket like cover that took essence out of the music. Before buying the Claro Halo I didn't even have the slighest idea on how good music could sound. I would definitely recommend this sound card if you enjoy true, unfiltered audio(without enhancements such as Dolby or DTS). If you wish to become immersed and surrounded by whatever you are listening to look into headphones with a large sound stage. Also,if you are new to the high quality audio market and spend some time on your computer this is a great card to buy.

Notes:
This soundcard requires some burn in.
It works great with the Corsair SP 2500s speakers.
If you are wondering about audio file formats, FLAC is my go-to compressed format that retains the quality of an uncompressed format. This means that the files are smaller than WAVs but sound equally as good.

Hope this helps!
744314
I just purchased the Beyerdynamic DT 880 after reading every possible review on the internet. Rather than just reiterating everything that other reviews have covered on the internet, I'll try to focus on a few things that may help you make up your mind.

A little disclosure first - While I am not a "true" audiophile, I am a HiFi consumer. I own 2 NAD receivers, KEF Uni-speakers as for primary system and B&W CM1 (they are awesome) speakers for my secondary system. I listen to most of my music via MP3, as in a NYC apartment as space utilization is key and CDs were one more thing I could get rid of.

That aside, I think anyone who loves music will appreciate these headphones for home or studio listening. They sound great, are really comfortable and block out more sound than traditional open headphones. If you are not familiar with headphones of this caliber, you will find yourself noticing new things in music that you had never picked up before. Typically, headphones that allow you to do this are analytical sounding, but I don't feel that way about the DT 880. It just sounds like it is reproducing the music the way it was recorded.

First contrarian comment: You can absolutely drive these with an iPod. I have a 5th generation iPod, and I can tell you that if you turn it up to 90%, these headphones get loud. Many other reviews have said otherwise. While I have not used a true audiophile headphone amp to see what I was missing, they still sound very good with the iPod and did not seem distorted.

Second contrarian comment: I had read that these headphones do not have driving bass, and that if you like electronic music, you would be unsatisfied. I have not found this to be the case. People who want exaggerated bass will not be happy with this headphone, but listening to Simian Mobile Disco and Daft Punk with the DT 880 put a pounding to my ears. I have other headphones that can absolutely put out more bass, but they didn't sound this balanced.

One area where the other reviews are correct and I think it is worth noting, these headphones will point out if your music is recorded poorly or if you are listening to MP3s with a low bit rate. 128k compression won't cut it. These headphones while overall sonically balanced seem to favor the treble a little more than the bass or midrange, and MP3s tend to be compressed the most in this area. I found myself noticing artifacts from the compression process where I never had before. If anything, this isn't really a flaw with the headphones, but a flaw with my plan of getting rid of all my CDs. As most of my MP3s are compressed with a variable bit rate of over 200k, I haven't found that this is a huge issue.

The cable on the 880 is nice. Approximately 9ft long, straight, with a 1/8" jack with " adapter. This is ideal for me. I bounced the cable around a bit and got little to not noise transference to the phones.

One final note - other reviews have noted that the burn-in for these headphones to sound their best is 200 hours. I have not gotten to that point with mine yet... I am at about 10 hours... so I may come back and adjust this review another time.  But even without the additional burn in time, I would be surprised if a music lover did not enjoy these headphones. It has made listening to music while doing nothing else fun again. And on top of that, at the time of this review, the price to value ratio is heavily in favor of you buying these headphones. Overall 4.5/5

Update: At around 60 hours of burn-in my few qubbles with the headphones went away. The highs mellowed a bit, the mids began to come to life and with more color. Fiona Apple and other female vocalists sounded stale at 1-10 hours... at 60 they sound warm and inviting. I have not noticed a change in the bass, but regardless there is a very noticable difference following a substantial burn-in. If you are giving these as a gift you may consider doing this for the recipient as they probably would skip this process without prompting.
3777813
Sigh...I wanted to like it.  I had a simple setup :  One set of speakers, two sources for sounds (two PCs).

With everything attached, one PC was ok, the other was barely coming through.  I notice if i detach the other source, then it's fine.  I tried other combinations but same behavior.

I guess it could be a defective part?  Hopefully if you get this, your experience is better than mine
4628866
Saying people have a choice of buying it from itunes isn't a valid comparison, since itunes provide a lossy compressed files that are inferior to the CD release. The idea of using there own player software when playing on a PC is also inferior as some of us use some of there more advanced players with DSP to help correct for there less then stellar speaker systems.

With there propriatory software I cannot put DSP of my choice in the playback chain, removing my ability to listen how I want.

An audio CD should be an audio CD, not some bastard child of some music companys vein efforts to alienate a majority of there customers.
2133796
I would consider myself an audiophile and as such if it sounds bad or mediocre, I will say so or not. In this case I am impressed. I purchased for my I-POD which all of the material is recorded AAC so the loss in minimal. The sound isolation is excellent though I used the larger of the ear buds. The most impressive detail I heard besides the obvious distinction between instruments was from a LP that had been re-mastered to a CD, I could still hear the hiss of the master tape. That is cool out of a I-POD. I am taking a trip and we shall see how they perform on a aircraft. I just can't be away from my music and the expense is worth it to maintain that connection for me.
1296774
Let me first say I'm an audiophile. I'm obsessed with my sound and my hearing. Hell, my main "portable" listening setup (player/dac+amp+ headphones) adds up to a bit over a $1000. This crap works. Definitely worth the dollar. I'm a detailed person. You're getting a detailed review. Hopefully this helps your buying decision.

Now, I have experience with other hearing protection products and the sound isolation of numerous in ear buds.
First: Etymotic Research ER-20 (older style with the long stem). This was, in its time, great. But! It wasn't as transparent it claimed. Natural speech sounded muffled. These Alpines, applied with the lowest white colored filter (this pack comes with 3 levels of filters) does a fantastic job of filtering out noise and speech--and still sounds mostly NORMAL. It's amazing how clear and natural speech sounds!

2nd: vs V-Moda Faders. The most important aspect of hearing protection is fit. Design comes second. If you can't get a REGULAR set of earbuds to fit comfortably, faders won't do the job. The Alpines? They fit marvelously for my ear size and will likely fit more ears better. You see, it comes with a little insertion "tool" to ensure the plug is deep and snug in your ear canal. The er20s and faders never met this fit consistently.

As for practical use? I can wear the whites everywhere. Literally. Absolutely no hindrance to perceiving speech. None. It does a wonderful job of filtering out noise, too. Truly a night and day difference. Imagine a children's party @ an arcade setting:
plugs off = what you'd expect (haha).
Plugs on = only hear your game in front of you and the people you're speaking with. Background game noise, kids being kids, etc., all either disappear or get dropped to a comfortable level. And I can still hear who I'm talking too! They don't sound muffled at all when comparing to the ER20 / Faders.

 Truly transparent; it's like dropping the volume of the person you're talking to instead of making them sound like they're trapped inside 10 layers of socks!

Can you tell I'm in love with this product? I tend to be lenient with giving 5 star ratings. This deserves far more than that, and I'd give 50 if I could.

---------
UPDATE: I STILL love these! Been through night clubs, a concert, and all around LOUD. The gold filters are great, but I rarely have to go above the silver filters. Even in clubs, the silver filters worked great.
989324
wow - awesome!
i don't even qualify as a novice with guitars, so i ack that don't know what i am talking about.  with this i can not only use headphones, but i can also use accy inputs on my stereo to play with it.  i would suggest matching the input with (about) your tv (or whatever) pumps out.  ear volume should work.
i am slowly learning guitar (electric, an old gibson melody maker) and have small amps that came with it, but the ease of the home sound system is awesome.  i hope i don't offend any pros, but i really like this.
note: the input for the additional audio will not work with a microphone; the output from the mic is too weak.
such is my opine,
jim
3296241
Great response for music and movies. Andrew Jones is an audio genius. No regrets on this purchase! Buy these already!
649065
I am a musician, composer and arranger.  I have a very sensitive ear, and being able to hear each and every instrument in an orchestra in my speakers is vitally important to me.  But I am most assuredly not an "audiophile."  It's been my experience 99% of high end audio components are sold by salesmen who only have technical knowledge of what they sell and no ear for music.  They tend to consider the worth of an audio component based on price (more is better, right?), magazine reviews, not all of which are without an agenda to promote an item or manufacturer, without any regard to what they hear.  I should also add my receiver is about 30 years old and cranks out a "measly" 30 watts (because more is better, right?).

These Sony speakers sound crystal clear, with sharp highs and a full midrange.  The lowest frequency response is 45 Hz, so I have supplemented them with a $99 sub woofer from Radio Shack.  (My old receiver has no specific output for a sub woofer, so both right and left speaker outputs go to my sub woofer, and from there, the left and right speakers.  And I use 22 g speaker wire.  $1000 Monster Cable is for suckers who figure more is better, right?)

At low volumes, these speakers pick up all the nuances and detail in the music (I only listen to Classical music, but since Classical music has the greatest frequency and dynamic ranges, listening to anything else would only be better), and when I crank these babies up, I can loosen plaster from my walls.

If you're one of those "audiophiles," don't buy these.  They're too inexpensive for you.  You'll need to go to one of those audiophile sucker shops to empty your wallet on something you'll never tell the difference with.  But if you're a serious listener and think it's absurd to spend thousands of dollars on speakers, you won't find a better deal than these.

One possibly important note: the warranty is only valid in Canada!  I don't expect to be using it, as they are well-made and solid with no design flaws or imperfections, but it's something I didn't know when I bought them.  It wouldn't have changed my mind, though.

Pros:
Crisp, clear sound at all dynamic ranges.
The price for what you get.

Cons:
You'll probably need a sub woofer to fill in anything below 45 Hz
They're a bit tall, so if room is an issue, this might not be your best choice.
Warranty is valid only in Canada, eh.
2338494
OK, here it is: I love this thing. Seriously.

Is it the answer to all of your audiophile dreams? No--BUT... it's a great little piece of equipment. I've been in the middle of stripping down, rebuilding, and updating an old stereo console from the 70's (audiophiles relax, it was all old, non-functioning solid state stuff, no tubes to be found, nothing to see here). Anyway, I'm planning to purchase a brand new, high-quality receiver with all the bells and whistles to drive everything at full home theater sound. In the meantime, though, I was sitting here with nothing but a portable turntable to listen to my vinyl, and well all know those built-in speakers are the pits.

So I came across these mini amps on the big A, and decided on the SA-100T here because of the range, the price, the reviews, and the headphone jack, which not many models of mini amps seem to have. It arrived on time as always, and I immediately hooked it up to a pair of old Aiwa speakers from a broken, 20 year-old shelf system. And great googly-moogly, it sounded awesome. It brought my old vinyl back to life WAY better than some shoddy built-in speakers ever could. I even plugged my phone into the front jack and blasted some dubstep--the highs were crisp and the lows were thunderous.

I'll still be building my ultimate home theater/music system, but I plan on keeping and using this little sucker forever. Be warned, the light on the front is bright as hell, so put a little tape over it if that kind of thing bothers you. Otherwise, rock on!
1835741
I am likely one of the more senior audio consumers to post reviews. However, this only means I have more past experiences listening to a wide variety of audio components over the years. Until buying this Harmon Kardon product, my favorite brand has been Onkyo. I am a big fan of their WRAT technology incorporated into many of their amplifiers. Based on many positive consumer reviews, that fact that JBL is a HK brand, and that professional "experts" also have given the 3490 props, I decided to to give it a chance to be my new audio "time machine". I enjoy a wide spectrum of music genres that includes classic jazz and rock vinyl from the 1960-80 period as well as electronic, new age, metal, and blues from all decades. Having stated just some of what gets "jammed" through the 3490 at this house, I can say that my money was well spent. Let's also remember another key feature here and that is the very cool option of returning an Amazon item if for some reason it does not meet your requirements. From a shipping standpoint, I live about 20 miles from a regional Amazon warehouse. Most of my Amazon-stocked orders arrive the next day even with standard shipping. Now how great is that for sating your impulse-buying urges? Dangerous? Yup.

Just a couple of other quick thoughts on this unit. My input sources are laptop iTunes library, ion turntable,  and iPod on occasion. I don't currently stream or XM on this HK unit. Speakers are a new pair of Sony SSF 6000's (also an Amazon purchase) and an Onkyo powered subwoofer. For a straight up "economy" stereo system this HK 3490 combined with the Sony's and Onkyo sub just "rips". If you are seeking a quality stereo amplifier, not an AV home theatre type receiver, and are working with a sensible budget, this HK 3490 should please most regular folks.
3182431
Amazingly good sound, and that comment from an aged audiophile.  No, it's not true hi-fi, but it's darn decent.  Hookup is a breeze, and Bluetooth works perfectly once you get the PC set up.  Audio adjustment is simple, though there is no visual representation, and bass is more than sufficient.  The remote is a really nice touch, as it means one less cable cluttering up your desktop.  In fact, you can pretty much hide both the power cord and the subwoofer connection, and that leaves the desktop just about totally clear if you have a wireless mouse and keyboard.

Another reviewer suggested that bass is woefully lacking, which simply isn't true.  Perhaps that view comes from someone whose notion of adequate bass is akin to earthquakes and such.  In summary, the sound is very good for something this small that sits only a few feet from your ears -- clean, well-modulated, and easy to listen to.  Highly recommended.
2236076
Daniel, nobody cares about your obsession with comparing to a home system. Obvious you have small peter complex. And nobody wants to see a review of yours that is in a novel format!  Oh good speaker buy it..its better than my kenwood home theatre system :)
2467414
WHERE IS THE LISTENING PART??This is WHY I bought the product but I can't find where I can obtain the audio. Initial write up is quite deceiving
2472092
Solid scientific info -- no magical diamond coated USB cables, putting in your own utility pole, or fancy tricks with reflections (in all fairness on the latter, Bose has solid technology, but why waste the effort on tricks just to make a smaller speaker sound big?).

My only gripe is -- Dr Toole admits to not having studied digital much... he recommends using DSP for parametric equalization, but I feel he (or a successor) needs to explore this topic in light of how the added layers of ADC/DAC may color the sound esp as getting good sound out of the first DAC in the chain is a major focus nowadays.
2009569
Surround:
The audio imaging was meh.  The problem is that although you have six speakers, they are all in a 'tube' that extends beyond the ear cup.  What happens is most of the sound outputs right about where the "front" right and left channels are.  You end up with just barely discernible audio positioning except at uncomfortably high volumes where it improves slightly.

Audio Quality:
Everything sounds like you're listening to a speaker at the bottom of a vase.  That tube that the drivers are all in on each ear makes it sound like everything's in a tunnel.  On top of that, I was underwhelmed with the quality of the audio from the 'front' left and right channels, which are directly in line with your ear and don't go down a 'tunnel'.
Next, I don't care if they have a discrete channel for the subwoofer.  That makes no difference to me at all.  What I care about is that that channel, the ".1" in "5.1" isn't passed to the headphones at all.  It's just silence.  There goes part of your audio experience right there.  Just don't expect to hear that channel at all.  You won't.

Comfort:
They were comfortable enough for the couple of hours i was trying to get them to sound right, which never really materialized.

Ease of use:
If you have a sound card with discrete front, center/sub, and rear audio jacks, you're golden.  There is an "F", "C", and "R" on the appropriate plugs.  It's dead simple.

Conclusion:
They're not bad for a 15 dollar pair of headphones that you use as a backup if your primary pair has been ravaged by a pack of wolves.  Problem is that they're not 15 dollars and they're not worth the storage space.