I also own a pair of these, along with a set of Oppo PM-3s, and a pair of Focal Elears. The AKG K701s are among the clearest sounding cans you'll find in the under $500 price range. They are very close to reference, and many people criticize them for lacking bass. Most headphones today over emphasize bass and sometimes treble. These do not, what you hear from these is very close to what the signal actually is, they will need to broken in to sound their best, 100 hrs. or so. One more thing, they're no longer being made in Austria, like most other things these days, they're made in China. The pair I have are Chinese made, they still sound incredible so I doubt there's a percievable difference.