I wanted bang-for-the-buck headphones, and these fit the bill nicely. I saw that one reviewer seemed to be of the opinion that these headphones were built TOO heavily -- while that reviewer may have given it a lower rating because of its heavy construction, the build quality is one of the main reasons I got myself a pair. I expect these headphones to last a good long time!I had a pair of cheap Sennheiser headphones (HD 202 ii or something like that) for a while, but eventually one of the wires/connections broke and the sound no longer worked properly in one ear. However, these Audio-Technica headphones feature a heavy-gauge wire which ought to stand up to the daily abuse of a clumsy, klutzy, wire-jerking person like me. Also, my old Sennheisers didn't fully fit over my ear, so they were painful to wear after 2-3 hours. These Audio-Technicas cover my ears and are quite comfortable.The sound is great. I'm no golden-eared expert, but it seems pretty well-balanced.