These headphones technically are very able as headphones. The texture along the top of them however started deteriorating very soon after purchasing them. Maybe a few months went past and the headphones looked terrible.

Bought them for my daughter, she was amazed by the sound quality> good top, middle and bottom range. all round good quality, comfortabe to wear and hardwearing.

These headphones are solidly made yet don't feel heavy on your head for a monitor quality phone. Padding covers all the hard points and allows me to sit in front of the PC with them on at all hours for extended periods without any of the tiredness or crushed ears sensation. The ear pads covers the ears just enough without being overbearing. I have had no interruptions using the phones as they manage to drown out ambient noise even with comparatively low volumes. Rather than a pure bass oriented set of phones or an overly high treble unit, the MDR- ZX600 is a nice balance which increases it's versatility for a variety of music genres and music sources. They are easily accommodated by portable devices without any loss of quality or amplification.I have used the headphones with a sources from Soundtracks through dance, ambient and spoken word, all with reasonably good clarity and depth of tone. The flat ribbon cords are robust, yet have enough weight in them to hang nicely and don't tangle. they do show the dirt in lighter colours, but clean easily with a damp cloth. I did catch mine in a draw and despite the nudge in the plastic they still perform as expected. The L Shaped mini plug is a great idea and the rubber around it protects your connection nicely. It would've been nice to get a larger plug for amp/ receiver connections and perhaps a cloth bag to protect them, considering the price. The pads fold flat for easy packing in a bag or briefcase- definitely a bonus for the traveller or student. I have heard better audiophile units from Sony, but you would be spending a lot more for that end of their range.