I bought my HD414s in 1973 and they still work great! I've replaced the foam ear pads many times, Sennheiser still sells them. I also replaced the cord with a 1/8" mini plug. Bass response is not as good as an over the ear phone, but it's great for an open ear set. The high impedance makes it difficult to get enough sound pressure, in my opinion, unless you have a dedicated headphone amp.