I've used most of the old-school brands (Grado, AKG, Sennheiser, Sony, Koss, David Clark, ...) and have tried several of the Jonny-come-latelys, and the HD700s are simply the best for comfort and sound that I know.   I can wear them for hours and never get fatigued.   Most of the others that I've heard fail relative to the HD700 in terms of either wearability or audiophile sound.   I use an after-market cable that's shorter and lighter than the stock cable.   My other options are Etymotic fitted in-ear 'phones or Genelec active monitors.  ...