Thought I'd jump in here since I'm still on the fence about these. I got mine on the 3rd and, for some reason related to the fact that I used their order online pick up in store system, I have until the 27th to return them (I called to make sure this wasn't a glitch. Apparently even if it is they have to honor what the return system tells me).
I definitely think $350 is too much. I got to try a regular HD25 the other day and I have to say it was hard for me to determine much significant difference (warning: I am not qualified to judge high end headphones properly). Tyll at innerfidelity definitely heard a difference, but I am definitely not able to make those kinds of distinctions at this point in my wastinginvesting-money-in-headphones career.
I'm not saying I don't like the sound, I actually really do. It is a bit... I'm going to use the word aggressive, but I have enjoyed it so far. And that's not a bad sound signature for use out in the noisy world, which is what I got these for. I'm trying to replace IEMs in my daily usage as they've really started to bother my ears. These seem like a great candidate thanks to their decent sound isolation and striking sound signature. They're also much less likely to become disgusting sweat-covered sponges compared to any of the over-ear phones I've tried.
Comfort is also an issue for me; the clamping force on the ears just isn't enjoyable. I am definitely starting to adapt to it though. In fact I spent a couple hours last night listening to them in a silent environment at a fairly low volume, and my impressions were really good. My ears still didn't feel great after I took them off.
The main problem is that pretty much everything I've said so far could just as easily apply to the HD25. I feel like I've payed $350 for something I could get for $200. To be honest if these had been $250, a slight increase from the HD25, I'd probably feel like that was an okay markup for the differences in materials. I'm really resisting returning them even though I know I should, and it's entirely possible that I'll go pick up a pair of HD25s if I do. I wish I had a way to test a pair of HD25 for a longer period of time without buying yet another headphone... my short comparison time wasn't sufficient to get a real perspective on any differences.