I purchased these trying to find a pair of 'entry level' over-ear headphones that were closed so I could listen to music with other people around without annoying them with an open design or annoying myself with something that wasn't sealed. Comfort was also an extremely high priority for me, as many headphones give me tension headaches or migraines. I was pleased with my ATH-EW9's, so instead of taking a gamble on a brand I hadn't heard before, I went with AT again.   These headphones definitely took some burning in to get to a fuller sound, but...