I got the Sony MDR XB300 headphones for my 13th birthday, and they were great. I was (and still am) at boarding school, and these phones have handled constant dropping, sharing and leaving about over the years with ease. Though I was no audiophile back then, I noticed that after a year the sound quality had significantly increased; the bass was less sloppy and the mids and trebles were very crisp- the only way I can describe this is that when listening to a drum track the hi hats and snares were very clear and the toms and bass drum filled my ears...