My last IEM purchase was a disaster; I bought the Turbines and ultimately returned them as they were literally destroying my ears. I figured I was done with the IEM game for good, and moved to great big full sized Ultrasones. But I just couldn't ride the bus with those, they were too cumbersome and didn't quite isolate enough. So, my wallet aching, I went with these.
 
I've gotta say, after a little over a month I have almost no buyer's remorse whatsoever.
 
I'm going to start with the bad, because that's easier to quickly explain.
 
-The high's aren't the best, music in which the lead singer has a higher voice sometimes needs to be EQ'd to sound full. Keep in mind I haven't formally burned these in yet, I've listened for maybe 20 hours total but that's all the use they've gotten. This issue may go away, and if not it's not always noticeable and it is not a huge deal as the overall sound profile is great.
-The case is not terrific; it works, but it's not quite large enough for the cord (more on that cord later) and it doesn't seem to do a ton to protect the headphones.
-When I keep my player in my pocket and the plug is partially in my pocket, and the connection between the cord and the plug bends, it occasionally causes a mild skip in the audio. This is very rare, but it has happened a few times in the last month and it's worth noting. Easily avoided by carrying my player differently.
-Finally, here's my only really big gripe: I cannot remove the stock foam tips. I have pulled, tugged, squeezed, twisted, frozen, scratched, manipulated... nope. Now, the stock foams happen to fit my ears rather well (most of the time) so it's not a tremendous problem right now, but 1. It would be if the tips didn't fit and 2. The foams will eventually get really gross, and I will have to probably cut them off gently to replace them. It's like the tips are glued on, I don't get it. Most of the time these stock tips fit me, but I would like to be able to try the additional tips included for a potentially better fit. The left bud sometimes feels awkward, so a different tip might be really helpful. And as I said, foam tips are gross. They're wonderful in many ways, but they get really gross. And I will have to remove them to clean them eventually, and if I can't I'll have to take scissors or a pocket knife and slice these tips off and buy new foams from Shure (maybe a warranty would cover that, though).
 
Ok now that the small number of complaints have turned into a huge wall of text, let's get on to the pros (which will surely turn into an even huger wall of text).
 
-I'm going to start with maybe the most exciting thing: the cord. The beautiful, magical, amazing, life-changing cord that is made out of pixie dust and  concentrated joy and was gifted to mankind from heaven above. Yes, I'm speaking in hyperbole, but the cord really is awesome. It's long enough to really comfortably reach from my pocket to my ears, and then some. And it's thick to the point where it could take some SERIOUS punishment and absolutely never twist. Finally, I really appreciate it being removable in the event that it did break (I think it might, if I threw it into the fires of Mordor in Mount Doom). 
-The bass is incredible. These little IEMs pack as much of a punch as any full sized I've ever heard, but in quality not quantity. It goes very deep and is very strong, but does not get muddy or overtake the mids (sometimes it does drown out the highs, though). 
-A really nice warm, full sound signature. These really sound rich and full; R&B and wall-of-sound rock sound great, but thinner/strangely recorded oldies/classic rock also manage to sound really nice and not light or overly thin. 
-Despite the tip issues, the fit is excellent. These do not fall out, ever, and the over-the-ear cord is a really nice touch that ensures they stay in place. The first time I put them on it took me about five minutes to perfect getting them in, but then I had no trouble. The fit is particularly great in that it blocks out probably 95% of ambient noise: my bus driver blasts Steve Harvey every morning on the way to school and I can't stand it, but the minute I turn my music on it blocks it all out. The headphones don't block as much when the music isn't playing (it's passive noise cancellation, so the headphones themselves don't do a ton to block stuff out. Better than nothing, but not great). Nonetheless, with music on a reasonable volume I hear nothing outside.
-Terrific value. I had a 30 dollar gift card that I do not remember receiving for Best Buy, where I bought these, which felt like found money so in the end with tax and fast shipping they ran me about $80. I think they're worth a lot more than that.
 
I mainly listen to rock (punk, alternative, prog, classic, light, pop), along with some R&B, rap, and jazz. Sometimes some EQing is needed to make the highs and lows balance, but in general these really sound great with everything I listen to. I won't do the description for a few different specific songs that I've done in the past because I feel like that's a little too specific, and these are very consistent.
 
So yeah, I pretty much love these. They're comfy, they block sound well, they sound great, and the cord is majestic. I would strongly recommend these to anyone, my only real issue is the ultra-stuck-on tips. An excellent intro to higher end ear buds for me, very satisfying. I'll probably upgrade within a year or so, just because, but I could see sometimes using these even after I upgrade and if I can't afford an upgrade these would probably keep me happy for a very long time.

I'll preface this by saying that I don't exactly consider myself an audiophile. Not yet, at least; this is my first really nice pair of cans, and I haven't really dabbled in other high end audio whatsoever. This just means that I don't use incredibly complex tech jargon or compare to other models the way many other reviewers do. Just something to keep in mind...
 
ANYWAY, on to the review!
 
The packaging is nice. A gigantic box with a picture of the headphones, which holds the magnificent carrying case. This case is built like a bomb shelter, it's incredible. I would've appreciated an additional smaller case, maybe just something to cover them during brief storage, but it is what it is.
 
The headphones are rather large. On my fairly big head the cover my entire ear and part of my hair and lower cheek. Still, they're quite comfortable: I can wear them for nearly 2 hours and only adjust them slightly, and even after that I just have to adjust them a bit more before they're comfortable again. Fit is great, grips my head well and is extremely adjustable. Strangely enough, the taughtness of the joints attaching the cups to the band decreased rather quickly. Initially they would almost click into set positions when rotating, now after two weeks of gentle use they turn smoothly. That's not a big deal. 
Still on the topic of folding and bending, them, though, I've been completely unable to fold them into a ball as they are shown online/on the box. They just do not bend like that. I tried, but worried I would break them so I stopped.
 
In terms of their look, they're very sleek and a little understated, which is nice. Non-shiny plastic with the nice shiny logos on the side, grey and black, with PRO 550 written on the pad on top. As big as these are, I don't find it problematic. I use them on the bus to school almost every day and they're not cumbersome and, fortunately, I don't even really get any strange looks. They certainly don't have the (in my opinion) gaudy look of Beats. I use them to block out Steve Harvey, which my bus driver blares through the entire ride, and they do a great job of blocking out loud external noise even when music is only playing quietly. You certainly could not have a conversation while wearing these. In terms of leakage there's a little, but when they're sealed over my ears I don't find it to be a real issue.
 
I was asked for pictures, so here are a bunch of pictures. Apologies for the low-ish resolution, let me know if there are any other pictures you'd want to see.
 
The headphones with the short cord attached:

 
Pads-side down:

 
Pads side up:

 
Interior of the case:

 
Outside of the case:

 
Short cord:

 
Box:

 
Slightly folded headphones with cord:

 
Size of headphones compared to my hand:

 
The branding:

 
And a final additional shot of the headphones:

 
On to what you probably care about more than aesthetics... the sound. Right out of the box they already sounded amazing, incredible low end and hard hitting percussion with clear mids and highs. I've burned them in for about 50 hours, mostly while not listening, and sound has improved noticeably. Percussion actually has a bit more punch, highs and mids are a little more pronounced. I don't exactly notice the S-Logic technology. I mean, they have an INCREDIBLE sound stage (very open) but not with major instrument separation or strange around-head effects. Nonetheless, as I said they have a fantastic sound stage. Songs with a naturally big sound (Semi-Charmed Life and Tubthumping are my favorite examples) just shine. I listened to the beginning of a live recording off Pearl Jam's new live collection and felt like the crowd was in the room with me. Unfortunately the lower quality music on the album was noticeably low quality with these headphones, but I guess that's to be expected. 
 
Here are some impressions with a few different songs, just to give a clearer picture:
 
-Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode: Drums and guitar line are tight and punchy. Very big, wide sound. Strong synthesizer moments are huge and the attack is good. Vocals and reverb are clear.
 
-Time of the Season by The Zombies: Ongoing bass and percussion are clear and strong, despite being an older recording they still have a bit of a surround sound feel. Vocals are warm and clear, maybe a little recessed but still sound great. Bigger vocal harmonies are incredible, soundstage makes them shine.
 
-Country Song by Seether: Excellent attack going into the song, galloping-esque percussion is clear and twangy guitar is not muddied by the bass. Vocals become a little harsh during the chorus, but that may be more of an audio issue than an issue with the cans.
 
-Finding Something to Do by Hellogoodbye: As with everything else, the biggest and bassiest moments of the song are incredible. High vocals still shine, occasionally are a bit covered by instruments but not often. 
 
-The Monitor by Titus Andronicus (full album): This album has an odd vocal recording style, in that most of the vocals sound far away and a bit hushed in general. With that in mind, the album still sounds incredible with the PRO 550's. Giant background chanting on the second track is clear, but lead vocals still do not sound any more hushed than normal. Some issues with particularly distorted guitar, where the headphones sound kind of harsh, but only at the loudest moments.
 
-Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand: Brass and saxophone on this track are clear, I can hear every breath. Surround sound on the vocals is amazing. The song is very bright, though the sound signature of the cans themselves is a bit on the warmer side so the song is toned down and easier to listen to than on my Creative EP 830 IEMs where it almost hurts my head.
 
Long story short, they look nice and sound amazing. Compared to the Monster Turbines IEMs I returned before purchasing these... I mean, there's just no contest.  I know that comparing cans to IEMs is essentially like comparing apples to oranges, but it's my only real frame of reference here. The PRO 550 performs above and beyond anything else I've ever listened to. 
 
Now for a couple negatives. The mini cord that I use whenever I listen is kind of short. It's very sturdy and thick, but my source can't be terribly far away (my pocket is about as far as it'll stretch). The other cord, the 1/4 inch one, is much longer but I have nothing that it would plug into. I tried connecting my source to my guitar amplifier and then plugging the headphones into the amps phones jack, but the number of cords and the low quality amp and some jumbled equalizer settings on the amp made this an exercise in futility. In the end, I would just appreciate a longer mini cord or an included 1/4 to 1/8 inch adapter (or just make the longer cord 1/8 inch and throw in a 1/4 adapter, like with many other Ultrasones). 
 
A note on why I chose these over the DJ1 Pro, which is basically the same pair of headphones with a different look. It came down to the appearance, I thought the DJ1 on the side of the DJ1 Pros looked kind of tacky and made them appear more along the lines of giant 25 dollar pieces of junk. 
 
So to conclude: I love these. My only real gripe is about the cord, but it's not a huge deal. They look great, they sound fantastic. I would strongly recommend them to anyone else trying to make a foray into the high end audio world. I'm sure I'll get the upgrade fever within another year or so, but even if I do buy another pair I'm certain I would continue to use these as well. 
 
I'm extremely happy with these. Great sound, great value, just great.

This past summer I was looking to upgrade from my mediocre Sony behind-the-neck on ear headphones. I wanted to stick with open design and behind the neck, and these seemed to fit the bill nicely. 
 
Before going into any detail whatsoever about the sound quality or pros or small cons, I'll say this: my pair broke. Not so that they're unlistenable, but I had to fix them up. The neck band and ear pieces are not all one solid piece of plastic; rather, each ear piece has a stem which connects to the back neck band. A stupid way to design them, really. Carelessly I let these snag on something and crack! the connection between the stem and neckband on the left side was broken. The wire inside was still fine, and the sound was unaffected, but they were broken. A dot of glue for permanence and a wrapping of black electrical tape for sturdiness later, they're stable as ever. But a pair of headphones shouldn't break two weeks in. 
 
Anyway, that's just my experience and I was somewhat careless and I've learned from my mistakes. On to how they sound...
 
They sound very nice for the price. Solid, punchy lows. You can feel the impact of percussion and bass, not super powerful but noticeable. Overall balanced sound. For a pair of low-mid end headphones, they sound good. Clear vocals, on well recorded songs they do sound close to beautiful (Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind, one of the best-recorded songs ever with incredibly dynamic percussion, sounds really amazing on these). On full albums, and in general, they're ok.
 
Comfort wise they're... ok. With glasses they're pretty much unwearable, though I switched to contacts not long after buying these and comfort  improved. For me, and I have a big head, the ear pieces are pushed out to the sides a little more than they should be which makes them further from my ears. That's kind of a problem, but I attribute it to my head. 
 
Are these my favorite headphones? No. Are they good? Yes. Would I recommend them? Only if price is really an issue, and you definitely don't want something with a traditional over-the-head style band. They're not bad, they're just clearly not as good as things only slightly more expensive. When I looked at these I also looked at the Grado SR60i's. My choice to buy these over those, thanks to the behind-the-neck style, haunts me to this day. I recently purchased the much more expensive, closed back Ultrasone PRO 550 and I'm loving them and not really minding their large size. So clearly, the larger SR60i's wouldn't have been an issue for me in the long run. But these wound up being bought for me as a gift, and they do sound nice overall, so I can't complain too much.
 
To conclude: they're not bad. They're not great, but they're not bad. I'd much prefer to have bought the SR60i, and if I could I would sell these to buy those but the broken neckband makes that fairly impossible. They're what I would call good enough, as a backup for my far superior new Ultrasone's. 
 
My gut tells me to splurge another 80 or 100 bucks and get the SR60i or SR80i. My wallet (and major upcoming expenses) tell me I just bought a 140 dollar pair of closed headphones, and I can live with these for open ones.

I'll say right off the bat that this is my first pair of remotely high-end headphones, and one of my first major reviews. So try to forgive incorrect terminology or generally novice-sounding terms.
 
Moving on, I'd also like to note that I received an older edition of the Turbines; mine had the right-angle connector and 2 cases (both of which were suede-esque material).
 
On to the review....
 
I first listened to these right out of the box. I was impressed. Moving up from a decent pair of Creative in-ears that came with my Zen X-Fi, I found these had much higher sound quality. The packaging itself was quite nice, a high quality box with nicely organized accessories and such. 
 
I then started a burn-in, a combination of music and pink noise. As of this writing the Turbines have a bit more than 10 hours of burn-in time. 
 
With the right fit, the bass and low end/percussion on the Turbines is excellent. Drums are powerful and felt through my head at decent volumes, and bass is pronounced. On most songs, mids and vocals sound absolutely fine; nice, not oh-my-gosh-remarkable but good quality. Occasionally, particularly with a not so great fit, mids and vocals sound a bit muffled or suppressed. Nonetheless, the overall sound quality on the Turbines is good. 
 
But that quality is dependent on a good fit. I have weird ears; I'll admit that. But getting a nice fit with these is.... trying. I'd say every other day I have to switch from medium tips to small tips. Different medium tips seem to be slightly different sizes. The wrong tip completely ruins these headphones. The smallest triple-flanged don't fit in my ears at all; they're horrible. The largest triple-flanged serve as q-tips for me (gross, I know, but that's how they are in my ears). The smallest and medium single tips are what work for me, but as I said I have to change which I use with some frequency. This may just be me, I know I'm weird, but it just means that my experience with the audio quality changes. And the metal body of these is heavy, which means a not-great-fitting tip makes the headphones fall out of my ears. Is this a constant issue? Not at all. Generally, I have no trouble with the fit. But I have enough trouble that it's a noticeable issue.
 
The cord quality is decent. Tangling isn't much of a problem, and the cases are high enough quality to help, too. I don't worry that they're going to fall apart, and if they do I feel like I could probably get them replaced.
 
Are the Turbines perfect? No. Are they probably as good as I was going to get in the $100-$150 range? I think so. Going up to $200 I could've gotten the Pro Coppers which may have been much better, but for what they are the Turbines are quite nice. I chose them over a pair of Audio-Technica's, and I'm overall happy with my choice. 
 
In closing: I like the Turbines. They sound between good and very good, based on the fit I'm getting. They have decent isolation; I can't hear normal conversations around me when I'm listening. They're not entirely comfortable, they don't have the best audio quality, but they're a solid, punchy pair of IEMs with good bass. 
 
Given that I want to mainly use these as my super-portable headphones, I'm now off to look for a mid-quality pair of on ear full sized headphones for home. For on the go or for those who want to mainly use IEMs and not spend a fortune, I'd certainly recommend the Turbines.
 
 
UPDATE:
 
So I'm returning these. But it's not an issue that will affect everyone. I have slightly weird ears, and I just cannot make these fit right due to the heavy metal bodies. They hang down slightly and cause some pain and I can't get a seal I like. So I would still recommend the Turbines to someone looking for fairly nice IEMs that has absolutely no history of fit problems, as the heavy metal bodies can cause these to fall out and be uncomfortable. Call me stupid if you must; I'm getting a 100% refund.