I have always taken issue with the name: these aren't large diaphragm cans. I consider 40mm diameter drivers to be average. 50mm would be large. 30mm would be small. But that's just my opinion.
 
This was my 3rd set of cans after re-entering the hobby last spring. They followed my ATH M40fs, and my Beyerdynamic DT 770/250 ohm cans. They initially sounded kind of clinical, but have greatly improved over time. Yes, for the record, I do believe in mechanical break-in of headphones (I refuse to call it "burn-in", because it isn't).
 
I realized almost immediately that I didn't like the feel of the stock ear pads. Having owned a set of Beyer cans, I had already fallen in love with the velour-style earpads. I rather quickly purchased and applied a set of the replacement Beyer ETD 250 ear pads. For $22 bucks, it was a no brainer. They were immediately far more comfortable. Over time, they also have apparently gained some improved low end response. Caveat: I do not know what they would have sounded like, had I left the stock ear pads on for a while. I hated the stock pads so much, that I just had to toss them quickly.
 
I use these headphones at work. I wear them 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. I run them with a stock Bravo V2 amp, sporting a late 50's vintage Mullard round-getter tube. This amp is driven by a Pure i-20 iPod DAC, which is using a 6th gen iPod Nano, that contains a combination of apple loss-less music, and some 256 kbps AAC music. No special cables are used. Stock power supplies are used. I didn't want to drop a ton of money on the setup since it sits on my desk at work, and some idiot might steal it (people regularly steal laptops where I work). So I never know if I'll still have an audio rig on my desk from one day to the next. But my job sucks, so I'd rather risk it lol. I'd hate to be without some kind of music, it's what keeps me sane.
 
They are light and comfortable (especially after replacing the earpads). Initially I thought they felt a bit flimsy (especially compared to the ATH M40fs, which are built like a tank), but over time they have proven solid. I don't toss them around a lot, but they have never given me any grief. They do tend to collapse into the portable carrying position without being asked to, but that's not such a big deal. The cord is long and coiled, but I personally like that. I sit at a desk so it's useful to have a nice long coiled cord. On occasion, I wear them like a DJ would (with just one side listening, the other open), and they are acceptably comfortable in that arrangement.
 
They are not as detailed or fine-sounding as my Beyer DT770 cans. On the other hand, they are very easy to drive. I can drive them to perfectly acceptable levels with the iPod alone. An amp is not strictly necessary. That combined with the light weight would make them a nice set of portable cans, were it not for the longish cord or the closed back.
 
The use of the amp and DAC definitely brings these cans to another level. I don't ever find myself wanting to run them with the ipod alone, unless I need to walk around with them on (and that almost never happens). The bass extension with the Beyer earpads is very nice. I can't say they are quite as bassy as the Beyer cans, but honestly, they do come close - certainly close enough for daily listening. They are a bit on the bright side, which doesn't help tone down the harshness of the Pure i-20 iPod DAC. The Mullard tube is a necessity to keep the setup from being screechy and harsh. There really isn't another tube I'd care to run in this amp, because of the bright nature of both the DAC and these cans.
 
Basically, this entire setup suits my needs pretty darn well. I can't say that I would want to buy another Bravo amp - but I would surely want to use some sort of hybrid or tube amp with these cans (it really helps tone down the brightness). They are good enough to keep me happy while I work, and cheap enough so that if some moron decides to walk off with them, at least I won't be out a ton of money.
 
If you're looking for the best cans on God's Green Earth, well, these aren't it lol. On the other hand, if you have a need for closed back cans and don't want to spend more than $100 or so, then these are worth considering. They have been around for a good long while, which says a lot about the design right there. I am not sorry I bought these cans. I enjoy them (and I highly recommend the earpad mod), and I would recommend them, if you have a similar need for a good budget set of cans.

In the world of Budget-Fi audio, there is a relatively small set of amplifiers that can be purchased for under $100 USD, and an even smaller set of amplifiers in that price range that are hybrid tube amps. The Bravo V2 is one of those amps. It can be purchase on auction from eBay for about $50-55 (depending on how many people are bidding), or at a fixed price of $69 from either Amazon.com or eBay (the seller/manufacturer on eBay ships from China and charges $16 for shipping that takes about 2 weeks to the US).
 
By many accounts, this device was designed using DIY project specifications readily available on the Internet, which have existed for some time. Those who purport to know much about these things say that it's not a particularly sophisticated design, and requires numerous modifications to really sound good. Some even question whether this is truly a Class A amplifier.
 
On the other hand, whaddya want for $69 bucks, bro? This isn't a Bottlehead Crack, or a Schiit Valhalla. It's not made in a numbered garage either (though the residents of that numbered garage seem to spend an inordinate amount of effort slamming this little product, and have become so annoying to me that I've decided to never, ever consider their products, for any reason, under any circumstances). If you're shopping for an amp in this price range, then the driving factor really is your budget. So we're talking bang for the buck here. All comparisons to more expensive devices are pointless. Yes, you can buy better amps, but so what?
 
What this is, is a really cool little amp that sounds damn good for $69 bucks. I own two of them. I'm going to mod one of them soon, and write a comparison of them when time permits. (Oh, don't preach to me that I could have bought X or Y for the price of two of these devices. I want two amps for two different locations.)
 
But, really, you need to get rid of the stock Chinese tube. Quickly. Okay, you can listen to it while you're waiting for your American NOS 12AU7 / 5963 / 5814 (etc) tube to ship from eBay. Unless you're really filthy rich, don't waste your money on a Mullard or Telefunken (which can easily cost more than this amp).
 
I've written a comparison of this amp against a Schiit Magni here. I've also made some tube rolling notes in this thread. In short, this cheap little hybrid amp sounds pretty darn good for the price, and I don't think there is anything in its price range that can compete with it, short of a Schiit Magni. Quite frankly, which one wins depends on the cans you're using, and what style of music you like to listen to.
 
Some day, I think it would be interesting to get or make a cMoyBB, just to make sure that this is better. To date, it hasn't been that important. Portable amps aren't really something I use. But I am curious. So maybe someday.
 
I highly recommend this amp to anyone who has $100 bucks to spend on a headphone amp, wants to have a tube type amp, and isn't shy about using eBay to purchase an accessory. Do NOT buy any 12AU7 replacement tubes from Amazon - they are all junk. If you don't want to use eBay, or don't care about tubes, then buy a Schiit Magni. The Magni is an awesome amplifier, hands down. It's just not a tube amp.
 
Both amps are outstanding values in this price range. Neither one of them is really "better" than the other - it's personal preference in this range.

I wanted to bypass the internal iPod DAC to get some better sound quality and plumb the output into a better amplifier. The Pure i-20 allows you to do this, but that comes with some drawbacks: this is by far the cheapest iPod DAC on the market, and it sounds like it's the cheapest. The sound quality that comes out of this DAC is bright by any standard, on the verge of harsh. I find that I can't turn the volume up on my amplifier very far before the sound produced from the DAC output on this device becomes so bad, that I have to take my headphones off and stop listening to music for a while.
 
It does make a nice iPod Dock, but it doesn't do anything by itself other than allowing you to hook your iPod up to some other audio component. It has no speakers, just an array of outputs on the back panel (which does include Toslink and video, which some may find useful).
 
There is a reason this is an inexpensive unit. It really is not worth the money. I wasted $90 bucks on this thing, and I honestly wish I could return it. Sadly I've had it too long. It is a very handy design, if you're into that kind of thing. It holds my iPod nicely so it doesn't wander around my desk at work, so there's something to be said for that. It charges the iPod so I don't have to keep the cable connected to a USB port or charger (which would have been 70 bucks cheaper to buy).
 
Basically, I'm not happy. I didn't want to spend hundreds more on what seemed like the only other alternatives to this device, so I took a chance. I'm sorry that I bothered. On the other hand, if I keep the volume set low, it's not so bad. I plumb the output into a Bravo V2 and use it at work, and after getting used to it for a couple weeks, I've learned how to deal with the harsh high end: keep the volume low. That way, my ears aren't glowing bright red when I go home at night.

Somehow, the Ballad of Jed Clampett comes to mind, as I start to write this. You know, the Beverly Hillbillies. He was living his life, struck gold, and everything changed. That's kind of what happened here. Except I didn't strike gold or become rich. Yeah, the metaphor doesn't exactly work. But it was all I could think of on short notice.
 
Back in 2008 I started working on a project, where I had to spend time in noisy labs. One day I decided to get some headphones and an iPod, to cut some of the noise. I found a pair of these at Target. They actually had a little demo station where I could try them on. Loved the noise cancelling feature. I compared them to the Bose over the ear noise cancelling units, which I think were going for $300 clams at the time. The Bose units did not sound three times better than these, so I was sold on these.
 
Got an iPod shuffle to go with it (yeah, I'm cheap). I think I paid $79, might have been $99, been too long to be sure.
 
The Pro's:
 
They lasted me a long time, by my standards. 5 years is not bad at all. Might have been longer, I'm not exactly sure what year it was now LOL. But it's been long enough for me to forget.
 
One day a couple months ago, I was taking them off, and twisted them a bit too hard, and one of the earpieces broke off. That's where the striking gold thing comes in. Sort of. I had to find something new to use, which is when I started lurking here, and on Amazon, etc trying to find replacements. I guess finding Head-fi really represents the striking gold thing. Sort of. Except I'm becoming poorer. But I digress.
 
Had I not found Head-fi, I probably would have bought another pair of these. But I saw a reviewer on Amazon reference this website, so I got curious and came looking. And you know what happens to the curious.
 
These are on the ear units. So you need to be able to tolerate that. Putting them on does not reduce much ambient noise. That's where the little NC function on this headset comes in: flipping the switch on the attached EQ/NC unit, turns on a combination equalizer and noise reducer. That knocks down some of the ambient noise, mainly in the higher frequencies (like fan noise - which is what I wanted). I can still hold a conversation with someone, with these on. There's a little button on the EQ/NC control that cuts off the sound momentarily so you can talk.
 
They are very light. You can plug these into an ipod, clip everything on, and go about your business. You might forget and leave them on all day. I wore mine to the cafeteria, to the restroom, walking down the hall, you name it. It got clipped on in the morning, and it didn't come off until I went home. Once in a while, the headset needs to come off for me, because my ears get itchy. I was starting to wear out the ear cushions after 5 years. The cushions themselves are tolerable, by virtue of the lightness of the unit.
 
The electronics still work. I have not thrown them out. Yet. It's hard for me to throw them out. I finally put a paper clip in the one hole that didn't break, and kind of wired the earpiece back on. Sort of. In a hillbilly kind of way. But I don't spend any time listening to them any more.
 
These were apparently built to do justice to the sound of a stock ipod. Which is really nice if you're cheap like me, and use a shuffle. There is no EQ on a shuffle. These make a shuffle sound great (at least, until you discover Head-fi ... then things change ... that's also where the Jed Clampett comparison comes in). I use a Nano now, which has the EQ. But I digress.
 
The Con's:
 
Without the EQ/NC function, these don't sound a whole lot better than earbuds. A little, but not much. You need to keep a stock of AAA batteries on hand. If you use it all day like I did, you'll blow through a battery every week or two. And the NC function? Well, a nice set of over the ear cans does more than these do, without any sort of electronic trickery. But that EQ/NC function is magic. It really does wonders for the sound. Which really is what sold me on these in the first place. Without having that little demo stand in Target, I don't think I would have dropped that much money on these.
 
On the other hand, once you've listened to even a cheap set of cans with a cheap amp, you'll never go back to these. At least, I can't imagine myself doing that. I'd have to find something else.
 
Lesson to Marketers: little demo stands sell headphones. You betcha. After all, these are expensive for what they are. But, yeah, you walk into Target now, there is half an aisle devoted to a Beats demo station, and there are like 4 other demo stations set up and rockin.
 
The price has come down some, you can find them for 70 bucks on Amazon now. But that's still on the pricey side. If you're not looking for portability, there are better cans out there.
 
The wire is light and gets all twisted up a lot. I spent a lot of time unwinding that.
 
Conclusion:
 
I lived with these cans on my head for 5 years or more, and they produce tolerable sound (while canceling out fan noise). They were exactly what I needed, at the time. They are light, portable, and make an ipod shuffle rock pretty decently, far better than the stock earbuds. If that's what you need, then these are one option. If on the other hand you are looking for sheer quality without regard to portability, then I'd look elsewhere.
 
Oh, and I have to admit: a couple weeks ago, I put those noise cancelling Bose units at the demo station on again. I was frankly shocked at the utter lack of sound quality. Head-fi has spoiled me. I struck gold, and I can never go back. Very happy I did not waste my money on Bose.

(Review edited 6/6/13 to add comparison to Sony MDR 7506, additions in bold text).
 
Disclaimer: My only other good cans to compare these to are Beyerdynamics DT770 (250) and Sony MDR 7506's. I fully realize this review will be biased because of that. So please keep that in mind. This review is my purely subjective opinion.
 
I bought these because of the nearly 400 gushing reviews on Amazon. Also, because they were cheap. I use them at work, and leave them on my desk when I go home. If someone walks off with them, I won't be heartbroken. They are powered by a stock Bravo Audio V2, driven by an ipod. Can't plug into the computer at work, so the setup has to be standalone.
 
The Pro's:
 
They are indeed comfortable. I wear them all day long, and have been doing so for a couple months. They are loose fitting, and will definitely come off if you move around a lot. However, if you are going to leave your behind parked in a chair all day, you will love how comfy these are. They are more comfy than my Beyers (which kind of feel tight after an hour or two). They are about twice as heavy as the Sony MDR 7506 (which are equally comfortable).
 
I suppose if you're a recording engineer and you need to keep one ear open, and the other covered with a headset, you will also like these. The construction seems very solid. Both head pieces swivel, and it seems like you can hold one on an ear and it'll support the entire weight of the device with no concern something will break. I do not use mine that way.
 
Compared to the headphones I broke (Sony MDR NC-40's), these are a world apart. But they need to be amped to sound good. I am not impressed at all, when driving them with my ipod and no amp. I'd sooner go buy another pair of the Sony's, if I could not run these with an amp. They are decent if you're going to plug them into a computer (which is an amp), and use Windows media player (which has the necessary EQ).
 
Sound isolation is excellent. No leaks, and I can't hear the phone ringing next to me when they're on.
 
The Con's:
 
I power these with a Bravo Audio V2 (also purchased because it's cheap, and I leave it on my desk at work). With all EQ off, the bass is there, but its overwhelmed by the really forward midrange of these cans. I honestly would not call these flat (though my caveat about comparing to the Beyer DT770s may make some of you giggle). I know, my Beyer's have recessed midrange, so switching back and forth between these two cans really shocks me with midrange. One set of cans has disappearing mids, the other is nothing but mids.
 
Now, about bass. With my ipod EQ off, the bass is there, but it's well hidden. If I cheat and hit the "Rock" EQ setting, this all changes. Suddenly, these cans aren't so bad. Take a look at iTunes and you'll see the Rock EQ setting boosts bass and treble, and cuts out about 5dB of the midrange. Brilliant! That's exactly what these cans need. Now I can go home to my Beyers and not feel so bad. LOL. More importantly, this bit of EQ allows the bass that these cans do have to come through (as well as some decent high end). So, pull my audiophile card. LOL. That EQ switch is making up for a poor purchasing decision on my part.
 
The earpads seem a bit thin. My ears are already starting to press into the cloth covering the transducer, so I can see it under the cloth. And I don't use mine like a recording engineer would. I might speculate that the thin earpads would become annoying to a recording engineer using them as I described above, because it won't be long before you're pressing the transducer right into your ear. This has not become an issue for me yet. I just notice the impression inside the ear cup when I take them off. Two months of use. This might become an issue soon.
 
In comparison to the Sony MDR 7506, the midrange sounds really bad. Artificial. Cheap. I can't really think of a better way to describe it. I would really not recommend using these for studio work, they simply aren't good enough. For under $90 USD, the Sony's are far better. The bass response of the Sony's is slightly better, and the high end is clearer. I can turn off the EQ on my iPod with the Sony's, and run it flat. I'm really astounded at the difference.
 
Conclusion:
 
There are a lot of reviews on Amazon that indicate people are happy with these cans, but I only found one lone review here. I find that very interesting. I suppose many people rely on Amazon reviews (without coming here). Then again, I'm not sure how much patience people have when trying to take in the sheer volume of information on this website. Reading three old reviews on an Amazon webpage is enough if you're like me and you initially decide to spend 50 bucks or less on some replacement headphones. It only took a few minutes, not a few weeks. Once you realize you didn't get all you wanted, you spend more time.
 
And after spending a few weeks reading Head-fi, you start spending more money on better gear. Then you want more. You wonder how many upgrade paths there are. Tubes or solid state. Open back or closed. Should I really drop 35 bucks on a cable? Should I spend 50 bucks on a tube? Soon, the unofficial slogan of this website finally sinks in and takes on meaning:
 
"Welcome to Head-fi! Sorry about your wallet!"
 
So. Yeah. Ignorance is bliss. It is also cheaper. These cans were nice for me for a short while. Those days are gone. I suppose I will keep using them at work until they become uncomfortable, or something else happens. Then again, maybe not. I keep wondering if there are some nice 100 dollar cans I can use for work, and if I won't mind if someone walks off with those...
 
Epilogue: These are no longer my work cans. I've replaced them with the Sony MDR 7506's, which sound superior, are just as comfy, and lighter. I'm not sure what I'll do with them. Maybe I'll use them for a computer in my garage.