[schwarzenneger]

i recently upgraded from the 497 to the 231.here are my impressions.i owned the senn for 5 months.after burning in the 231 here is what i noticed.the 497 sounds too transparent in sound where the 231 sounds sooo much better.natural, clear and smooth,better detail ,highs,lows and yes even mids.the 497 is too uncomfortable on your head compared to the 231.i can wear the beyers for days and not even know i'm wearing them.these cans have been definitely underrated.special thanks to jensl for recommending these.

 

[Taurui]

And I thought "transparent" was a good thing ...

 

[Andrea]

Agreed.
I don't like the HD497.
It's overrated, for sure.
Voices sounded lifeless on it (did you mean that by 'too transparent' ?).
Now I'd want a DT231 to try - and discover what Beyer phones sound like.