I just bought the Mikros 90 and have had a chance to compare that at home with some others I have. My initial impressions are the same as at the Best Buy listening station -- these have plenty of high end and a really nice refined, articulate bass that is not at all boomy. I would say they are similar to the sound -- specifically the balance between high and low end -- of my AKG Q701 with lots of crisp high end (but not as much as those--the Q701 is very very bright) and a really nice bass that has plenty of definition without sounding boomy. Less bass than the P5s (which I compared them with in the store tonight), but better high end detail than the P5s. I compared them side by side at home with my Klipsch Ones, B&W P3s, Beyer DT 1350s and VModa 80s. The Mikros are clearly better than all 4 of those. The Klipsch are basically unlistenable in comparison. The P3s sound veiled in comparison, but have a slightly stronger bass than the Mikros, but I miss the high end detail of the Mikros when trading back and forth between them and the P3. The DB1350s sound anemic compared to the Mikros -- no high or low end in the DT1350s, just very blah. The VModas are midrange heavy compared to the Mikros and lack the detailed high end and refined bass of the Mikros. I also have AKG Q451s, which aren't in the same league and are dull sounding in comparison. The comfort of the Mikros is pretty good, but they do clamp a little tight. Definitely not as comfortable as the Klipsch, B&W or Beyer, all of which have negligible clamping, but they do provide a very good seal over the ears and very good passive noise reduction. I think they'll get more comfortable as they loosen up a little. Build quality is excellent -- they feel solid and the thick metal tubing between the headband and the earpiece is really nice and solid. I still can't understand how other reviewers have described the Mikros as lacking in high end -- they have some the best high end I've heard from any headphone this size. They really are amazing and clearly are the ones I would choose to listen to among the 5 small headphones I've described here. I'll keep my P3s handy because I like the way they fold up into a small clamshell, but for all other occasions it's going to be the Mikros I choose. For reference, I have many, many other headphones, mostly full size over the ear, including AKG Q702, K550; Beyer DT770, DT880, DT990, Custom Pro; Shure SRH 840, SRH940; Senn 600, 650; Sony 7506; AT M50s; Grado SR80, SR325; so I know what I like and don't like in headphones. I've been searching for a portable size headphone that would give me the high end definition and refined bass of these full size headphones, and I think I've finally found it in the Mikros.
