These are accurate transducers. They are very detailed, uncoloured, and low distortion.People don't always want this sort of headphones. A lot of people want strong bass, and will not like the DT 880. Many others like a mildly emphasised bass and treble, to add more "colour" and "dynamism" to their music. They too may find the DT 880 a bit boring. Some users like a "smoother" sound, where details are smoothed over a bit. They will find the DT 880 a bit too analytical, sometimes a bit too strong on the treble. Those who really like and appreciate uncoloured, super-clean, detailed, sound will like these.These are outstanding headphones, for people who want an insight into their music. I've used them hooked to a DAP, mobile phones, a professional Walkman, and cassette decks. It always performs consistently -- it gives me exactly what's coming out from the headphone jack. It gives me more insight, more textural detail, more subtle nuances, than any other headphones I've used, and compares well to the Etymotic ER4 (which is of course a different animal, being an IEM). Sennheiser headphones often have a bit more bass and treble than the DT 880, and a bit less detail. The Sennheiser 598SE has somewhat more bass than the DT 880 and less detail. Female vocals (think Shirley Bassey, with sharp, super-clean and very powerful vocals) sound more recessed than with the DT 880. Male vocals sound a bit emphasised, a bit thicker, and a bit less detailed than with the DT 880.The DT 880 is very popular with professional sound engineers and artists who want to hear the music without coloration.The physical comfort is very good. The cups cover most of the ears. I have average sized ears, and the cups don't cover the full earlobes. This means that if you don't position the cups carefully, the earlobes may hurt a bit after prolonged listening. The cushions feel very comfortable.The headphones come with a fixed cable ending in a 3.5mm jack. Fixed means you can't swap cables without opening up the cans and voiding warranty. They also come with a 3.5mm-to-6.5mm adapter, with screw threading, which fixes to the end of the cable very securely. The adapter seems to be of high quality, and it'll be important not to lose it.The headphones come packed in a sponge-filled cardboard carton. This is good enough for shipping, but not adequate for long-term storage. I suggest that you throw away the carton and buy a Slappa Full Sized HardBody PRO Headphone Case (SL-HP-07) to store it in.Make sure you know what open-back is before buying these phones. There is (very quiet) sound leakage out of the cans, and similar leakage in from the environment.