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The first time I received the Denon AH-D1000, I was appalled by the abysmal packaging. Any box that requires so much tape to hold it together clearly fails. But the moment I put them on, I knew immediately they were a keeper.

Despite the relatively small cups, they were still circumaural and felt really comfortable. I can wear them for hours. The soundstage is small but felt very accurate. Positioning in gaming is exceptional. Although these are closed, the isolation is very average. Treat them as semi-closed, people around you can not hear what you're listening to but you can hear them talking. Another thing to note is the earpads are leather and very easy to keep clean. A big plus in my book.

The first thing I noticed when listening to music was how deep the bass went. It's like there's a subwoofer attached to them. The midbass is surprisingly tight, no bloat at all. It could use slightly more bass impact, but that's being extremely picky.

Next thing that stood out was the sparkling highs. I'm very sensitive to treble and these were borderline for me. They were crisp and detailed without being fatiguing.

The mids definitely takes a backseat to the bass and treble but that doesn't mean they are not there. They just don't try to shove it down your throat. While they were slightly lacking in the lower mids, they made up for it with airy vocals.

If I had to choose one headphone that the D1000 resembles most, it'd be the Beyerdynamic DT770. The D1000 has less bass quantity but tighter better defined bass. The mids also present themselves more clearly and the highs aren't as fatiguing. The DT770 have bigger soundstage and D1000 is easier to drive. Amp is strongly recommended, but not necessary whereas the DT770 absolutely needs one.

Looking for a budget headphone that does everything well without any major flaws? Comfortable, good sound, easy to drive, what more can you ask for ~$120?

Note that I own the AH-D1001 model. I have upgraded from Sennheiser PX 100. I compared the Denons against Sennheiser HD555 and BeyerDynamic DT770.

First of all I strongly recommend this cans to anyone, who wants significant quality upgrade from his/her current low-price headphones, but doesnt want to invest in buying an amp. These Denons can be easily driven by your iPod and provide much superior sound experience.

They have well extended bass, it really goes very low, while it sounds tight and controlled. Bass from HD555 didnt go so deep. They seem to lack bass impact, but when I listen music from lossless files it is punchy enough for me. Mids and highs sound crystal clear in comparison to my previous PX 100.

Better soundstage was the biggest advantage over the two Sennheisers. PX 100 tend to sound flat and the 3D effect from HD555 sounded too artificial for my taste.

They isolate better than open cans, but still not enough to cut you off the reality outside.

Theyre very comfortable. I ever wear them outside home or the office sometimes.