Sony MDRX10/RED Simon Cowell X Over-Ear Headphones with 50mm Drivers - Premium Bass Sound for Music, Gaming & Studio Recording

OK, I'll admit that I have never considered spending more than $50 on a pair of headphones. For as many pairs as I have owned, I consider them a perishable item, along the same lines as sunglasses and shoes (yeah, there's fashionable, but then there's also just wasting too much money).I've owned all sorts, from all sorts of manufacturers, and they have all served their purpose as a way to listen to my music without disturbing those around me. Some were better than others, and each style has it's own purpose, whether it's to be light and unobtrusive as in earbuds, or all encompassing and ambient as in over the ears.I finally decided to up my budget as I wanted something with the volume and clarity to use while DJ'ing in louder environments. I considered allot of the current trend items (Beats, SOL, Skull Candy, etc.), as well as trusted brands (Sony, Bose, JBL, etc.). I landed here because of my previous experiences with Sony headphones (I've always found them to have excellent sound reproduction in comparison to their price points). So, I like their sound for price ratio. This quickly ruled out Beats, Bose, and JBL because Beats are overpriced for the sound quality and Bose and JBL may be worth the price, but that price is just too high for something I consider perishable. While I have liked some Skull Candy offerings, they seem to be more fashion than function to me.I considered several models from Sony, mainly in this on the ear style, and most with the X bass feature. I eventually landed on this model because of the price in comparison to the sound and features.For $100 I got...Full sized on the ear headphones with 50mm driversFolding and extended swivel ear cups with allot of paddingSingle point cable attachment, that can be disconnected/replacedTwo cables one standard tangle free, and on apple compliant control/mic cableA 1/4" headphone jack adapterA plastic/pleather caseI wanted to get them in Black/Silver, but the few pairs left were more expensive than the similar/replacement 920 model. And I'll pay $40 less and live with the slightly more decadent Red/Silver version.As I said, I got these for the main purpose of monitoring on my DJ sets, but I will use them in other aspects as well. With the DJ'ing, of course there will be a lot of pop, rap, hip-hop, house, techno, funk, etc. But I love to listen to all sorts of music from rock and metal, to country, easy listening, and other "softer" musical genres.First off, these are definitely built for the bass loving genres. They have a great amount of full and clear bass, so much as to tickle the hairs in your ear canal, even without going full volume on your playback device (I've used them on a Droid Razr Maxx HD, an iPad, Asus laptop, Hercules RMX2 mixer, and so on).When listening on my Droid Razr Maxx HD, I used to have the volume on full with lower end headphones and earbuds to get close to full sound. Not so with these, 75% volume was plenty loud, full, rich, and clear. I've seen other reviews that recommend using an amplifier in conjunction with their devices and I have to wonder how much volume do they feel they need? I mean those hairs that are tickling are meant to be there to help you hear, and can be destroyed by volumes at that level.While the bass is definitely the focal point, the mids and highs are still there in clear and distinct quality. I usually listen with flat EQ settings to reproduce a variety of musical styles as they were intended, I only adjust for the speaker by utilizing pink noise to adjust or modeling based on response graphs. I found that while the bass at a flat setting was very much on top of the mix, it did not take much reduction in the low end of the EQ to get a flatter "real world" response and the sound quality was still excellent, with rich, full and crisp sound that maintained allot of volume headroom.With that being said, while mixing I leave my EQ flat because the enhanced bass makes it easy to passively hold the beat and not have to intensely press an earcup to your ear and focus on finding the rhythm.The design of these earcups are excellent. While they rest "on the ear", they are large and supple, making them comfortable as well as "noise cancelling" (they don't actually have a "noise cancelling" chip or technology, they hold off ambient noise by creating a comfortable seal on the ear). They envelope your ear, but don't wear so large as to make your neck sweat, and the band does not constrict, but still holds relatively well for a full size headphone.Speaking of the headband, their construction has a very well-made, solid feel. They don't feel flimsy or cheap, and yet don't feel stiff or rigid. They fold when you want them to fold, but don't make you force them so hard you feel like you might break them before they fold. The headband adjusts with solid clicks and stays. Nothing is exceptionally loose or ill fitting except the swivel on the earcups, which is a good thing. I hate having to force the earcups to swivel when I adjust where the headphone is resting on my head, you just adjust and the earcup swivels to it's new home.As for the durability of the fit and finish, I can't say anything bad, and probably never will. I don't just toss my headphones around, drag them behind me if they drop, use them as hammers, etc. If they're not on my head or resting around my neck, I set them aside (nesting in their nifty, soft lined case, now). I haven't seen any wear or scratches develop yet, nor has anything fallen off, stripped apart, or otherwise shown flaws.I am very happy with these headphones. For those that may be scared because of th extra bass feature, if you have an EQ with the ability to lower the low end around 100hz just a bit, you will still be happy with how good they sound. If the full sized on the ear style is what you are looking for, these are very comfortable, while remaining on your head. The features are well done and abundant and make them the definite step up in the Sony MDR line (right in line with the 920 model).I definitely feel these were worthy of being a $100 purchase on headphones (and thus, I probably won't want to spend more than that for some time).