The DT440s are a major departure from the old 431. If you love the rich Beyerdynamic sound of the past, you will be disappointed by these. The bass is light and not as extended as the old phones which robs the music of a lot of rhythm. In many ways, these sound similar to the AKG 401s with a slightly forward midrange in the presence band. Soundstaging is quite claustrophobic compared to something like the AKG 501 but still better than the Grado SR125. Overall, these might be useful in a radio situation and for monitoring voices but they are a poor choice for all-round music listening.

This is great fun all around headphone. It does every kind of music well. Not the most detailed so it's quite forgiving on bad recordings. It can be folded up but not very portable considering it leaks like crazy and its quite heavy. It is like wearing a dumbell on your head. The padding on the headband is rather poor so it digs into your skull *ouch*. The clamp force is rather high, after a while, it improves a bit. Comfort is average at best, better than grado's but still probably the least comfortable circumaural headphone I've worn.

I'd describe the sound as a cross between hd595 and grado. It is very upfront (drivers are almost touching my ear) but retains a modest soundstage. The bass has alot of impact but is not quite as tight and punchy as grado. I'd say its semi-boomy. The mids are a bit dry like most beyer cans and the highs kinda uneven.

Overall, a groovy alternative to those who want more comfort than grado and more bass impact than 595. I still think 595 is better due to comfort, soundstage, detail, and the lush mids. sr225 is better for its tight punchy nature. Sigh, compromises ;)

After owning HD497, A500, and HD580 I can finally say that these are the headphones for me. Not to say that those other headphones are bad but from my personal tastes the DT440 is all that I ever wanted.

The headphones are very fun, commonly known as the groovalizers because of their fun, fast punchy nature. Such characteristics are what I like in a headphone. Those other headphones that I had were more laid back and a lot more polite, it's good and I guess thats good for audiophile grade equipment. But I perfer the 'unrefined' sound of the DT440's.