Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I wanted to spend about $30-40 on a pair of headphones so I bought four highly rated pairs and compared them: Panasonic RP-HTF-600-S, Sennheiser HD 419, JVC HARX700, and Monoprice 108323. I burned them all in for about 30 hours. Unlike like others who just reply on specs or online reviews, I actually listened to them all in my home under controlled conditions. The Panasonic was the clear overall winner when considering comfort, sound quality, and build quality. Sound quality: Panasonic and Monoprice were the best by far. Panasonic sounded clear, with good bass, and they had a smooth, dynamic, open sound to them. Mids were not very pronounced. The Monoprice had a little more midrange, bass, and volume. They sounded just a little fuller than the Panasonic. JVC had no bass at all, but a lot of treble. They sounded hollow and tinny and harsh. They sounded really bad to my ears. I don't know how they have such good reviews. Sennheiser 409 was the worst by far, they sounded muddy, quiet, cheap, and not clear at all. Comfort: Panasonic was the best. The ear cups are large and don't touch my ears at all. The padding is soft and thick enough. They are light and very comfortable. Sennheiser was also comfortable and even lighter, but the sound was so bad that it didn't matter. JVC came in third for comfort. They are ridiculously large and heavy. The cups are big but shallow, which caused my ears to touch the inside which was annoying. Also the way they adjust is stupid and they don't stay in place. They are hideously ugly as well. The Monoprice were the least comfortable. They hurt my ears and head after only 15 minutes of wear. The cups are smaller than my ears and press them into my head. The clamping force is very high. They rest on your head with one little tiny hard pad. The comfort was the deal breaker for me for the Monoprice headphones. Build quality: Monoprice and JVC were probably the best, but Panasonic was very close. They all have pretty sturdy feeling plastic and cables. The Sennheisers felt like a cheap toy that would break any minute. The cable was about as thick as fishing line. Isolation: This is the only reason not to buy the Panasonics. They are semi-open and can easily be heard by others. I would not use these out in public. I only intended on using them in my room, so it wasn't an issue. If I wanted headphones with good isolation, I would have returned all four of these and looked at other models. Over all, the Panasonics came in first with the best comfort and a smooth sound with plenty of bass. I also think the look the best too. I can wear them for long periods with no fatigue. Monoprice may have been the winner if they weren't so horribly uncomfortable so they came in second. JVC were too large, cumbersome, and had no bass so they came in third. The Sennheisers felt much much cheaper than the others and had the worst sound, so they came in last. I kept the panasonics returned the other three.