They are heavy but so are the Audeze offerings that these clearly are targeting.

I love the Audeze LCD 4 but these actually do somethings better such as vocals and provide quick and impactful bass that is very satisfying.

Why did I wait so long ?

I'm kinda cheap lol

I own - > DT1990, DT990, Sundara, 6XX and a handful of others
This is my favorite headphone? Are there a few QC issue? Sure and tbh neither the weight nor the "bendable" metal slider/cup holder are even remotely bad. I think the ability to bend is completely exaggerated.... My pair required a small DIY fix on a single small washer but it's 200% worth it. The stock sound is good because some AMPs have bass boost but not many have lower bass, get this with the iFi Zen CAN or a more expensive one with bass boost and 3d and it's legitimately near endgame... Did I mention it's my favorite even WITHOUT the iFi amp features? With it there is no question it is by far my favorite headphone, so it won't out detail or resolution the insane DT1990 and it won't sound more natural than the anemic Sundara but it's better than both and besides a little weight even more comfy.... The bass is literally near perfect besides my preference for a bit more, mids aren't even a bit recessed OR forward, treble present sibilance in tracks where it exists but never hurts the ear.... Enough resolution to match many more expensive sets and ust enough detail to be 100% non fatiguing, a ?wide soundstage and insane imaging!

All this with a 5 year warranty from a major company... cannot be beat, any issues are worth the price of entry for a headphone competing with $1000+ sets and with the iFi Zen CAN it's got a handful of $1000 "good value" sets sweating the price to performance will not be bear at the near $500 price point for non professional users.

Honestly, the reviews are accurate. Sound? Great. Great soundstage and imaging, but the treble is muffled (fixable with some EQ; you won't be using these in a portable setting anyway). For the price, I haven't heard better... with EQ, of course.

Feel? Not great. I've owned more comfortable headphones at a sixth the price. Clamp force is nonexistent, and with the weight of these, it feels like they shift a bit every time I move my head. The padding is good, but I would pay a little extra for a suspension strap (which would also cut down on weight).

Build? Laughable, honestly. The metal parts look like plastic, and the leather parts feel like plastic. You know that weird plasticky fake-leather stuff they used to upholster furniture and car interiors in the 1980s? That's what the pads and headband feel like. Adding insult to injury, Monoprice doesn't sell replacement pads, which means any pad swap will render EQ settings useless until you re-measure the headphone. Oh, and the pinout on the headphones is nonstandard, so you can't easily swap out the cable. The diaphragm also looks warped, assuming that's what I see when I take off the earpad.

Build quality loses this headphone a star. Lack of pad replacement options lose it another. If it were any more expensive, it would lose a third. All of that said... it's pretty darn good (once again, with EQ) for the price. If you're on the fence, wait for a sale.

Is it worth it? Hell yes it is. Can i drive this with my phone and enjoy it? Yes you can!!!!!!!! you read that right. Does it sound better with a good DAC and more power? yes it does. Whats the difference in tuning vs ALL the other planar offerings- plain and simple its clearer, more dynamics and sounds better than the other offerings. does it have bass? yes it does very well actually. Will it benefit from tuning? user preference so i lean toward yes. Should you buy this if you looking for a clear resolving planar headphones that a very flat frequency response that is very easy to listen to with out eq-ing the living crap out of it? Hell yes you should buy it. once again YES,YES,YES you can use your phone for playback and be very pleased with the results