Unless you’ve spent some serious time listening to headphones that cost hundreds of pounds, then it’s hard to understand exactly why anyone would spend that much money on a pair of cans.
In this video, I take a look at some of the finest studio reference headphones I’ve had the pleasure of listening to, along with providing some general tips for what to look for in high end headphones. Enjoy.
First: Will great show, I caught your site on TWIT.
For my recording I like the Beyerdynamic 770 the best, it’s very neutral and fit like a pear of koala’s on your head.
My main ‘complaint’ about Sennheiser cans in general: they tend to have a firm bass. Fortunately I like bass … a lot … that’s why I have 3 sennheisers (open, closed, and in-ear systems). 
So to all other viewers: make sure you check weather you like a neutral sound like the AKG provides, or you like the bass (or any other part of the spectrum) to be a bit more present. This might be the case if you have damaged hearing for example.
I have some AKG K240’s I use for work and they’re excellent. I wear them pretty much all day every day at work, and they’re really comfy and don’t push my specs through my skull. Sound great too, ideal for monitoring all sorts of material.
I’m not a great believer in driver break-in anyway, but 100 hours? Forget that! Just enjoy them for what they are.
For my money, it’s hard to beat a pair of Sony MDR-7506. AKG Reference? What? Am I mastering a London Philharmonic CD? Not today! Spend the savings on something else.
Found you on Twit, Will. Enjoy your comments and will be a regular visitor to channelflip.
Wil, problem with the video, around 3.25 in, a red screen says Media Offline akg-k-701_04072008_msp2
I bought a pair of AKG701 about six months ago. Prefer them to all the Sennheisers that I have. Very comfortable to wear for long periods. Using them mainly for music from CD but also for my SDR (software defined radio) systems.
Open style is not a problem where I use them but could be an issue for some people.
Not cheap but still well worth the money if you are serious about hearing content quality. As always the source of the content becomes the limiting factor when you have output devices of this quality.
I’ve had a pair of Sennheiser HD600’s (the precursor to the 650’s) for about 7 years now and they are one of the best gadgets I have ever bought.