I bought these headphones at 100 bucks a pop a few years back after reading reviews of them on an audiophile forum. I wasn't disappointed one bit.

I used them for a few years with my iPod, my Zen Vision, and even on my computer. The sound was spectacular and I spent many a night listening to FLAC audio on them.

Then a few weeks back the wire snapped. I had been meticulous in my care of these headphones so it definitely wasn't my fault. The problem is that the wire is VERY thin and the headphones themselves are kind of bulky. Oh well.

Now I'm mourning my loss and debating on buying another pair.

The top reviewer has complained that the bass is overwhelmingly high. I do not have this same complaint. While playing games, listening to music, or watching movies, I find the audio to be crisp so that no detail escapes my attention. I have a pair of Sennheiser noise blocking earbuds which I use with portables, but I prefer this open design in the house, because it allows my friends and roommate to draw my attention if necessary.

The long cable is perfect for my needs. It reaches all the way to my computer's audio output port with excess length available, if necessary. When I need to go portable, it wraps up neatly. My one complaint is that the cable clip sometimes needs to be attached to something or the weight of the excess cable can become uncomfortable, but this is usually not an inconvenience as the clip is sturdy and always stays where I put it. On the other hand, with shorter cables I sometimes found my headphones to pull out my Ipod's headphone jack when doing things like cleaning around the house or exercising. With these headphones, you can give yourself enough slack so that this will never happen, and then clip the headphones on your shirt collar or pocket (whichever you think more comfortable). I find these headphones to be a simple yet elegant solution to too-short headphone cables.

I would recommend these headphones to anybody who enjoys clean, crisp audio from a relatively cheap pair of comfortable headphones. It excels for all uses: gaming, movies, music, and voice chat (with separate microphone). People on a budget who are fed up with cheap, low quality headphones should start their search here. Likely, you will come to the decision I did and purchase these.

I would not recommend these headphones to audio professionals (there are better products from Sennheiser and others) or people who may find the exceptionally long cable to be an inconvenience.

These are some of the best, most reasonable and comfortable headphones for the most reasonable price. Have purchased several pairs over the years.

I use these headphones with my MP3Player around the house. Tried some smaller headphones, but those are mostly not comfortable to wear (I hate having this clip thing over my ears and I can't stand having something in my ears ...) and usually don't deliver the sound quality I want. So I went back to a full siye model, and having used Sennheiser for the last 25+ years, it was a natural thing to look what they have to offer these days.
The HD457 delivers a superb audio quality.
It is very comfortable to wear and actually relatively lightweight.
It comes with a nifty little device that lets you stow surplus cable length when you only need the short cable to a MP3 that's clipped to your belt.
And that is it. Just a perfect gadget for everyday use.
Well, maybe there is one tiny contra: It has a distinctive plastic look and feel to it. But when I'm wearing it, I don't see it ... :).

I produce radio commercials in small market radio, and I love these headphones. They are the second pair of Sennheiser HD headphones that I have owned. I originally used the Sennheiser HD437's, which were very similar to the HD457. I took the HD437's home, and purchased the HD457 to use at work. I have to wear headphones for long periods of time, and I turn the volume up louder than most people would, and I find no discomfort to these headphones throughout my workday. And with the "open" design, it allows me to have a conversation with people (with the volume down) while still wearing them over my ears. You can't do that with a "closed ear" headphone. I give these 5 stars. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants a comfortable headphone with great frequency response.