This thread helped sway me last night in favor of snagging a pair of NOVA 40s for $15 on craigslist. I figured, what the heck - if they're awful it was $15 to learn it. But I'm surprised. Now I don't have very expensive headphones but I LOVE my Sennheiser Momentums (the originals, not the noise cancelling/wireless ones). I don't have a wide basis of comparison - just these Sennhisers, a pair of Harmon Kardon Sohos that are a real disappointment, and then I grew up getting to sit with my dad while listening to his Koss headphones and lord knows what the model number was on those. Aside - an earlier post in this thread talked about the weight of these NOVA 40s...lemmie tell 'ya about a 1980's pair of Koss monsters! Anyway, my Sennheisers these are NOT. But at $15 I'm having a ball listening to old blues and bluegrass records. At first they have this almost "am radio" tone to them that's just a hoot when I was playing Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Then I put on David Grisman's Dawg Jazz and they must've warmed up (plus I punched up the bass a bit on my receiver) because while they still lack some detail and are slim on the mids they really filled out and even got punchy dare I say with the double bass. Are they the cans you should have if you only have one set, almost certainly not. But they're fun and a nice throw back to times before my time. I'll probably dedicate them to blues and bluegrass and are a welcome addition to my (very modest) headphones lineup. Call me a +1 to "if you like them, then they're 'good'!" Thanks for the encouragement in the thread to give them a whirl!