Then for comfort, yes, it is a little early. on the other hand, after a few days, the headphone was "relaxed" and it is much less: it is so good. The pads are harder than on other headphones, but we do not feel like a marshmallow on the ears ... especially it is very light. Let's get one thing straight right away: the HD 215's comfort is leaps and bounds better than the HD 205 in every perceivable way. Here's how (and possibly why)... Maybe in a future revision (like the aforementioned HD 215 Pro, or HD 215-II, or HD 215-1, or HD 215-1-II, or whatever Sennheiser is going to call it), they can apply some rubberization on the ear cups' external surfaces. That might be worth a few more dBs in isolation. Just a thought. The HD 215 has slightly better bass extension, so you're going to hear lower frequencies with the HD 215 as it digs a little deeper. The HD 215's bass response is also tighter and better-controlled, so generally-speaking you're going to hear clearer and cleaner bass with the HD 215. Whereas the HD 212 Pro's mids are dark, recessed, and somewhat muddy - the HD 215's mids are smooth and even with good presence and clarity.

To facilitate DJ usage, the HD 215 features a swing-away right ear cup for one-eared monitoring/cueing. This is essentially the same swing-away mechanism that the HD 205 employed. However, this time around Sennheiser made it much better (and a little worse). The mids aren't very forward, but they do achieve a well-defined presence, and are rendered with both clarity and detail so as to not sound muddy or recessed. In addition, they exhibit just a touch of delicate smoothness so as not to be to cold or sterile.So if you've always liked the HD 428's sound signature, but wished that it had deeper bass and brighter highs, then the HD 215 might just be what you've been looking for. It's not as comfortable as the HD 428, but hey we can't have everything we want.

Highs are noticeably sharper, crisper and brighter in the HD 215. This is not to suggest that the HD 205 is muffled or closed-in, but the HD 215 clearly reproduces more of the top end since the HD 205 rolls-off sooner. Despite being mostly plastic, the HD 215 exhibits excellent flex and torsion characteristics (see pic below). This may not mean a whole lot to audiophiles, but working DJs will appreciate this level of resilency in their gear. We still reap the benefits though, so a bonus for us. And while I would not describe the sound as warm or rich, I wouldn't exactly label it as being clinical either. It's very much middle-of-the-road, neither truly flattering, nor giving offense. And it is precisely because of this balance that the HD 215's mids are unexpectedly pleasant on multiple levels. All testing was done with using my Zune 30 in an un-amped configuration. In this case, the output of the Zune was more than enough for my tastes, so no amp was necessary. Environments and surroundings include home, work (a quiet office), a commuter train, and public streets throughout Southern California. These phones have a very low threshold and give you a big bass bump at about 70-120hz and you don't want any of that when you are buying a set. I think that headphone mixes are important. Isolation was not that bad when cutting drums and that is unusual for a set of cans like this.Between these two models, the HD 25-1 II seems to have more of a following here on Head-Fi. If you're interested in either of these, do a thread search or ask around. I'm sure you'll get a number of responses that should answer most if not all of your questions.