Review on HEiL Sound PROSET-3: Premium Closed Back Studio Headphones - Pro Set 3 by Andrew Gomez

TL;DR: These are my favorite headphones in this price range. As a sound engineer I have used Shure SRH440 and Sennheiser HD 280 extensively in the cockpit and was looking for a good pair of headphones for occasional listening at work (Primary) and mixing (Secondary). The phase switch allows me to add extra bass to my electronic music by phase shifting two ears and then preparing for mixing, switching them in phase and cutting off some of the extra bass. That, plus a couple of included cables, gives you even more options - I use a coiled cable at work when I'm close to my PC, and one of the two straight cables with a 1/4" adapter behind for portability the sound . The board build quality is excellent and they look cute. They're a bit heavy when I wear them around my neck and they squeeze my neck too much, so despite the good sound and overall quality I wouldn't buy my own mixer. The Shures were a close competitor to the Heils. Good clean sound, light and comfortable, and their general reputation makes them hard to give up. I decided to try Heil after hearing a few interviews with Bob Hale about Mike Sessler's church. Tech Weekly Podcast (defunct). on a podcast, but he still piqued my interest, especially when I heard his passion for hardware design. Now after using it at work for a few months and taking it on a 14 hour road trip I can say I am very happy with my purchase! getting a little uncomfortable after 3 or 4 hours of wearing them, but I actually got better the longer I wore them. Most of the time, even if I notice it, I can either just ignore it or take them off for a few minutes and reposition them. They are very light and sometimes I even forget I'm wearing them. The sound quality is excellent, the bass is strong. This is actually exactly what I was looking for as I listen to a lot of electronic/drum and bass music at work and it sounds AMAZING. I typically use the phase switch in the OUT position when listening to electronic or hip hop songs to get that powerful bass, and for rock, classical and just about anything else the PHASE [in] position sounds cleaner and reduced Muddy, but still sounds balanced. I use twisted pair cables at work as I'm next to my computer and it's nice to have a lot less cables hanging around. I confess I've only used them a few times for blending since I've had them. They're similar in shape to the Shures, so they don't offer as much isolation as the Senn, but I usually hang my headphones around my neck and only occasionally listen in one ear to check EQs etc. If I need to block out the sound I'm used to pressing them to my ears, as in the case of Shure. Some engineers will probably prefer one of the other two brands for slightly better treble clarity, but I think they work well, especially when using the PHASE position on the phase switch. They sit comfortably on my neck and swivel well on the earcups for when you need to quickly lift an ear. I use a straight cable in the cockpit with the included 1/4" adapter so it's easier for me to move around without feeling tied to the board. This is a very minor complaint. All in all it was a fantastic purchase and the fact that they are made by a small company is a bonus I think. My ears are happy.