About 3 months ago I went into the Apple store to check out the monster beats studio because I wanted something with a little more clarity, noise cancellation, portable and stylish. Even though I did like the sound of the Beats over the Portapro's, I felt like it was just a bump above in clarity but with alot more bass, and it was about 6 times the price. I turned around and saw the Skullcandy Aviators and tried them out since I had read the review posted by Jude. When I tried them on with my EQ set to treble booster because of the bloated bass on the Beats, I found the sound to be a bit harsh with some sibilance. As soon as I turned the EQ back to off, I really enjoyed them. They were airy for being a closed headphone, the Mid's were perfect, the high's were good with just enough shimmer, the bass was there, again not for the bassheads. I really liked the look, the sound, and especially the Lifetime Warranty. I tried them out a few more times and decided to takethe plunge when I was able to get them for $120 tax free. At the store I used my Ipod Touch 2G, which is my favorite sounding Ipod that i've heard. Now that I have them, I noticed that right out the box the sound was somewhat different than I experienced at the Apple store. There is a tad more bass, the headstage is a bit smaller, it is not as airy, and though the clarity is there, it's not as detailed as the tester set from the store. I am assuming that this is due to the store tester set being broken in because there were only 2 tester sets compared to about 20 monster beats, so I assume they got alot of play. I am still satisfied with my purchase and I found Jude's findings to be true based on the set at the Apple store. I think they sound at least twice as good as the Koss Portapro's which cost about $40 retail, I need them for my everyday commute and I find them very portable, they isolate a bit but not much, just a bit more than the Koss, I really like the way they look and they seem well built, but what made me buy them was the Lifetime warranty, it's refreshing to see a company stand behind their product just like Koss. That being said, you can probably find a pair of headphones which are better for the price but if you are looking for style,substance, portability, and a lifetime warranty, I would go for the Aviators, especially if you can get them for about $100-120. Even at $150 I believe that they are alot better deal and soudn better than the Beats studios at $300 and they destroy the Beats solo's at the same pricepoint. I would've liked to have tried the M50's for the sound quality but I really don't like the way they look. Now time to burn these babies in more.