Time is more important than money and it's non-refundable so your ROI is weak with the cheaper product.

@@Diogenes77 It was a fun project. I still use them. AKG has to get it together, though.

Hey! thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you like the review. I haven't tried the Rode 100 headphones, but they seem to be in this price vs performance area. Although I haven't tried them I did some research and found a few things out; The Rode 100 headphones are closed back, which is ideal for voice acting, and limiting noise interference from the headphones in the microphone you use; The sound profile seems fairly neutral which is useful; the clamp force is rated at 1 pound, which I consider ideal because it is very versatile to many different head sizes (especially comfortable for someone like me with a 60 cm circumference head); the cable is detachable and also 3.5mm, which is also very useful - especially since it it such a common connector (unlike the 371 3 pin mini xlr which, although replaceable, is not as widely available/ affordable); you seem to get a lot of (similar) accessories with the headphones (carrying case (maybe not as nice), extra cables- cable organisers?!); according to rtings.com these headphones are also more durable / better built than the 371's; I just want to add that Rode tends to build high-quality things and offers excellent customer service, which I haven't found the same to be true with a AKG- for example, despite the AKG earpads being removable AKG does not offer replacement pads- Rode on the other hand does; Finally, the price; in the UK, you can find these headphones for about £80 which is less than the 371's by about £30. the pros: You pay less, get comparable features and accessories, decent performance, personally I would expect the build to be better and the warranty to be better too. the tradeoffs; the Rode sound profile is less neutral than the 371s; the Rode headphones don't fold up like the 371s making them slightly less portable; leak and isolation may not be as good on the 100s compared to the 371s. RE your use case, I'd say assuming you are using the Rode 100s just to track vocals and are not depending on them to mix they are probably excellent and offer better value the 371s. I would only tolerate questionable, build quality of the AKG 371 because of their neutral sound sound profile. Honestly, doing some research I might have to pick up a pair just to get an idea of how well they perform!

@@tbhv Wow what an excellent response! Thank you for this. Yes I am on that hunt for the most neutral sound to help provide a more accurate performance and not get distracted to how I sound due to the headphones adjusting here and there. I saw a few open box sales for some of the Sennheiser 280s and a few other headphones drastically dropping the prices so might just start testing. Your input is very helpful too I am going to see if I can find a friend with a pair now too so I can give a listen. Thanks!

Update: Now I had the HD 280 Pro, the DT 770 Pro, the AKG K-361 and the t.bone HD 815 (another DT 770 Pro knockoff) on my desk as well. Both the HD 280 Pro and the K-361 were far too lean sounding for my application. Very detailed, but mid-focused (especially the HD 280 Pro) without much width, depth and sparkle. The HD 815 had surprisingly great mids, but they were too bass-heavy and didn't have great treble (low-treble peak, very little detail and no air). I found that for practicing and recording bass, I don't want/need the most neutral sound but I prefer a little V-shaped tuning. The DT 770 Pro provide exactly that, still with a lot of clarity in the mids and mostly accurate timbre. Adding the rugged build and serviceability, I quickly made the decision to keep them.