I had used Grado Labs SR225 for listening/studio duties for many years. Eventually a driver got damanged. I dealt with the Japanese distributor per Grado Labs advice. They repaired the drive for a decent price (less than 25% of the product cost). There was a problem with the initial repair, and they upgraded both drivers to the newest SR225e ones at no additional cost.
Compare that to recent problems with my Beyerdynamic DT990 Pros. The cushions are way overpriced. Once cleaned properly (which they will inevitably need), they loose their shape, and their sound quality diminishes. When asked about repairs (same driver problem as the Grados), the estimate was about 100% of the product value, and just “buying a new one was recommended.”
The difference between my experience with Grado and Beyerdynamic really left a bad taste in my mouth. Both issues with the DT990s really makes them an unattractive buy imo. I had even considered DT770s for commutes, but no longer.
I have Audeze LCD-X for detail and mixing duties. Anyone have a good rec for versitile studio headphones - specifically those with good customer service to back them up?