I used to lurk on Head-Fi back from around 2006 - 2008 and sporadically ever since. I'm simply not erm, financially solvent enough (I'm po'), to stay in the hobby, and my cans sort of reflect the era of when I got into it (Especially the EMU 0404 USB I have -- there are so many sweet DACs these days, but this thing got a lot of great reviews back in the day). I was like, 16-18 then, but these two phones are still my favorites and I use them both for audio work and gaming.
Restored the the outer side of the ear pads as Sony cut costs by making the half that rests on your ears real lambskin while doing up the rear half in artificial leather, and that stuff does not like humid environments.
Also modded these to have detachable cables, which is nice, but sometimes more trouble than its worth.
Next are my Sony MDR-CD3000s, which I bought used for a decent price back when eBay was running some cash rebate deal. They were really really beat up and looked like they were left in the sun for too long.
About a year ago, I decided to restore it and hand-stitched new ear pads, head band, and the self-adjusting mechanism from Italian lambskin leather, memory foam, and Japanese silk thread.
I know, given that it was my first time, it didn't come out perfect (I really should've spent the money on leather piercing tools), but I'm happy with it and they feel and sound so much better now.
Also gave it a detachable cable mod, restored some of the plastic that was starting to chip away from one of the hangers, and restored the foam padding surrounding the ear cup and some foam that was in between the driver and the cloth covering.
Overall, I'm super happy with them. Someday, I'll get some newer gear. Maybe the HD800s (only Sennheisers that appeal to me), or some R10s or Qualia 010s, lolol. A dream~