I have owned my 555's since january, and agree below the 50 hour mark they sound awful. However maybe after 80- 100 hours they loosen up again. I am very pleased with them, Not too heavy, tight, detailed bass, clear treble that however does distort very slightly at higher volumes. For your 50 quid off ebay I think you cant do any better. Also if you have an MP3 player, most players seem easily capable of driving them, which is also handy. have fun deciding.