I bought these 3 weeks ago (from somewhere else) but am returning them.
The sound IS pretty incredible, however everything else is subpar.
COMFORT: Some people say they're comfortable but I have issues with it. The headband is nice, but the extreme lack of clamp isn't good. The earpads, while I appreciate their large size, are just too shallow (depth) and so my ears (large size, but lay flat) rub the fabric over the driver. This does NOT happen with any of my other headphones with stock pads nor any of the aftermarket pads I use.
SOUND: The sound is amazing, for the person wearing the headphones. However, these are not just "open" they're speakers attached to your head. The amount of sound bleed is sooooo bad, it's the main reason I'm returning them. I could figure out a way to overcome the comfort issues, but there's just no way to lower the sound bleed to an acceptable level. When I wear these in one room, my wife in the next room over (so 12-15 feet away, through an open doorway) can hear them! So basically, the times where I could wear them without bothering someone else are the exact same times where I could use speakers. As my wife says, if she's going to have to hear my music, them she should be able to listen to it too, and not just be annoyed by the bleed.
BUILD: For the price, it's very well built. Sure there's a fair amount of plastic, but the fit and finish is all quite good. The biggest drawback to the build, and it's a HUGE deal for me, is the pads are not removable, so a pad swap is not doable without destroying the stock pads.
ACCESSORIES: The storage bag is crappy, and the cable is just "meh".
ALTERNATIVES: I find the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x to be a great alternative. It has much better clamping (as in there actually is CLAMPING, since the 9500's basically don't have any). The M40x has very good sound for a closed back, that isn't a whole lot more money ($25-30 more). I found the M40x stock pads a little too small for my liking, but once I switched them out for some Brainwavz, they're extremely comfortable, even for hours at a time. The SHP9500 imagining is slightly better, the sound stage is quite a bit wider, and if I'm nitpicking there's more refined detail throughout the frequency range with the SHP9500, but that's the case for most "open" vs "closed" comparisons. I do appreciate the standard SHP9500 cable connection, whereas the M40x uses a locking connection. So while both have replaceable cables, the 9500 can use pretty much any 3.5mm cable, while the M40x requires a very thin connector (it's recessed so far into the can) and some people may like/dislike the locking connector. Personally, I'd rather not have it locked so that if the cable gets caught on something it'll just be disconnected rather than pull the whole headphone off my head.
Compared to my old Sennheiser HD461, also closed back like the M40x, the SHP9500 is a little more detailed with a wider soundstage, but the really noticeable difference is in tonality. The HD461 is much warmer and mid-forward/focused than the SHP9500. It's not muddy, but it is definitely warmer, while the 9500 sounds more neutral because it's a more expected sound. FWIW, if everything else was equal I tend to enjoy a little more midrange focus, however the HD461 comfort trumps the SHP9500 by a bunch, especially with a pad swap. The only comfort plus to the 9500 is the headband.
CONCLUSION: For under $100, the SHP9500 are phenomenal IF the openness (sound bleed) isn't an issue for your use. You can't beat the sound without spending at least double. However, you can't use the SHP9500 on a bus/train/airplane, nor anywhere near someone else. The sound bleed at normal listening levels is a good 15 feet in a quiet environment.
If you want/need closed back in roughly this price point, I recommend the Audio-Technica M40x which gives you much better comfort and pad swappability, while not bothering other people near you, at the loss of soundstage width and some overall definition. Both are highly listenable and I recommend both, just get whichever fits your normal useage the best.