I paid $160 for some new on ebay from a grey market japan importer a while back.. $275 seems way high

No desire to don the 800s since I got the 900s. Very happy with them.

I had some lucky timing and picked up a pair of these at a good price. Gaming was to be their intended purpose. Initially, I was having comfort issues. Eventually I found the sweet spot on my stupid shaped dome. They've grown on me quite a bit for gaming as well as music. I'm currently in headphone limbo, so these will stay with me for a bit longer.
Haven't noticed any issues with the pads being uneven.

I don't foresee the price on these dropped anytime soon after becoming a Japan exclusive. One refurb pair popped up on buydig the other day for $155ish. If you're after one at a price below $200, you'll have to be vigilant. 

I have enjoyed these headphones for over a year now.

The measured bass distortion looks awful. My listening, however, does not match the measurements.

At an ear hurting level (90-100 dB) on bass-heavy movie soundtracks, I do not hear any distortion.

My experience is consistent with the following Japanese hobbyist's measurements (100 dB @ 1 kHz):

http://sonove.angry.jp/sony_MDR_MA900.html



2nd order harmonics are still a bit high but MUCH lower than Marv's measurements (you need to convert between % and dB scales).

2nd order harmonics in this lower octave should not be audible in a negative way.