I am really, really liking the HF2s out of the Apogee Duet. I'm probably in the honeymoon period now, so I don't trust myself with the details, but I think they're definitely keepers and way more balanced than I thought I'd be getting from a John Grado.
They haven't spent much time offa my noggin since their arrival.
Build quality is nice and solid and not an excess of glue on mine, but the metal housings have a few dings on them, as expected. Headband has one small and shallow scratch on the top, and the silk over the grills is a little frayed at the edges. Still, the overall appearance is solid and from a foot away they are gorgeous. Even my girlfriend thinks they're attractive, and she's usually driven fairly crazy by aesthetic deficiencies.
I think I've already crossed the threshold from "jesus, Grados hurt like fuck" to "hey, these are fairly comfortable now."