i have used my headphones for 100+ hours, i have had times where i have not taken off the headphones for nearly 8hrs straight .They are still great quality sound and the battery life is not too bad. The only issue i have had is that after about a year of use the mic started to die (i was rough with it). you do not need any software to use the headphones but the software does allow for a lot of customization. the headphones also work great with a USB Condenser mic.