in-ear headphones

I recently purchased these headphones because I needed something that didn't irritate my ears like my behind-the-ear style headphones that came with my MP3 player do. They are comfortable in the ears, and (at least for me) do not fall out.

The sound is very pleasing! The bass compliments the higher notes very nicely. There is an equal balance of both, so one does not drown out the other. Yet the bass is powerful at the same time. I really like the adjustable volume control on the cord! The only problem with this product is that the cord may not be long enough for some people, but this is a very minor problem.

First, a disclaimer: I'm far from an audiophile. When listening to live rock concerts, I can barely decipher the instruments. However, I do like to hear good quality music, and not at outrageous prices (read: less than $20). I enjoy using earbuds, because way back when I got my first CD player I bought a pair of Sony earbuds to replace those standard foam headphones, and was astounded by the much better bass and overall sound quality by sticking those speakers directly in your ear. I've been an earbuds-phile ever since. They're much easier to carry around too!

Over the years I moved from CD player to mp3 players and what not, and my last two pairs of earbuds have been Sennheiser MX-500's, which have also gotten good reviews and costs < $20. Those buds are known for very true to the sound (or so I read). I enjoyed them, but always thought they were weak on the bass. I don't really like using my music player's equalizer functions, since I think they made the sound seem more artificial.

My last pair of Sennheisers started dying while I was skiing in sub zero weather. The wire-covering near the volume control gave out in the cold, and the wires were exposed. I lived with occasional electric shock in my left bud for the past month, before the whole bud died. Anyway, time to get to get a new pair of earbuds.

I was almost going to get the same Sennheisers again when I saw these, which were less expensive (the Sennheiser prices increased since I last bought them). I received my Sony's today, tried them on -- and immediately liked the much nicer bass!! I tried a techno track and was astounded. It's likely that the higher frequencies sounds are more muddled on the Sony's than the Sennheisers, but if so, the deeper bass makes up for it and more.

Plus, the wire covering on the Sony's appear to be of much higher quality than the old Sennheiser's (soft rubber feel instead of harder plastic feel), so hopefully next time I go skiing my earbuds won't die.

Also, if it makes a difference, the size of the Sony buds seem to be bigger, so it fits more nicely in my ear. My ear isn't that big or anything, but sometimes the Sennheiser's would slip out. With the foam inserts on this Sony, those buds definitely aren't budging a millimeter.

Bottom line: pack away those free buds/headphones that came with your music player, and click "Add to Shopping Cart" now!

I read the Amazon reviews for these Sony ear-buds and decided to buy them after my daughter stole the ear-buds that came with my Rio Cali MP3 player. Those ear-buds, which hooked on to your ear with a special clip, sounded OK. After receiving my Sony MDR-E829V ear-buds which I bought on sale at Amazon for $12.62 I was more than skeptical about their quality especially since they are cheap.

To say that I was stunned after trying them out is a gross understatement. They sound SPECTACULAR! I am far from a newcomer to quality audio and I own some first-rate equipment but you have to wonder why anyone would pay hundreds of dollars for a pair of top audio headphones when a $12 pair of ear-buds will blow your socks off. They provide deep solid bass (surprise!) and a full clean range of frequency. Aside from a built in volume control Sony provides a cheap but quite convenient plastic case that allows you to quickly roll the whole thing up and pack it away neatly. The unit also comes with foam covers for the ear-piece but they are useless and I quickly threw them out. This is a superb buy but be forewarned that in the ear buds take a bit of getting used to. Once you find the best way to place them in your ear they are quite comfortable and you will truly marvel at the sound they put out. Indeed, this may be the best buy to be had in the audio world today (no joke!).