Headphones are great, they are comfortable and come with three different ear bud sizes. Sound quality is also great. Bang for the buck.

First off, yes the sound quality is very good and if you plan to sit around the house doing nothing but listening to music then these would be fine. But then if you're not buying them for active use then you should just get a good pair of over-the-head style Senheiser or Grado. So then assuming that one buys this style of headphone for use when running, cycling, working out, etc then sound quality takes a back seat to comfort and ease of use. With the asymmetrical design of the cord (right side is much shorter than left) the right bud is constantly tugging and eventually pulling out of the ear. Also, prior to the bud being ripped from your ear the seal is lost which means that all of the aforementioned sound quality is lost since this style of phone relies on deep insertion into the ear canal for a good seal. If you sweat while working out then the cord will stick to the skin and as the cord slips down (due to the heavy connector Sony uses for the extension) it resists sliding back up as you move your head and then, "pop goes the weasel". I've used these for Spinning and on the treadmill and I am constantly screwing around either trying to push the bud back into my ear, pulling the cable up to provide some slack or replacing the bud after it has been pulled out. The person who came up with this "design" should be fired along with the design team who felt this was a good idea. Typical marketing driving design where a solution is made to solve a problem that does not exist. There are MANY earbud style headphones out there that have as good sound quality as these or better. Avoid this model unless you enjoy holding your thumb up to your ear as you run.

Overall, I like these headphones a lot. They are, by far, superior to the headphones that come with the Ipod. I use mine primarily when I workout. It's nice to be able to put them in my ear and not have to worry about them falling out. My only complaint is that I wish the headphone cord were shorter. Occasionally when I play basketball the cord, because of its length, gets in my way. The original Sony headphone design gave you the option to shorten the amount of cord you used. However, the new design no longer provides that option. I wish Sony would bring it back. But overall I am pleased with headphones and quality of sound.

I absolutely beat these things up and they are still fine. I have had them for over a year and I use them every day. I manage to literally rip them out of my ear by hitting the cord just about ever other day. I have had a couple pairs of headphones break on me this way, but these show no signs of wear whatsoever. I have no clue how people are having trouble with the cords.

I also really like the plug. Having it angled makes it much less likely to break when you wrap it around an mp3 player or something like that.

The wire to the right headphone is twice as long as the left one which seems really weird at first, but it's not difficult to get used to.

The sound quality isn't great. Noise can carry through the cord if it rubs on your clothes, but you can't expect too much for $20.

The carrying case is completely useless...just throw it out when you get it!

These earphones were cheap, and very good quality. I've read complaints about hearing yourself chew, etc... but for me it hasn't been a problem. I have a cheap pair of JVC's (about $10) that produce near the same quality sound, but these are way more comfortable. It's true, the cord is a bit too short, but for all my purposes, it's been long enough.

Regardless, if you're looking for a good set of earphones, then these are worth purchasing. I've also tried Sennheiser's, and I think I made the right decision with these.