Earbuds are really uncomfortable for me, especially since I wear my headphones hours at a time at work. Sony’s earhook headphones are the perfect solution – they sit outside the ear but don’t have a clumsy plastic bar going across or behind your head. You can switch the caps from metallic blue to silver (Sony also has a pair available from Amazon with a white cord and white or green caps to match the white iPods) and in 2 years I’ve never had a cap fall off. Personally, I find the fit comfortably snug, not too tight, not so far from your ear you lose sound. But ultimately fit will vary from person to person, ear to ear. The sound itself is excellent quality – surprisingly so for non-noise cancelling headphones – and incredible for the price! I like the right connected to the left headphone design, making it so the wire hangs behind your neck instead of in a v across your chest. I find this design keeps the wires out of the way while I’m working, (just situate the wire behind your arm/shoulder instead of in front). This is right whether you keep the player in a pocket, or clipped to your collar like I do. It sounds like runners may have a problem with this design though . . . One draw back is the long cord – I have to untangle it everytime I place it on. It would be fantastic if Sony could place out a version with a reel to pick up the slack. But still, it’s the best practical alternative I’ve found to earbuds.

After trying many pairs of headphones, these have been by far the best. I delight in using these while falling asleep at night. They’re super comfortable. I never feel like they’re pinching or squishing my ears, yet they stay on nicely. They’re very durable. I’ve broken a few similar designed headphones, but these have held up nicely. They are not noise-cancelling, but that’s what I wanted, since I still want to be able to hear other noises.

Okay, headphones are a pain in the a$$! Trust me, you need to go through thousands to find the right ones. Let’s get on with the review! Sound Quality (4/5) – The sound quality on these is far by excellent. The bass is very deep, not too deep, but having bass too deep IS a problem (can’t hear anything but BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!). If you wanna hear deep bass, place pressure on these. Feel discomfort from the clip and have a headache for the amount of bass. Congrats! You’ve become an idiot! Anyway, the volume on these is quite loud, but not quite as loud as Sony’s h. ear, but the treble is better. Who says you can have it all (if you’ve ever heard anyone tell you that you can have it all, please hit their head with a shovel)? Comfort (5/5) – Now, if you read the packaging (which contains someone who looks a lot like Jennifer Lopez, btw), it states things about comfort. Well, those are in fact all right. These headphones are VERY comfortable, and at times I can’t notice they’re on. Certain 5 stars in comfort. Design (3/5) – Ok, design is excellent and dreadful. Let me break it down: Excellent: - The cord is long. Why excellent: This would be excellent for people using these for computering, studio monitoring, video/music editing, things that NEED a long cord. - The cord is made with strong plastic. Why excellent: This would be excellent for bike or ATV riding. Cords get hurt from being hit with a helmet, or just in the air. This is perfect for that, and other similar rough activities. - The plug is gold plated. Why excellent: This would be excellent for most audiophiles and people (freaks) who detail every small thing in every song. Gold plated plugs also seem to be louder than silver plugs. - The hook is a spring hook. Why excellent: For people with elf ears (pointy ears), this will make it simpler to fit on. Terrible: - The hook is a spring hook. Why terrible: This is the largest negative of this headphone. The spring hook, makes the speaker go away from the ear, taking out bass and volume that all those audiophiles (and freaks) just like. Why else is this terrible: This also make it leak sound. This is a pain for people listening to loud music, which make a small distraction for people sitting next to you (like a bus, or classroom, or a public place). Features (5/5) – Yay! A positive! The features on the w. ear are pretty fantastic. Firstly, the interchangeable covers is a nice touch, and there are blue and silver to choose from. The silver sure looks nice next to my SLCT582V, and the blue would look nice on more colored objects (such as a bright colored CD player, Sony’s new PSYC players to be specific). As I said, the spring clip is a huge positive and a huge negative. So yeah, there may be only two features, but these are headphones, you’re not getting a thousand features on them. Portability (5/5) – Ok, pictures mean nothing. Yeah, their “clip design”. That’s what I like to call advertising. Not all clip designs are slim, but that is what Sony and the picture are making you reckon. Even though these DO happen to be very slim, honest warning. Anyway, these are very slim. Slimmer than my slim design CD player. So, these are very portable. Price (4/5) – The price for these are surely not a bargain, but they aren’t overpriced. The price is set about just right. Most headphones with these features would be also around the $20 mark. Who they might be for: These headphones would be for people who aren’t TOO picky about audio quality, but still want decent sound from them. People who might be using them for long periods of time, or have small-normal sized ears. Maybe for people using computers, or for studio monitoring of some such (but you will need to buy an adapter). People may want to consider these for durability, for maybe people doing sports, bike/ATV riding, or other rough activities. These may be excellent for people who are using these in not-so-public places, but still travel a lot, or even for home usage. These would be excellent for people who like interchangeable covers and style. In my opinion, these overall deserve 4 stars. They aren’t exactly perfect, but they’re damn there close.