I own these buds for a year now. I use them with aftermarket foamies that make a better fit than the stock ones. These have NO TREBLE/PRESENCE. I have a reputation of being very "treble sensitive", but these phones just have low-mids and boomy bass. I believe the Sony MDR-818/828 are MUCH better, because they actually HAVE some treble extension. From what I remember during a 1 day trial some time ago, the IPOD stock buds sounded a little better, with more clarity that's for sure.

The Coby buds are certainly worse, but the MX400/500 didn't live up to the hype for me.

These are decent little earbuds for the money. Nothing special, nothing, hi-fi about them, but they do sound better than what's included with most every portable player I've tried. Unlike most toss-ins these have a decent bass and treble (I find most cheap earbuds are all mids), and they do project a tiny outside of the head soundstage, which I found surprising. While you can hear more highs than through the cheapest earbuds, the highs are fairly harsh, esp. with rock music. The bass has a decent thump but lacks depth. The midrange is decent, but a bit hollow sounding. They are solidly built, and mine have lasted very well over the last two years now. They improve only minimally when amped, the bass gaining a little definition. As I stated these are nothing to write home about sound-wise, but if you need earbuds, or just want anything better than toss-ins, they are a good use of your $10.

My ratings: Bass Extension: 2 Bass Impact: 3 Bass Quality: 3 Mids Quality: 3 Highs Quality: 2 Soundstage: 2 Detail: 2 Portability: 9 Isolation: 1 Comfort: 4 Durability: 5 Improvement with Amplification: 1 Value for the Money: 7

Although these certainly dont sound great, they sound pretty good, and for 10 bucks, they are excellent value for money. They sit comfortably in your ears, can take quite a beating, and offer a decent performance through the spectrum. All in all, if you want a cheap portable "in ear" solution, then get these. If you dont mind over the ear, or clip style, then spend 5 bucks more and get the Koss KSC75's.

These are excellent performers in their price range. For what you pay you get what I consider the best in portability. Sennheiser's wind-up case is incredibly easy and extremely fast to use compared to the Sony cases I've used before, and slides very easily.

With Radio Shack foamies, the sound is surprisingly decent. Contrary to a previous reviewer's opinion, I'd say the treble isn't bad at all. In fact, I'd say these are pretty well-rounded phones overall. Bass is a little on the light side, mids are very forward, and highs are about average, if a little recessed. For what you pay, you get a lot. If you're on a budget and need a little isolation or portability over the Koss KSC-50/35/75, I couldn't recommend better.