Price Paid:  $20.00 from etronics

Summary:
i was extremely dissappointed with these things. for some reason i expected that in-ear headphones could provide better sound than they do. i had read some good stuff about these (even that they were the best in-ears for under $100) and so i got them for my new mp3 player and they were extremely dissappointing. bass response is nil. null. nada. zilch. and when you actually boost your bass on whatever player to max, over even very low volumes it distorts horribly. midrange response was very nice, treble response a little tin-y and strong but good in those ranges at least. putting the foam on made them sound much worse. muffled and crappy and bad. as a comparison, i tryed out my 4 year old $15 panasonic open ear headphones on the same song and they sounded much, much, MUCH better.

Strengths:
comfortable i guess if you use the pads, though then they sound bad. midrange is nice, treble is good if you want that much.

Weaknesses:
bass! there is none! also, the design with the two chords one shorter than the other is really annoying. i guess if you REALLY need in-ears these would be decent. who knows.

Similar Products Used:
no other in-ears but i know what good phones sound like and these arent it.

Price Paid:  $30.00 from Sony

Summary:
Well balanced, affordable, durable. I've used earbuds for more than 10 years and have owned at least 10 different pairs, mostly Sony. I've also tried many more in stores etc. The 848s has to be used with the pads to add warmth to the sound and that makes it a well balanced pair and as far as I'm concerned best in it's proce range.

Strengths:
Well made, good sound and great value for money. Certainly a much better deal than the 888s!

Weaknesses:
Have to use the ear pads. It's amazing the difference in sound those little pads make. Luckily I prefer the pads but I'm some users would prefer no pads.

Similar Products Used:
MDR-E838, MDR-EX70

Price Paid:  $30.00

Summary:
5 years use out of last pair - beats cheaper ones hands down - awesome sound, rich with clean bass & mid/treble.

Very comfortable, and don't annoy the hell out of fellow commuters with "leakage"!!

Strengths:
Sound richness, reliabilty

Price Paid:  $30.00

Summary:
Great sound, but not reliable

Strengths:
Very good sounding! Make my DEJ925 discman more enjoyable

Weaknesses:
One channel started to have excessive noice after 3 months use. Have to throw it away.

Similar Products Used:
Other earbuds from SONY. HD-600 at home