I found the sound fantastic. Just got these after usinf Shure E3s for about a year. I liked those but find these even better. When I first tried them I found the base so much stronger than the E3s as many have alluded to. Now I run my iPod at normal equalizer settings. I find the balance of the set dead on. The fit is great, of course your milage may vary. In fact they are so good at excluding air conduction that bone conduction becomes very noticable. This means when I walk with them I can hear my footsteps. This would be a real problem if I jogged (low impact workouts such as elipticals and bicycles are not affected).