So, I should have listened to the folks on here who said that these had poor bass response. they really do. I mean, they'll be fine for walking to work, where there is lots of background noise - but for just sitting and listening? not so much. Got these to replace my ipod buds, since I'm one of the millions out there whose ears don't fit the famous white headphones. The sonys fit great, feel good in my ears, which is the first time I've had a set of ear buds that did so. but damn, the sound quality is tinny with very little bass response. and, as someone else noted, they sound awful on the ipod on any EQ setting besides "flat" - try boosting the bass, and they go all crunchy really fast.