Sound is absolutely indistinguishable from the free earbuds that come with the latest iPods. Unlike comparable models, though, these headphones were quite comfortable to wear and stayed in place reasonably well. However, if the product is no better than a free one, there is no reason I should be paying a dime for it.I sent them back to Amazon the next day and they gave me a full refund, with all shipping costs covered, no problem. Sennheiser's marketing of this product is a sham.