I bought a pair to replace sony ex71's (many years old, and great up until i caught them in the car door). I wanted to like these, but there is an unacceptable level of line "hum" which basically ruins otherwise decent performance. Cords are too thin and "sticky" rubber, which means they tangle very easily. I also worried about counterfeit (bought from J&R via amazon, not amazon) but based on others' descriptions of build quality, etc. I don't think they are fakes.