MDR-W08L Vertical In-The-Ear Headphones,Black

Of all of the headphones I've used to date, I've found that these ones definitely offer the most "bang for your buck!" I highly recommend them. In fact, I can't recommend them enough. I'm on my third pair, and I've consistently experienced the same quality from each. Here are the short, sweet points: 1) Ninety percent of the time, I use mine for running and biking with my iPhone/iPod. I sweat obnoxiously, and they still hold up against the "moisture" (which is an understatement). They're definitely durable. If you're that athlete hunting for "the pair", these are a solid bet to go with! 2) They really don't kid about the "ultra lightweight" aspect! These are amazingly lightweight and flexible, and that lends to an amazing fit. They don't hurt my ears (or head) from pushing or squeezing too firmly. 3) The sound quality is great for my standards. These compare (or surpass) any I've used. 4) The only (minor) issue I experience is that if they ever come out of my ears for a moment (i.e. I bump them or take them out to say "hey" to someone), sweat can get into my ear, and they sometimes run into issues. It's rare, and the results are typically minor, but it can create that "underwater" effect, reducing the volume and quality slightly. Usually, a simple re-shift or drying out of my ear will alleviate the problem. 5) If was being really picky, I'd say they could also benefit from a cord management system (e.g. a free clip). However, relative to others, they have a pretty ideal cord length (i.e. as little excess as seems possible). If you've read this far and want my typical "wordier" review, read on for my follow-up points: 1) Sweat/Life: Like anything, they're not invincible. They don't even claim to be waterproof, so more power to them! Typically after five to six months of using each pair daily, they eventually bite the dust. That's from one to two hour workouts, constantly being chucked in and out of a gym bag, and surviving whatever other wears come their way. Toward the end of their life, I'll eventually begin to experience an occasional short-out in one of the speakers during the "peak" of my workout (a.ka. the part where I sweat nastiest). However, they'll dry out by the next day and be good to go. After about another month of this routine, they'll become unusable. From my experience, that's a great lifespan- especially for the price you can find these at. 2) Fit: They sit so gently set in my ear canals, yet they stay in so well. I've never had them come off unless I accidentally knock them off. Honestly, I've sort of "forgotten" I have them in at times. Because I don't think about them, I've gone to scratch my head or wipe sweat, and I've dumbly knocked them lose. They're design blows my mind. It's just so ideal. I've even gone through a number of hair-dos (ranging from longer to completely buzzed), and they still stay on just as well. They're very adjustable because of a precise range of ratcheted positions. 3) Sound Quality: I can't say I've owned "premium sound" sound sport headphones, so this is always the toughest part for me to review. I like to think that I know good sound and appreciate high quality. Based on that alone, I say these are great. I pump songs with heavy bass (i.e. budstep, rock, etc...), and they sound great to me. More "objectively", I can at least compare them to other things like my premium car audio, Apple Earbuds, and so forth. Based on all of that, they sound just as good to me. 4) Sweat (Part 2): I don't have much extra to say here. Basically, this is rarely an issue, but it's a point worth noting. Because they're not water proof, they don't have any special seals. I just make a habit of not taking them out until I'm done, and everything is usually fine. I just pause my music if I need to stop and hear something. And that's not to say I can't ever take them out. I've done so many times without any problem. It's just a rule I've made to avoid even risking it. 5) Cord Management: I rarely notice this problem. I generally just let them hang and don't run into issues. Because of they're great fit, I can easily throw the cord behind me or wear it down the front- depending on how I'm working out. On rare occasions, I use a clip from an old pair of headphones, and that helps a lot. Personally, I just hate dealing with clips, so it's almost not even worth the extra effort. It might be important to note that I have used several various headphones over the years, and these are what I ended up on. To give you some comparison, I have tried various Apple "Earbuds" (i.e. Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic (NEWEST VERSION)[Retail Packaging ]), Griffin TuneBuds (i.e. Griffin TuneBuds Mobile for iPhone 3G, 3GS (Black) ), and even nicer Sennheiser sport sets (i.e. Sennheiser PMX80 In-Ear Sport Series II Behind the Head Earphones ).

I just bought two more of these headphones for my grandchildren, but not because they need the great sound. The kids benefit from other attributes. I have some terrific in-ear headphones that not only deliver the goods sound-wise but block other sound. While that's perfect on the tractor, other times I want good sound with more ease and the ability to hear other things if necessary. The quality of sound these simple earphones deliver is astonishing. It does, however, depend on how you position them. You have to have them in right way around, of course. I like to wear them hanging under my chin so they don't interfere with taking my glasses on and off which I do a lot and they're so lightweight they stay in place well. It's quick off and on when necessary and they don't catch in my hair, but sometimes when I move my head down it moves the headpiece, which moves the earpieces and the sound isn't delivered as directly which makes a difference. It encourages me to sit up straight :). The sound is more consistent when wearing the headphones over your head as designed; it's just not necessary to wear them that way. For the kids, the headphones are replacing the earbuds that came with their little MP3 players. We've found the ones that came with them are a bit too big for their ears and won't stay in place reliably. After watching my granddaughter carrying her beloved little gadget around holding one bud up to an ear, I decided this type headset would be an improvement, and indeed it is. Since the headpiece is adjustable it works for her as well as for me. She can still hear us when necessary, but can also enjoy her music without fussing with the headphones, which is great, especially in the car. They work really well with the DVD player on trips since they don't take up much room in the case, are easy for the kids to put on and take off and are so lightweight they are comfortable. They've already learned the trick of pulling one earpiece out so as to hear Mommy better and letting it easily reset into their ear when the message has been acknowledged. This is so much easier than removing and resetting an earbud, I really value the ease as well. All that said, I love them for myself and although I carry earbuds with me, these are the headphones I use around the house. The first time I used them I couldn't believe I could get sound that impressive out of such modest headphones. I'd expect it from multi-hundred dollar headphones, but I think you'll find these are as good as the much bulkier noise canceling headphones. I highly recommend giving them a try. You might be as surprised as I was.

UPDATE 7/2012: Sadly, i am downgrading from 5 stars to 3. I just ordered another one this month and the quality of the sound has remarkably declined. In fact, before I ordered I was surprised I am ordering again this soon but thought maybe I pulled the cord or something. After receiving this newest one I ordered I am convinced quality has indeed dramatically declined. Very sad. ORIGINAL POST 12/2011: It's been around that long and yet it is still being made available by Sony. And people still buy them! Me included. What I like best about this are: > it is not tight in the head, you almost don't feel you have one on your head. it's very flexible, too. compare to some headphones which sit like tight headbands on the head which can almost give you headache > i sit in a cube at work so when at work, i actually put this on facing the other way around (ie, left bud is on right side of face) and don't actually put the buds inside my ear. i have the earbuds sit just below my temples, with the sound blasting towards my ear. this way, i hear my music AND also hear noise around me, especially when someone comes over to talk to me. on the other hand, when i put this on the right way at just the right volume, i usually don't hear it when someone comes over or when my cube neighbor is talking loudly again (unless of course i put my volume very low). so if this is what you want, yes, it can definitely block out other noise > i am very satisfied with the sound. i have never bought those really expensive headsets so i can't really say how good this one compares, though if it matters i have bose in the house so perhaps you can say i have some exposure to good enough quality sound. but this is definitely better than the free headsets you get. > i estimate one pair lasted me at least 2 years, if not more. it's so inexpensive i don't really take care of it. also i just leave it lying around in the office as i have no fear of it being stolen. > this is very worth your money

Just got these for running, traveling to/from work (airline commutes). So far out of the box they are extremely lightweight which in my opinion is great for running. Don't seem overly durable but for the cost I wasn't expecting much. I also have a pair of in ear Sennheiser's and some Phillips in-ear's as well. The Sennheiser's have slightly better sound to them although the bass output of these is close to the Senn's. These lose a very small amount of acoustics due to the ear pieces not completing a seal in the ear but very minimal loss. My music still sounds great and with plenty of bass if not a little on the tinny side for the highs. The in-ear headphones which I've paid lots for and used for a while sound great but just don't stay in while running unless you have the right ear size to exactly fit their custom adapters. I felt like every run I was reaching up to adjust them and that frankly pissed me off. ;) I use running to de-stress and unwind a little. These fit nicely in the ears and provide great sound without having to mess with them. (These are my initial comments, after I run today I'll update with any issues if any.) For those that wear hats/glasses while running, these so far fit fine under or over the top of my adidas running hat and work with my Costa Del Mar sunglasses. I have slim frames (over the ear part) on my glasses so results will vary for others. Cord is plenty long if not a little too long but will accommodate most body types and lengths. That's all I have for now. Again, I will update post run today if any issues pop up that I feel should be recognized. Four stars for build quality (just don't seem to be very sturdy but time will tell) and sound quality is slightly less than higher end models. For the cost though, they are dang close though! UPDATE: After using them running I am still impressed. Sound was great and I really liked the lightweight feeling of both the headset and cord. The cord was a little long (I'm 6'2") but I ran it down my shirt to my Ipod on my shorts and it was light enough that it didn't bother at all. Also if you wear the hat, it almost helps to keep a little additional pressure on the ear pieces which, for me, improved the sound quality slightly. All in all good short term assessment. Will update later if it breaks or any negatives are noticed.

I finally found a pair of headphones that won't fall out of my ears when I run! They worked so well that I set new personal bests for time and distance! I've tried to run with my Bose ear buds (that rest in your ear), Koss ear buds, and a set of JVC over-the-ear ear buds that I bought 2 weeks ago. They all have the same problem. After about 10 minutes of running I start working up a good sweat, and once your ear gets sweaty, there's no way that an ear bud will stay in place, especially with the constant impact from running. They just start to slip out, and there isn't anything you can do to fix the problem. Having to constantly adjust a headphone of any kind while running is a major distraction, and totally takes my focus off my workout. For under $10, the Sony MDR-W08L was a risk-free shot at solving the problem. I had a similar pair of Sony headphones about 15 years ago that had an exposed metal headband. They worked well, but the sound was marginal. That was long before I took up running. These headphones very similar, but much more stylish and with much better sound. Are they perfect? No. They don't have as much spring to the headband as I expected, but I found that once I got them adjusted for my head/ears they stayed in place. I had to adjust the bass up a bit and keep the high end flat on my MP3 player to keep them from sounding too tinny. Once I got everything set for fit and sound, I was off and running. They didn't slide out, fall off, or require constant adjustment! I'm sooooooo glad I bought two pairs! 11/20/2011 UPDATE - my first pair finally broke. They lasted ten months with daily use since my wife started using them, too. Sometimes used twice a day. One of the wires finally pulled loose after accidentally yanking the cord and/or stressing the cord from dropping an attached MP3 player. $8 for ten months of daily use? AWESOME. I still have the 2nd pair that I use, and just ordered 4 more pairs for around $30 just in case Sony decides to stop making them. BTW, when they get full of sweat, use a paper towel to wick away as much of the sweat as possible, then use an air duster to gently blow the rest of the moisture our of the earpieces. Heavy sweating from exercise usually contains a fair amount of sodium leaching out through your pores. Even though you can't see them with the naked eye, there are sodium crystals in that sweat that can eventually cause damage to the earpiece drivers as the sweat dries and the crystals harden. Unfortunately, the manufacturers don't tell you how to "maintain" the earpieces because they'd rather sell you another pair once the drivers start failing due to the sweat/sodium crystal damage.

The title of this review says it all. These are very inexpensive running/exercising headphones, and for me they have been worth much more than their cost. They are unbelievably lightweight, which is the secret to how they stay on your head; they are basically so light that they don't even have the weight to bounce around as you run. My run speed varies greatly, including sprinting, and I have never been worried in the slightest that these headphones might fall off. Comfort: They are designed to fit very lightly into your ear. I imagine this could bother someone (they are hard plastic, not padded), but for me they fit very nicely, and I honestly don't even notice they are there. And most importantly, they stay on your head. Sound: Good enough. You aren't going to listen to these things other than when you are running/exercising (I can't imagine why you would, anyhow), and the sound is more than adequate for that. Also, they are NOT noise-cancelling; in fact they are actually designed in a way that lets IN some noise. To me, that actually makes them safer. You still hear your music, mind you, but if there is a loud noise around you (i.e. a semi truck barreling down on you), you will hear it (or at least I believe you will - I make no guarantees). Price: Are you kidding me? I still don't understand how these are so inexpensive. According to Amazon, I bought these 5 months ago, and they show absolutely no signs of wear (note: I'm not going to lie, it's not like I'm running every day here, but my wife and I do share them, and we also aren't afraid to toss them into the closet after a run). The cost vs. the amount of use you will get out of these before they break (if they do break) seems like a great value to me. Bottom line, I love them. It's nice to finally know I'll never have to search for another pair of exercise headphones (I'll always go back to these).

Are you one of those people who have tried earphones, headphones, and earbuds all their life and did not find something that fits the bill; so here is me, I recently left that club when I purchased these Sony earplugs. Before we start let me tell you why I needed these: I run about 2-3 times a week, and the rest of the days I spend about 20-60 minutes a day in the gym lifting weights. My requirement was I wanted something that can meet the needs of both these environments. These are actually so light, that when I first got them I thought, Sony forgot to put the magnets and have just sent me the frame....disheartened at the thought of making a package, and talking to the customer (un)support staff, and thousand similar thoughts came to my mind. But I connected them to my mp3 and put them into my ears...."VOILA". They are actually "featherweight", and for their weight, do more than justice to the bass. These are great for gym/running. I have tried so many other earbuds/plugs (never wrote a review, I guess now you know why). Problems experienced with previous pieces of listening equipment I have tried before: - Too heavy and seems like you are exercising your skull muscles (there are superlight) - The ones with the pop up extension which fits in the ear canal, seems to create a weird sensation and becomes uncomfortable after a while (there just glide into the ear and leave enough space for some air) - Too small & keep falling out (these fit snugly) or - Too big: I had to keep adjusting and would waste 10% of work out time (these are perfect) - No head support....would fall when I ever I ran faster than a snail (these stay put thanks to the head band) - Too little bass to sound like an old fashioned radio (they have perfect amount of bass) or - Too much bass , just thump and no vocals...( again perfect amount of bass) I really am at a loss of words, to find anything wrong with these as of now. But could be an effect of novelty, and because I have tried so many earphones without success, that this sounds like a golden egg to me....but I will update and let you know my experience with time, if it at all changes. These are not Klipsch or Bose, or Senheisers. But none of those fancy things are good for you during the running or workouts, and most importantly none of those above mentioned ones (or even their packaging for that matter) costs 7 $ including shipping.

Updated Oct 2017: In case people keep coming back here hoping for a new supply miracle like I am, after much trial and error, I find these to be an acceptable sound replacement AFTER you bend the headband vigorously to disable the vice-like grip it puts on your head and reduce the pressure the buds place in your ears. Probably will not work on larger heads though as mine are at max position before the stretching. Hope this helps. https://www.amazon.com/Koss-KPH14W-Firing-Headphone-White/dp/B00XHRTVOY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_sims?ie=UTF8 Updated July 2017: while possibly the best ever for the style & price in the past, do not touch at these prices. There is a serious design flaw in the manner which the wires attach to the speakers inside the sealed shell and its only a matter of (limited) time before one or both channels lose the sound. I've bought over 50 over the years and average 3 months exercising 45 minutes a day before breaking. They were disposable at $8-10. A curse on you SONY! As others have pointed out, great sound and wearing convenience. But best to buy in bulk. I insist on this style and the sound is superb as compared to other makes of this style but if you are active and get more than 3 months out of them, you are well ahead of the game. They used to be reasonably priced at stores (well under $10) but now its ridiculously priced everywhere except Amazon. So if you order or see a great price, grab several and carry a spare when traveling. A wire will eventually loosen and you will loose a channel. No idea why this can't be made better so I left off a star, waffling between 3 and 4 due to the hassle. Yes, its annoying but its something you just have to get over and embrace the great sound & price.

Parece mentira que despues de tantos años que los tuve, los encontrara aun a la venta... Me encantaron estos cascos en su momento y mientras esten disponibles, no comprare otros...

On ne le sent quasiment pas tant il est léger, et le son est excellent. Je n'en fais pas un usage de mélomane - je l'utilise pour écouter des enregistrements binauraux essentiellement. Le résultat dépasse de loin tous les autres casques que j'ai et certains sont supposés être vraiment bons. Un grand plus pour moi qui ne supporte pas les écouteurs intra-auriculaires : ceux-ci dérogent à la règle. Ils ne bouchent pas totalement l'oreille, et tout en ne coupant pas des bruits ambiants ils donnent une présence tout à fait "isolée" à ce que l'on écoute. Donc, ça respire ET ça restitue parfaitement l'écoute sans "parasitage". Petit détail : le casque que j'ai commandé était défectueux, l'écouteur gauche ne fonctionnait pas. Amazon me l'a remboursé sans souci mais ne m'a pas proposé de le remplacer ; juste le remboursement.

ずり落ちなくて快適です。走っていてもはずれることが無いので重宝しています。

I am a hard of hearing person and use headphones to listen to the TV. I own an array of headphones from very expensive to very inexpensive and the Sony MDR W08L are the most inexpensive headphones I own. They are also the best sounding for watching TV. I can finally understand most of the spoken audio while the background sounds such as to much bass and other electronically produced background sound are kept to a minimum. I am very happy with these headphones. They are as light as a feather and you can wear them for hours on end without discomfort whatsoever. I also bought a 25' 3.5mm extension cord to plug into my TV's headphone outlet and my TV watching is now a pleasure rather then a headache. I purchased 2 additional sets of these headphones just in case one should break or be discontinued. Best purchase for me as far as TV watching is concerned. If I want to listen to MP3's or CD's, I use different headphones with more bass and deeper sound but for TV watching, the MDR-W08L are unbeatable.

For only £6.50, these headphones are great value for money, in fact they compare favourably with a pair of Sennheisers I bought for 6 times the price. These phones are very light and comfortable to wear. They stay on really well so are ideal for the gym or running. Sound quality far exceeded my expectations for a budget product - well balanced, crisp highs and good tight bass. Go buy some - you won't regret it!