I have to admit that I was dubious of these when I first saw them. Ear fins do not seem like they would be comfortable, and I could see how it would be a problem. At first it was a little strange, but after using them for a while I do not even notice the fins anymore. The sound is good for ear buds that are only used to work out, and I actually use them just walking around. The bright yellow is a little intense for my tastes, but nobody really seems to notice unless I point it out. These work great for what they were intended for. The extension cable does not degrade the sound enough to matter at all, I actually did not notice any degradation, and since I do not own a iPod Shuffle, some of the reported problems with that system (which seem like a design flaw that that product more that this one) do not exist for me. Very happy with this purchase overall. It should be noted that those who are worried about different size ears should be able to find something close to their size in the pile of extras that come with this ear bud set.
The downside would be that they are not as high performing as some of the other Sennheiser audio listening devices. This is not all that surprising considering they are not designed for in depth listening but being active, and in that they excel. Even jumping around for four hours strait and slinging heavy boxes around does not move these out of place.
Bottom line: Highly recommend for working out, but if you want to sit and listen to music I would suggest a different model. Sennheiser MX 680 Sports Earbud Headphone with Volume control & Earfin Clips
I've owned my pair for more than 3 months now and have been extremely satisfied with them.
Sweat-proofing: This was the major selling point for me as I have gone through half a dozen other Apple-chip-enabled earphones that I have sweated to death. After 3 months I feel like this pair will go the distance. The rubber controls and microphone (all in the same unit) appear to be well protected and robust. Don't take these for a swim, but feel free to wear them in a sweat box or during a particularly hot and passionate night.
Sound Quality: This attribute is not a high priority for me, but they sound good. Certainly acceptable for my gym-centered purposes.
Sound Isolation: These earphones are designed to leak outside sound in so that you can remain aware while running or cycling in them. Do not make the mistake of thinking they would be good to wear on an airplane or in your office. Your neighbor will hear what you're listening to pretty easily. If you're looking to keep your self help audiobook collection a secret, then look elsewhere.
Microphone: Audio from the microphone is great. I've used it a few times during conference calls for work and they produce as clear audio as my Scosche earbuds of much higher cost. Using these you can feel confident that you're calls to those 900 number businesses won't be wasted (or will be, if that's what you're in to).
Fit and Finish: The earphones come with many rubberized parts of various sizes so you'll be able to squeeze these things into your elfish or octogenarian ears. The arching rubber seen in the product picture above the earbud itself is made of a very soft/pliable material (there are 3 sizes of this and it is optional if you don't like it). The arch is meant to fit into the upper crevices of your ear to help retain the earbud in your ear hole. Mission accomplished through an rough trail running or aggressive actions between the sheets.
The remote itself: I'd take away half a star here if I could. The buttons are squishy and don't have a solid click or feedback to reinforce that it has been pushed. Additionally, the 3 buttons are molded into a single rubberized set of buttons, meaning there is no *physical* separation of the buttons. The combination of these two things (one-button-to-rule-them-all and no feedback) means that using the buttons while wearing gloves in the cold weather is a guessing game. This issue is not a problem when your hands are unprotected.
Plug: It looks like it could take more abuse than a pro in the Amsterdam red light district. Don't fear sticking it in and out of your iPhone/iPod.
Pro: Flashy/sporty design. Lifetime warranty. Sweaty resistant.
Cons: Earfin is a bad take on Sennheiser's original "Twist-to-fit" system. Soundquality is quite terrible.
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First of, these headphones look GOOD. The bright yellow and black color scheme is sexy. The build quality is quite good. Very nice attention to little details like the logo of "Sennheiser" on one side of the cable splitter and "Adiddas" on the other.
The MX 680 come with many accessories, different sizes of the earfins and the rubber around the earbuds. Foam socks. And the thick and rugged carrying case.
I own the MX75 (1st generation of Senn's sport line). I liked the original "twist to fit" system much better, because instead of a sharp "fin", they used round little wheels that roll much nicer against your ears and does not poke.
The earfins is very soft and at times does not offer enough stiffness to keep the buds in my ears. When they do, they hurt my ears after just a few minutes (and is distracting)
The cable system is quite bad. You may ditch the volume control and just connect to an armband. The problem is, the cable is not long enough when I move my arms running. But if I use the extender with volume control, it is very heavy and adds unwelcome tension to my ears.
Sennheiser does give you a clip that you can attach to the cable to keep it from dangling around. THat is totally useless to me because I work out in t-shirts (and I don't know anyone who does not) , there is absolutely no place for it to clip on.
SOUNDQUALITY - Okay, these headphones sound TINY and THIN. If you pushed them a bit into your ears they sound fantastic, but that is not feasible while lifting weights, on a bike, or running. So, if you leave them on like normal, they sound no better than stock earbuds that you get from buying any mp3 player.
There is literally no base thump. You can hear the beat, but there is no impact. One way to look at this is that music sounds extremely light, and will not become too involving or distracting from your workout. But without any low and mid-low end to balance out the frequencies, the highs just are shrieky. It will sound like your brain is being scraped.
Other companies offer headphones at much better values both above and below the price for the MX680, with better comfort and better soundquality. There is no reason to pay so much money for these to replace your stock buds. Except maybe for the looks, but then you should look to other products of the sports range. - Running - Sport - Earphones - Earbuds'
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