They look pretty decent. Guess I'll have to wait for a review to see if they sound as good as they look.

Etymotic makes something similar to this for around the same price. The audio quality in those was horrendous.

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I had planned on purchasing the V-Moda headphones but all the complaints about build quality changed my mind. V-moda is supposed to release a revision to fix the problem soon. Till then these are a cheap alternative.

Chances are, same Chinese OEM, same Chinese parts, same Chinese cables, same workers that assemble the goods.

Just that you're not paying for the V-Moda markup and marketing. Probably 90% of the quality without paying the full price.

That's just the way it bounces.

Is it safe to say that any headphones or ear buds or whatever that cost $100 or more probably could be found for half that price or less? Admittedly, you can tell the difference between speakers of various sorts, I so I recognize it is not a Monster Cable discussion. Still, maybe it is just the cheapskate in me, but paying $100 for headphones seems obscene, although I somehow expect that if I listened to them I might change my mind.

these are probably between the two in terms of quality. the v-moda vibes are about a good as a $50 pair of sony earbuds. i doubt these are that good.

BTW, one side effect of the v-modas' fabric coating on the cords is static. I've definitely taken off my coat while feeling the tingling of static electricity in my ears.

Guys, if you're looking for a genuinely cheap option that gets the job done, has decent sound quality (I'm not an audiophile, but I don't like listening to garbage), features a superb design in the over-the-head lasso style (allowing you to pull the buds out and let them hang around your neck - makes finding them so much easier), and are downright comfortable, check out the Rivet Headphones for the iPhone. At $9.44 on Amazon can you really go wrong?

I bought them for $20.00 a couple of months ago and for that price I'm not disappointed, but I'd feel really good about $10.

@jhcovert: Do you have a link? I couldn't find it at Amazon. All I found was RadTech's BT headset which doesn't have great sound quality reviews.

@MrBlahBlah: I have the v-moda after using various versions of the Sony Fontopia buds for several years. The difference is astonishing. v-moda are really excellent, more comfortable (because the bud is smaller) and better at blocking out ambient sound. Though you have to either lower the bass or raise the treble in order to get a good frequency range.

Since you mentioned V-Modas... I have a pair and I love 'em... and to ease the price-pain, I just noticed them at my local CostCo (Westlake Village, CA) for $69. If I didn't already have a pair I woulda bought 'em.

@bandit:
yeah they are a bit heavy on the bass, but i kinda like that frankly. i tried upping the treble on my iphone but then some rock songs got a little too harsh, so i just keep it at normal.

I had a pair of sony fantopias that were like 8 years old, that were just as good as this. purchased at $50. I think they raised their prices since then so that the current $50 earbuds aren't as good. I finally had to retire the sonys becuase they got too damn nastay

I solid mid-level alternative is the Maximo iP-HS2, although it looks like they've gone up about $13 since I got em for $55. I only bought them because my iPhone earphones broke, but they're a big improvement and really solid for the price.

@zombo:
[www.amazon.com]
I got a pair too. They're ok, but the microphone is a bit poor, people complain that it's sounds a bit sharp to the ears than without it.

@zombo: @auroragb:
Some of the reviews I read on Amazon really slam these phones, so maybe the build quality has gone down with the price, but mine are great - no complaints at all: no fraying, decent sound, no complaints on sound quality from those I call. Who knows? Electronics now-a-days are such a mixed bag - even with decent brands some folks pull a lemon.

@bandit: Personally, if you have to fiddle too much with the EQ to get decent out of your cans, then it's not worth it. That's just me though.

But what do I know, I'm a Sonycrackaddict through and through.

I've had two pairs of V-moda crap out on me so far. First little annoying dots of static start to show up, then one of the earbuds craps out within two-three weeks.
I'm on my third pair, and the static has just started. I expect these to die, too.

They may be the worst quality earphones I've ever owned. The sound is ok, but I'd expect $100 earbuds to live more than two months before dying.

Boo, Vmoda.

Maybe I'll try these out.

@permissionmag

I've had the same experience. One of the earbuds craps out so I have to send the damn things in. I haven't had the static issue, though.

Just got this radtech headset. Sound is a little better than the stock apple set, and they are much more comfortable in-ear. Overall they seem to be a pretty good deal for non-audiophiles.

But these don't seem to have the iPhone-specific button for controling calls and ipod features.