Xdr-8000 Vertical in Ear Ultralight Sport Running Headband Headphones

I bit the bullet and bought a pair of these Sonxtronic headphones. These are a carbon copy of the coveted Sony MDR W08 headphones that have been discontinued. These phones look exactly like the Sony phones. I have to wonder if the same manufacturer who made these for Sony now manufactures the Sonxtronics. The only difference in these headphones is they are black rather than grey and they have a slightly longer cable. The cable was always a bit too short on the Sony's so this is an improvement. The sound quality is superior to the original Sony model. The highs are brighter and there is no noticeable difference in the low frequencies. These are delicate headphones and they won't take a lot of knocking around but they are well worth the $24 price tag. Don't pay the high prices now being charged for the Sony's. These are every bit as good at a fraction of the price.

Comfortable and great audio quality headphones. Great for the gym.

Wrote the review below on 3/27. On 9/28, I received an email informing me I was being shipped a new set of earbuds and I should have contacted The ProfessionalDepartment via the Amazon Marketplace instead of the messaging system via the Sonxtronic website. I'm not sure why they don't respond to messages from their website, but I am happy to get a working set and happy to know how to contact the company. The earbuds arrived today, 3/31, and seem to work well. I have upped my rating from 1 to 4 stars for now. I am hopeful that I can increase to 5 stars after a few months of use. I really want these to work.Broke after 2nd or 3rd use, no response from SontronixWas thrilled to find these as they looked just like my old Sonys, even if they cost 2.5x as much. I enjoyed my first 2 or 3 uses. Unfortunately, the next time I picked them up, sound from one of the earbuds ceased. I checked my iPod with other earbuds and they worked ok so I knew it was the Sonxtronics. I contacted Sontronix via their website (could not find a phone number) asking them to fix or replace the product. This was a few weeks ago, I have not heard from them. I am severely disappointed and recommend against buying anything from this company. Sonxtronic, if you replace my earbuds, I will update this review.

I grew up using partial over the ear but this style is difficult to find these days. I use the headphones when exercising, during yard work, or fix-up projects around the house. I wear an extra large male hat size.My favorite is the Maxell SL-3, hp-200. I like the way they feel as they are the most comfortable of the group. The sound is well balanced throughout the frequency range. The over the ear component aligns with the middle of each earpiece so the angle feels good. One potential drawback is that the cord is a straight plug connector as opposed to the firm rubber right angle plugs that are more common. I remember having many of these straight connectors that eventually went bad at the connection.My second favorite is the Sonxtronic XDR-8000. These have ends that go into the ear. They are comfortable. These are lacking in the base and low frequency range and require a higher volume setting to achieve the same sound as the padded Maxell and Panasonic headphones reviewed. The sound is a bit “tinny”. I am keeping these because while they don’t sound the best, they don’t have the foam pads and thus will hold up much better for those times when I am sweating heavily.My third favorite is the Panasonic RP=HT21. These headphones have the overall best sound and have a very full stereophonic sound. They have the best bass and low frequency sound. They have a very good 90 degree connector plug. The cord is a great length. The problem is that they are narrow and sized for a person with a smaller, narrower head than mine. Furthermore, the over the head portion attaches to the earpiece at its front section. This design causes the earpiece to flare away from the back of the ear and the sound suffers. If you hold the earpieces to your ears with your hands the sound improves significantly. In addition, this design results in a pinching effect that is very uncomfortable. If the headpiece connected to the mid point of the earpiece I believe the problems would be solved and this would jump to the #1 favorite position. At the price I am willing to keep them and see if they become more comfortable with time, but I am very doubtful.Totally unacceptable is the Sony MDR-A17G. Although they say Sony on the item, I doubt they are really made by Sony. The earpiece quality is terrible and had extra plastic that scratches the ear. The overall quality looks very cheap. The sound is terrible, with a very tinny sound and no bass. These will be returned.