Maxell EC450 Digital Ear Clips

I have a couple of issues when I wear headphones: ear buds do not stay in my ears and I prefer to have in-line volume control so I don't have to constantly fiddle with my iPod while walking. The Maxell EC450 are the first ear clip headphones I've had that are comfortable to wear for long stretches. The rubber clips are easier on the ears than plastic ones I've worn from other manufacturers. As for the sound quality, I think these are terrific. Everything on my iPod, whether digitally remastered or copied from a vinyl album, sound incredibly clear and sharp. I hear instruments and notes I never heard before...even on the old vinyl cuts.

The only drawback is that the in-line volume control could be a little more sensitive to the touch. I find that I can't always hit a good middle ground between too loud and too soft. But given all the positives about these headphones, this is a small quibble at best.

I bought three pairs to make sure I have these around...Read more

The cord is extremely short--2' tops--so you can't use them unless you're clipping your mp3 player on your arm or right at your waist. And I've only been using them about 2 weeks, and the rubber has already broken where the wire connects to the earclip, leaving the wire exposed. And when you use the in-line volume control, it can make half of the stereo sound drop out. I've seen other headphones with in-line volume control do that, but usually only after months, not right out of the box.

On the plus side, it doesn't have that irritating "cord management" thing, where one of the ears has a much longer cord than the other, forcing you to either leave your mp3 player on your left side (which makes SO much sense, since so many of us are left-handed) or have the cord cross in front of you. This one lets you pick which side to wear your ipod on.

Very comfortable, has a volume control on the cord. Sound is great (but I'm no expert) with excellent volume.