Creative Headphones EP-630 Reviews

• Amazing bargain! Better than Sony EX51!

  
  By A262YYYZ1LMXN on 2006-04-12
  I bought the Creative EP-630s, hoping for an inexpensive upgrade to my Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia earphones. While the Sonys have served me well for over a year, I wasn't fully satisfied with their overall sound. At the same time, I wasn't ready to shell out the serious money for Shure, UE, Senn, etc.
  
  If you're looking for great earphones in the $30 range, these are an amazing bargain--and a clear upgrade over the Sony EX51s. You will not believe how great your music can sound for such a small investment!
  
  Creative EP-630 vs. Sony MDR-EX51LP
  
  Pros:
  * Definitely clearer trebles - You really do hear nuances in your music that you never noticed before! This is particularly true with vocals and high percussion.
  * Firmer bass - Slightly firmer and fuller overall. Not a huge upgrade, but noticeable.
  * Construction - The silicon earbuds are nearly identical for both earphones. However, the stem on the Creatives is more tapered, resulting in a more secure attachment. In other words, fewer lost earbuds.
  * Louder. On my iPod, I now keep the volume at 60% instead of 80-90%.
  * Slightly smaller profile in the ear.
  
  Cons:
  * Considerable more cord noise from movement (clothes, wind, etc.). Not sure why. This is the only real con.
  * $4 more expensive? Slightly harder to find online?
  * Because of the smaller profile, they are a little harder to insert in the ear.
  
  Other differences:
  * Straight plug instead of L-plug. It's a tiny disadvantage on my iPod nano, because I must now unplug my earphones before unplugging the sync cable.
  * Cable feels more rubbery than plastic.
  * Y-shaped cord instead of J-shape. I like the J-shaped plug of the Sonys better to hang behind my neck, but this is trivial.
  
  Overall, this is an absolute no-brainer. The Creatives sound better than the Sonys, at essentially the same price. I believe the sound is comparable to far more expensive headphones. Before shelling out $100+, I urge you to try these and see if you're satisfied. I definitely am.
  
  

• Awesome Bargain- Reveals the Unheard!

  
  By A2ZKXGAW9W0C40 on 2006-03-30
  I've migrated from my OEM iPod Nano phones to Sony's budget isolators to these beauties. I'm discovering previously undetected nuances of recordings I've listen to many times with the other phones!
  
  These are worth the price of admission!
  
  

• Value, and one negative is a positive

  
  By A2EZAQ2F8N8DAN on 2006-08-30
  I used to own the top of the line Shure E5c and loved them (I reviewed those also) but got rid of them because they were just too isolating for about-town use in NYC.
  
  I do think these are a bit bass heavy (but then my other cans are Sennheiser PX200s, which many criticize as being too bass light - I think it's mostly a function of fit). But they sound VERY good for the price. They're small enough and cheap enough to wind around your fingers & toss in your pocket.
  
  The only thing I don't really like about them is their thin, rubbery cord which doesn't drape well and feels really cheap. But you know what? I bet it was a conscious design descision because this rubbery cord is MUCH more impervious to tangling than the Shures I owned. It was always a mini-ordeal to undo the Shure cords because they had such "memory" that they tended to get tangled.
  
  One other thing - I think they have a good balance of letting in the outside world while isolating enough to provide good sound. You don't have to push them in near as far as Shures to get a good seal.
  
  Couple tips:
  - I thought maybe I could try Shure tips on these, but no because the "neck" that the ear rubber fits around is too wide.
  - Don't like wax? Here's a handy trick: go to your local drugstore and buy a box of alchohol swabs. They work out to about 2 cents a piece. You keep a couple in your pocket and when you need to take 'em out, you just wipe 'em down.
  
  

• Good sound, but only with equalization

  
  By A11NHS2X904OES on 2006-03-15
  These are fairly decent IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) for the price. If you don't hear any bass, you probably haven't pushed them in far enough.
  
  When I first tried them with the pre-attached medium earpieces, I found them to have WAY too much bass to be listenable. The highs had almost no detail. Thankfully, the included small earpieces solved this problem by cutting down on the bass rather considerably. To get a good sound, however, I had to boost the treble and midrange a bit on my Cowon X5L's equalizer. Some music still has a bit more bass than I would like. That could just be me, though, since I'm used to the Sennheiser HD-280s (low bass volume, but the bass is 100% present and very dynamic). Since the sound depends on the seal they make in your ears, your results probably will vary. They do tend to carry cable motion noises directly into your ears (microphonics), but the effect isn't that bad. Once tweaked, the sound output is quite good for the price. The treble isn't quite as clear as I'd like it to be, but these aren't $100 IEMs. One bad thing: they are sensitive enough to easily pick up static that you might not have known your player even had. Thankfully, at least with my X5L, the static is quiet enough to be limited to spaces between songs.
  
  If your digital audio player doesn't have a good equalizer and you're not a bass head, these probably aren't the IEMs for you. But, if you want a decent budget pair of IEMs that leak very little noise and do a good job keeping noise out, the EP-630s are a good choice. For those curious as to what my equalizer settings are, here they are: 1kHz +2dB, 4kHz +4 dB, and 12kHz +6 dB. The X5L does not have negative equalization settings, so these settings simply compensate for the bass. Although this equalizer profile works well for me, the sound you perceive depends entirely on the shape of your ear canal and the music player you use.
  
  Pros:
  -Compact
  -Good isolation
  -3 pairs of different sized ear tips
  -Comfortable
  -More detail than anything else I've heard in this price range (including full-size headphones)
  -Warm sound
  
  Cons:
  -Excessive bass out of the box, still a bit much with significant equalization
  -No protective case
  -Microphonics can be a bit of an issue
  -So sensitive that static can become apparent (the static itself from my HP laptop is so loud that it's almost at normal listening volume)
  -Straight-plug design can put stress on your DAP's sound jack, especially if it's side-mounted.
  
  

• A very good sound at a very low cost

  
  By AIK8KIKS9QRK8 on 2006-11-03
  I bought this earphones recently and after I tried I can only say I do not regret buying them... as the previous posters said, they appear to be very well built and the sound is awesome...
  
  Overall the EP-630 are a very good choice, they have a very good sound quality in all ranges possible, the bass feels great as so does the high's and low's.
  
  If you're the kind of person that might use them more often while in the train going to work, or while just sitting somewhere (staying still), you probably will like to buy this earphones 'casue for the price you won't find anything better than this and the sound they bring is awesome for that matter... this are the earphones for you to get
  
  Now if you're more the kind of person that like to use them while walking or doing something you might think about it... don't get me wrong, the earphones are awesome, but in this kind of situations they tend to be a little annoying 'cause of the amplified noise coming from the cables hitting your cloth, and sometimes because of the wind... (it can be solved... keep reading)
  
  SOLUTION:
  I found a solution for that and is a simple one, if you pass the cables through your t-shirt or whatever (the cables would be betwen your skin and the t-shirt), the cables won't be dancing all over while walking and will stay still so that noise is gonna be gone and bye bye anoying noises (at least that's what I do)
  
  so if you're looking for some low cost well built with great sound earphones I'd say you just found them... I do not regret buying them, I'm quite happy with my choice...
  
  
• Best Bang for Your Buck
  By A6S01XZXHZ23A on 2006-03-16
  $25 for EP 630 is no brain. it's similar or equal sound quality as Sennheiser CX-300, but cost much less.
  I totally agree the previous review, it has warm sound, strong bass, comfort to wear, clear mid range and treble.
  if price of Sennheiser CX-300 is still $60, please go for EP-630. you will get equal quality with half of the price. plus, if you appreciate the deep and strong bass, EP-630 is right one for you.
  EP-630 has Y cord (at least one from amazon, or office depot), I know someone hates the CX-300's unequal J cord (around the neck, right cord is much longer than the left one). EP 630 has straight but Gold-plated plug.
  
  I gave 4 stars for CX 300 at price $40, and will give 5 stars for EP 630 at price $25. yeah!!
  
  
• Sound OK But With Issues
  By A1LSOBFWVHYVU4 on 2006-04-09
  I purchased the Creative EP-630's in search of a little more bass presence. I currently use Sure's E2G's. Perhaps I shouldn't have compared them to my Sure's because they are not in the same ballpark. The Creative EP-630's have the same cheap construction as OEM buds and most Sony buds. The cord is very thin and cheap. The inserts don't stay in place and constantly need adjusting but the worst thing is the transfer of sound through the cord and earbuds. Touch the cord or let it brush across your shirt and you hear it. Wind noise is transmitted through the cord and earbud. Walking sounds like thumping in your ears and forget eating anything while listening to these.
  If you are sitting still, out of the wind and not moving the cord, these sound pretty good. Good bass output but, seems distorted. People have compared these to the Sennheiser CX-300's. I hope the Senn's don't have these bad traits.
  Overall experience: I'll probably give these to one of my nieces or nephews to use with their I-Pods. If you are a serious listener, Don't buy these, you'll be disappointed. Try the Sure brand, any of them. They cost more but, they're worth it and you won't hear any sound being transferred through the buds or cord.
  
  
• Fantastic phones
  By A3LQCCDMI2J47X on 2006-04-18
  I recently traded my long time friends the sennheiser px-200's for a pair of these creative in ear phones. I originally bought the sennheisers for portability and their ability to block out outside sound while still maintaing comfort and quality sound. The creative excell at all of these - a definite upgrade. I couldn't be happier. Like many reviewers have noted the bass is deep and clear through the creatives. The treble is also very pleasent though I do notice a slightly harsher midrange than I was used to from the sennheisers. I have always hated using the equalizer on my zen micro but up untill now I've found it necessary to acheive good sound across the spectrum. The balanced sound of the creatives allow me to turn off the nasty equalizer. Overall this is a tremendous bargain for $30 and deserves 5 stars.
  
  
• OK...But not great...expected a bit more
  By A19NIBJ8CR7DQN on 2006-06-29
  After reading several reviews I was disappointed with the EP-630. While the highs and mid-range are fine, the bass was far from what I expected. Could mine be defective? Others here glow about the strong bass with some saying it is too powerful. The standard earbuds that came with my Zen Micro (EP-480?) are the best I've found yet which is odd since most people knock earbuds that are packaged with units. Very full sounding with great bass. The annoying ill-fitting earbuds (do they stay in anyone's ears?) that came with my Apple Nano (for which the EP-630 was a replacement) are even better sounding with richer bass. While not bad, I was expecting much more from the EP-630.
  **UPDATE**
  After changing the size of the rubber earbuds (two other sizes included with EP-630) the bass has improved somewhat. I thought I had the proper size for my ear, but the largest size provided the best "seal" thus providing more bass. Maybe a 4 star now.
  
  
• Clearly the Best Headphones at this Pricepoint
  By A2ZT83SFZJADFJ on 2006-12-18
  I'm no audiophile by any means, but I've honestly been blown away by these headphones. I listen mostly to hip-hop, and the bass produced by these is tight and punchy without being overwhelming. As a result, I've turned off the EQ on my Creative Zen Microphoto. I also have some classical symphonic and piano pieces in my music collection. In listening to both types of music, these headphones brought out nuances in some songs that I never even knew existed (as other reviewers have noted), even in some songs that I have listened to over the past couple of years in a variety of sound settings including a Bose car audio system, a THX-certified Logitech 5-speaker computer speaker system, and a slew of other headphones. If your audio source is low-quality, these headphones WILL let you know, because you will hear the hiss when no music is playing.
  
  While this may be attributed to the inherent advantages of being an in-ear monitor, I still cannot imagine better sound coming out of something that costs this much. The identical-looking Sennheisers are more expensive, and there are conflicting reports as to whether the Creatives and Sennheisers have the exact same acoustic profile. There are other brands besides Sennheiser that sell a similar headphone, but I feel much safer buying a brand I trust. Regardless, I'll never go back to regular earbuds, except when I listen to music at the gym. I use the EP630s primarily at work.
  
  It might be wise to clean the eartips w/ an alcohol swab or something every once in a while as earwax and dust can build up on them. Also, some ppl have reported that one of the headphones stops producing sound after a few months. Easy solution posted by someone who had the same problem but fixed it: clean the metal grill with a needle or pin. I've also seen a lot of complaints about noise being carried by the wires when you hit them or they rub against something. A lot of in-ear monitors suffer from this also, so it's not specific to the EP630s. If I'm moving around a lot and the noise starts to annoy me, I just loop each wire behind and over my ear and reseat the eartips. It helps. O and if you plan on eating while listening to music with these or any other in-ear monitors, forget about it.
  
  When I get around to it, I plan on getting a pair of Ultimate Ears Super.fi double-flange eartips to try out on these EP630s. I could be wrong, but I don't think Etymotic and Shure eartips fit properly.
  
  Bottom line: Click the "Add to Shopping Cart" button.
  
  
• Small size with bass
  By A12TSG6FO13ON on 2007-02-22
  I purchased these to replace the high priced Etymotic ER-4P that I tried out. These are great. You get a good sounding bass at low volume levels. The noise suppression is about the same you get from putting foam ear plugs in your ear. When there is no music you can hear muffled sounds but if someone talks loud enough you can hear them. Play some music and you can't hear that same person any longer. There is a good range of sound that comes from these. No tin can highs and no distorted bass. The bass is better than you get with the standard buds the comes with most players. The only con I can say is the rubbery material that makes the seal in your ear can collect dust and lint very easy. You need to keep these in a case or something. Great buy. Stocked and shipped from Amazon when I bought them, had them overnight.
  
  
• These Are Awesome!!!
  By A2204G0T4Z2TXR on 2006-08-16
  I just received these today and started listening to them, here are the reasons I love these headphones:
  
  1) After you put them in, you don't have to adjust them in anyway
  2) The bass is amazing, I'm a bass freak and am usually very hard to impress
  3) I love how small and light they are too, very portable
  4) I have a 60GB Black iPod and they match perfectly, the black and the chrome.
  5) They block out most of the outside noise
  6) Three differant earbud sizes
  
  There's probably more I love about these but I can't think of anything else right now.
  One peice of advice, make sure your ears are clean before you use these.
  
  
• Satisfied
  By A3R920J27YOO38 on 2007-01-23
  What I expected is what I got. Nice light weight, and comfortable. I have worn these for hours at a time and at a moderate volume level. Not once have I felt the need to take them out because of discomfort. If I run or exercise, I will generally wear a cheaper set of earphones because of the sweat...so I don't have anything to say about that usage.
  
  The noise isolation is about like putting in foam earplugs. If you have these earphones in, all you're going to hear is the music coming out of them. A vacuum cleaner is no threat to the noise isolation. As far as the cord noise people have mentioned, its there, but only when the music is turned down or off (not too bad). The earbud isn't insulated very well from the cord vibrations. If you put some sort of dampening material around the cord at the base of the earbud, the noise is mostly gone.
  
  As far as sound, they are good. The range is definately there, giving them a nice smooth sound. A better headset would do more with the range, accentuating the sounds, bringing out more nuances...but I listen to compressed music on my Zen V. These earphones exceed my needs for sound, comfort, and noise isolation.
  
  
• Amazingly similar to Sennheiser CX300s
  By A16LPMLMA7T9K9 on 2007-02-08
  I originally purchased a set of Sennheiser CX300 ear buds from Amazon and, while pleased with their sound quality, I did not like the uneven wire lengths for the left and right earphones. Well, eventually the wire on the left headphone shorted out to my dismay (the Sennheisers are not cheap at about $55-$60) and I tossed them in the trash. While looking for replacements, I stumbled across these on Amazon - I did a double take when I saw them - the earpieces themselves are virtually identical to the CX300s. BUT, the Creatives have the normal Y-shaped wire instead of the uneven length wires. AND they sound every bit as good as the CX300s did. Save some $$$ and buy these if you are thinking of getting the Sennheisers.
  
  
• Jaw Dropping Sound
  By ADHT7IHQ8N4F9 on 2006-04-07
  I'm amazed at the audio quality... absolutely JAW DROPPING... especially if you like bass... the mids and highs ain't too bad either.... an absolute bargain at this price!
  
  
• Great Headphones - good price!
  By A2PFRO7OIURMUM on 2006-07-07
  i just got my ep630's and am listening to with them while i type this-- they are awesome and fit my ears perfectly. I have a Nano Plus and the phones that came with it were way too big and kept falling out of my ears!!
  The sound is crisp and clear ... cord is good and long-- overall a super product -- i highly recommend them -- the price is right too
  
  
• Excellent quality for the money!
  By A2O176VJBFEN2I on 2006-12-07
  I just received these a couple of days ago and am definitely impressed. I was replacing the headphones that came with my new Sandisk Sansa player. The stock phones were pretty good but were too large for my ears. At first, I went cheap and bought some Panasonic RP-HS5 headphones thinking they might be decent but compared to the stock they were terrible. So next I bought these. The fit is excellent and comfortable and the weight is very light. The first thing I did was to make sure that the rubbery earpiece was the right size (it comes with preinstalled medium but also has small and large that are included). You'll know this because it will create a vacuum in your ear when you put it in. This helps the sound reverberate in your ear and create a rich, warm sound. The bass is pretty good on these without adjusting my equalizer at all. Some other people mentioned that the cord is rubbery and did not like that. I do since it means that these things don't get tangled. I hate dealing with tangled headphones.
  
  Now for the bad. The cord conducts noise. If you try to talk, eat, walk or move around in a windy area, you will hear it. Keep this in mind before buying these. As for myself, that's not really a problem since I usually use these while I'm indoors and not eating (work and home). However, I do occasionally use them while talking and am able to hear my own voice in my head. Which in my line of work is fine since it helps me modulate my voice. Anyways, my solution is to raise the volume.
  
  So my final thoughts are, if you don't want to spend over $40 on a pair of headphones and are looking for good sound quality and don't mind a little interference from the oustide world now and then, these have a lot of bang for the buck.
  
  
• What a surprise!
  By A25U9BDKM3J15S on 2006-12-27
  After spending time with these, I have been pleasantly surprised by the performance of these buds. I'm not claiming to be an audiophile, but these are way better than my Shure E2C's for a third of the price. I have been unable to get a comfortable fit with any of the E2c's included earpieces. Hence no bass. The EP-630's have plenty of bass for my tastes (rock, pop, techno) and just sound more full and balanced than the E2C's (may be related to my inability to get a good fit). Interchangeable ear pieces are comfortable and overall the buds are very light, great for workouts. Cables seem a little thin, but so far no problems with them. For the money, these offer great performance and value. Just buy them, you won't be disappointed.
  
  
• Exactly the same as Sennheiser cx300
  By A10TFRNDEN2PTP on 2007-02-01
  I bought both the Creative EP-630 and Sennheiser cx300 and they are EXACTLY THE SAME. Except the creatives are half the price as the sennheiser. they look exactly the same and sound the same. overall, they are a very good improvement over the headphones that come default with your mp3 players. they are still not as good as over ear headphones. i have the Sennheiser HD-212 over ears and it sounds better than these earphones. i would assume that over ears will inherenty be better because they are larger, but bulkier. if you want something portable, the CX300 and the EP-630 are great, but you should buy the EP-630 because its half the price and exactly the same quality.
  the sound is slightly muffled, but still extremely better than the cheap stuff that ships with your audio devices. it does block out a lot of noise, just a little better than my over ears, and a lot better than standard headphones. it is a little annoying that when you rub the wires it does transfer to your ears. and if you're chewing or doing something with your head you will hear it. one difference is that the creatives are straight wires, the sennheiser has one long and one short.
  
  
• Way too much cord noise
  By A81QUF4H36U02 on 2007-05-05
  These earphones are a bad choice for jogging or brisk walking, since the cord hitting your body will be amplified and transmitted directly into your ears. It is really loud and destroys the music, unless listened to at high volume. I am truly disapointed with this purchase.
  
  
• Best earbuds in $30 price range
  By A8I4E0AMA09VH on 2007-02-09
  These earbuds sound great. Good bass and highs. Good fit. The only minor problem that these have is the thin chord, which produces a little bit of the "stethoscope effect". These actually sound better than the $80 Shure e2c.
  
  
• Fix for the "external noise"
  By A3K1TNY5NU4LIZ on 2007-04-05
  I personally first bought these out of curiosity and b/c of the cheap price. But then I soon found out that,like many other people, these were definatly a bargain. The sound is great and one can even notice different nuances in music that they've been listening to hundreds of times with other headphones.
  
  I've noticed a lot of ppl complaining about the eternal noise that comes from the dangling of the cord. Well this is mainly because of it's design. But with all that extra cord length why not dangle it from the top of you ear? The vibration that travels upwards when you move around wouldn't be able to travel to the bud itself but would rather stop at the top of your ear where the cord should rest. I read about this in an earlier review and it sure has worked a bunch for me.
  
  To basically sum it all up:
  
  * Tangeble Quality : 8/10 - Don't let the thinness of the cord fool you IMO it's really durable. As for the rubber ear pieces, aside from the one it comes attached with (medium), it comes with 2 extra sizes: large and small. These pieces are good quality as well, it actually has grip!
  
  * Audio Quality : 8/10 - No real need to explain this just read other reviews of the audiophiles.
  
  * Comfort : 7/10 - these take a while to get used to especially putting them on for the first time, you feel as if your underwater because the design of the bud actually creates somewhat of an airtight seal in your ear.
  
  * Noise Isolation : 9/10 - For the price the isolation it provides is extremely good. This can most probabely be attributed to the air tight seal as described earlier, basically it physically blocks out other external noises while projecting the music straight into the ear canal. As a New York commuter I can say that I actually find peace when I put these buds on in the middle of a crowded train. It blocks out about 60-70% of the train to rail noise and the rest is overpowered by the music (even at medium volumes).
  
  * Overall impression : 9/10 - For the prices these are basically a steal. I'd suggest stocking up on these.
  
  
• Great sound while blocking exterior noise.
  By A2FKR2PS626LL5 on 2007-05-29
  I changed to an iPod Nano from another mp3 player. When ripping some songs from CD's to the player (160 kbps, m4a), I had distortion with the stock earbuds. I thought it was due to audio compression problems (esp. if lots of bass, rock/metal music) so I re-ripped at a higher (192 kbps) bitrate. I still had some distortion. When running the Nano through a stereo 'aux' input (or in my car), I noticed great sound. I think the Nano has a higher sound output level and thus can overload the stock earbuds, especially with bass.
  
  Although the stock iPod earbuds have decent sound and good clarity, I wanted some more bass and comfort, while still maintaining clarity. I usually use the "Rock" EQ mode, and sometimes the "R&B" mode if an older CD has lower sound levels or less bass. I have been using the EP-630 earbuds for a couple weeks now, and they are great. I have listened to a wide variety of music with them: Enya, Rock Ballads, Acoustic, Rock, Metal, Pop, 80's, Hip-hop, etc. and also lots of Podcasts.
  
  PROs: Great sound clarity (hear extra 'nuances' I didn't hear before), good bass response, good ear fit with the default 'medium' earbud insert (very secure and comfortable); block out external sounds well; y-cord, which is very flexible, and a straight plug.
  
  Cons: Cord noise, as others have mentioned. This is most likely due to the fact that the earbuds are very much like earplugs and the sound resonates to your head. You can even hear your heart beating if no music is playing. But, that would happen if you stuck a finger in each ear...
  
  Overall, I am happy with the purchase. I didn't want to sink a ton of money, and for $32 I'm satisfied. I feel that the pros outweigh the cons. Thanks for reading.
  
  
• Pretty decent set of headphones.
  By A238LROJK5ACPH on 2007-07-24
  For the past oh...5 or 6 years I've always owned some variant of these headphones: Sony MDR-G57G S2 Sports Street Style Headphones with Reflective Ear Piece. I've been through probably 1 pair/year. I've always shied away from the in-ear headphones. However, I decided I wanted to try something new, and preferably something that could be worn with sunglasses. So I gave these a shot.
  
  The first thing I noticed is that they sounded terrible. Very tinny and no bass. Then I realized that I wasn't using large enough rubber attachments for my ears. Unless you get a good seal by the plug in your ear, this type of headphone will not sound good. I ended up using the largest size of the 3. Just keep that in mind.
  
  Once I got the mechanics figured out, I was very impressed by the sound quality, particularly the bass performance. Others have complained about cord noise from rubbing against your clothing. I definitely see where it could be a problem if you go running with these or you are walking and listening to very soft music. I still use my old pair of Sonys for exercising. I use these headphones mainly while walking, sitting at my desk at work, and riding the bus. The noise blocking effect of these phones is very nice for silencing my fellow bus riders.
  
  Overall I'm very satisfied with this purchase. If you aren't used to the in-ear headphones, these do take some getting used to. But they perform very well for the price and I would recommend them.
  
  
• Easily Destroyed
  By A10LXS1WSE5F37 on 2007-07-29
  I would have given this a 3.5 out of 5 but oh so bad quality. I've only had this for 2 or so months. I thought they sounded good and the bass sounded amazing. A few weeks later I noticed how the left earphone sounded clear but no bass while the right side was drowned by really low bass.
  
  That's not all... a few more weeks later the left earpiece cracked at the bottom where the wire meets the earphone. They were ok to listen to still until last week when I put it in my jean pocket. I pulled it out and the plastic surrounding the wire was ripped open. Terrible quality.
  
  
• Comfort with good sound quality
  By A1BD6434NKATT1 on 2006-11-03
  Much better than what you get standard with MP3 players. I ride a train for almost 2 hours a day and they block out all the chatter. Sound quality is very good. Make sure you use the correct fitting to your ear, and don't be afraid to push'm in good and snug (improves bass). Highly recommended.
  
  
• Best Headphones you will find for the $$$
  By A2I2BTWPEAYYBP on 2007-01-05
  Best headphones you will find for the money. Creative headphones in general have very good sound. You will aslo find that they go much lowder than their counter parts (A volume setting of 15 of 20 with other headphones equals about 10 of 20 with Creative). They are comfortable and come with different size earbuds.
  
  I use these on San Francisco's subway system (BART: Bay Area Rapid Transit) and it doesnt completey block the sounds of going under the bay and other tunnels, but enough so you can still listen to and hear your MP3 player. I mostly listen to The Opie and Anthony Morning Show via [...] and I have no problem hearing what they are saying while going through that BART tube.
  
  Since I can't justify spending big $$$ on some of those other headphones, these are what I plan on sticking with from now on.
  
  
• Block environment sounds very well
  By A2QLY57JZHXJPU on 2007-01-19
  I wore these for 16 hours to/from Hawaii. They are very comfortable and blocked the engine noise quite a bit. On the same flight, I compared them side by side with the Creative Labs HN-505 Collapsible Noise-Canceling Headphones. The EP-630 are much more comfortable and blocked the engine noise just as well as the HN-505. The passive sound blocking means they also don't require a battery!
  
  I now use them everyday at a health club with machine and TV noise. They are small, light, and block the sounds nicely.
  
  The do not have very much low or high end. I use them to listen to talk radio, so that is fine with me.
  
  
• No good on the move
  By A3MKGHBZNQK7FS on 2007-04-01
  If you are going to use your earphones while staying still then these earphones are fine. The sound quality is good, external noise is nicely kept out even in a noisy environment like while riding the metro.
  BUT if like me, you intend to use your earphones while walking (not talking about running or cycling...), then forget about these earphones. The cable seems to catch any static noise. A minor rubbing against your clothes or even a gentle breeze creates a very significant static noise. Even the impact of your footsteps seem to be amplified to a level that ruins any careful listening. If you are into listening to heavy loud music, these hearphones might be okay for you. But if you enjoy listening to something more subtle while on the move then you most probably will be disappointed.
  
  
• Amazing for the price
  By A1O0KRZNH5ZOKH on 2007-04-12
  I read the reviews on these and many other In-Ear Earphones and decided to take a chance. And I'm glad I did. I own Shure E3c and was very disappointed with the sound quality and the fit in the ear - or actually the lack of fitting in the ear. I looked into other brands but figured $32 wasn't a big risk. I've had them for two months and find they still fit perfectly in my ear canal (they come with three different sized inner ear covers) and are comfortable whether I'm running on the tread mill, walking through the neighborhood or using them for background music when I'm reading a book. I'm able to play my iPod at a lower volume and still enjoy the music. As others have noted, I too began to pick up sounds in the music I haven't heard before. The quality and clarity are amazing. Only complaint - they don't come with a travel case - but for $32 I'll take the sound quality over a case.
  
  
  

• Philips HL150 Lightweight Stereo Headphones
• Skullcandy SC-SBP3.5 Smokin Bud (Pink)
• Creative Aurvana In-Ear Headphones
• Ultimate Ears-Metro.fi 150 Noise Isolating Earphones (Black)
• Rivet Stereo Earphones - Black

• Creative EP-630 In-Ear Headphones
• Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
• Sennheiser CX300-B Earbuds (Black)
• JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Ear Buds (Black)
• Creative Screen Protector for Zen (Clear)