1. 
2. October 21, 2009 by Caesis

I just bought these yesterday, and they are great.
-- LOOK
Out of the package, they look great. Especially the earbuds themselves. The color is not "black" as many online images show. It is more of a lead colour, but it looks as nice/nicer than the store image. With the exception of some rubber, these seem to be made completely out of metal.
Again, the online images are deceiving ... the cord looks nicer than it is. There is a clear plastic over the metal, and look a little cheap under your first impression.

-- FEATURES AND MISC
-The volume control is very firm, in a good way, and isn't as bulky and out-of-the-way-looking as the smokin' bud's. It is very precise, and can cut audio completely (however, the music player keeps playing).
-Left and right are indicated at the back of the bud, where the cord connects to the bud. It's a bit difficult to find, but that could be a plus, cause there's no giant letters on it.
-The jack looks good, and is made of rubber and plastic. I am much more confident in this jack than in others I've had, it is very sturdy.
-The one thing I notice it lacks is that little piece of plastic above the volume control that lets you keep the buds together for less tangling. I miss this. On the other side of the coin, they haven't really twisted yet.
-The case it comes with is very convenient. It's be a bit big for the earbuds, so you could throw an iPod shuffle in there, or a few dollar bills, or your lucky coin without a problem. There is a small pocket in it so that you can store them while getting 0% tangling when you pull them out. The back of the case is backed with plastic or something, as is the sides. It feels pretty durable and safe for your $40 investment.
- The "medium" sized gels fit my ear well, and stay in unless I pull on the cord or the bud. They easily withstand headbangs. It also comes with a small and large gel. Oh, gel isn't a good word. Rubber ear peice maybe. I read somewhere it was silicon ... but whatever it is, they feel and look nice.

-- SOUND
-Comparing them to my other three earbuds, smokin' buds, ink'd, stock apple, they are much louder and crisper. They DO have a bit less bass than the smokin' buds, but more than the stock apple and MUCH more than the ink'd.
-I haven't found a song that this can distort as of yet, my old earbuds sometimes let me down when there was too much bass (sounded less like boom and more like crash) but these have not.
- When you move the cord above the volume control, the sound travels up and puts a sound into your ear like you are knocking on an old wood door. It's rather unpleasant, but you don't notice much when you walk. Heavy exercise or anything that moves the cord frequently would be a no-no. However, I'm thinking there could be a way to silence this if you put on a piece of rubber near the earbuds to absorb the shock.
- After awhile, the earbuds hurt your ear. I dunno why, maybe you'll get used to them.
- The buds emit a little bit of hissing. This *might* go away after a few days of use, and it definitely does not affect the crisp sound, but it's noteworthy.
- You can hear yourself breathe when you have these in tight. Haha, weird, yes, and it is distracting, but not something to cry over.
- The noise isolation is pretty good, but not nearly up to par with some higher end buds or a good pair of over-ear headphones.
- I just realized there is another string instrument in "Nights in white satin" that I wasn't hearing with my other buds.

Overall, the benefits over weigh the downsides. I cannot explain how amazingly crisp and detailed it's sound is, you'll have to check it out for yourself.