For the most part I have not been happy with the quality of sound that comes out of in-ear headphones, but Q350 headphones have really impressed me. They are much more expensive than your average in-ear headphones, and I was wondering if the higher price was really justified. I like to listen to music all the time, but I don’t consider myself much of an audiophile – I rarely pay attention to the subtleties of sound, especially if I am listening to pop music. However, even my untrained ears were instantly able to appreciate the high sound quality that these earphones delivered. When listening to some of my favorite movie soundtracks I was able to hear sounds and nuances that I never noticed before. When listening to recordings of classical music performances I could clearly hear the slight shuffling of the musicians and other “unintended” sounds. This made the listening that much more vivid. The high notes were particularly crisp, the low ones rich and reverberating. As far as the sound quality is concerned, these headphones definitely deliver on their promise. Anyone who is interested in amplifying his or her music listening experience, regardless of the level of their musical sophistication, will certainly appreciate these headphones.

These headphones seem to have some kind of passive noise-canceling functionality, although for some reason I didn’t see any of the promotional material advertising this fact. This seems unfortunate, as the noise canceling feature is also better than anything I had come across before in headphones, passive or active. Even just having the headphones stuck in your ears will ensure that a large part of ambient noise is blocked.

I have tested these headphones with several iOS devices – iPhone 3G, iPhone 4 and the first generation iPad. They worked well with all of these devices, replicating all the functionality of the standard Apple headphones. However, despite what the description for these headphones says, they do not have track skipping functionality. However, in every regard that I could think of these headphones are far superior to the Apple ones – they are more stylish, more durable and, of course, provide much superior sound quality.

The headphones work well for telephony. From my experience with other noise-canceling headphones I was apprehensive about the muffled sound that such headphones give to your own vice while calling, but this turned out to be just a minor issue with Q350s. Still, if you are primarily interested in headphones that will be used as a headset for your phone then Q350 may not be the best option for you.

The headphones come with three different sizes of ear pads. The medium sized ones will probably fit most ears, and they are also very comfortable. I’ve had them in my ears for hours at a time, without any noticeable discomfort. However, if you intend to use these headphones while engaged in a physical activity you may notice that the most comfortable size of ear cushions may be too loose. In that case one size larger may do the trick.

The earphones come with a carrying case, which I don’t see myself using at all. They, however, do not come with the cable-winder. This is not such a big deal for me, but I do wish they didn’t include the mention of it on the box and on the Amazon website.

Overall, these are really great in-ear headphones that will be appreciated by most music lovers.