Use ear plugs when you test these!  REALLY!
937566
I've heard outdoor survival experts say that the simple whistle is the most under-valued piece of emergency equipment in the world.  We rely on our voices to get attention, but we forget that only a few minutes of shouting causes your throat muscles to become exhausted and then you're in croaking mode.  Croaking is OK for frogs, but a croak doesn't carry far.

You can use a whistle continuously for a long, long time and a high-pitched whistle carries a lot farther than your loudest scream.  A whistle weighs nothing and takes up no space, but it could save your life.

I decided to buy these because I bought a camping stove sold by UST and I think they sell rugged equipment at good prices.  These are NOT toys!  Don't give them to kids and use ear plugs when you try them out.  I didn't and my ears are still hurting.  I don't know how loud 122 decibels is, but these are ear-splitting.  A reviewer on another type of UST whistle suggested biting down on the mouthpiece and pointing the whistle downwards to get the maximum effect.  He's right, it's even louder when you do that.  Use ear plugs for testing!

I got the orange because it's easy to see and keep up with and a flash of orange shows up a long way away.  Many a hiker has been rescued because someone saw a bit of orange equipment from a search plane.  For hiking, orange is THE safety color.  I also like the fact that they float and that they are "pea-less."  They are 2 1/4" long and 1 1/4" at the widest.  They have a short, strong cord that can be attached to a backpack.

I have two young relatives headed on a long camping/hiking tour through the Western U.S.  They're energetic and intrepid, so I know they'll be backpacking into rugged areas.  I want them to have a great time, but I also want them to come back home alive.  So this is a modest gift to help keep them safe.  Every hiker should carry a serious whistle and this is a dandy.
242210
Oh what sweet relief they provide for my ears when I'm using our blower.  My wife would shoot me if I used them to smother the noise from her TV programs while I'm reading in bed(LOL.)
2749272
These headphones literally plug into your ear. They sound great and block a lot of external noise, but every time you bump the wire it makes a loud hollow bump in the earpiece.  Not good for exercising.  Also you can hear yourself breathe loudly through your nose. So my coworkers see me being very still and breathing through my mouth.

The asymmetrical cord length works but means you have to reverse L-R to get the short side on the right if that's what you need (the way my desk is, i require my MP3 player at my right elbow, also my laptop headphone plug is on that side. Not too big of a deal unless you are relying on stereo positioning.  I like these, but I considered returning them - I destroyed the plastic packaging through trying to open it so I decided to just keep them and use them at work.
719572
These are the best I have had on.  I have not used them yet.  But you can tell by putting them on.  Always use a second protective barrier. Ear plugs should be worn as well.  The sound enters through your face to you ear drum.  Protect them well. Hearing loss and damage is cumulative.  It builds with every unprotected shot.
3014413
To everyone having intermittent sound issues: MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN THE WIRE MESH THOROUGHLY.

As in take off the retaining clip, pull out the wire mesh grate, and soak it in warm water, then rub gently with a microfiber cloth or paper towel. Hold the mesh up to a light and check that it's free of any wax build up, repeat if necessary. What happens is the wax build up on the wire mesh can partially, or completely seal off the tube - which will block any sound coming out of the headphone.

There's also a small hole on the body of the unit itself that acts as a port. If this becomes clogged, the pressure increase from inserting the headphone into your ear can overpower the driver and prevent it from actuating. I actually prefer the sound characteristics when this port is partially closed, but if the sound is cutting out when you insert the headphone into your ear, make sure to clean this out with a small toothpick or pen.

Lastly, these in ears are meant to be worn over the ear. This removes strain from the wire and will general improve the lifespan of the device. I suspect that what I outlined above would solve many of the complaints I'm seeing regarding reliability.

 -----------------------

I'm having to replace these headphones after I heavily abused them for almost two years of daily commuting and general use. I couldn't be happier with them for the price that I paid.

The reason I rated them 4 stars instead of 5 is because the tips that come with the unit are terrible. The bass response of the headphones is highly dependent on having a good seal, and it's either uncomfortable or hard to maintain a good seal with the included tips. What tip fits your ears best is really a matter of trial and error, but I found these tips from sony to work well. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RB24UA
281174
Totally useless; this pair of ear plugs must only function during rare circumstances. Cannot block out small and simple noises like talking, snoring, traffic, even with stoppers in. In what obscure scenario are these of use if commonly occurring noises of irritation are not protected against?
3365898
The sound quality on these lives up to the Klipsch reputation but the flat cord, in addition to conveying noise as mentioned in several other reviews, also conveys electrical static shocks to the ears (e.g., when wearing the earphones while rolling the desk chair across a plastic floor protector).  If you're staying absolutely motionless and there aren't any souces of interference (unlikely if you're plugged into a computer sound system), these are great headphones.  Otherwise, prepare for a periodically shocking experience!
4005097
Word of advice, wear them before going somewhere loud. put them on while walking to the even. Your hearing will adjust and when you get to the music playing. you won't notice a diffrence
4891897
I was really disappointed when I first tried them on and realised they weren't a cone of silence and fully regretted buying them.

I only realised how great they were after a few extended sessions with them on - as when I would eventually take them off I was suddenly assulted by a torrent of external noise. I'm not sure exactly why, but the longer I have them on the greater the reduction in external noise. Which I guess could be cause the external noise becomes less intrusive with them on and easier for my brain to just tune it out.

And I dunno if it is just me but I prefer to use them without the noise cancelling feature on.... unless there is a loud lawn mower - which it seems to work well to neutralise into a gentle hum.

BTW: Since these headphones don't press against your ears - you can create the ultimate cone of silence by using ear plugs with them.
3637750
Yes, they increase the bass, but in the process completely cuts out all high frequency detail, sacrificing any semblance of clarity.

If you are interested in real in-ear plugs, there are plenty out there to choose from. I thought I'd try the cheap route, but I just wasted money, as these are going right in the trash.
473186
No point to these.  Earplugs work better to keep out sound.  These do not fit into ear canal like plain earbuds.  The speaker part makes it not fit right and hard to sleep on as a side sleeper.  I am not using them.
356318
Worst ear plugs ever. I used them once at the indoor range. They were in my ears properly. We tested them three times before walking into the range. We shot for about an hour. Back in the car, I removed them. My right ear couldn't hear a thing immediately! It took another 24 hours for my hearing to come back. Packed them up and shipped them back. I then ordered the Deciibullz Custom Molded ear plugs. They are a fraction of the price and they actually protect your ears. Don't waste your hard earned money on these unless you want to go deaf. I was not given them either. I paid with my own money. If I could, I'd give a negative rating.
1085773
These are a joke for noise cancelling. Anyone who has put on a set of Bose Noise Cancelling headphones knows the amazement that goes over you when noise reduction happens. Turning on music to cancel out background noise?...Don't all headphones do that. Here was my test. Put these on... turned off... and with no music... and walk outside. Birds chirping, sound of a cool breeze, and cars passing by. Now you flip that switch and it should all fade out...without the music!!! These don't do that. As a matter of fact...I couldn't tell a noticeable change. Now if I turn on music and crank these puppies up...then the aforementioned sounds vanished. But so did the bird, cause the tunes coming from the earpiece scared him off. My wife told me that I couldn't take these on the plane cause the other passengers would need Noise Cancelling headphones to drown out my Pyle Home PHPNC45 High-Fidelity Noise-Canceling Headphones. Now i thought that was Funny!!! These didn't even last 24 hrs in my home...they couldn't drown out the sound of my wife breathing heavy while she slept on the couch with the dog. I boxed them back up and returned them the very next morning. My Bose just arrived and I felt compelled to warn others while wearing them. And as I was writing this review...no joke.....If not for my dog I would have missed  the UPS man deliver another package because of these Bose. I suggest to anyone to go to the busy as hell, Apple store, and see how real noise cancelling headphones sound. Don't be dupped!!!
2038367
To the seventeen of you that were having sound problelms from these headphones, here is the solution.  The plug has to be pushed in till you hear a second click.  I bought a pair for my son this xmas, and he had the same issue, sound being distorted and it did sound horrible.  I was getting ready to return them and I checked it out for myself and found that if you only push down once when you hear the first click as you do with most headphones the music is distorted. I then pushed down a second time and it was cristal clear.  Tried it several times after that and all times had to push doen twice.  He went ahead and ordered the bose headphones for $300 and I listened to them.  They are clear but not much bass.  At the price I got these for I'll hold on to them myself.  If you get it right, pushing down twice then listening, I think you will love these headphones.
874554
Wow, this is the quickest decision I have made in a long time. Unpacked them and the first thing that comes to mind is, "that must be how the factory smells" and then you conscious begins to kick in and you see the assembly line with the foreman walking around with a bamboo stick looking for any excuse to please the master. Then,  I put them on, realized it didn't even come with a battery, I mean c'mon, even the 99 cent store stuff comes with batteries these days. Plug them into my phone, checked to see if the plug was actually in being that the volume was so low and sound quality so bad, then realize there's a volume knob, smiled at my own incompetence, then frowned as the horrible noise just got louder. Okay okay, so I turn the things on and my brain feels like it's in a microwave being bombarded by microwaves, or in this case some kind of audio wave that penetrates my skull and begins to make me feel dizzy.
So in all fairness i have to point of reference, these being my first set of noise cancelling headphones I have ever worn for my first trip from LA to Europe...so in all fairness to my brain and an attempt to mitigate future brain trauma I have decided to return them
BTW, there might actually be a good chance that all the other reviews giving 5 starts may in fact be paid. These are really really bad
2306303
Outstanding hearing protection particularly when used with the squeeze-type foam hearing plugs. Hearing loss and tinnitus is cumulative so protect your hearing at whatever the cost. These are definitely the way to go!!!
4521420
First, I am so grateful I bought these!!! I have been needing something to help drown out other noise around me while working on my research papers and assignments for graduate school. Second, when I hear my boyfriend and his sister yelling at each other, I just plug in these bad boys, and they do not let me down!!! Finally, I jumped into the pool in our backyard, and I have very sensitive ears when it comes to water, so I used these earplugs to check and see if I get any water in my ears, and they worked! These would be great for kids, if they had ear problems while swimming!