I wanted to love these headphones
345030
I wanted to love these headphones.  I have other Bose products and the sound quality is amazing.  However, after just one week of wearing these running at the gym, they started having problems.  The volume turns itself up or down randomly, it constantly changes songs without me pressing anything, and sometimes it gets stuck fast forwarding through songs.  I spend half my workout just fiddling with my phone until usually just giving up and taking the headphones off.  I have the iPhone 5S and have not experienced these kinds of issues with any other headphones.  $150 down the drain :(
3422729
I have had these headphones for about a month now.

The sound is nice.  Really nice.  Clean, crisp.  I have them plugged into my computer's headphones/speakers jack, and the computer manages to pump enough power through, no problem.  Not that I need it, I don't listen to it loud, just enough to enjoy the full range of frequencies.

But that's where the positive stuff ends.  For me, that is.

The headband is tight.  It would be OK, methinks, had the inner diameter of the cushions been larger.  As it is, my right ear gets pinched no matter how I try positioning the headphones.  It's either pinches at the top part, or the lobe,  I can shift the entire can back to try to squeeze the ear inside the cushion, but then the cushion presses on the front of the ear and essentially blocks the ear canal.

Even if I fold my ear, stuff it inside, and endure uneven volume between left and right cans, I can only comfortably wear these headphones for a few minutes.  After that the skin on my skull under the cushions, depressed and deprived of blood, starts hurting, so I have to take the cans off to let the blood back in.

I keep these headphones with a few books between the cans, hoping that over time the headband relaxes.  Perhaps it will, but it hasn't yet.

Oh, and if you're wondering, my right ear is not freakishly larger than normal or than my left.  My ears are quite symmetrical, and quite regular...
4165592
These headphones started out great and quality of sound matches what others stated. Was quite happy and impressed, and enjoyed many hours of listening to them at work. Unfortunately, either through a fluke, unintentional damage (though they've been treated gently) or a lack of quality, the right headphone has picked up a noticeable resonance at certain frequencies, almost as if something has come loose in the headphone and is vibrating ever so slightly. The left just started as well so I'm thinking it's time to put these on the shelf and try another brand.

It's not enough that you can't listen to music ever but it's unfortunate that the generic headphones that came with my phone 6 years ago are still going strong while these didn't last me a year.
1431192
After using these headphones for a little over a month, I had to debate even giving them 3 stars.  There's a ton of great features - the sound quality, while not super-bassy, is crisp and clear, the blue tooth has ok range, and the control interface is great. They're lightweight and super flexible, come in great colors.  However, I bought them because I commute to work and the bus gets noisy, and I want to play soothing music to help me sleep - only to find there is NO noise canceling features.  I could hear the driver's radio chatter from half way to the back of the bus, the sound of someone coughing half the bus up over my music.  People talking rows away come through clear enough for their conversations to be distracting if I'm listening to a podcast.  Mid to low range voices for some reason come through super clear and bassy, it's really had to enjoy the nice, clear music when you can hear LITERALLY everything around you.

I did contact customer service, and they let me know that there are no noise canceling features, so this is more or less normal.  I really expected more from headphones that cost $100 - the features in it are great, but the only thing I really need them to do is let me enjoy music, and they don't deliver.  Would be great for quiet environments though, and I'm really bummed they don't work for what I need them for.  I like everything else about them.
4830811
They sound awesome, that is it. The headphones will last about a month with medium use, even if you take great care of them.  The connection will sometimes cut out when the device is just a foot away. The flat cord looks nice, but a round braided cord would be a better option. Returned for a refund. I wished they lasted longer.
1575202
I wanted to love these, but I honestly cannot understand how these were reviewed so well by certain tech websites. They fit alright at first, but the ear hooks don't really touch your ears, and the buds hang out slightly, causing a muffled sound that isn't very good. I could not get them to stay in securely, despite a few days of trying, so the sound was sub par.

Pros:
Good battery life
Sleek, minimal design

Cons:
Number one problem: Weak bluetooth connection. Drops out routinely. I ran with them 3 days in a row, fully charged, and they cut out constantly. It was incredibly annoying. My phone is right in my workout belt, and I had no issues like this with 3 other bluetooth headsets. They were unusable, crackling and breaking up constantly. I don't know if it is the motion? They did not break up like this in the house, although they did have a very short range.

The cord, oh the cord. WHY is there a super long cord with these annoying clips that you have to fasten yourself to shorten it around your neck? I have not seen other bluetooth sets with this type of arrangement, and the picture does not show this being the case. You have to shorten it, because it's way too long, and the clips constantly slide and loosen, get tangled in hair, etc. So annoying. I had to fuss with them every time I put these on or took the off.

The buds: They just don't stay tight. And because of this the sound is muffled. The ear clips do no really wrap around your ears they way the picture suggests. Instead, they rest slightly on the top, and just come out awkwardly in the back. Not enough to keep the buds in correctly. Plus, I was disappointed to find that I couldn't use my comply tips at all - these types of tips won't fit.

The sound: Eh? What some might say is balanced, I call tinny and weak. Bass lacking. Didn't really love it.

It seems to me they sacrificed performance for battery life. But it doesn't really matter if they last forever if they don't even work when they are on.

As a sidenote, even though the Jabra Pace doesn't have a great battery life, they WORK. They have great bass, great range, and went the whole way to dead without even so much as a crackle. They are about $40 cheaper than these, so that's where I'll settle.
3753722
I got these as a Christmas gift. I use them at work and love the tangle-free cordless design. It's nice to keep my desk free of long headphone cables, and be able to pair them with my macs, or iPhone very easily. They include 3 different sizes of rubber inserts, an AC to USB power supply, a usb charging cable, and ear hooks to keep them from falling out (I haven't found the need to use the hooks yes). My biggest (and only, really) complaint is the sound quality. It's definitely sub-par. I have quite a collection of headphones/speakers including Apple ear buds, Skullcandys, Bose QCs, and pricy molded in-ear-monitors. As expected, these fall at the bottom of the bunch. I've found the OSX app Boom (a system-wide EQ app) to be essential for recovering the high frequencies and reenforcing the lows that these things fail at. I think these are a great buy for anyone who isn't expecting the absolute best possible sound from the headphones, but wants a convenient way to listen to music, cord free. I use them paired with my computer in a studio space, to listen to music and watch videos without disturbing others and I think they'll be perfect for that. If I was, say on a train or plane and wanted a comfortable and clear sound first and foremost, I would probably use my Bose or even Skullcandys.

Edited:

I returned these headphones. The battery only lasts around 2 hours give or take. This might be nice for things like mowing the lawn and going on a run, but doesn't work for me as I'd like to use them for a full 8 hour work day. Too bad, was hopeful.
1319957
I was excited to find these noise-canceling headphones for a relatively low price.  The sound was very good.  And the noise-cancellation was excellent.  When I had them switched on, I could barely hear my loud-talking office mate, even with no music playing.

Unfortunately, they were unbearably uncomfortable.  Even with the adjustable headband at its maximum extension, it felt like there was a clamp squeezing my head, giving me a headache after less than an hour of wear.  Also, the ear-cups just barely fit around my ears, squeezing them just a bit, which didn't help matters.

Now, mind you - I bought this model not only for its price, but because other reviewers said that it was very comfortable.  So, I am assuming that the comfort level varies for different people.  I happen to be a bigger guy.  Maybe they are perfectly fine for people whose heads are not as large as mine.  But from my experience, they were not usable at all.  I returned them after a couple of days of wishing they would get better.  They didn't.  Disappointed, I will probably have to spring for something more expensive that delivers on both sound quality and comfort.
4103542
I really want to like these headphones but I have 2 major gripes first is the earwigs keep falling off (too the point that I have lost one side) and the second and biggest gripe is that the audio keeps cutting out when its in my pocket (pants or hoodie) and even cuts out when I hold it my left hand... That's just bad...I am still under warranty and I have to make a phone call to customer service, I hope that I have a lemon and this isn't what they normally push out...
2697124
I have little to add to the heaps of praise that been showered on the Beoplay H8 headphones but for a big caveat. They look great (subjective), fit well and are comfortable (your head/ears may vary), and sound great... when they work. It's conceivable I received a bum pair, but I can rarely get through an average length song without some skipping along the way, regardless of the connected device (multiple laptops, an iPhone 5s, an iPad Air 2, and a Nexus 6). Other bluetooth speaker devices I own/use haven't exhibited similar connectivity issues, so I'm left wondering if it's something about B&O's implementation or just the specific pair I received. Running them as wired headphones solves the dropout issues, but I bought these to use exclusively in wireless mode to reduce desk clutter. As a result, the H8s are really 3.5 star headphones in my mind -- when one of the headlining features is unreliable, it's hard to get excited about the other qualities that make them attractive. Maybe B&O will nail version 2.

Other observations worth mentioning, but generally didn't factor into my rating:
- Love the way the earpads feel. Soft and compliant. B&O really got this right. Color choices for materials are inspired.
- "On" doesn't mean bluetooth is on. You need to slide the rocker all the way left (up?) for a moment to activate wireless and power on the headphones. Curious design choice.
- Touch controls, which weren't a selling point for me, were a no brainer to learn but inconsistent in response. I thought I dialed in the right amount of pressure, but it's been oddly variable.
- My H8s offgassed... a lot. And not the usual rich leather smell, but rather a sharp, chemical smell that I found unpleasant. Your mileage may vary. Yes, I know leather is tanned with chemicals.
- ANC seems to work well. Wish there were a companion app or a physical switch so I could have this feature defaulted to off.
- The packaging is premium, but silly. Certainly there are other ways to get expensive gadgets to customers unscathed without an inch and half of foam that's going straight to the landfill.
- Speaking of premium, the included pouch is comically, offensively cheap. It's literally a crappy drawstring microfiber bag that makes you wonder why B&O bothered at all. Take a tip from that other highish-end audio accessory maker whose name starts with "B", Bowers & Wilkins: their included cases aren't total afterthoughts.
- Last thoughts on "premium": for a company that obsesses and waxes poetic about materials and details, it's surprising to find out that connectors aren't gold-plated. There are some plasticky bits with mold lines that haven't been cleaned up. You won't see or touch them when wearing the headphones, but they're there. These aren't dealbreakers, but create do create some incongruity/doubt with respect to what B&O's trying to sell.
- No easy way to check battery life except for a tiny blinking light. No audio alerts. No battery life information transmitted to iOS devices. What is this, 2005?

EDIT: Range has been disappointing. I can't walk more than 10-15 feet away from the source without audio completely cutting out. Not expecting whole house/office wireless range, but this is too limited to be useful. Between this and the dropouts, it seems increasingly probable that I am in possession of a bad pair.
773424
The headphones sound very good. The problem is they continuously lag and disconnect from my device. Also they continously break over and over again to the point where I just gave them to my cousin so he can deal with them. I was happy at first but that happiness ended in utter disappointment.
3235751
First of all, these feel like solid headphones. I haven't had them long enough to see if they can stand up to the test of time, but they certainly look and feel the part. These also have fantastic bass, which is best described as overwhelming. They have the strongest bass of any other earbud headphones which I have tried within this price range (~$25). While listening to music, it is fine. The bass is, however, far too much when using it for video games (I tried it with Modern Warfare 2 on an Xbox 360). I find myself wishing that it were possible to readjust it.

My main issues are the following:

1. The sound will begin to crack on some loud and fast paced songs to the point of being unbearable.
2. Any type of contact with the cord with or without the sound on is loudly audible. This includes so much as rubbing the cord slightly, or even breathing on it. This is my main issue with these phones, and while I am not completely displeased with my purchase, I probably won't buy these again the next time I go headphone shopping.

Edit: It was windy outside today and the noise it made by hitting the cord for these headphones was louder than the music I was listening to.

Edit #2: While the issue with bumping the cord still exists, the sound quality has greatly improved over time. The bass is now very nice and not at all overwhelming. These are great headphones, but unfortunately not for active people who have to move around with them. I have added a star because of the increase in sound quality.

Edit #3: (10/19/2010)
Note that I first posted this review the first day that I tried these headphones, which was almost exactly three months ago.
I have not abused these headphones. In fact, I have been far more careful with these than my counterfeit Sennheisers which I used before these.
Those actually lasted over a year and a half before going bad, cost about as much, and had far better sound quality.
To get to the point, I have docked two more stars from my first review. The headphones have failed, as I get absolutely no sound from the left speaker.
Having taken good care of them, I would expect a longer lifespan for what I paid. Do not buy.
4391677
I was excited for these headphones. I was using a set of Turtle Beach wired headphones for several months, but wanted to go wireless and the Astro name was ever-present in reviews and discussions as the best in class. So I picked them up at a local retailer. The first night of used I was impressed by the build quality and the comfort, and initially by the sound. On the load screens, etc. the headset sounded great. The stereo spread was nice, and all the sounds had nice separation. Everything change when I got in-game.

I'm playing BF4 pretty much exclusively right now. I set the headset to the FPS mode (for "soundwhoring") and put on the 7.1. Ugh. Unfortunately, the way the A50 separates the sounds to achieve its virtual 7.1 relegates many of the important sound cues of the came to some echoey space that makes things indistinct. Foot steps and gunfire are accentuated, but at the expense of much of the rest of the game sound.

So I thought, no problem, I'll try it in stereo and see what that does. The stereo sound was better, but not great. Finally I just went back to the first sound setting which was the most natural and balanced and allowed me to hear the game sound design. But already I was starting to regret my purchase. I was willing to overlook the shortcomings of the Turtle beach headset I had been using because it was a fraction of the cost of this headset, but when spending $300 for headphones, I'm not willing to compromise as much.

After my first night of use I took the headset off and noticed that my ears felt congested (not physically, but in how they were hearing), and there was a ringing in my ears. I'm a musician with over 25 years experience live and in the studio. I knew this feeling: tinnitus. Not good. Also, because of my experience as a musician I knew that I had my levels adjusted right, for comfort and utility, and I wasn't blasting myself. But I thought, "OK, it was the first night. I'll see how it goes." Nights two and three were the same. Now the tinnitus was almost painful and I had to cut my gaming sessions short because my ears weren't feeling well.

I'm also extremely disappointed in the sidetone of the headset. Again, because I've spent lots of time in the recording studio I'm just used to the idea that if I have headphones on my head and I speak into a mic I'm going to hear my voice back mixed with the rest of the sounds in the cans and I should also have some control over that. Not so here. The A50s have sidetone, but in-game it's not loud enough that you can hear it in the way I expect. I've found this is a common feature (or lack of a feature) in pretty much all gaming headsets aside from Turtle Beach. So I guess I have to go back to Turtle Beach if I want to monitor my own voice as I expect to.

So today I'll return the A50s and look for something else. I'm extremely disappointed, to say the least. Astro seems like a good company and they have many satisfied customers, but I would caution all of you out there: protect your ears. Tinnitus is a seriously bad thing. Perhaps it's the closed-back design of the A50s that didn't work well for me, perhaps I'm an outlier, but pay attention to what your ears are telling you and game on happily. It's clear that Astro put a lot of effort into the cosmetics and features. I would imagine they have sound engineers on their staff. It's surprising to me that features that are commonplace in the rest of the audio world are absent from gaming headsets. That's not just Astro, but everywhere.
2519070
There seems to be some quality control issues going on with this model of headphones. My friend bought this pair of headphones 18 months ago. He never really used them, so I borrowed them for a year. Amazing headphones, loved them. Fantastic sound distribution. I eventually gave him that pair back.

I purchased my own. I was really taken back when I first heard them. There was a significant difference between this pair and the pair that I fell in love with. The mids and harmonies were REALLY strong, but the highs were nonexistent. The bass for both headphones was similar. I had a hard time hearing the melody over the harmonies.

I returned that pair in exchange for another because Amazon is the best. The new headphones arrived today, and I am still trying them out, but here is my initial impression: These new headphones now are extremely heavy on the top melody line and the harmonies are very muddy. They are better than your standard apple earbuds, but not by much :/

I really miss the original pair that my friend bought. I'm going to keep trying this pair, see if they improve at all. If they don't improve, I will likely return them. Sometimes certain batches of product are better than others. Perhaps I just hit a bad batch. I was really disappointed in Sony and I'm going to start looking for other headphones.
2274076
The positives about these headphones:  Comfortable to wear, and great design.  I loved the innovative idea of having a reversable cable and places to plug in either size adapter.

The negatives.  Just not great quality sound.  I tried both cables that came with the cans and tried different levels, etc.  However, compared to my Sennheiser's that I picked up for a similar price, these didn't even come close.  These lack in detail, volume, and clarity.  Not a great choice for mixing.
2123250
I won't lie.  A lot of these reviews are positive and that's what sold me on obtaining a pair of these headphones.  These are some economical and great sounding headphones, comfortable as can be when used with the composite foam inserts.  Or you can use any of the other inserts if foam doesn't suit your fancy.  Then why the 2 stars?  Because it's the second time these have stopped working.  I'm a lifelong ear bud headphones user.  I know firsthand how cheap headphones tend to suffer from internal wire breakage and pull apart at the ear area while the good ones last for years before coming apart.  It is without question I take extra care in packing these  when not in use.  Yet apparently even with normal use some how some way, an internal break in the wiring appeared near the plug and caused my right side to go out.  After contacting the manufacturer directly, they mailed another set of replacement earphones.  A few months go by without incident.  But this time the break happened again, same area near the plug and after only a few months of use.  I could not believe it.  My old Gameboy headphones lasted much longer than this.  Of course I could pester the manufacturer again for another replacement, and they may happily oblige, but it seems rather ridiculous at this point.  I'm convinced the wiring in these headphones are either weak or too fragile for regular use.  Would not recommend.
621205
This is an updated review. While I still like the sound quality, I'm having trouble with other aspects of functionality and am more cautious about my recommendation.

First, the sound quality: I like it. This is my second pair of Alptronix EX-100 headphones, though my first pair with three buttons. They sound way better than the headphones that came with my phone and a lot better than the Skull Candy headphones I used to prefer. These have a sound I'd describe as balanced. There's bass and there's treble, but not too much of either. They're not audiophile, but considering the price, these are great.

The flat cables don't make a lot of noise in the wind or when you turn your head. And, of course, they don't tangle.

The silicone tips don't quite fit into my ear canal the way I'd like. Usually I use average size tips, and the small tips that came with these headphones are definitely too small for me. On the other hand, the medium tips don't go as far into my ear canal as I'd prefer and don't provide as much sound isolation as I'd like. I swapped in a pair of leftover tips from another brand of headphones to get a slightly better fit.

The three buttons can be made to work properly on my Nexus 5x phone using PowerAmp. Note: To make it work, I had to set the wired headphones as "High Priority" in the PowerAmp headset settings. And, I once had to unplug and re-insert the headset in order to make my phone notice it even on "High Priority." But the problems don't end there:

Yesterday I tried to use these earbuds in a phone call, not realizing that my phone hadn't recognized them. I couldn't hear a thing. Finally, I removed the earbuds and had my conversation the old way. Later I played around, connecting and disconnecting my earbuds. While they don't always work in my Nexus 5x, but once they're working they'll continue to work properly as long as they're plugged in.

They have three possible states:
1) Phone doesn't detect them at all.
2) Phone plays music through headphones, but doesn't respond to buttons.
3) Headphones work normally.

You cannot recover from State #2, but if you unplug and re-plug you may be able to achieve State #1 while PowerAmp is playing. From State #1, try the volume-up button. If it works, adjust the volume up and down before you fiddle with the pause button. Now you are in State #3. (If you can't get the volume-up button to work from State #1, unplug and re-plug them and try again.)

I can't recommend these headphones any longer, though I am satisfied with the one-button model, which works consistently though it doesn't have volume controls.