the sound quality is good but the noise isolating feature I did not sense ...
595568
the sound quality is good but the noise isolating feature I did not sense that it did any suppression, the kids in the next room were noisy and I did not feel there was any suppression.
1869260
I needed a pair of closed headphones for office work and my 6 year old, open HD555 weren't cutting it for sound isolation from all the annoying, loud chit-chatters in the cube farm.

The HD448 and the HD449 are identical in everything but aesthetics.  That was confirmed directly from Sennheiser on their youtube unboxing. So I just got these and thought I'd save 25 dollars.  At least I did THAT right.

These are better in sound isolation from the HD555 but not by much.

Sound Quality, however is close to the HD555 in clarity, but I don't think the sound stage is nearly as large with the HD448 (much better on HD555).  Not a biggy for me since I'm just using them in an office.

I will say, they do appear to make it a little easier to isolate each instrument more than in the HD555.  And the HD448 have more bass presence than the HD555.  Good job there.  These won't rattle your brain, but there is a nice, defined bass presence here.  Please note that the bass response changes dramatically depending on at what angle on your head you have these.

Comfort is a big issue I have with these.  These are NOT comfortable to me.  I should explain though that I have a slightly large head and big ears.  I also wear glasses.  I'm a tall, big dude.  These have a bit more head clamping strength than the HD555s and have this plastic cushioning on the ear pads.  The plush 'pillows' on the ends of the HD555s far and away MUCH MUCH more comfortable to me.  The hollow portion where one's ears should rest is too small for me with this set.  You'd have to be a teenager or a smaller adult to fit the ear pads around your ears properly.  That or not be born with a fat head and wear glasses.  hehe

They are not terribly painful but they are not comfortable either..

Build quality is terrible.  I paid 100 dollars for these and had I tried them on in store, I'd say they are worth 50-60 tops.  Super cheap plastic, the earcups swivel on essentially a thick, plastic toothpick.  It makes me cringe a little since I will be carrying these back and forth daily.  The cabling is also toothpick thin... really night/day with the HD555 which come with a more substantial cabling and don't swivel on a toothpick.  They feel cheap because they ARE cheap.  Sennheiser, shame on you.

I probably won't return them, however.  Just because they are passable (I think) and I don't feel like worrying about RMAs and searching yet again for another pair at the moment.  Had I tried them on first in the store though, I'd have ran away.  I hope to get at least a year's use out of them, then I'm looking again.  And this time will be trying on in store.

Update:  Roughly 6 years later I am still using these and they have surprisingly held up.  That said I'm not rough on them.  But there is no visible wear and tear on them beyond the ear cup covering is starting to crack.  Sonically they still sound like the day I bought them.  I still don't like the size but have learned to live with it.
1350764
Nice quality, but do not cancel noise as I expected.
Returned.
2464091
What I liked best about them was that I could hear my material AND hear what was going on around me.  They do not provide the privacy and non-disturbance of others that traditional earbuds do.  Mine finally broke and I replaced them with Panasonic Isolating earbuds&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Panasonic-ErgoFit-Best-in-Class-In-Ear-Earbud-Headphones-RP-HJE120-K-Dynamic-Crystal-Clear-Sound-Ergonomic-Comfort-Fit-iPhone-Android-Compatible-Noise-Isolating-Headphones-Black/dp/B003EM8008/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Panasonic ErgoFit Best in Class In-Ear Earbud Headphones RP-HJE120-K Dynamic Crystal Clear Sound, Ergonomic Comfort-Fit, iPhone, Android Compatible, Noise Isolating Headphones -  Black</a>.  They are much less expensive and give me better sound!
999687
I overestimated the sound quality, but overall pretty convenient. I tested it while running outside and the noise isolation is too much, better to use inside or a gym. The fit is okay.
968724
The sound quality of these headphones is really good. Great bass and sound separation. The snug (but comfortable) fit in the ear makes these earphones great at blocking out background noise -- perfect for listening to music on noisy commutes. However, because of the sound blocking, using them as the earphones for a phone conversation is definitely hampered. With both headphones in, I find myself shouting or talking annoyingly loudly because I cannot hear myself speaking! Pulling one of the earphones out helps with this. So in my opinion, these are great for listening to music with your Sony Walkman phone, but not really for phone conversations.
4164636
These are decent headphones.  The sound quality is OK.  It's similar to the older iPhone earbuds.  (The newer iPhone earbuds are molded more to fit the ear and direct sound better).  As far as noise isolation, it does a pretty good job - but these aren't true noise canceling headphones.  The rubber earbud blocks out ambient noise.

I bought these mainly because I wanted the convenience of Bluetooth instead of always needing to plug headphones into the phone.  For that reason, I'd recommend.  If you're looking for high quality sound too, there are probably better options out there.
100721
I was very happy with the sound quality with the Philips/O'Neill Specked sound isolating headphones.  I have used a couple other brands of ear buds and the sound quality is just as good, if not slightly better, with these headphones.  They are also very comfortable to wear and have three sizes of ear buds to choose from.  They seem to be made from fairly high quality materials and appear to be very durable.

I have only one big complaint about the headphones.  Because of the material used in the cord, it picks up and amplifies sound if it bumps into or rubs against anything.  I think this is a rather annoying aspect of the headphones.  It is nice to have good sound quality, but I would only recommend using these headphones if you are not going to be moving around at all.
3386873
I am reluctant to rate these but I wanted to share my pros and cons. My sweet brother researched noise cancelling headphones and got me this pair as a gift. I am a musician and a music enthusiast. I appreciate high quality sound. I asked for this gift because I started working in the cubicle environment for the first time in my life and the slightest noise would get under my skin (maybe it's another giant red flag that this kind of job isn't my forte after going from nursing in a noisy ICU). Whatever the case, other peoples' phone conversations and coughing and talking and complaining was getting on my nerves, likely complicated by years of ADHD, and I needed to block out these petty distractions. Except, I became a distraction. The music/white noise/ambient noise/talk radio/etc that I was listening to was annoying to others. They asked me to turn my radio down. It turns out that even when properly adjusted on my head and playing at a reasonable volume, the audio could be heard quite clearly by those around me. I couldn't hear a thing! So, in that way, these headphones did the trick BUT they were very audible to people sitting near me. If that's not a problem for you, then these are great. The sound quality is full and rich. I was bummed that I had to stop using them to appease coworkers because I had become part of the noise problem! Just something to consider... otherwise very happy with them and I kept them to use outside the office :)
3596418
Sound is good, but the noise isolating is just marketing.  On an airplane last week, and did nothing to cancel out sound; slightly better than earbuds.  If noise isolating is just turning the volume up high, than it works.  Fit nice but, fall short of other statements.
4363457
It plays music like a champ. But its not really noise isolating. For this kind of cashish it should be noise isolating. Why did they do this. Now I can't enjoy my cat videos without actual cats interrupting me.
2526603
Purchased when my shure's were out of commission. The sound and noise isolating where not that good, Ive had better from similar models at this price point, but its a step up from the god awful ones apple gives you with their expensive player. These make an okay back-up set of earphones. The colors are nice.
1619640
The sound quality is good.  The interface is a little cumbersome.  Make sure you read the manual so you understand all of the options.
1538068
The sound quality is good for the price and they look better than most expensive headphones out there. The noise cancellation feature doesn't completely cancel noise, (I can still hear my coworkers conversations from about 10 feet away), but I didn't expect sony level NC at this price. They're on the heavier side, which I knew about before purchasing, but I still tried jogging with them and they kept sliding off. If you're looking for workout headphones, these aren't for you, but they're perfect for using while working/studying/etc.
1822230
The sound quality is good. They come with a nice case to protect them. I have found them a little bulky and hard to get to stay in my ears though. All the controls are on the earpiece themselves. This makes it a little confusing for me one time I tried to reach up to skip a song and it started to dial my last phone call back. Basically I'm disappointed I can't see what I'm doing and they are so difficult to adjust to stay in your ears.
I do like the light showing its on or when you hold down to turn off and it turns red.
So really wish wasn't so fancy my last pair had the control on the wire and that made it a lot easier.
2056789
The AIRWALKS Bluetooth receiver works relatively well, and reconnecting upon turning on the vehicle is automatic.  The sounds quality is good, and microphone is able to pickup my voice even with the windows down.  The position of the unit is 2' in front of me and 1' down and to the right.  I ended up buying a ground noise isolator as the unit does not reduce the electrical ground noise present in cars that don't ground the accessory power properly.
2983604
The original foam cusion is not very comfortable. There is an excellent article on

[...] which describe a simple mod to make it an excellent sound isolating in-ear monitor. Based on your listening preference, you may decrease the bass or mid level damping. The mod will make it a poor man's Shure.