Audio-Technica ATH-ANC33iS QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling in-Ear Headphones with in-Line Microphone & Control

I buy this headphone to reduce background noise so that I don't have to turn the volume too high to hear it clearly (which is bad for hearing), and it does work!Noise cancelling performance: ANC-33is does significantly cancels background noises, especially sounds like air-conditioner noise or traffic noise. It feels magical to quiet down the world around you with just one switch on the noise cancelling unit! Though it does not completely cancel all noises, I think the performance is good enough for its price. You can still hear the noise a little, but when music is played, the noise will become barely audible. I highly recommend it to people who listen to music in noise surroundings. (If you want something that blocks noise as much as possible when you are not listening to music, say sleeping, this is probably not what you are looking for. It does not reduce as much noise as my Mack's earplugs)Sound quality: I am not a headphone expert, but I can clearly tell that ANC-33is is better than my 10 dollar Sony MDR-E9. The sound from ANC-33is is more stereo and clear. Though it is probably not as good as normal non-noise-canceling at the same price, I think the sound quality is good enough for me.Build Quality: It is well build. The wire is covered with high quality rubber and noise cancelling unit is delicate. About the wire control, At first I find that it works on my iPod but does not work on my Android phone, but later I realized wire control was disabled in setting of my music app. After fixing the setting, it works perfectly.Battery life: Impressive! I use it for about one hour per day and the battery lasted for almost three months before the lower battery LED started blinking! It even outperforms its specifications on Audio-Technica website, which says "up to 60 hours".Wire length: The total length is enough, but the position of the noise canceling unit can be improved. There is about 50cm of wire between the plug and the unit and 80cm from the unit to headphone. If you prefer to clip the unit on the side of your pocket, the portion from the unit to the headphone may not be enough. I am 1.7m tall and the length is exactly enough.EDIT: I am no longer perfectly confident about its durability. About one year after my purchase, it started to have problems when noise cancelling is on. At some positions the NC stooped working but if the cable was bent a little to some direction, NC worked again. So when I were running and the cable moved a lot, the NC sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, which is pretty annoying. I thought it was a cable connection problem. Then I sent it back to Audio Technica for repair and they sent back a new pair (good customer service!). Then it works perfectly for almost a year, and now same problem show up again. Now it is not as severe as last time and the impact is still tolerable (occasional slight noise in left ear), but I am not sure if it will worsen in the future. From my observation the problem comes from the part of cable connection the NC unit to actual headphones. If I remember correctly, this was also the part the failed in the previous pair. I am not sure if this has anything to do with that I often wear it to gym. Though I never stretch it, sweat may to damaging it.

UPDATE:After 2.5 years, my 4 out of 5 star rating stands. The headphones are starting to wear out semi-regular use. The button to start/stop music no longer works, wires connecting into battery box are a tad frayed, and I don't think the headset works anymore (or, not well). So, these are not indestructible, I would say less durable than other headphones I've had. But still works well (the parts that still work!)._______________________These are good headphones, but a number of improvements could be made to them to make them more user friendly and multi-functional. They improve my listening experience, but I'll be looking for a different model or an upgraded version of these once they wear out someday and it comes time to buy replacements.What's good?- Sound quality is good! Especially with foam tips and noise cancelling on, you get good sound out of these. I'm no audiophile but I think for the price anyone would be happy with the sound quality.- There's a microphone built in so you can use it for calls, and I've had no complaints using it with my iPhone 6- There's a button near the left earpiece (where the mic is) that you can use to answer/end calls on your phone, or can use to play/pause music and audio books. I find it very helpful!- It's great to have volume control and a switch for noise cancelling on the little control box. The volume control is built-in, so it's independent of whatever device it's plugged into.- Nice that it runs off of a single AAA battery, which means easy to pack spares and no need to plug in to recharge. The battery lasts a long time, too, and the headphones will still work even if the battery dies, just no noise cancelling then.- You can buy a variety of foam tips in various sizes and materials, so you can customize the fit and feel of the earbud tips, which is nice.What's just OK?- These do work for some noise cancelling, but they by no means block out ALL sound, not even all the droning/rumbling/repetitive sounds they are designed to block out. I do find a noticeable difference when I flip on the noise-cancelling switch. It's an experience sort of like stepping out of the room at a party and closing the door; you can still hear the party in the background, but it's quieter and muffled and you can hear yourself think a bit better. So, these headphones do help make a plan ride or train ride or just a noise area feel more quiet and peaceful. They just don't work miracles, so don't expect them to.- It's too bad there are no volume controls to adjust a device's volume, though as mentioned the built it volume control works OK for that. It's just not placed as conveniently as it could be (i.e., right next to the mic and play/pause button).- Comfort level is fine. I got some foam tips, which aren't bad. I wouldn't say the comfort level is annoying, but I can always tell I am wearing the headphones. It's possible that with different tips or a different size it would be better?What's bad?- The clip-on battery box, which also has the noise cancelling switch and volume controls, is kind of a pain. The lengths of cord on either end of it means that if my phone is in my pocket, I have to clip the control box on my belt loop or lower part of my shirt, which looks a bit dorky. Functionally it's ok, but the clip is very strong so a bump or tug can make the little box fall loose, which then jolts my ears due to the weight of the battery and control box. It doesn't sound heavy, but when connected to something stuck in your ears, it's not pleasant! I would prefer a control box that I'd leave hidden in my pocket, with volume controls located higher on the cable nearer my head. The cable between control box and ear bud isn't long enough for this, however, at least not when standing/walking.That's really my only big complaint, though of course it would be great if the noise cancelling was more effective. Better noise cancelling and better placement or design of the control/battery box would make these 5-star headphones.