The Sony MDR-AS40EX earphones feature a few other physical attributes worth noting. First, they're mainly black with some silver and a slight bit of red accenting, so if the Sennheiser Sport line was a little too bright and flashy for you, the MDRs are a good alternative. Also, the cable is modular, which is usually ideal for active applications, as it keeps the main cable short enough (20 inches, in this case) to use with an armband without a lot of slack cord. Also, Sony was smart enough to include a clip on the cable for dealing with the weight added when you connect the included extender cable, which adds an additional 26 inches to the length--plenty for keeping your MP3 player in a bag or pocket. Sony also includes a rather clunky, but still useful, plastic case.
During our performance evaluation of the Sony MDR-AS40EX earphones, we took a couple things into consideration, not the least of which was their ability to stay in place during activity. They passed this test with flying colors, failing to budge during a set of jumping jacks and a vigorous 15 minutes on a rowing machine. Sound quality was a bit of a different matter. While the MDR-AS40EX offers an impressive amount of high-end detail--with strings, shakers, and acoustic guitar sounding particularly shimmery--we found that overall sound was a bit cold and bright for our tastes. This has a lot to do with the fact that without a proper seal with the ear, bass was quite deficient. When we shoved the 'buds in, we got the low end, but it was pretty mushy. However, for working out--especially if you listen to a lot of podcasts while doing so--the earphones are passable. They certainly allow for plenty of volume.
