To get the most out of these i use them with normal buds, as the foam ones reduce treble as per usual with foam, without foam in nozzle as it reduces clarity and with the cable over ear because it allows for the earphone to be in a better position.   I bought them from harvey norman for $197 AU, which is cheaper than ebay, hence why i bought them. For normal retail price (AU $450) they aren't worth it, but for $200? I couldn't buy them quick enough.   My comparison point is my sennheiser ie8's with a sony walkman as a source, so im used to...

My first impression of a sony walkman e-series was from when i listened to one my friend had in school. I don't have a clue what my impression was though. But some time that year, or early next year i bought one, the latest model at that time. I went home, and copied my music straight on there, just drag and drop.    Then is started playing music. The custom eq was brilliant, it made everything so much better than the ipod's set eq's, i could tune the eq to what i thought sounded best, and remove some harshness in the treble i encountered...

Bass screws work if you have some bass to begin with, ie. not using an ipod. Soundstage is brilliant. Sound is a bit unbalanced, have use aggresive eq with walkman. bass is phenominal.