Bang & Olufsen A8 Earphones

I actually have, believe it or not, two sets of the A8 earphones. I bought the first one at a B&O store; someone bought a car and the earphones came as a gift. He didn't care for them, so he gave them to me. One set is black (old ones, bought around 2001 or so), one set is white (2014).
 
Both have one thing in common: you'd be disappointed if they cost $19.95 (from a sonic perspective). 
 
The design is awesome. I've never seen earphones so great looking. They are stylish, even after all these years. They last for ages (my circa 2000 ones look brand new, exactly like my 2014 ones). The earphone and the clip are borderline works of art, like the rest of the B&O gear.
 
The issue is - well, the sound. There's nothing in this earphone to recommend, other than that it's easy to drive from a phone jack. But then again, it doesn't have a mic, so what's the point?
 
They are mediocre in every single way. Bass has no texture, highs are undefined and not particularly extended, midrange - it's there, but again, nothing to write home about. It's an absolutely unspectacular earphone, with a rather special price, that competes with the earphones that came with your phone when it comes to sound quality.
 
Also, although its design is rather good, getting a good seal is sort of difficult. Bass quantity obviously goes down without a good seal.
 
The cable is the worst one I've ever seen. Cheaper than any quality earphone that comes with any phone. Around the same quality as a $1.99 phone (no joke). Same with the connector - my 2000 model is actually rusting!
 
If you are aching to get this one - get it used, get it as a gift, do not pay full price. It's just not worth it.

I have owned the Bang And Olufsen A8s for around 5 months. I am very satisfied with this product in many ways. First of all, These earphones look and feel amazing. The materials used (rubber, brushed aluminum and plastic,) are fantastic. As well, these are probably the most comfortable earphones I have EVER used in my entire life. It's so comfortable, I do not feel anything when I am listening to them. I have not had a single problem with these earphones and are very durable. 
 
The sound quality on these earphones is not amazing, but very good. The highs are crisp, and do not roll off. The mids are also amazing, and are very accurate. The only thing I am very disappointed with are the lows. The bass is severely lacking, and distort at very high volumes. Also, these earphones go loud, which is a great thing for people who want their music loud. 
 
Even though these earphones are great, there are a few things that set these earphones from bring a 5 star. First of all, the cable is TERRIBLE, like the one you get with airplane earphones. Seriously, it's that bad. The cable may be short for some as well. As well, even though the sound is good, it is very colored, meaning that they make the music sound better than it really is. Another holdback is the price. At $160, these are very expensive for what you get. These should be worth $120 at max.
 
Overall, I recommend these to anybody who wants a great set of earphones with good sound, good comfort, good durability and good portability.