Sony MDR-ZX310 / MDR-ZX310AP

Have had these headphones for over a year. They retail for a little over 20$/20€ in most places.

The sound is somewhat clear, not too much, but enough to not make me call them muddy. The differences between various kbps rates between MP3s are very audible, for example.
Signature's a very squished V: a bit of bass, mids are recessed a bit, highs just a little higher.

Of course, imaging works for what the headphones are worth (only the sharpest things like a saw wave-y synth patch on a track will be very distinct), and, err, soundstage? Nope, of course. It's very digital, 2D, in your head, not real.

[If you have the Bluetooth WH-CH510 headphones from Sony, you'll hear roughly the same sound signature, with imperceivable amounts of extra bass and mids overshadowing the treble (this regarding the WH-CH510s)].

I appreciated the angular cable end – easy to grab or pull out, jack encasing in hard plastic – and the cable itself, 1 meter and 20 centimeters long, which is not braided but knurled straight (I had to Google that), so it has a cool texture and doesn't make sound when it runs on your clothes. It's thick and hasn't ever made a noise, nor from the outside, nor the inside... however the double end curled up in a weird way for me.

The pads don't go flaky over time as they just disintegrate in extremely fine particles you can't see, which is better than regular big black flakes, but, what the hell?!
This is actually because they don't have a thin layer of fake leather glued onto the fabric, it's probably what you could call sprayed-on polymers. So weird, but it's an interesting insight into the manufacturing process, because it's such an interesting corner they've cut. And for the better, technically.
This can't sadly be said for the plastic bridge, whose extremities break off easily. And yet they don't even really touch...

In the end, ehhh, not bad, considering they cost as much as two pizzas. They also fold nicely and the plastic bridge, despite the bits falling off due to "trauma", is solid and bendable to an extent If you're anywhere between 7 and 16 (or a cheapo adult who's a commuter), go on your school bus and listen to stuff in your room, while caring about the bare minimum that doesn't suck, these are the right choice for you.