Initially, I walked uptown to London Drugs to pick up a pair of Skullcandy Lowrider headphones. I'd heard of the name before and I believed they have a fairly good reputation. As with most purchases, I looked online to see the reviews and nobody seemed either terribly excited by or annoyed with this model.
I simply wanted a pair for my mobile phone in order to stream music or podcasts during my hour of daily walking. The pair I'd been using are not a famous brand. I picked up the ugly, orange set in a Walmart clearance bin for $2.95, I think. Of course I thought, if I bought a $50 set of headphones, I'd enjoy superior sound quality.
How wrong I was! My Sharona by the Knack was on a Songza playlist. I listened with my shiny new Skullcandy set and didn't think I heard much bass. So, I switched to my ugly, orange, cheapie pair. Not only did the bass sound better but the whole midrange was clearer and purer. These Skullcandy Lowriders looked cool but I may as well have been listening to inexpensive earbuds!
The product is crap. I brought them back to London Drugs and they, thankfully refunded my credit card. I'm now happy with my old orange ones. I guess this proves that when buying headphones or speakers, one must really try them before buying.