Second welcome surprise: Bass. In my tests, Muse's "Uprising" had all the kick drum and midbass rumble it was supposed to have. In Metallica's Mastered-For-iTunes "Hate Train," I could still hear the kick drum even with the guitars crushing down, albeit barely.

Great sound for the price; Surprisingly strong bass considering it's not an in-canal design; Inexpensive; Includes small carrying case

Design still doesn't fit everyone; Doesn't block out any external noise and some sound leaks out

There was momentous news on Wednesday night, far more significant than the iPhone 5 or redesigned iPods. After years of inflicting the horror of its white, bundled earbuds on its customers – and their blameless fellow commuters – Apple announced it was finally retiring them, replacing them with a...

There was momentous news on Wednesday night, far more significant than the iPhone 5 or redesigned iPods. After years of inflicting the horror of its white, bundled earbuds on its customers – and their blameless fellow commuters – Apple announced it was finally retiring them, replacing them with a...

In its unending search for perfection, Apple has decided to completely redesign its iconic white earbuds. The new Apple EarPods with Remote and Mic are now the default earphones that ship with the new iPhone 5 and iPod touch , but you can also buy them separately.

When all is said and done, Apple's new EarPods are an improvement on the earbuds they replace, but only marginally so.

Considerably improved bass; Slightly better short-term comfort; Slightly larger in-line control microphone

Hot and brittle treble; Midrange sucked out; Still uncomfortable for long-term use

It's become de rigueur to describe Apple's white earbuds as "ubiquitous" and "iconic"--and justifiably so. Not only are they almost inextricably linked to the company's iPods and iPhones, but Apple revealed at its recent press event that it had shipped 600 million sets of the headphones, a number...

Secure and comfortable fit; Solid bass; Improved overall sound

Sound leakage; Fit still far from perfect

As far as Apple audio goes, the EarPods are certainly a welcome improvement. There's no way that we would've recommended using the Cupertino brand's previous earbuds, but the EarPods do the trick if you don't want to splash out on a new pair, having just spent all your wedge on a shiny new iPhone 5.

Slick design; Decent bass; Improved noise isolation

Pricey for the quality; Don't feel entirely stable; Sonics lack clarity

The new Apple EarPods are here and they are an incredible improvement.

The new Apple EarPods are here and they are an incredible improvement.

The Earpods have a surprisingly strong bass, reminding me of the Philips L1. The midrange is quite good with no obvious colorations or nasality etc. Highs are generally good, but if any EQ is applied to tone down the bass, the highs may sound a bit bright, or the peak around 6 khz or so could make...