Monks are okay. And cheap. I tried many other cheap chi-fi earbuds, I found Monks to be the best. Then I tried their expensive Zen model, and I actually still preferred Monks. But I gotta say. I don't really use earbuds, unless I'm in a train or bus. For potable use I use Porta pro. The sound is not even comparable, it's so much better. It can be folded together so you can have it in your pocket, just as you can with a set of earbuds.