Earphones, headphones and over-the-ear phones have become an essential accessory in today’s digital life. But each device has its own personality and therefore no one style is the absolute best for everyone. That realization immediately launches the question, “Yeah, but which one is best for me?”

The answer depends upon how you use your listening device. In what kinds of situations do you listen, to what types of content and equally important, what are your expectations?

Personally, I do most of my music listening at the gym—lifting weights, running on the treadmill, stretching and spinning. (Yeah, it takes a lot of work to look this good!) So to me, the most important considerations are comfort and sound. I have found over-the-ear phones to be the best sounding style in general because they isolate your ears. But they are not comfortable. In fact, the idea of wearing my large “ear cans” in the gym simply never crossed my mind.

For the past year or so I’ve been using a $90 pair of ear buds with silicone noise isolation inserts. I was comfortable with these, so testing the Subjeckt T.N.T. low profile headphones didn’t immediately seem like a good idea.

I did however, finally consent to take ‘em for a work out. List price is $49.99 on these ear flaps which come in eight different bright styles/colors. My first question was, “Would they be comfortable for my needs?” Answer, “Yes.”

Very lightweight, they they fit firmly against my ears, but without pushing down on my head. That made them seem absolutely viable for use at the gym, although I wasn’t sure how the looser fit might translate in terms of the sound. (According to official specs, the range covers 20Hz to 20KHZ and features a 40mm Neodymium magnetic driver.)

I discovered something very interesting about the Subjekt’s DNA which I believe is intentional. They are bass heavy. Well, they would be bass heavy if you put your hands to them and pushed them firmly against your ears throughout your listening session. But of course no one does that. So given the comfort factor of this low profile design, the extra bass actually translates to “just right.” I also found that by altering the EQ on my phone I could adjust the sonic curve for different kinds of music.

So yes, here I am wearing a pair of headphones that cost about half of the buds I’m used to and frankly I like them, I like them a lot. There is an audio fatigue factor that travels with the buds that was thankfully missing from the TNT phones. Also a plus was the rubbery 4 ft. no-tangle cord and the bright colors which deliver a dose of cool.

So if you see me at the gym, you’ll note I’ve switched sound gear and am now wearing the white Subjekts shown above, and that’s probably the best way to sum up this review.