<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The struggle is real.</b></span><br /><br />Headphones and I have, historically, had a love/hate relationship. I <b>love</b> listening to things while I run, be it music, podcasts, or what have you...and they seem to <b>hate</b>&nbsp;staying in my ears. Really, it's quite the symbiosis we've got going on.<br /><br />I have been through cheap $9 Black Friday throw-aways and I've had the expensive, high-end $150 bluetooth masterpieces...and there's always <b style="font-style: italic;">SOMETHING</b>&nbsp;wrong with them.<br /><br />And finally. <b>FINALLY</b>. I think I've found the one.<br /><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>It was totally by chance, too.</b></span><br /><br />I'm one of those guys that LOVES to wander the race expo (when there is one). I like to check out the vendors, the new and exciting "stuff" they're demo-ing, the apparel, accessories and nutrition I'm not gonna buy, and the free samples of delicious &amp; nutritious "stuff".<br /><b><br /></b><b>As a Falmouth, MA resident</b>, I'm fortunate enough to have easy entry into the Falmouth Road Race (a 7-ish mile seaside road race you should ABSOLUTELY do if you have the opportunity). At last summer's Falmouth Road Race expo I happened upon a booth offering up yet another new pair of headphones. These, however, I recognized - I had seen these promoted on Facebook (guess that works, huh?). Now they're in front of me. <i>Now I'm&nbsp;intrigued.</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>So, naturally, I chatted the guy up.</b></span><br /><br />I tried a pair out standing there (they always sound great during the controlled on-site demo), and I learned a bit about them. We exchanged business cards and stayed in touch, and after a little back and forth I had a pair of these headphones in my hand to field test and review. After having used them for MANY months, for MANY kinds of workouts and events, I am <b>pleased</b>&nbsp;to say...well, they're just fantastic.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What makes a great pair of headphones?</b></span><br /><br /><b><u>FIT IS CRITICAL.</u>&nbsp;</b><br /><br />It doesn't matter how amazing your headphones sound...if they don't sit and stay in/on your ears properly you're never going to hear that amazingness. I could go on for days...<u style="font-weight: bold;">yes</u>, fit is that important. At least for me, over-the-ear headphones are much too cumbersome for running or gym workouts, so I'm left picking through the multitudes of ear buds available.<br /><br /><b><u>Wired vs. Wireless</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b>Honestly, this one is really personal preference. Both have their pros and cons. I, personally, have not seen proof that wireless prevents optimal sound quality, so it's really up to you whether or not you want to potentially spend a little more for the convenience of no* wires and perhaps remote controls. I prefer bluetooth/wireless. <i>That's just me.</i><br /><i><br /></i><b><u>Battery Life/Connection</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b>Having great sound quality and a perfect fit don't do you much good if they won't connect and STAY connected, or if the battery dies after 2 hours. Make sure your chosen headphones, if you pick bluetooth, have a solid, reliable, easy connection and at least 4 - 5 hours of music-listening battery life (phone calls will drain it faster).<br /><br /><b><u>Sound Quality!</u></b><br /><br />All of this is kind of a moot point if your headphones sound like a dying cat. You want crisp highs, deep, rich lows, and a solid midrange to tie it together. You would think that's a no-brainer...but many companies out there pumping out mediocre products profit off of you not caring about that point.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>So how does Reverb's ActiveX stack up?</b></span><br /><br /><i>*Disclosure - in case you missed it earlier, I was provided with the product for review. I was not compensated in any way. As always, my opinion is my own, never bought or sold.*</i><br /><br />Honestly, I'm pretty impressed. The ActiveX is doing a lot of things very right.<br /><br /><b><u>Fit</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b>The horseshoe design Reverb uses for the ActiveX makes it damn near impossible for these to fall out of your ears, which...at least for me...is half the battle won already. They include three sizes of silicone eartips to ensure proper fit inside your ear (medium worked fine for me).<br /><br /><b><u>Battery Life</u></b><br /><br /><b><u>Bluetooth Connection</u></b><br /><br /><b><u>Controls/Buttons</u></b><br /><br /><b><u>Sound Quality</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b><br />