Everyone told me I didnt give them enough time to break in. Sound quality is a big improvement I have noticed on the XR700s. Aside from that, the founds are very clear and crisp, which is nice when I use this to listen to audiobooks and for phone calls. (previous version didnt have this problem. My biggest disappointment is that sometimes they fail to connect to the phone and I have to put them back into the case and retry a few times - one star off. Made my purchase from Amazon Warehouse in "Used ? Very Good" condition. Only performed 1 two miles hike so far in them but husband loved them. Got this product free for honest review. Now I know they were supporting my feet so poorly, it was causing the damage. I carry my iPhone 8+ in the center pocket of my biking jersey, located on the back.