I dont want to wear any other shoes now! The ear gel prevents the jawbone from fitting into its neoprene carrying case. I would suggest adding washers to the equation. My Trek Bike shop has the same one. They are super cute and don?t look like old lady shoes. I love how uniform my closet looks with them and my clothes actually stay on the hanger without falling off. Dont pay more than $30 for the 500vi because they are not worth more than that. The rest of the time these are my favourite headphones - and i have quite a collection. I correctly opted for one size smaller, as they are unisex, the sandals are roomy, but not uncomfortably so. AFTER 1 HR.