The SONY ZX310 headphones are well-designed for the most part. Its cord to the headphone jack is thick—almost as thick as a watercolor brush’s handle—so that there is little concern about the cord’s delicacy (that said, when the cord splits into two smaller cords, it does become incredibly thin and fine). As an on-the-ear model, these SONY headphones provide good padding, such that I’ve never felt hurt wearing them for several hours—even when I’m wearing ear cuffs or glasses (two accessories that often result in discomfort when wearing on-the-ear headphones). While the headphones are made primarily from plastic (a cheap finish compared to most other headphones in the market), the overall design is sleek; for instance, the shinier material used on the exterior surface of the ear pads are a nice detail that improves the headphone’s image. While sound quality is not the best in these headphones (the headphones work well for pop music but suffers with genres like indie rock), the overall design is functional and easy on the eyes… especially when considering that the headphones cost only $20.
