I decided to buy these despite the negative reviews, and I'm glad I did. They may not be the cadillac of in-ear earbuds, but they are well worth the $6 total cost. When I first stuck them in my ears, the words from the negative reviews rang true, but when I changed the shields to the larger size, it was a whole new experience. I bought them for a long road trip with 3 grandkids (one a 10 month old baby). The noise isolating quality was better than I expected based on the reviews, and the sound quality was totally acceptable. 

Question: How is the sound quality of this one?
Answer: the sound quality was totally acceptable