The lightweight MM Gear Extreme Dual Stereo (EDS) 200F headphones distinguish themselves by having two drivers for each headphone. The folks at Korean manufacturer MediaLine bill the product as "the world's first two-way headphone," but apparently they've never heard of Ultimate Ears. Then again, dual-driver technology for just $34.99 is worth some attention. These headphones, which come in white, (presumably to appeal to iPod users), are actually better suited for gaming or desktop audio than for listening while you are out and about. Unfortunately, they are marred by a truly bad, sometimes painful, design.

To start with, the headband provides very little "clamping," so if you should turn your head too quickly, the headphones will wind up in your lap. The headband is not padded, making it uncomfortable for users with less than a full head of thick hair. The adjustable part of the headband also kept catching on our hair and yanking strands out. The earpads are a fairly comfortable supra-aural (on top of your ear) design, and the cups aren't particularly bulky. The headphones fold up nicely for storage.

The headphones are "two-way" because each headphone contains two tiny speakers, one for high frequencies and one for low frequencies. This enables the highs and upper mids to be handled by the smaller tweeter, and the lower mids and bass to be handled by the larger woofer. Subjective bass response is excellent, with decent detail, but highs aren't quite as crisp and clear as they should be. The headphones' frequency response is good through the bass and midrange, up to about 3 kHz, at which point there's a dip where there would ideally be a peak. The level never really comes back above 3 kHz, which makes for some bass-heavy sounds and washed-out highs.

Although these headphones provide plenty of bass and are very lightweight (4.4 ounces), we don't find them satisfying as a companion to a portable MP3 player. Even for stationary listening, you'll have to be careful not to move your head too fast—and we know how twitchy gamers can be. Though these aren't the only two-way headphones out there, they are certainly the cheapest. Even so, we can't recommend them until the company comes up with a more secure and comfortable design.