I consider very few Apple products mediocre but I can't think of anything nicer to call Apple's earphones and headsets. The Apple iPhone Stereo Headset, which features the same crappy earphones included with every iPod, is mediocre at best. Among the least comfortable earphones I've ever used, they provide so-so frequency response, and little or no noise rejection. Furthermore, unlike some other earphones that come with foam or silicone tips in several sizes, the Apple iPhone Stereo Headset (and iPod earphones) come in one size and one size only. If your ears aren't exactly that size you're out of luck.

I have to admit, the one thing I do like about this headset is the design of its microphone capsule -- you squeeze it to play/pause music and/or answer/end phone calls. That's nice. And speaking of the microphone, if there's a high point to this headset, the mic is it. It includes a built-in windscreen, something I don't believe any other headsets I've tested has. I felt the sound it produced was clearer and had less noise than even the Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth headset I favor, and incorporates AudioIQ, Plantronics' proprietary noise reducing/audio enhancing technology (see review here).

P.S. To test microphone quality I created a set of short audio recordings using five different headsets including the aforementioned Plantronics Discovery 665 and the iPhone alone without a headset. If you'd like to hear them, you'll find them here.

The Bottom Line

If you lost or broke your original iPhone headset, almost any other iPhone headset will be more comfortable and provide a better listening experience. About the only reason I can see to choose this headset is if the quality of your voice on phone calls is your only criteria.