Anyone who’s gone out for a run with a pair of loose fitting earphones knows the agony of screwing earphones on tight while trying to focus on breathing and running at the same time. The open roads are a lot easier on running while you’re trying to adjust the earphones, but let's face it - how many of us have the luxury of hitting the open roads after an 8 hour day? The more likely scenario is the treadmill and that's a threatening proposition, to say the least. Picture this: You're on the treadmill, trying to work off some calories and the day's frustration. You start your iPod playing and plug in your earphones and you're off. And when you least expect it, the damned things strike. From nearly losing your balance to sending your iPod flying across the cardio floor, the case of the loose earphones is not without its hard times. As someone who’s done both, scraped knees from treadmill falls and sent her iPod flying across gym floors, I continue to search for the perfect earphones that won’t foil my attempts at sprinting towards the end of a 30 minute run.

Enter: Creative’s in-ear phones EP-660.

The mission, should I choose to accept it... needless to say, I do: To determine if the EP-660s can prove themselves worthy partners for runners, cyclists and walkers.

The ‘in-ear phones’ do a good job of fitting into your ears without threatening to fall out. The EP-660 comes with three silicon tips that ensure a perfect fit. The snug fit does one thing quite immediately – it blocks out the outside world. It nearly delivers what the packaging claims – enhanced bass. Unless your gym is playing a particularly loud Himesh Reshamiya song in the background, rest assured the music playing into your earphones won’t be interrupted easily.

The EP-660 chord is thin, but while this might annoy desktop users – it spells convenience for a runner. Simply because it doesn’t tug at your ears when you’re running at top speed. The thin chord also stays loose and doesn’t bunch up or twist, which makes it ideal for placing it at a distance on the treadmill’s deck. But the distance is where things get tricky. At just 1.2m, the chord isn’t long enough for elliptical machines and exercise cycle deck shelves, especially if you plan to swing your arms wide and work fast. So, you’ll need a good workout belt that has a pouch to carry your iPod/mp3 player. Considering how many iPods are lost to treadmill vibrations each year, that’s probably not the worst idea.

I used the EP-660 for high speed running on the treadmill. And even at 14kmph, the earphones did not budge. I then tried them while skipping, cycling, and for good measure – some light jogging. They were unshakeable.

And here's the clincher... At Rs. 1499 the Creative EP-660 earphones offer value that is quite reasonable as they live up to the promise of noise isolation and yes, they're definitely snug enough.