I can hear the other person crystal clear with no feedback or interference of any kind. The packaging was the original just open box. First of all, these earbuds sound great! This one is no exception, with the added bonus that it sits very stable on my head, as over the years my hair has been thinning and normal headphones tend to slide of my head. Very chic, very well made and comes in great packaging! Time will tell with these ones, Ill try to update after a couple months. Could be a day, could be a week, but one side will end up getting 75% more quiet. Eventually it resolved (not sure whether it sorted itself out or whether the hard reset finally worked). I?m so disappointed, the shoe feel comfortable on the front but there is no way i can make work, not even if i put two silicone at the back. Defective product.