I read somewhere that Sony have changed it so that it's the same as most devices like Apple and Blackberry so it should work.
Maybe your ones are broken.
If you are asking me, my sennheiser are my primary headphones, they were around $100 and just plain rock. With the same standard, they "should" work.
I shouldn't need to buy new headphones because Sony can't play nice with the "standard"
I use Etymotics designed for the iPhone and they work perfectly.
OMG my Apple In-Ear is not working with the new Xperia S.
Anyone with same problems?