Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia Headphones by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia Headphones
Digital camera Review: Amazing, then disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
I decided to give Sony one last shot, as I've had some problems with their products in the past. These headphones seemed to be everything I was looking for, and for exactly what I wanted to spend. That should've been my first warning sign.
They were perfect for three months, had great quality, the noise cancellation was excellent, I was ecstatic, etc. They never moved from my computer other than two road trips in the backseat of a car. I never took them running with me, I just stuck with my crappy 10 year old pair for that, which have never frayed and have never screwed up. So there was no reason that almost three months to the day I got them, the right earbud simply stopped working. I fiddled with the wires for a bit, but with no luck. Some connection somewhere was dead. It wasn't an earwax or a clogging problem, there's just a dead connection somewhere. I tried contacting Sony's customer support and got thrown around in circles.
Long story short, Sony and I have since broken up. I got Shure E3Cs. Extremely pricey, but beautiful. This is truly a case of getting what you pay for. Go with them.
Digital camera Review: Annoying headphones
Summary: 1 Stars
First off, yes the sound quality is very good and if you plan to sit around the house doing nothing but listening to music then these would be fine. But then if you're not buying them for active use then you should just get a good pair of over-the-head style Senheiser or Grado. So then assuming that one buys this style of headphone for use when running, cycling, working out, etc then sound quality takes a back seat to comfort and ease of use. With the asymmetrical design of the cord (right side is much shorter than left) the right bud is constantly tugging and eventually pulling out of the ear. Also, prior to the bud being ripped from your ear the seal is lost which means that all of the aforementioned sound quality is lost since this style of phone relies on deep insertion into the ear canal for a good seal. If you sweat while working out then the cord will stick to the skin and as the cord slips down (due to the heavy connector Sony uses for the extension) it resists sliding back up as you move your head and then, "pop goes the weasel". I've used these for Spinning and on the treadmill and I am constantly screwing around either trying to push the bud back into my ear, pulling the cable up to provide some slack or replacing the bud after it has been pulled out. The person who came up with this "design" should be fired along with the design team who felt this was a good idea. Typical marketing driving design where a solution is made to solve a problem that does not exist. There are MANY earbud style headphones out there that have as good sound quality as these or better. Avoid this model unless you enjoy holding your thumb up to your ear as you run.Digital camera Review: Another one with cord problems.
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm having the same cord problems as most other people. Sony support offered to sell me a refurb pair for something like $27. I'm not giving them any more business.Digital camera Review: As good as any
Summary: 4 Stars
I haven't spent eighty dollars on headphones and I don't see why you would need to. These are great.Digital camera Review: Astonishing sound, balanced out by its crappy durability
Summary: 4 Stars
The 51's are just amazing. I love the rich sound which pours through the tiny little buds which are a lot smaller than one would assume earbuds to be, especially when you place them side by side against iPod stocks or Creative stocks. I bought them immediately after going through a "trial session" with my friend's iPod. I then did a side by side test against the iPod stocks to find that these surpassed them. Why? Well, for one, the sound-isolation bolsters the bass, although the bass can be a little high sometimes (which was mentioned by many reviewers), and the balance or neutrality may be questionable, although at $20-40, one shouldn't be comparing these to Shures, although CNET did. I used them on a 30GB iPod photo (bro's), my 40GB Gigabeat, and my other brother's 30GB Creative Zen Vision:M. Comparing the sound from all of those, I'll have to come to the conclusion that the iPod's sound is the worst compared to the others, where the Vision:M has the best--the best, other than my broken Zen Micro, sound, although the Gigabeat comes close because it offers SRS WOW, which is a must-have feature on all Digital Audio Players, although few do actually offer it. Anyways, the sound works well--through heavier screamo metal to quirky punk-pop to breathtaking sonatas in the classical genre. I wouldn't call myself a devoted audiophile, but it comes close. I used these for jogging sometimes, although cycling is a lot more fun because its less exhausting. You'll immediately find that the buds' isolation works bad when jogging, because the steps you take actually are heard through the earbuds, amplified--this can also be heard if you chew gum (so I highly don't recommend this to gum-chewers), as you can hear it so loudly that it bothers the music. Don't use it while your mouth is in motion, and only use one earbud if you're talking to someone or you're in traffic (whether that be during cycling or jogging, w/e), b/c the sounds will be drowned out, especially at high volumes. I couldn't hear cars pass by when I was about 6 feet away, with 2/3s volume.
CONS: Listen up! The cords will not hold out for long. I've had mine for 4 months and most of the right line has withered away and there are four enormous spaces where all the rubber has worn away, leaving the wires for view. On the left line, right below the buds is a gaping hole. The material used above the divider is crap. The rubber becomes crazily sticky once it begins deterioration, and the cords tangle even worse (did I mention that this thing tangles like grape vines? Just say you take out your buds and leave it on your desk--return three minutes later to find them in a horrid tangled mess). THe rest of the cord is fine, but after the divider, you'll see poor material covering the cords. The earbuds are fine--they've never blacked out on me, and if they did, its probably because of earwax. You can order extra earpads from Sony's parts center for about $5 a pair, I think, b/c my friend lost 2 pairs once. Yes, I can tell you that they slip off easily, especially when you leave one hanging when you run. So, all in all, if you value sound, and I mean astonishing sound, at quite a low price, along with sound-isolation (which is great, but dangerous in traffic), you'll need to put up with disgusting cord materials. You can patch them with electrical tape, but it doesn't hold very well once the rubber starts becoming sticky.