Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia In-The-Ear Headphones, White by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia In-The-Ear Headphones, White
Digital camera Review: A Great Value
Summary: 4 Stars
The headphones are a great value. I've seen the exact same product on the shelves for nearly double the price in local stores. They do a good job of supressing - but not eliminating - background noise and I don't think you'll find a better product for the price. If you want sound cancelling headphones, these are not for you. If you want top quality sound isolating headphones, you will pay approximately double this price. I can tell you that these headphones are way better than my stock I-pod heaphones for hearing music on the plane, bus, subway train or any other noisy place. I bought a pair for me, my wife and my three kids.Digital camera Review: A little inconvenient, but highly recommended
Summary: 4 Stars
After blowing out the original iPod headphones, I was looking for some new all white ear buds- it's just a trendy thing to have the look of the original iPod ones. I really wanted a much better sound, especially more bass, and I got it with these. Songs that the originals could not handle are played with ease out of the Sony's. I was slightly concerned with the 'in-ear' aspect when I first got them, but they are now very comfortable after getting used to them. They block out almost all normal noise, so I don't have to crank the volume and blow them again, although I often find myself yelling instead of talking normally or not hearing people yelling at me because I can't hear them. I can also lay my head down to rest or sleep with them better because they are mostly in my ear. The only problem with them is the behind the back feature- they are designed to come out of a backpack where you would safely store your iPod, but I change my music around so much that my iPod always stays in my pocket. They probably would be out of the way if I put it in my bag, but I won't so I can pick every song. Both ear buds connect at a point below to the left ear (the right connects to that point by going behind your neck) to get the cord out of your way. This actually gets the cord tangled up in my left arm instead of running the cord straight down my chest. Since the distance the ear buds are away from their connection point is different, it is also hard to wrap them around the iPod without getting them tangled. Overall, the sound and convenience are great and outweigh the messy cord aspect. Definitely better than the original.Digital camera Review: A terrific value in inexpensive earbuds with decent sound
Summary: 4 Stars
My EX51s have been trouble free for several months, despite some mild abuse. They stay in place fairly well after fitting the proper-sized rubber sleeves, and they're comfortable enough to fall asleep with. The "behind the neck" cord requires some adjustment, but aftter learning how to wear it properly (entire cord behind neck, main cord clipped to shirt or collar to relieve strain) I adapted quickly.
The sound quality is surprisingly good for buds cheap enough to regard as disposable, though they seemed rather shrill at first. Several hours of burn-in were required to tame the tizzy highs. Clarity & detail are better than with the standard iPod buds. Frequency response is fairly neutral (using my Sennheiser HD590s for comparison), with a slight treble boost and the bottom end rolled off just a bit. Sound isolation seems nearly ideal to me, with perhaps a 15dB reduction of external noise--enough to make outside sounds unobtrusive, but still permitting one to hear approaching cars when running on public roads. Though I've been disappointed by Sony products in the past, I don't hesitate to recommend the EX51s as a terrific value.
UPDATE Dec '09: This review was based on Amazon's price of ~$20. At that price, they were a bargain, but not at $40 or $50!
Digital camera Review: Alright
Summary: 3 Stars
These ear phones are ok if you are looking for something to sit on an airplane with. If you want to workout with them then they are a bad idea. I generally don't like Sony products from past experience of bad design and lack of quality. I would say that this is true for the headphones as well. The ear pieces are not equally divided which allows for easy detection of which plug goes in which ear, but when running it causes the ear pieces to pull out. If you like Sony then give it a shot, otherwise find a better brand for $20 these where not worth it.Digital camera Review: Amazing quality for the price! Thank You Sony!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got 'em today (overnighted, I'm a princess like that.) They're great, and I would reccomend them to anyone who's in the market. The only caveat* is that you need to use the proper size ear pad thing for them to sound properly, as the sound is partially transmitted through the pads themselves. If you don't get 100% contact all around, the bass levels drop tremendously. They come with 3 different sizes and shoud be adequate for most people.
I've been cleaning** with them in today, and they never threatened to fall out once.
*This would be the proper usage of the word "caveat," Gayson.
**And by cleaning, I of course mean break dancing.