I received an ipod for Christmas, and so received a pair of the standard white ipod headphones. I wanted headphones that were a little better, and the local CompUSA store was closing. Ipod accessories were 30 percent off. So, I chose the Sony MDR-EX71 headphones as the best they had.

Other epinions have complained about the sound quality of these phones. In this case, a little objectivity goes a long way. These headphones are priced at $40. Of course, $350 headphones are going to be better. Still, the MDR-EX71 headphones measure up well for the average user.

They're in-ear headphones, with a silicon earbud. You put them into your ear canals. In this, they work well for blocking outside sound. Sony has included three sizes of earbuds for people with small, medium, or large ear canals. The medium size worked for me. The extras can be stored in a large capsule-like container that looks like a very large Tylenol gelcap. The headphones also come with a gray plastic hardshell carrying case.

The capsule looks a little odd, and the carrying case has its flaws. It's a little small to fit everything into and the top has a habit of coming off. However, I think Sony is due credit for including one. (Apple didn't.) It does offer some protection.

The headphones themselves have an assymmetric design particular to Sony. I have another pair of Sony headphones from a Sony music player (NW-E2) I acquired several years ago that has the same design. It's a little weird to get used to; the left earbud is ridiculously short and the right one is very long. It wasn't until I read another epinion here that I picked up the trick -- left earbud in, then put the wire across the back of your neck, then plug in the right earbud. This doesn't cause as much pulling on the earbud. All the same, I don't see why Sony didn't just make them symmetrical like everyone else does.

The headphones have a very short cable -- useful only for wearing an ipod on an armband or in a breast pocket. They do include an extension cable, which offers plenty of length -- so much that it gets in the way. Again, this extension cable isn't new -- my old headphone from my NW-E2 are the same way. Personally, I think it would have been more convenient to provide just one cable.

However, the MDR-EX71 headphones acquit themselves well on the big questions. They are very comfortable to wear; the silicon is soft and doesn't hurt at all, even if inserted fairly deep into the ear canal. They do a very good job at cutting out background noise -- I can barely hear anything around me. In fact, I'd hesitate to wear these headphones while walking the dog, for example, or jogging.

Music is reproduced faithfully, and the sound quality is definitely better than the headphones that came with the ipod. Bass is markedly better. Even watching episodes of Jericho -- not exactly a musical interlude -- I noticed that there was a lot more bass. Sony's web site ascribes this to the neodymium magnets in the headphones.

And that's where the headphones get good marks. They're not the best headphones, but they're not the priciest either. The noise cancelling works well, and they sound good. They may not be the best you can get, but they are the best you can get for $40.









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