When it comes to headphones I am pretty tough on them; I use them at the gym, for running and while cleaning around the house. Most of the time the first thing to go is the jack that connects the CD player to the headphones, thankfully most of the MDR’s from Sony have an “L” shaped jack system. This means that most of the knocks and bangs that the cord takes in this area is absorbed by the rubber that wraps around this section. I need something that is going to deal with coming in contact with sweat and being tossed around in a backpack, that in itself is something that most headphones can’t handle. I tried the fold up ones and the ear buds and they didn’t really work for me when I was at the gym. I flat out refuse to pay ever twenty dollars for headphones that are going to get trashed so these are a great choice for me and my needs. Besides that, they come in some pretty interesting colors and the sound on them really shocked me. I sort of expected these to sound tinny or not give me the sound level that I want but so far these have far exceeded my expectations.

Sony MDR J10 Blue Headphones

These are over-the-ear headphones so if you have never worn these it might take you a while to get used to them. The one thing that I had to get used to was the pressure on the tops of my ears but I’ve been wearing this type of headphone for a while now and I don’t feel anything when I am wearing them these days. The shape looks like an ear and the outer rim of it rests on the top of your ear with the side piece resting behind your ear; that’s what helps to keep it in place while you are wearing them. The cord is three and a half feet long, pretty much an industry standard; this means that you can wear these when you are exercising or sitting on the computer and you aren’t stuck having to be right next to your audio unit. These have a good sound to them too; I listen to a variety of music when I am working out and this handled everything from heavy metal to house and techno with no problems. I was a little worried that it would have a little trouble with the extended bass feature of my CD player but so far these are holding up nicely. Since this is a standard sized jack you can also use them with the Cardio Theaters that more gyms have these days.

These are pretty comfortable to wear but after about two hours the insides of my ears do get a little sore from them. When you first take these out of the package and slide them over your ears you will want to adjust the ear pods so they are resting right inside your ear. They do slide up and down so they can be adjusted and if you toss these in your backpack or gym bag the setting going get a little messed up. These aren’t waterproof but they will hold up to a good deal of sweat so these are a great pick if you want something to wear while you are at the gym. There isn’t a volume control on the headphones do you can’t get a little extra volume from them; that’s all taken from the audio unit you are using with these. You will want to check the ear pods from time to time to make sure that there’s no wax on them; these don’t come with the nylon ear covers but you can buy them for a dollar or so at most audio stores. These are nice to have but they were always something that ended up ripping or tearing when I would use them.

Price

These aren’t the best headphones on the market but they are nice if you want something that is going to sound good and last for about a year; I am hard on headphones so the ones that I buy for the gym are usually under $15.00. I picked these up for $8.99 at Target and that seems to be the best price around for this version of the MDR’s. These are great for all types of activities and for the price you are going to get headphones that will last at least six to nine months of heavy use, a year if you are more gentle on them. You’d be hard pressed to find a brand name of over the ear headphones in this price range; for the price they do deliver an overall good sound but don’t expect these to sound like the one that cost over twenty dollars.

Color Options

You can pick these up in orange, pink, purple, blue, sapphire and green. Most of the colors are nice but the green / lime color seem a bit too funky for my taste. I went with the blue ones because they were the ones that looked the most “normal” and went with the colors of my portable CD player. It’s kind of funny that they never made a clear version, these seem to be pretty popular with teens and tweens and since they have made every other color why not these. The blue ones were the darkest ones that I could find in this version of the MDR’s and the ones that would show the least amount of dirt and scratching.

Warranty

These come with a ninety day warranty against defects and workmanship but chances are you are going to notice problems with them [if there are any] right away. The biggest problem you might have with these is the headphone jack but since it is “L” shaped instead of a straight plug these will last longer but this part of the unit isn’t covered under the warranty. It covers the basics; if there is a craft in the headphones, if you have any immediate distortion or they just don’t work. Since most places that sell these have at least a thirty day return policy on electronics you should be able to return them for an even exchange if they are immediately defective saving you the time and effort of sending them to Sony for inspection.

The Bottom Line

For the price these are nice headphones that you can use for the computer, portable CD player or portable DVD player. The sound that you get from them is above average but you won’t get the same sound that you would get from higher priced headphones. This will allow you to hear outside noise so if you like to jog or run you will still be able to hear traffic and if someone shouts at you. These are nice replacement headphones that don’t cost an arm and a leg so if you are looking to spend ten dollar or less on headphones these are definately worth checking out. If you’ve never worn these before they might take a little time to get used to but they are great if you don’t want to get your hair messed up or you are wearing a baseball cap; you don’t have to contend with a headband or constantly adjust it. Once you put them over your ears you just slide the ear pods into place and you are ready to go!


As always, thanks for the read!

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2005 Freak369


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Recommended: Yes