kosherdave's Full Review: Sony MDR-EX51LPP Consumer Headphones
I bought these ear-buds after the recommendation of a friend who said they would greatly improve the sound of my iPod, and they would be a more comfortable fit in my ear than the standard set that come with an iPod or other mp3 players or Walkmen. I wanted a nice pair but did not want to shell out 125 or more bucks for them. These seemed like a safe alternative, at a fraction of the cost of the really high end ones.
At first I really did not like them. In fact, I considered returning them. I thought the sound was lacking in bass, and, the fact that they dampened most of the noise around me was a bit hard to get used to. Now, after some adjustments in sound settings, I find they sound great.
With my iPod mini, I changed the settings and turn “sound check” on. Now, I am not 100% sure what sound check does, but it did make the sound a lot better and evened out the tin sound I was getting, while adding more bass which I felt I could not really live without. For some reason they sound a lot better in my new 20G iPod though, not sure if that one has better sound, but it SOUNDS like it has better sound. I think the 20GB must put out more power or something.
There are a few main things to note about these headphones:
First, they fit further into your ears than standard earbuds. This can be hard to get used to at first and some people will never really like them. This will boil down to personal preference.
The Sony MDR-EX51LP comes with three different sized little rubbery things that fit on the end and insert into your ears. They are SM, M and LG for more custom comfort. I found the medium were the most comfortable for me.
Since these go deeper into your ear and are rubber, they really cut out most of the sound around you. This is weird at first since you can hear your breathing, hear the cord rub against your clothing it’s odd to say the least. BUT, after some time using them (several months now), I’ve grown accustom to them, and have come to the conclusion it is a really nice design benefit.
This is a nice feature because of three things:
a) it allows you to keep the volume lower, thus not risking as much hearing damage
b) by keeping the volume lower, you distort the music less and it sounds much crisper
c) you do not have to hear all of the people around you talking or doing whatever they do.
I use them on the subway or on plane rides, they’re great for that. But for this same reason, however, they could be dangerous because your sense of what is going on around you is greatly lessened.
Second, because of the higher quality of the speakers, you hear a lot more in a song than you were previously accustomed to with standard earphones. This is also hard to get used to. If you are listening to bands that recorded albums in cheaper studios, you hear this flaw. I was warned about this, but thought I was not enough of a music connoisseur to really be able to tell any difference. I was sooo wrong. You can hear background noise from the recording studio and other weird sounds. Again, with an iPod, turning on the “Sound Check” helps to solve this problem, and with time you get used to it, I do not notice it now, but you really come to appreciate albums that are recorded at a higher quality. With these headphones, they sound really amazing, like you’re right there.
If you are planning to use these headphones for work-outs or running, I would recommend against it. I find they slip out of my ear a bit. Besides, since you can’t hear much around you when their in, it could be bad being somewhere like a gym or out running. For those activities I use a pair by KOSS that I got at Best Buy for 15 bucks. They have a little thing that wraps around the ear in the back, and holds the bud inside you ear making it more secure. The sound, however, does not even compare to the Sony MDR-EX51LP.
Another thing to note is the odd cord that these headphones have. While the cord itself is a rather standard length, they differ a bit. Where a normal pair of headphones goes into your ear, and the cords come together in the center front of your chest, these have a long cord to the right ear, connected to a short cord to the left, so they fit BEHIND your head and it comes down one side instead of two separate cords attached at the center. This is hard to describe, but it is actually more convenient and the cord stays out of your way better. It keeps them from getting snagged on things and getting yanked out.
Overall, I have to say I’ve gotten very used to these headphones. Apple makes a similar pair, and I’ve tried them out, they seem about the same but I think the Sony fit better, and knowing how easily the standard Apple headphones fall apart, I’d invest my money in a pair of the Sony. You can get them in white to replace your existing iPod buds if you like, or if you prefer, you can get black.
• Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW
• Impedance: 16 ohms
• Frequency response: 5 to 23,000 Hz
• Type: Closed, dynamic
• Driver unit: 9 millimeters
• Cord: OFC neck chain, 1.2 meters
• Plug: L-shaped stereo mini plug (gold)
• Power handling capacity: 100 mW
• Weight: 10 g
• Color: White or Black
In the Box: Sony Bud-Style Stereo Headphones, earphone holder, carrying case, and small, medium, and large ear pieces.
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