Best Boom for the Buck!
Written: Sep 15 '04 (Updated Sep 16 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sound isolation, comfortable, reasonable price
Cons: No real case, asymmetrical design (see review), somewhat fragile cord
The Bottom Line: Great sound, great price. All day comfort. What more can you ask for in a headphone?
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| ehwang's Full Review: Sony MDR-EX70LP Consumer Headphones |
I've owned a lot of headphones since I first bought one of the original Sony Walkman players back in the 80's. I even have a pair of the first noise-canceling headphones and they still work. But for the price, nothing sounds quite as good as these little Sony in-ear headphones and nothing I've worn so far is nearly as comfortable.
PROS
For the price, I have yet to find anything that reproduces such a wide range without distortion. The bass response is so good, in fact, that I almost feel the shaking during deep bass passages. The headphones provide great sound isolation without using bulky noise-cancellation electronics. The isolation is good enough to block most of the background noise on an airplane without having to turn up the volume to deafening levels.
They achieve this by using three different sized silicone sleeves that allow the earbud to fit snugly inside your ear canal. Normally, I wouldn't think this to be very comfortable, but I have used these headphones for long periods of listening and have even fallen asleep with them in my ear. Since they're inside the ear, I can actually sleep with my head turned on its side without the headphone pressing uncomfortably on my outer ear. Everyone has their own definition of comfort so if you can, try them before actually buying them.
CONS
It may take time to get used to having something inside your ear. One of the most noticeable effects is that sounds inside your mouth are amplified. Swallowing becomes loud and forget about chewing on anything, especially gum.
The asymmetrical design of the cord is intended to keep the cord on one side of your head while allowing you to route wire behind your head. However, quite often it simply makes the left earpiece more susceptible to being yanked out. It also makes it difficult to wind up the cord neatly which is necessary because the somewhat thin cable could easily snag on just about everything.
Sony makes several different versions of the EX70. The U.S. version of the EX71SL also includes a small brushed-silver metal carrying case in addition to a small plastic case that just holds the earpieces. The Japanese versions come in white to match the iPod or black but have only a soft pouch instead of the hard case. The SL suffix indicates that it has a short cord (for MD use) but also includes a one meter extension. All these various options are really confusing so be sure to check what's in the package before buy.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ehwang
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Member: Eric Hwang
Location: Edmonds, WA
Reviews written: 51
Trusted by: 11 members
About Me:
After a long hiatus, I'm really getting back into technology again. Wooowhooo!
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