Tiny but good - and don't use an amp!
Written: Apr 24 '01 (Updated Jul 16 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good sound quality, isolation, comfort
Cons: Recessed midrange and bright treble
The Bottom Line: The Sony MDR-EX70LP is an okay choice - as long as you don't use a dedicated headphone amp.
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| LetItRut's Full Review: Sony MDR-EX70LP Consumer Headphones |
I was shopping on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago five months ago, and walked into the Sony Gallery. I was amazed at the wide selection of mostly inexpensive and potentially good-performing headphones. So I looked with suspicion at the Sony MDR-EX70LP earphones. They became an impulse buy for me at the time, and I still use them for times that I need isolation from a noisy environment.
When I took them home, I ran them in for 24 hours before judging the sound from them. And just how do they sound? Well, they have much more bass than most other earbuds I own - sometimes too much for certain types of music. The midrange is a bit recessed; the treble is a bit on the "detailed" side of neutral. Often I have been paying too much attention to the flaws in the recordings that I listen to.
The MDR-EX70LP comes with three sets of different-sized plugs to fit different ears (some early samples came with only two sets). I use the largest of the three, and the earphones' isolation is much greater than with traditional closed headphones. The listener may have to play around with putting them inside his/her ear canals in order to get a good seal - required for optimal performance. A tiny case is also supplied - to either store the buds or wind up the 4-foot-long cord.
The MDR-EX70LP is much more comfortable for me than most other earbuds. I don't get that "pinched-inner-ear syndrome" effect that I sometimes get with other earbuds. The only complaint that I have with the MDR-EX70LP is that earwax can build up on the earplugs. The user will have to wash them occasionally; I don't recommend sharing the MDR-EX70LP (or any other earbuds or canalphones) with other people, for sanitary reasons.
UPDATE: I recently tried these earphones with my newly purchased Headroom Total Airhead amp, and they began to sound horrible! The mid-bass became boomy and uncontrolled; the highs became scratchy and etchy; the mids almost disappeared. Blech! As a result, I am no longer recommending these earphones. 3 stars overall.
Recommended:
No
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LetItRut
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Location: Melrose Park, IL, USA
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About Me:
An audio enthusiast and a computer geek who loves bike riding.
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