Cool design, small size, big sound, must buy!
Written: Mar 24 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Stylish, durable, excellent sound quality, affordable price
Cons: Not comfortable after more than 60 minutes, low power handling, no ¼” jack adapter
The Bottom Line: If you are in the market for good sounding, cool looking, affordable headphones, I would definitely put the G72’s at the very top of your list.
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| dj_magman's Full Review: Sony MDR-G72LP Consumer Headphones |
Construction & Comfort
I have been using Sony products, particularly their headphones and CD Walkman line for almost 10 years now, and with every Sony product I purchase, I’m always either adequately satisfied or incredibly astonished at the quality of that product. The Sony “Street Style” MDR-G72 headphones are no exception, and in their case, I am astonished at what these little marvels can do.
Their construction is well thought-out, being quite sturdy even under heavy physical pressure, such as sitting on them on a padded office chair (yes I did sit on them deliberately). Now I weigh in at 180 pounds, and even under this much pressure there was no evidence of physical damage or stress marks.
Most headphones of this type use dual-wires (one wire to each speaker) or a cheap single-sided wire that is very easy to tear off, not so with the G72’s. They use a single-sided, oxygen-free wire with a gold-plated 1/8” stereo mini-plug that proves quite resilient to any ripping or cricking. Unfortunately, as with most headphones of this class, Sony does not include a ¼” jack adapter for use with larger home entertainment systems.
Their comfort level is surprisingly good, considering their futuristic behind-the-ear clips and neck band. I was able to enjoy these headphones for over an hour with no significant discomfort or pain. However I do not recommend them for periods longer than 60 minutes, as some people may find those rubber ear clips may cause pain after 60 minutes. As odd as this may sound, these headphones would probably most comfortable for those with small ears (Vulcan’s need not apply).
Capabilities & Sound Quality
Let’s quickly review here… These headphones are light, their small, they look fancy, they cost very little, what do you expect to get out of such a package? Most people would say “not very much”; Think again. The most typical role for these units would be on a CD walkman or similar small audio device, one that cannot pump out too much power or bass. I decided to take the tests to the next level of punishment by testing these bad boys on the following types of equipment with the following music:
EQUIPMENT
• Pioneer VSX-307 Digital A/V Amplifier (400W power output)
• Mackie 1202-VLZ PRO Studio Mixer
(http://www.mackie.com/Products/VLZ_PRO_Series/1202VLZPRO.asp)
• Sony CD Walkman DEJ-705
• HP OmniBook 4150 Corporate Notebook Computer (Winamp 2.79 & Media Player 8.0)
SONGS
• 2 Pac – Rock Your Body
• Jermaine Dupri – Welcome To Atlanta
• Brandy – What About Us
• Trance Control – The Beat Goes On (TB House Mix)
• Enrique Iglesias – Escape
• Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious (DJ Outrageous Bass Remix)
• DMX – Party Up
• Enya – Only Time (Original Mix)
• 112 feat Beanie Sigel – Dance With Me (Remix)
I played all of the above songs on each one of the above listed sources, and each time I walked away with one impression: These headphones are small, but they pack the punch of much larger and more expensive models. Despite their somewhat low 100mw RMS power handling, they still manage to deliver enough volume to give you a headache if you turn them up too high. I was able to crank them up to a surprising 260mw peak level on the Mackie mixer and Pioneer A/V amp; however I wouldn’t suggest anything beyond that point, as you will begin to experience distortion in the bass. This brings us to their sound quality…
Sony decided to use Neodymium core material for the magnets and their proven Twin Turbo Acoustic Circuit technology, which results in almost too crisp highs and rich, crystal clear mid-range, and well defined bass. The deep, intensive bass levels of Bootylicious and The Beat Goes On were very well reproduced, yielding minimal distortion at high volume levels, while Escape and Only Time was breathtakingly rich with even the smallest acoustic details. The G72’s were also able to bring out the subtle futuristic sounds in What About Us and the deep vocal characteristics of 2 Pac’s voice in Rock Your Body.
Even with the NeoMagic 256AV audio controller on the HP OmniBook 4150, which lacks bass power, the G72 headphones were able to produce a very pleasing, well-rounded sound, if not a little coarse in the high frequencies; however I attribute this to the OmniBook itself.
Conclusion
The Sony MDR-G72 headphones are comparable to much more expensive headphones in terms of sound quality, while being compact and durable enough to take with you almost everywhere, and used with almost any type of audio device with confidence. If you are in the market for good sounding, cool looking, affordable headphones, I would definitely put the G72’s at the very top of your list. Sony has once again produced a product that is worthy to remain in production for a long time to come!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dj_magman
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Reviews written: 2
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