Reviews

156

I purchased a set of MRD-EX71SR white earbuds from eBay. After a two hour listen to lots of different types of music, I decided to stick them back in the wrapper and re-list them on eBay. I do not like these headphones AT ALL. The bass is overemphasized, the midrange is muffled and the highs are buried. Even setting the EQ on my G4 iPod to "flat" did little to improve things. They're OK on very simple, acoustic-type selections, but as soon as more instruments join in, the sound gets really muddy and vocals get lost in the mix. I tried other EQ settings, to no avail. I think I'm going to take a deep breath and plunk down $130 on the Etymotic Research ER-6i's. Hopefully they're a lot cleaner than these.

Posted by sue w. on October 17, 2004 at 12:54 PM (PDT)

157

Bought a pair of 71's. Like them. But does anyone else notice the difference in sound quality when using the short cord, vs. the long cord??? When using the long cord exstension, vocals are distant and muffled. anyone else??

Posted by Edward on October 17, 2004 at 5:07 PM (PDT)

158

I'm confused about the cord length. I don't have a remote. How does the length compare to the standard apple earbuds that came with my 4G ipod?

Posted by Rich on October 17, 2004 at 6:46 PM (PDT)

159

Lancer wrote: "All the idiots who posted they suck either have no understanding of how earbuds really work or they just are trolls looking to inflame. These earbuds will impress anyone who is migrating over from the cheap earphones included with the iPod." NOT!
After reading around 90% positive reviews for these 'phones I bought them. And yes- Sander, tullymon, metalmike, ronfel, geoff and other dissatisfied customers- YOU were right. They DO suck. Are we "idiots" though?
Well, the midrange is very poor and bass is wildly over-extended (and I love bass!). The last word in comfort maybe, but for quality sound? Don't think so.
Obviously the sheer amount of good reviews these 'phones have received must stand for something but my advice is approach with extreme caution and keep the receipt!

Posted by filterboy on October 26, 2004 at 6:48 AM (PDT)

160

u can get replacement earbuds cheaper direct from sony @ [url=http://www.servicesales.sel.sony.com/web/index.jsp]http://www.servicesales.sel.sony.com/web/index.jsp[/url]

just search for MDR-EX71 or MDR-EX70

Posted by mhzmaster on October 27, 2004 at 3:48 PM (PDT)

161

oops, the link is actually
[url=http://www.servicesales.sel.sony.com/web/index.jsp]http://www.servicesales.sel.sony.com/web/index.jsp[/url]

Posted by mhzmaster on October 27, 2004 at 3:51 PM (PDT)

162

awsome i love these, and i like that the bass is sooo awsome. my problem is, if your ears are wet, (like when i go to school after getting a shower) they slip out easy. another negative if you wear tighter pants...and you pull the buds out you can lose the ear peice...i did that twice otherwise i love these to death

Posted by Joe on October 29, 2004 at 1:44 PM (PDT)

163

I found these on beachaudio.com for $33.86 plus $8 flat shipping. Best price I've found for anyone who's interested.

Posted by Steve on October 29, 2004 at 6:53 PM (PDT)

164

Just so the true audiophiles know the kind of iPod owner I am -- This is the most money I've spent on headphones. I agree with those who laud them. For me, it's exciting that I hear things I never did before and that they are so comfortable, even for going to sleep listening to music. The short cord works perfectly when used with the iPod remote. I travel quite often, and was using some cheap Koss Plugs, but they made my ears hurt. As others have noted, these phones isolate pretty well without hurting your ears.

My only negative is the stupid metal case they ship the headphones with. It is IMPOSSIBLE for me to store anything in there...

Again, I am a guy who loves music but who has no special ear for sound. I have 10,000+ songs on my iPod, (furthering the American belief in quantity vs quality), with most mp4s at 128 or 160. But for me, these headphones are magic.

Posted by leertracy in Los Angeles on December 10, 2004 at 12:19 PM (PDT)

165

Just so the true audiophiles know the kind of iPod owner I am -- This is the most money I've spent on headphones. I agree with those who laud them. For me, it's exciting that I hear things I never did before and that they are so comfortable, even for going to sleep listening to music. The short cord works perfectly when used with the iPod remote. I travel quite often, and was using some cheap Koss Plugs, but they made my ears hurt. As others have noted, these phones isolate pretty well without hurting your ears.

My only negative is the stupid metal case they ship the headphones with. It is IMPOSSIBLE for me to store anything in there...

Again, I am a guy who loves music but who has no special ear for sound. I have 10,000+ songs on my iPod, (furthering the American belief in quantity vs quality), with most mp4s at 128 or 160. But for me, these headphones are magic.

Posted by leertracy in Los Angeles on December 10, 2004 at 12:19 PM (PDT)

166

Does anyone else have the small buds to "swap"? I have the medium and large in color of your choice, grey or black that is. PLEASE dont make me pay $10 plus shipping. UGH.

Posted by LP on December 11, 2004 at 2:30 AM (PDT)

167

I bought a set of these about 4 months ago and the quality of sound was awful. Almost zero bass and really tinny sounding I thought it might be just me so I asked others to hear for themselves and they confermed my findings. Seems there comfortable I used them for audio books, it took about 4 months and they gradually became better and better, now I have good sound and bass, pretty long break in period I would say but I'm happy with them now

Posted by splingear on January 16, 2005 at 4:18 AM (PDT)

168

Personally I like the fact that no one can tell what I've got in my backpack due to the fact that I'm wearing the black phones. That aside, I've actually seen the white versions of the EX71SL (the updated version of the EX70SL) at the RadioShack in La Jolla CA (near San Diego). There was only one and if I had more money in general I would have purchased it for my sibling, cousin, or friend (my sibling uses the stock ones as does my cousin and my friend uses against the ear head phones which suck up a lot of power for very little sound—I had to crank the volume from 25-30% all the way to 75%+ for him to hear my music).

Posted by Maikeru on January 18, 2005 at 10:58 PM (PDT)

169

I owns these 'phones. In white of course. I agree these are sweet but for half the price you can get the Sony MDR-V300 DJ headphones. They cover th entire ear and are like having two speakers each side of your head. They are big but loud and show you take music seriously! They don't have the L-shaped plug so they work with the ipod. The only negative is that they have a very long cord but any imaginative person can find a way to store that (in the other pocket or backpack?)

Posted by ipod sandwich in Ashby, United Kingdom on January 23, 2005 at 1:01 PM (PDT)

170

These are amazing. But there are pluses and minuses:

+ Amazing sound, Bass, mids, highs, all perfect. *
+ White and Silver matches iPods nicely (71's)
+ Extremely Comfortable/lightweight
+ Stunningly easy to put on **
+ Inexpensive when compared to similar models

- The wrap-around style seems odd...
- It has a ~15 foot cord (for a remote) and then a really long extension...
- Cable Seems a little cheap
- Whats with the case(s)??

-/+ Too comfortable? Actually seals out sound to a crazy degree. I cant even hear myself typing right now (half volume) If you jog, watch your surroundings extra carefully with these.


I was going thru the comments and I read someone wondering about the Koss: The Plug. Dont waste the $. You feel like your on a budget airplane trying to squish the foam earpieces and rush sticking them into you ear. Trial after trial, I had red ears and the reciept at hand. Not at all worth it.

* These earbuds are nothin more than sticking them into your ear. No excessive force, no twisting, no squeezing. Pure ease.

** I dont know if it was just me, but found them kindof tinny. The bass and middles were amazing, dont doubt that, just the highs rubbed me the wrong way. I went and turned the EQ (iPod) to 'treble reducer' and I have no more problems.

About the break in period... Well, I dont actually know. I left it playing at home for 4 hours while i was at work and it reduced a bit of the tinny sound. Do what you feel, just keep the reciept handy...

So whats my verdict? I would give it a 9/10. Its has its few flaws, but its worth the $50.

Hope you find this useful.

Posted by Kev. on January 26, 2005 at 6:47 PM (PDT)

171

Is there a diffrence between the MDR-EX71LS and the EX71LP?? The price diffrence is 20+ dollars.

Posted by beepover in Dartmouth on January 27, 2005 at 10:29 AM (PDT)

172

Got the 71SL in white from Amazon.com for $36.09 + free shipping. Excellent sound!!!

Posted by hp_ny on January 28, 2005 at 9:49 AM (PDT)

173

I love these buds, I have just two problems with them. I have the 71 SL ones, which indicate the short cord with the extension. One of my problems resides in that, the extension is too long and the short cord is too short for regular use. This is a fine problem, I can live with ease with that. The other is that they are a little bass heavy. I prefer the flatness of high-end speakers and headphones, but these have a little heavier bass response. I can over look it because it's not too bad therefore, I really can't complain. Love em.

Posted by Aitikin Kystinson on February 9, 2005 at 6:13 PM (PDT)

174

Sony 71 perfect for Ipod Shuffle.

I didn't purchase the Sony 71 for my 4G 20GB Ipod because of the short cord. The cord, however, is perfect for my Ipod Shuffle when wearing the lanyard. You don't have all that excess cord on your chest like you do with Ipod earphones or the Sony 51.

Posted by Dave4041 on February 27, 2005 at 4:17 PM (PDT)

175

is there anywhere that i can get replacement earbuds in the uk?

Posted by snarepusher on February 28, 2005 at 11:25 AM (PDT)

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