PARENT ASIN for Sony MDR-EX71SLA Fontopia Bud Style HeadphonesBrand: Sony
Binding: Electronics
Nice upgrade from the MDR-EX51 Fontopias [Posted on 2008-06-13]
I've used the older MDR-EX51 Fontopias for years; not the best by far, but since I damage or lose at least a pair per year, they offered great performance at a reasonable replacement price.
Just fer grins, I thought I'd upgrade to the MDR-EX71SLAs this time, and I've been very happy with them: Same comfort in the ears, same crisp-but-not-shrill treble, but adds a nicely improved bass response.
My favorite feature: the two-piece cord, since I use them mostly with my iPhone with an aftermarket adapter with mic. No more extra two feet of wasted cord to get in the way. The new hard case is a little big, but sturdy, and protects the phones nicely when they end up at the bottom of my briefcase.
I would've preferred the black ones; too bad they weren't available when I bought mine!
Precisely what was desired - minus the Q-Tips [Posted on 2008-06-18]
The pros are easy: in-ear buds of this style greatly reduce exterior noise interference while using the sealed enclosure to deliver surprising levels of bass response at any volume.
Cons, for my purposes, add up to no reduction in utility, but it's plain that in other scenarios they would be more irksome. The firm but potentially "take it apart" cable junction is a great idea, though it ends up being really short or not extremely long, where it would be nicer to have it be medium and very long (for anything but a clip-on Nano at the gym application).
The case is weak. Opened it, tossed it in a drawer, took it out a week later, remembered why it was in the drawer. Because I am a pack rat and it is holding the other rubbery in-ear pads. Honestly, an Altoids tin you wrap snagged wires around? It's not sturdy enough to justify that versus the cheap but far more effective "keep 'em clean" earbud snap-over, which is the size of your thumb.
The "one ear is twice as long (cable) as the other" idea, with no adjustment possible, was not the best idea ever conceived. And all in-ear devices are at risk of becoming pretty foul after a few months of use, rubbery 1-cent ear bud covers ought to come in a 10-pack per size with a $30+ item.
All that said, purpose was to sit around with reduced external noise and damage my ear canals, which this does a great job of on both counts. If you have children - and want to hear them - you'll lose the bass balance but can half-insert the buds, or obviously go mono and let the other one dangle (two lengths to choose from!) as needed.
Quality is top notch and the complaints on adjustments aside, it is likely lack of frills and moving parts means you can expect a longer service life overall. So to steal from an old man's phrasebook, in different context: keep your ears clean!
One Ear Will Die [Posted on 2008-06-27]
Love the sound these put out, they are by far the best pair of earbuds I've ever had.
HOWEVER, one ear invariably dies. I use mine every day on the bus to/from work and after about three years I am on my seventh pair. Another pair just died this morning; no more sound from the left ear. Due to the "molded" nature of the earbuds themselves you can't really open them up and check connections easily.
Makes me think I should just pony up a couple hundred bucks for a nice pair of Shures or something similar with a good warranty instead of throwing money down the drain on these great sounding but poorly constructed headphones.
Great sound and great value! [Posted on 2008-06-27]
Ok first to address a couple of things that people have said in their negative reviews with regards to the headphone lead...
1. The asymmetrical design (one lead is longer then the other)
If you bothered to look at the diagram in the instructions you would understand that the idea is you take the longer wire around behind your neck before placing it in your right ear. This is actually a great feature NOT a flaw! This is for two reasons - firstly there is less weight pulling down on the earbuds (which helps to keep them in your ears) and secondly there is less chance of you catching the lead and pulling them out.
2. The lead and extension, the reason you have the short lead and the extension is so that people who have remote controls on their headphone leads don't end up with overly long leads. If you have an iPod try combining these buds with the Apple remote (or BlueEye) and then you will start to appreciate how sensible this part of the design is. If you don't have a remote control on your ear buds wire then simply use the extension lead. The combined length is perfect for most applications and the connector is very small and lightweight.
3. The durability of the lead: I've had mine for three years and they get used daily - my leads don't show any signs of wear. Either the design has changed recently or the few people who have had this problem haven't been storing them very carefully ; )
4. The "L" connector - this is another great part of the design - compared to most other ear phones the "L" connector is very small and has a very low profile to the socket when connected. This is great news because it means that the connector is less likely to cause damage to the socket as it bumps around in your bag or pocket.
5. All of the connections are gold plated - Ok I doubt that this really makes any really notable difference but it is a nice touch that adds to the overall quality feel of the product.
Right, that's enough about the lead onto the ear buds themselves - only two things really matter here comfort/fit and sound quality.
Comfort/Fit
Well everybody is unique and has different shaped ears so it would be impossible to have a design that is going to fit comfortably for everybody. The good news is that Sony includes three sizes of rubber earpiece so that you can play around to find the best fit. I have tried many different sets of in ear phones usually I find they tend to fall out too easily when I turn my head, I very rarely have this issue with these they fit very securely in the ear and also do a nice job of sealing out outside noises.
Sound
Well they sound very nice at low or high volumes, producing crisp trebles and thumping bass. They can go very loud without distorting which is great if you are on a noisy train or have a low volume recording.
The bad bit...
Well they are hard to fault, they are fairly priced and have many good points! If I had to say something bad about them then it would be that the rubber pieces that go into your ears can come off and get lost quite easily (especially when taking them out of your pocket or bag when they can get a little jammed). It's just something you learn to be careful about and I know that most ear pieces with this rubber style of pad also suffer the same issue (in fact the Bose which cost more than three times the price suffer from it much worse!). If you do lose the rubber pads then just remember Ebay is your friend as you can pick up replacements very easily and cheaply (I'd recommend to keep at least one set of spares with you).
I am very unhappy [Posted on 2008-07-02]
I am so unhappy. I ordered my headphones and did not get them. I sent a request to have it resent. I noticed that somehow it was going to an old address and I let them know that it was wrong. The billing was correct but the shipping was wrong. I got an email saying he was resending it but it was again to the wrong address. I sent a request to correct it immediately but it still never came. I sent another email telling them I had not received my items and wanted my money back. This has been over a month now and I still do not have my items or my money back. Please help me to get my items or my money back. I will find my headphones somewhere else.
On a scale of 1 to 5 I rate this vendor a -2.
Debra Leazenby
10120 Holder St
Buena Park, CA 90620
713/366-5641
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