The Sony MDR-EX51LP/EX71SL Maintenance FAQ

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by cold aspiration
I completely agree with you guys on how great sounding these headphones are, a major upgrade from the stock ones. However, speaking of that isolation, don't you guys get sick of listening to your own breath, hearing every sound your body makes when the cord rubs on you and when you try to talk with phones in, you have no idea how loud you actually are, or how quiet. I loved the isolation until it started to keep me from knowing what the hell is going on around me. For the plane I know I will be taking the sonys but for regular use, i'm sticking to the stock.

oh and the cord length for the the 71s are annoying. I have the white one from audiocubes and I don't like the neck chain design.. actually kind of useless and just a hassle to get it right. Plus the cord is too long and I don't like using the remote. I guess if you are willing to put up with all these imperfections then it would be a great earphone for every day use, but to me, it is important to know what goes around me and I am willing to sacrifice excellent sound for just mediocre for that. After a bit the stock ones don't really sound too terrible. Anyways I just wanted to know what you guys thought about the isolation

I never really notice that "stethoscope" effect ever so that doesn't bother me. Also it does kind of bother me that I can't hear what people are talking about and so I would yank the earbuds out, which may be why both pairs I had broke As for the Neck-chain design it took a little to get used to at first, but eventually I learned to like them. It's kind of weird to put a wire behind your neck, but it's nice since nothing gets into your way like the stock design does.

-Dan

[Elithrar]

Note to self: be a tad more careful with earbud removal.

Got the EX71's yesterday -- ordered from Audiocubes on the 7/27, picked them up from the post office 8/2 -- the extension cable leaves a heap of slack, but it could be worse. Still getting used to the way they sit in my ears, but I'm slowly getting used to it. The isolation factor is great in regards to stopping any leaking, but not so good when I'm trying to listen to people talk. A compromise over the stock earbuds, but one I'm willing to make.

Bass is much more defined, like a lot of Sony's audio gear; no need for the preset EQ settings, as the distortion they give is now noticeable. Compression artefacts are as well, but mostly on low (128kbps) bitrate songs. 320kbps is aural bliss.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Elithrar
Note to self: be a tad more careful with earbud removal.

Got the EX71's yesterday -- ordered from Audiocubes on the 7/27, picked them up from the post office 8/2 -- the extension cable leaves a heap of slack, but it could be worse. Still getting used to the way they sit in my ears, but I'm slowly getting used to it. The isolation factor is great in regards to stopping any leaking, but not so good when I'm trying to listen to people talk. A compromise over the stock earbuds, but one I'm willing to make.

Bass is much more defined, like a lot of Sony's audio gear; no need for the preset EQ settings, as the distortion they give is now noticeable. Compression artefacts are as well, but mostly on low (128kbps) bitrate songs. 320kbps is aural bliss.

Glad that your liking them, and yes I agree that the bass is wonderful. I have just started using the "Dance" preset as it seems to have a good balance of treble and bass. Hope they serve you well, and am glad to see that you've looked over the FAQ

-Dan

[jPod (^-^)v]

well, i got my 71's (White) a few days ago...BIG improvement from the old stocks..little weird to get used to at first...they hurt after too long, but just today i noticed i was listening for a while and couldnt really feel them at all (then, by nature's law they started hurting again because i was thinking about it). LOL!! i noticed at first when i put them on that i could here my nose when i breathed!! LOL!! it was reeeaalllly strange!! lol!! but it doesnt happen too often now. The around-the-neck cord doesnt really bother me..i havnt actually taken them out on the town for a test run, but i had a really old cheap pair of sony neck chain headphones ages ago, so yeah...the sound isolation is good..dont know about the leakage although im sure its great. the 71's DO come with a SOFT little case which is super cool!! lol, like a little MD pouch..and they ALSO come with the little earcap capsule..its not for the cord. the length....weellll....somepoeple have had problems from pulling out there earphones..tugging on the cord..but i pull mine out properly..the cord lenght (doesnt bother me but) COULD be a bit longer...OFTEN!! i will by lying around.. and my ipod hasta stay really close to my head...but sometimes it will slide away or whatever and tug at the cord something horrid...so that sucks...if it was longer these would just be perfect!! with the extension cord...that little ear cap capsule is also a...errr...well...you can wrap your cord in it to make it shorter..the extension..so if you have problems with and can be stuffed wrapping it up..go for it! i think thats all i can help you with for now..hope it helps...OH! and i really like the bass! just right!! i tried it out on sum techno just before...really cool...ok bye

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by jPod (^-^)v
well, i got my 71's (White) a few days ago...BIG improvement from the old stocks..little weird to get used to at first...they hurt after too long, but just today i noticed i was listening for a while and couldnt really feel them at all (then, by nature's law they started hurting again because i was thinking about it). LOL!! i noticed at first when i put them on that i could here my nose when i breathed!! LOL!! it was reeeaalllly strange!! lol!! but it doesnt happen too often now. The around-the-neck cord doesnt really bother me..i havnt actually taken them out on the town for a test run, but i had a really old cheap pair of sony neck chain headphones ages ago, so yeah...the sound isolation is good..dont know about the leakage although im sure its great. the 71's DO come with a SOFT little case which is super cool!! lol, like a little MD pouch..and they ALSO come with the little earcap capsule..its not for the cord. the length....weellll....somepoeple have had problems from pulling out there earphones..tugging on the cord..but i pull mine out properly..the cord lenght (doesnt bother me but) COULD be a bit longer...OFTEN!! i will by lying around.. and my ipod hasta stay really close to my head...but sometimes it will slide away or whatever and tug at the cord something horrid...so that sucks...if it was longer these would just be perfect!! with the extension cord...that little ear cap capsule is also a...errr...well...you can wrap your cord in it to make it shorter..the extension..so if you have problems with and can be stuffed wrapping it up..go for it! i think thats all i can help you with for now..hope it helps...OH! and i really like the bass! just right!! i tried it out on sum techno just before...really cool...ok bye

Glad to see you enjoying them. I never feel any pain really in my ears. Maybe you should try a different size of the eartips? And could you take a pic of the little soft pouch, if you have a digital camera, if possible. I would like to see this thing.

Thanks,

-Dan

[dwchin]

I found at first they would hurt after a while, but I had the medium caps on because I had read that some people said you may think the small is good enough but it's just not the right size. As it turns out, the small was more comfortable (I've worn these for hours without any pain) and actually sound a bit better for me than the mediums because they fit deeper in the ear without much effort.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by dwchin
I found at first they would hurt after a while, but I had the medium caps on because I had read that some people said you may think the small is good enough but it's just not the right size. As it turns out, the small was more comfortable (I've worn these for hours without any pain) and actually sound a bit better for me than the mediums because they fit deeper in the ear without much effort.

I found that the Mediums were too small for me so I switched to large. They seem perfect now.

-Dan

[jPod (^-^)v]

Im on the smalls!!!! yeah, i have a really small head..(or ears?)....sure! i can take a photo! ..mmm...but it'll prolly take a while, but yeah! its just a square little drawstring, grey, soft pouch..but i'll still show ya! now i havta work out howta get piccies on here...

[bench]

ok i just got the ex51 delivered today and am wearing them now..
i guess the mediums are on by default. tried them.. noticed the seal right away as i inserted deeper into the ear. listened to ipod mini... sounded good but not as good as i was hyped to believe. not sure what eq settings are optimal.. was on 'jazz' for the entire time i've had my mini but i set it to 'off' now and i notice a very very very slight difference; enough to keep it on 'off' and be happy. i guess thats a good thing so that the battery doesnt drain as quickly.

however, i notice that i do have to turn the volume up a noticeable amount, which ought to conflict with the battery saving mentioned earlier. shouldn't this conflict with common sense? since sound is trapped and should not be able to escape (at least most of it), i should be able to set it on a lower volume setting and get the same results in terms of loudness as if i was using non-isolating earphones. but i guess this might mean that the ex51 have a lower output level than the headphones i was more used to wearing (i really dont have any tech knowledge on this so dont quote me!). they used to be ok at about 40-50% volume but now i have it set on about 50-60%

after about 10 minutes or so, i felt that the mediums may be a bit too tight feeling so i tried the smalls. i was afraid that pulling the piece off the buds would damage them (no instructions that i could see on the back of the package) but didnt know how else to remove them so just slowly pulled them off and, lo and behold, it worked. i've been using the smalls ever since (about an hour ago) and they feel ok.. wouldn't go as far as to say totally comfortable as i can feel them sort of tight in my ears (however not as tight as the mediums) but tolerable. i'm curious to see how long i can have them before any kind of fatigue.

now i wonder what the e2c are like and if i made a wise choice by saving money..

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by bench
ok i just got the ex51 delivered today and am wearing them now..
i guess the mediums are on by default. tried them.. noticed the seal right away as i inserted deeper into the ear. listened to ipod mini... sounded good but not as good as i was hyped to believe. not sure what eq settings are optimal.. was on 'jazz' for the entire time i've had my mini but i set it to 'off' now and i notice a very very very slight difference; enough to keep it on 'off' and be happy. i guess thats a good thing so that the battery doesnt drain as quickly.

however, i notice that i do have to turn the volume up a noticeable amount, which ought to conflict with the battery saving mentioned earlier. shouldn't this conflict with common sense? since sound is trapped and should not be able to escape (at least most of it), i should be able to set it on a lower volume setting and get the same results in terms of loudness as if i was using non-isolating earphones. but i guess this might mean that the ex51 have a lower output level than the headphones i was more used to wearing (i really dont have any tech knowledge on this so dont quote me!). they used to be ok at about 40-50% volume but now i have it set on about 50-60%

after about 10 minutes or so, i felt that the mediums may be a bit too tight feeling so i tried the smalls. i was afraid that pulling the piece off the buds would damage them (no instructions that i could see on the back of the package) but didnt know how else to remove them so just slowly pulled them off and, lo and behold, it worked. i've been using the smalls ever since (about an hour ago) and they feel ok.. wouldn't go as far as to say totally comfortable as i can feel them sort of tight in my ears (however not as tight as the mediums) but tolerable. i'm curious to see how long i can have them before any kind of fatigue.

now i wonder what the e2c are like and if i made a wise choice by saving money..

For your first comment:

I like to use the Dance EQ as it seems to have a good balance of treble and bass. I also use off at times and that's not bad either.

Second Comment:

I think I remember boosting the volume a bit as it was a bit low, but I could hear it more clearly since it blocked ou much background noise. The reason I can't remember is because shortly after I boosted the sound on the iPod from euPod, which I was going to do anyways even with the stocks. I like listening to my music loud so I boosted the volume, but this was a while ago and have been listening to a very loud iPod forever so it didn't really bother me.

Third Comment:

I think it happens to all users where you will feel the earbuds in your ears, but I found after a while I couldn't even feel anything once a good seal was made. I really don't knwo how long it will take for your ears to be fatigued, as all ear sizes are different.

Fourth Comment:

If you find that they are still uncomfortable after a couple days than maybe they just don't agree with your ears and perhaps you should try out Shure's models. Remember you should have a 1 year warranty and if you don't like them than go and return them.

Hope that helps, and thanks for reading my FAQ

-Dan

[bench]

actually, i did notice that the dance eq sounded best except for the distortion. not sure what it's called but it's like when the sound is too much or too high for a speaker and it creates a sort of static. like when something is too loud. do you ever notice that on the dance eq setting?

and about the year warranty.. the warranty that came with the packaging says it's 90 days. and i got it from amazon so i guess i have a 30-day period from them. didnt notice anything about 1 year unless you mean from a different store and not manufacturer?

great faq also!

[dwchin]

I believe you only get the 1 year warranty if you bought them from a Sony store. I bought mine from Best Buy and it came with the standard 90 day warranty.

About the static, it's a fairly common problem. I believe it's called "clipping." Basically, your music was mastered at really high levels and when it gets put through iPod, it clips some of the sound. If you run your mp3s through a program called mp3gain, you can adjust the volume level lower so that it won't sound full of static, but if you do that, it'll likely sound a little softer as well. I believe most people set it to 89 dB to make sure there isn't any clipping, but I find I do almost everything at 92 and it's quite fine.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by bench
actually, i did notice that the dance eq sounded best except for the distortion. not sure what it's called but it's like when the sound is too much or too high for a speaker and it creates a sort of static. like when something is too loud. do you ever notice that on the dance eq setting?

and about the year warranty.. the warranty that came with the packaging says it's 90 days. and i got it from amazon so i guess i have a 30-day period from them. didnt notice anything about 1 year unless you mean from a different store and not manufacturer?

great faq also!

I think it is a fairly common problem to have this distortion problem if the iPod is put on a high volume. I don't really ever notice it on the Dance one though, but if it is loud enough than I would. As for the warranty I think you only get a 1 year warranty with the Sony Store directly, but as for Amazon or Best Buy you still get a good amount of time still. So try it out for about a week. If you aren't satisfied still than go for the Shure's.

Hope that helps, and thanks for the feedback on the FAQ,

-Dan

[Elithrar]

Went back to the Rock EQ; I just tried the dance EQ and found it distorted the lower-quality tracks a bit too much for my liking.

I originally started on the the small seals, but went up to the mediums. They don't slide in as easily, but are a tad more comfortable. However, I think the smalls work better, as they go in that little bit deeper and provide a better seal. Decisions, decisions. But I think the small ones may be better after my ears get used to them.

[jPod (^-^)v]

HMMM...i have the 71's and i havta have my volume really low..otherwise it hurts after a while...i cant crank my iPod more than 60ish%!!! i have it on about 30% now..and im on the smalls and they still hurt a bit...but i really like these headphones..not as good as everyone made them out to be...at least not to my untrained ears..but still really nice..