Sony MRD-EX71SL & Pioneer SE-CL30

[djfusion]

I am in the market for some new earbuds for my iPod. I have heard some great things about the Sony's but I have a few questions / complaints. I am wondering if some people that own these models could take some time to answer.

On the sony's -

1- It looks like the cord is only .4 or .5 meters long. I know this is so you can use the remote, but personally I hate using the remote. It makes no sense to me when all the controls are right on the iPod, plus with the screen I can actually see what I am doing. The earbuds that came with the iPod are the PERFECT length for me. Not too short and not too long. Could someone who owns the sony's please post a picture or the exact measurement on how much longer the iPod ones are. I know they include an extension, but it is 1m long, and that sounds way too long once attached. What a pain.

2 - The behind the head cord thing, does this get annoying? Or is it actually a nice feature.

3 - The SP version of the sony's is available only in black. This is the same as the SL's but only with the longer cord. Does anyone know of a way I can make them white/chrome. Perhaps rubber paint or something?

4 - With the pioneer's, has anyone heard them? How do they sound? Are you happy with them?

5 - On the pioneer's, how long is the cord? Compared with the default earbuds that come with the iPod?

Also is there anyone that has heard these 2 side by side? The pioneers have a 10mm driver vs the 9mm in the Sony's AND they have a range down to 5hz instead of 6, so it seems like the bass response would be better also. But they are also cheaper, so something is not right there.

[dmt1]

Probably the least useful thing to base an earphone purchase on is price--it means nothing. There are headphones out there for seventy bucks that sound better than heaphones three times that price. Koss KSC-55's can be had for twenty bucks; they sound significantly better than the sony streetstyle phones that run two to three times that cost.

Don't get hung up in the frequency range either--sensitivity is probably more important. Frequency is highly dependent to the users ear; also, a change of 1 mghz is probably not going to be noticeable.

No one has posted a review on the pioneers. What I'd recommend is going to the next step up in earphones--the Shure E2's if you need isolation and want a canal phone, or the Sony E888's if you prefer an earbud, for example. They are bit more expensive, but well worth the extra money.

[djfusion]

Originally posted by dmt1
Probably the least useful thing to base an earphone purchase on is price--it means nothing. There are headphones out there for seventy bucks that sound better than heaphones three times that price. Koss KSC-55's can be had for twenty bucks; they sound significantly better than the sony streetstyle phones that run two to three times that cost.

Don't get hung up in the frequency range either--sensitivity is probably more important. Frequency is highly dependent to the users ear; also, a change of 1 mghz is probably not going to be noticeable.

No one has posted a review on the pioneers. What I'd recommend is going to the next step up in earphones--the Shure E2's if you need isolation and want a canal phone, or the Sony E888's if you prefer an earbud, for example. They are bit more expensive, but well worth the extra money.

I was kinda hoping to get something that matched the iPod. Looks are a big thing to me, call me stupid or whatever. One reason I own and iPod and powerBook when I could have got something for less that does basically the same. Anyway, the 2 models that I mentioned are both white with grey and chrome accents and match the iPod like they were made for it. If either of the models you mentioned are available in white, I would love to know. Price is not that much of an issue as I like paying money for something I will be happy with.

[dmt1]

Well, you're going to have to decide between looks and quality...The Shure's are clear, the E888's are black I believe. The Ex's are nicer looking, but you're trading off a significant amount of quality for looks--you're going to have to decide on this one. For me, the sound improvement is so substantial the looks become secondary, but that's just my 2 cents...

If money isn't an issue, I'd recommend getting Ety 4p's, which you can get for $220.00. Not a great looking earphone, but very tiny, and the sound is truely incredible--headphone quality sound out of an earphone is truly amazing.

[djfusion]

So in your opinion, (1.) are the ex71's no better that the default ones that come with the iPod?

The shure's looked good. I will be looking more into those now. But I read the review here at the iPod lounge and it wasn't there great. Some good things were said about them, but in the end, they said that the Sony's were a better value.

So in your opinion, (2.) are the Shure's better than the Sony's?

[camson]

Djfusion,

I've had my pair of Sony's for about 3 weeks now.
Let me address your queries first.

1. Cord Length.
The SL version has a short cable for a remote and an extension lead. The LP version however, has a longer lead. I'm not sure if you can get them in white though.

2. Behind the head thing.
Personally, I find it really comfortable. It doesn't get as tangled and you don't have any cords annoying your chin. If you found it pulled to one side too much, you could attach a clip from a cheap mobile phone headset to clip it to your collar (like i do). I think that all headphones should be designed like this!

3. Painting them would be a hassle and REALLY tedious.. plus you're likely to have the paint come off in flakes on your clothes. I'd just get used to them in their original colour. The SL with the extention is longer than the apple earplugs and the LP is shorter than the apple cord.

4. Haven't heard the pioneers so I can't do a comparison.

5. Also.. can't help you out with this one.

Okay.. my thoughts.
I've owned a LOT of headphones.. from cheap crappy ones through to Sennheiser HD600s.
Positives:
The sonys are the best pair of EARphones I've ever owned. My HD600s and HD200s come first and second for headphones though. The Sonys have the best bass response of any EARphone I've ever tried (not headphones though), this is mainly due to their plug type design that seals the ear off from the outside. This sealing off also REALLY helps in a noisier environment (like a train or busy street). The soft silicon plug design makes them VERY comfortable and so light you don't even feel like you have them in your ears. They provide a lot of detail to the music and allow you to hear a lot greater than you thought you could.
Now for the negatives.
Firstly, being canal earphones, they have to fit properly or it's going to be uncomfortable and have crappy sound. Try out the different silicon sizes to find the one that fits best. The bass will only be strong when they're sealed properly. This can lead to a bit of annoyance in adjusting them to try to make them sound even.
Second, for me.. I found that the high frequencies are REALLY REALLY strong. VERY strong. If you have them too loud, they can become bright and very harsh. It took a lot of getting used to, in the end I reduced the volume most of hte time, but if I want to crank it up I'll need to put on the treble reducer preset. I've found that they can tend towards sibilance (that harsh SHHH noise on S and CH sounds) at the best of times anyway. If treble is your thing, then you should be fine :)

All round, I really enjoy them, they provide a practical, comfortable, great sounding and excellent bass listening experience.

If you're looking for good earphone.. not a headphone. I would reccomend these first and probably the Sennheiser MX400/500 in second if your ears are bigger.

[dmt1]

Originally posted by djfusion
So in your opinion, (1.) are the ex71's no better that the default ones that come with the iPod?

The shure's looked good. I will be looking more into those now. But I read the review here at the iPod lounge and it wasn't there great. Some good things were said about them, but in the end, they said that the Sony's were a better value.

So in your opinion, (2.) are the Shure's better than the Sony's?


1. I don't think the EX's are any better than the included buds. They are more comfortable, and more isolating, but they don't sound better.

2. IMHO, that review you read was terrible. I've turned into kind of a headphone slut, and that is the ONLY review I've seen that suggests the EX's and Shure's are even remotely equivalent.
I don't think it is even remotely accurate with regard to the Shure's. Go to headfi.org for a much better and accurate review of the E2's and EX'S--you'll see the same thing over and over--the EX's are for the most part detested, even more than what I've said, the E2's are very popular--this is an audiophile board, and in my opinion, is much more reliable than that review you saw here. Bottom line: the E2's are MUCH better than the EX's, and are worth the added cost. The sound is better by far--they are much clearer/transparent, much better highs and mids (which are very blurry or muddy if you will in the EX's)--and more accurate, tighter bass, they are built much sturdier as well--and they have a 2 year warranty, and Shure's customer service is nothing short of fantastic. The downside is they are more difficult to insert properly, and not quite as comfortable as the EX's. But the Shure's are a big step up from the EX's. BTW, I used to like the EX's (and I still think they're OK if you can't afford the Shure's, but if the extra money is not an issue, the Shure's are IMHO by far the better choice), but after I got the Shure's and tried them side by side with the EX's, I realized just how bad the EX's were. For what it's worth, I still like my Shure's for the gym, I use the Ety's or my Grado's everywhere else, and the EX's are gathering dust in my desk drawer--I don't use them for anything anymore...

The Shure's use either a silicone sleeve, or foamies (most people prefer the foamies. The Shure's come with 3 different sets of silicone sleeves and three different sets of foamies to choose from--it will take you a day or two to figure out which combo works best for you--but once you get it, it is very sweet). The disadvantage of the foamies is that they have to be replaced after a month or so. We've been petitioning Shure to make triple flange sleeves available for the E2's, and hopefully that will be coming soon, which will get rid of the need to periodically replace the foamies...

[djfusion]

ok, so I am pretty sold on both. They both sound like great phones and I might just get both, decide which I like better and put the others on eBay. The only thing is, I have to find out where I can buy the shures. I am in canada right now, vancouver BC area... are there any major chains that carry them?

[dmt1]

The only chain I know that carries the Shure's is guitar center (there may be others, but this is the only one I know of). You can order the Shure's from headroom--they have a 30 day hassle free return policy, so you can return them if you don't like them--they should ship to Canada. Or you can find them for cheaper elsewhere, but I doubt they'd be returnable, but you could still sell them on Ebay relatively easily if you didn't want to keep them.

[iPodMaEsTrO]

well heres the thing, im no audiophile, i dont NEED expensive earphones for my iPod, all i wanted were sum reliable earbuds that were better sounding that the Apple ones and i found them for $45 off ebay. I got them in white and so far i love em, the extension cord is annoying though b/c the added weight of the connector tugs @ ur earbud, but other than that the isolation is great (i use the large silicone caps) the sound it pretty good, ive used em for a bit and they are pretty much broken in so that high treble is gone and replaced with fuller sound, i have my iPod EQ set on rock for more bass and treble response. I use them in teh gym and they are great, cant hear anything else but the music, the only grudge i have against these is the connector it tugs way too much, but i jsut hold on to it as i run and its fine, the behind the ear thing is genius, it places it behind ur neck so u dont have a cord hitting ur chin or face in that matter, but either way they're low priced and are worth teh money, but then again they're not $100+ earbuds

[podpuss]

I've had my Sony EX71Sl Nude (white) for a month. I got them from a guy in China who imports them from Japan for $50(EBAY) They were fine, after I broke them in for about 20 hours.
But, I found that they kept falling out of my ears when I exercised...which got to be very irritating.
The cord IS long. You have to wind it up and clip it on yourself somewhere. The metal at that connection and the metal at the connectiion of the left and right wires tends to drag..even from that slight weight... it also drags because of the wire hanging down one side of your body and not in the middle, like most headphones.
I ended up selling mine and getting custom-made headphones using Future Sonic EARS EM3 which were attached to custom ear molds I had made at an audiology clinic. The price was more, but definately worth it. The sound to me is phenomenal AND they don't fall out of my ears when I move and/or sweat. If you go for any higher priced headphones, make sure you can try them out first or return them if they are not to your liking.
What you hear is very personal and subjective.