Your true rating on the MDR-EX51?

[killer1177]

I am using the mdr-ex51s and I think they are awesome, but the thing I really dislike about it is the cord length. It always gets tangled somewhere and pulls my earphones out :mad: . And I really don't like how the left one is so short and how the left earphone is supporting all the weight so most of the time if my earphones get dragged down, my left one gets either pulled off or drags my ears to the left. I just wish both earphones can share the weight like the apple ones so when it gets pulled, it won't put all the weight to ones earphone. But I would say it is 8/10. But I still hate how the sound gets distorted when you put the bass booster in the eq.

[Jackonicko]

If you've only listened to the Apple buds, any in-ear will give an immediacy and isolation that might lead you to rate the EX51 high, but if you compare it to anything else....

Dreadful. 3/10 at best.

Muddy bass, hissy sibilant highs, rotting cords that deteriorate when you sweat, awful.

[Bob]

Have you tried wearing them with the cord round the back of your neck? I found this way far more sensible way to wear the uneven cable length phone - it also means if you have to remove the phones they actually hang round your neck.

[killer1177]

Have you tried wearing them with the cord round the back of your neck? I found this way far more sensible way to wear the uneven cable length phone - it also means if you have to remove the phones they actually hang round your neck.

Yes I do, and yes it is really useful to hang it around your neck. Does this happen to every in ear earphone or just the Sony's but the right earphone tip gets lost and falls out really easily. It has came off itself for about 5-6 times now, really annoying. When I bought my earphones, I had to choose between these and the Panasonic RP-HJE50s, and I thought that Sony's would be better and gives more bass response, and not to mention it is 10$ more expensive than the Panasonics

[Jokieman]

Based on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being Apple's stock ear buds. I'd rate the EX51 a solid 2.

[killer1177]

hmm, is it really that bad? I thought the sound was pretty good, but the quality of the phones( wires, etc.) really killed it.

[camille]

hmm, is it really that bad? I thought the sound was pretty good, but the quality of the phones( wires, etc.) really killed it.

you must consider as jackonicko said, if you've only compared it to iBuds, it'll sound better but compare it with equal sounding or better in-ear phones, the EX51s will sound like garbage.

that being said, i'd give it a 2/10 as well (for the isolation)

[Bob]

Please bear in mind that one person may find a particular headphone produces muddy bass and sibilant highs while the next might find they sound perfectly good for what they want. In the end it's an MP3 player which uses compressed files of varying degrees - if you're happy with the sound from the EX51's stick with them.
Save up the money you would have spent on trying to find the next best thing and spend it on a decent set of phones in the higher price range. Don't end up with a drawer full of 'phones you'll never use again....

[Jackonicko]

The OP asked for our 'true rating', and that's what I gave.

Of course 3/10 is fine for some users - and no headphone will sound great if you're listening to 96 kbps MP3s, or if your hearing is in any way damaged.

And it's terribly easy to spend your hard earned money and end up with drawerfuls of cr.ap - particularly at this sort of price point - You could buy Koss Plugs, Earthumps, Phillips 590s, Turbosounds with Slic soundboosters, EX51s and Smokin Buds and find yourself more than $100 lighter in the pocket, and still not have a single good phone. I know - I own all of those useless phones, though some of them I've been given.

The only thing I'd take issue with in Madpict's post is that it's necessarily the case that you have to go to the next price level to get better quality - over on Head Fi I've just been reading a review (by a real audiophile) about a $100 phone that he felt bettered his day-to-day $300 earphone, while I could name you three $100 phones that better competitors costing more than twice as much - and a handful of $50 earphones that sound far better than similarly priced earphones.

[Bob]

And I merely pointed out that what one may rate as a 3/10 the next may give a 8/10 for. It is a purely individual taste. I would actually rate them around 6/10.
And that is after I have used the E500s. So either my hearing is crap, damaged after years of exposure to aircraft engine noise and gunfire and I have wasted £400 on 'phones I can't appreciate or I might think the EX70 are a decent little 'phone.

I actually started out with the EX70 as the Apple earbuds were too uncomfortable. I found them far better to wear over long periods had good isolation and when inserted correctly gave a decent sound. We have never agreed on the sound with you always referring to them as muddy and sibilant, yet I have never heard these qualities in them. As a first step up from the packaged phones they were a good choice and imported they were cheap.

And the important point is no two people will hear the same quality of sound from a particular headphone, so asking for advice as many do is IMHO a wasted exercise as they can go out and buy XYZ abd think they sound like crap. It is OK to guage viuews on which might be decent 'phones but in the end the ONLY solution is to try them before you buy them.

If this makes no sense it is because I am on my mobile....
On SideKick II Handheld

[Jackonicko]

Madpict at home.....

http://www.johnwilliamsart.com/images/ear_trumpet.jpg

"We have never agreed on the sound with you always referring to them as muddy and sibilant, yet I have never heard these qualities in them."

whereas, I, on the other hand.....

http://www.latinoreview.com/scriptreviews/superman/images/Superman3.jpg

do hear a real hiss, and a real indistinct muddiness in the bass - especially by comparison with the CX300, HJE70, and Vibe. Have you listened to those, Bob?

[Jackonicko]

It's also worth pointing out that I'm not the only person with those criticisms of the EX51/70/71/81 family - it's the most common comment about these phones in most reviews, as a swift visit to Head Fi will confirm.

[Bob]

Ha bloody ha.....

While I do not doubt that you hear these failings in the Sony EX range or that yoiu have a verita ble cornucopia of listening devices worthy of display ion the Royal Museum Of Listening Things, nor that the good folks over on Headfi all agree I do say that you should try rather than rely on others opinions on something so very 'personal'.

There is a short step between audiophile and audiophool.....

[Jackonicko]

I'm an audiophool, all right. I've spent money on some terrible, terrible cr.ap.

And the advice that if you're happy with something, you should be happy and stick with it is great.

BUT

while it would be great to try before buying in an ideal world, rather than relying on the opinions of others, this is not an ideal world.

It's next to impossible for the ordinary bloke to try headphones without stumping up the cash, despite them being "something so very personal."

So the advice of others who have heard the phones you may be considering is useful in helping a user in forming an initial impression, before committing money. It's especially necessary to highlight the capabilities and strengths of new, and less-hyped phones, and to provide realistic assessments of over-hyped and over-familiar gear, and to counter the tendency of many to recommend what they personally own, even when that may be the only earphone they have actually heard.

Because they are so common, the EX-51s are very widely hyped. They do give a very different sound to the Apple stock buds, and the isolation and comfort makes them seem great, until you hear something better. And in the years since the EX70 was released (same driver) things have moved on, and the overall standard has been raised significantly, so there are now lots of better options.

More seriously, I'm astonished that you don't hear a differensssssssse in sssssibilance between the EX51 and your 500s, nor that you don't get better reproduction of Mick Karn's fretless bass with the 500s....... Verita bly your ears must be as bad as his legs.....

[Bob]

More seriously, I'm astonished that you don't hear a differensssssssse in sssssibilance between the EX51 and your 500s, nor that you don't get better reproduction of Mick Karn's fretless bass with the 500s.......

So now you're picking holes in my taste in my music?

I have returned home and having demolished a couple of Bratwurst I dug out my Sony EX70's (not 51 as I initially thought, but as you hate them all it don't matter...) I have just run a comparison between the Sony and E500 using Mike Karn as my test track - of course there is no comparison and I never doubted they would sound the same - compared to the E500s the EX70s sound somewhat 'choked' but we are talking a difference of two drivers and £400.
I have never experienced the sssssssssibilancccccccccccce you seem to have - I don't doubt you do hear it - but that may be down to your hearing.

Thankfully my recent hearing test revealed very good hearing - I was fortunate to have the results from a test in 1990 to compare and in the 16 years since there has been a slight change in one side but overall hearing is well within the normal range.

As for trying before you buy - I know it is difficult to try IEM style 'phones but when you're spending even $/£50+ you should be able to - normal over the ear phones can be tried. You go to a trade show/expo and all the big earphone companies allow you to try their products. It's not that hard to expect a store to offer the same sort of trial opportunity.

I am happy that my 'path to aural nirvana' has not been littered with a trail of so-so 'phones and after a happy time with the E2 (interspersed with the ER6) I have settled comfortably with the E500s - I am happy to recommend them to anyone.

If you go somewhere where they might be demo'ing them take your iPod - having spoken to the Shure people at London there whole stand is set up to allow you to sit down in comfort, plug in and have as long as you want to suss out their phones.

[Jackonicko]

Ah, but the 70 was never as sibilant as the 51 and 71, and was always more muffled. Just as muddy (even muddier, perhaps) but not as hissy, and with a cord that didn't disintegrate.

I'm not poking holes in your music or tastes, either - I know that we're both fans of Japan, and I cannot think of a sterner test of a phone's bass performance than its ability to accurately convey a complex, sliding fretless bass line. I use a trio of Japan tracks whenever I'm testing phones or speakers, along with various other tunes.

The point is that you can now get close to E500/E5/UM2/SF5 levels of performance at a fraction of the price, and that what were high end phones (or at least high performance) a few years ago (E2C, ER-6i) are now bettered by some budget phones.

I doubt that I'll ever need to buy another set of phones again - I have spares of most of my favourite types, and I keep getting new sets to review. (I'm just expecting my first customs, as soon as I've had the impressions done).

But I remain interested in what are the best phones at each price point, and if I can help anyone to get to a phone they'll enjoy as much as I've enjoyed some of mine, without having to waste money on cr.ap, then I'll be incredibly pleased.

I got one hell of a kick from reading the rave reviews by a number of users who were turned on to the HJE70 after my recommendation.

I'll be delighted if anyone discovers that with the EX90 they have a phone that stays in their ear, and that doesn't have to be 'pushed back in' when walking or running.

Or if people can rediscover the fun in their music by using the phone that dare not speak its name......

Music is so important, and I just want everyone to hear it as well as they can, and to get maximum pleasure from it, and I want to help younger Podders from wasting their money on rubbish or mediocrity.

[Bob]

The wee winky must have got deleted after my opening line - I knew you liked Japan etc.

[Jackonicko]

You leave my wee winky out of it!

[Jokieman]

hmm, is it really that bad? I thought the sound was pretty good, but the quality of the phones( wires, etc.) really killed it.


I take into consideration the quality of the product and the customer service of the company as well as the sound. If I was going on pure sound I might give them a 4-5 for my tastes in music, but due to the extremely poor build quality, and reports that Sony has weaseled out of its own offered warranty more than once, I can't give it more than a 1 or 2 rating.

Hearing is extremely subjective to begin with, all we can really do is give you our opinion based on the music you like, and then you have to decide for yourself if you like them or not. All I recommend is that you listen to something in the $100.00 range and see if you like that better.

In fact I've been meaning to put my music tastes in my signature for this very reason and I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Furthermore the only reason why I would put apple's buds at the 1 mark is because they were uncomfortable, extremely tinny, and have also been known to fall apart after light usage. Though the company that backs them has much better customer service than Sony. I also find them to be an extremely good reference/starting point because everyone who has an iPod has spent at least 10-20 minutes with them. :)

Now ask me if there is a 10 out there, and I'll tell you no. There are 9's, but I haven't heard any headphone that was perfect yet. :P

[killer1177]

Yea, when you compare these with 100$ phones and shures, bose, etc. it will sound really bad. But let's talk about the price, 50$ canadian and 40$ us (it was on sale) and the comparisons of the same price or lower, is it one of the best phones you can get for 50 or are there better. I've heard a lot of times that the sennheiser cx300 are pretty good too.