Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(307 customer reviews) 142 of 144 people found the following review helpful
Give them time before you decide,
April 23, 2005 pm444 "pm444" (Okemos, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia Headphones, Aqua (Electronics)
I ordered these because the Apple headphones that came with my iPod Mini kept falling out at the gym, and also lacked adequate bass response. When I first tried the Sony phones at home, I was disappointed. I did not like how they fit, and the sound didn't seem to be any better than the originals. However, I decided to try them out at the gym, since that was why I got them in the first place.
It took me a while to get used to the cords being different lengths, but now I like that feature, becaue I can have them out and around my neck, even when they're not in my ears. This is convenient when I'm at the airport or on a plane, and have to be listening for boarding calls or announcements, but don't want to put the headphones away.
As for the fit and sound, I found that after I had them in for a few minutes, I hardly noticed them at all, and the sound is a lot better than the Apple headphones. As many other reviewers have noted, you must insert these headphones...Read more
75 of 76 people found the following review helpful
A terrific value in inexpensive earbuds with decent sound,
May 24, 2005 DavidRoss (Woodland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia In-The-Ear Headphones, White (Electronics)
My EX51s have been trouble free for several months, despite some mild abuse. They stay in place fairly well after fitting the proper-sized rubber sleeves, and they're comfortable enough to fall asleep with. The "behind the neck" cord requires some adjustment, but aftter learning how to wear it properly (entire cord behind neck, main cord clipped to shirt or collar to relieve strain) I adapted quickly.
The sound quality is surprisingly good for buds cheap enough to regard as disposable, though they seemed rather shrill at first. Several hours of burn-in were required to tame the tizzy highs. Clarity & detail are better than with the standard iPod buds. Frequency response is fairly neutral (using my Sennheiser HD590s for comparison), with a slight treble boost and the bottom end rolled off just a bit. Sound isolation seems nearly ideal to me, with perhaps a 15dB reduction of external noise--enough to make outside sounds unobtrusive, but still permitting one to hear...Read more
33 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Yes, the rubber decomposes.,
November 2, 2005 Dan L. (California, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia In-The-Ear Headphones, White (Electronics)
I had the same issue as other people who have written reviews. The rubber started decomposing shortly after I got it, but I didn't notice until I got a mild shock. Then I saw that a good portion of the rubber had definitely lost its color and composition. By the time I called, it was out of warranty (though I'm not sure even if the warranty would have covered it).
I called Sony, and replacements are $25. More than buying them here on amazon. Oh, well, I'll just keep the rubber earbuds as spares for the other Sony buds I have.
Do yourself a favor and get the black equivalent - the black tubing is physically different (a little tougher, and doesn't decompose). They might be a dollar or so more, and they might not match your iPod, but they'll last you a lot longer.
