Sony Fontopia MDR-EX71SL Stereo Earphone - MDREX71SL
Sony MDR-EX71SL Ear Bud Headphones

This was the fifth pair of these headphones (I wear them everywhere and abuse them like none other) that I've owned. This pair is pictured as black and the product number represents the black ones. The actual headphones I received were white with the white product number. I tried numerous times to contact the seller for a refund but never got a response. buy.com finally refunded my money but not without several emails to them. I don't think I'd buy here again but the Fontopia headphones are awesome.
 
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These in-canal earbuds are some of the best I've owned. I wasn't sure if I could get used to the in-canal style, but they are the most comfortable pair I've owned. They sound response is clear and loud (when applicable). The only downside to these are that they are difficult to run with for an extended period of time as they fall out when sweating.
 
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I purchased these ear-bud headphoes about 4-5 weeks ago. Thus far, I have been very satisfied with the product. The low end earns high marks for excellent low end response...however, as others have stated the high-end is muffled. Metal sounds muted, hip-hop sounds good, classical sounds muted. However, I still would recommend this for its value for the price. I have no cord complaints, nor cord-case complaints. The fit/feel is excellent and I have been able to comfortably wear the phones for hours on end. The in-ear noise cancellation feature works well even when no music is playing. Go for it!
 
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I'm on my second pair, and ordering my third now. I've never had any issues at all with the headphones themselves, it's just the stupid insulation that dies. My current pair are down to pure wire, and I wouldn't even bother ordering another pair (since I know it'll just happen again) but I keep getting electric shocks when I move in my office chair. :-) I'd highly recommend them, it's just a shame that they couldn't use a slightly higher quality insulation on the wires.
 
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Overall... I'm very happy with these headphones. They sound great - better than most earbuds. I've found the bass response good, but not quite as good as over-the-ear headphones (what do you expect?). The headphones come with three earpieces. One is sure to fit. They're very comfortable in my ears and stay put for the most part. They do a surprisingly good job of rejecting outside sounds. It will sound like you've got earplugs in your ears - all external sound is attenuated. I weight train and jog with these headphones. They stay in place very well while jogging. During weight training, the "Y" in the cable tends to flop from the back to the front of my shoulder and makes the left earpiece work loose. By the way... these units have one lead (the left one) shorter than the other I presume for using with arm mounted devices. That works great for me and the cord attached to the earbuds is the right length - about 18 inches. They come with an extension cable for when you want to connect to something further away. Okay... the cons. All of these issues are minor. The case leaves something to be desired. It's hard to get all the cable rolled up inside it - there's no cord management in the case. I like one lead being longer than the other, but the left lead needs to be a little longer for me - that would stop the left earpiece from working loose as described above. The case actually comes in two parts - there's a little "sub case" for the earbuds themselves. It does help keep the cords from tangling, but it is cumbersome and awkward. The case should've been all one device with places for the buds, the cord, and the extension. Overall... I'd buy 'em again and again. They're the next best thing to over-the-ear headphones and cost a lot less than the next step up in earbuds.
 
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I have had these earbuds for a little over a year and am ready for a replacement. I have tried others in this price range and none have the incredible bass response of the Sony MDREX71SL. I use them primarily while running and my only complaints are: - The cable is a little short. I have to wear my IPod Nano upside-down on my arm for them to reach my ears (I am average height). - The split cable design causes them to bounce a lot while running which translates noise to your ear. I use a safety pin to hold the cable to my shirt to reduce the noice. - After 1 year of sweat and sun, the insulator on the cable is deteriorating.
 
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I'm buying my third pair of the same item only because it's the most comfortable, noise cancelling ear bud in a decent price range. The first one I had worked fine but after an afternoon in the car, the rubber plastic surrounding the wires melted (I've seen other people complain about this too). The second pair worked for about 90 days and then one end just died. Warranty only covers 90 days. After the second one, I'm very frustrated and I tried hard not to buy another one again, but unfortunately there's nothing like the Sony ear bud (in this price range). Sure beats those other stiff plastic ones that can't sit in your ear for more than an hour without hurting. I put them in my ear for about 6-8 hours and they don't hurt much. Easy cleaning too, beats those foamy stuff that collects dirt easily.
 
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I got these a week ago for my birthday and they rock! Sound so much better than normal earbuds (i.e. ipod earbuds). I was looking at the koss spark plug which are a bit cheaper and look cool, but then i got these and i am happy. Get them.
 
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These are amazing little earbuds! They require careful placement in the ear but once they are in correctly, the bass response is just unbelievable..very similar to my MDR V6 sony studio monitor headphones...and for this price...as I said...amazing!
 
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Really solid earbuds that do a great job of blocking outside noise while keeping some extra cash in your wallet. The only irritating thing is the relative short length of the cord between the left ear and chin.
 
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the headphones provide very good sound quality with a decent amount of bass. it is also extremely comfortable.
 
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I am really impressed with these headphones. I was a bit apprehensive to spend almost $30 on a pair of earbuds, but now believe they were well worth it. I had been using a standard set of earbuds before, and they worked fine except for whenever I wore them for more than half an hour my ears would get sore. These Sony headphones are way more comfortable, and my ears have never gotten sore at all wearing them. I was further pleased by the sound quality, which is better than most earbuds for most songs; they are able to put out a pretty good amount of base for their size. Furthermore, the rubber earpieces act a bit like earplugs to the outside world, so I do not need to turn my music up as loud to hear it while riding a noisy bus. Besides the fairly high price, there are two problems with these headphones. First, you have two options for the cord length: way too short or way too long. Without the (included) cord extension, the cord is only about a foot and a half, only useful if you have an arm band or hold your player in a shirt pocket. The cord extension is very long and gets tangled up easily. I would have liked one of those retractable cables with these headphones. The other problem is the durability. My girlfriend has the same pair, and one time while pulling hers out of her backpack, the piece covering the speaker popped off. We glued it back on, but since then that one side has not given nearly as loud of a sound nor a great range. I also always feel like mine could easily be pulled apart, and it is difficult to be careful all the time. Anyways, these are worth it if you listen to music a lot and it's making your ears sore.
 
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Sony rocks hard with this "noise cancelling" earphones. I can't hear anything but music with this earphones. The sound quality is superb, especially the bass. Mediocre earphones will not give you the bass at all. Buy.com customer service is awesome. Fast, courteous, and helpful replies.
 
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I have many headphones, stock and after-market pairs. They range from $10.00 to $120.00 and I have to say that I never heard such clear and thunderous sound!!! I have a pair of Bose and a pair of Koss high end headphones and this $28.00 set are byfar the best of them all.
 
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This headphone set sounds wonderful. It comes with an extension; the original cord is pathetically short, as it's designed for your music player to fit only in your shirt pocket. So, by default, you have to use the extension cord, which is much longer. I'm a jogger and fitness freak, and find that this cord gets in the way. I wouldn't recommend this headphone set for running because of this. The acoustics are very good, however, if you can deal with the short cord and extension cord.
 
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--PROS-- Very comfortable, great performance, GREAT PRICE! Love the dual length cord option - short enough for an armband radio/MP3, or long enough for Laptop use in an emergency exit row! --CONS-- Seemingly 'soft' cord, I'm afraid I'm just going to pull it apart one of these days. Cord Management, the ear piece protector is nice, but the cord box isn't very convenient. --SUMMARY-- These little in-ear speakers ROCK! The earphones provide an ample amount of external noise suppression while delivering great range for the price. They give some noise suppression earphones costing as much as $300 a run for their money for sure!
 
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the soft ear buds make these headphones very comfortable, feels like you don't have anything in your ear. they are somewhat noise reduction(in a way, but they are NOT) too since they fit all the way into your ear you don't have to turn on the volume as high.
 
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These are an exceptional improvement over the factory iPod and PSP earbuds. They're a 1/10th of the cost of Shure E4C, yet have better bass response and great noise cancellation properties. The point is at $299 the Shure E4C are not 10x better than these Sony's...Maybe twice or three times as good. Great Value and you don't have to baby them. I've had one pair for two years, never taking very good care of them, working out and getting them sweaty from exercizing. On Tuesday, I accidently yanked them out on the treadmill and crushed the right earbud by stepping on it.
 
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I love these headphones - they are one of those little tech purchases that I am totally thrilled with. The sound quality of these 71SL's rival that of the $200 Seinheisers; you'll hear parts of your music that you hadn't noticed before. Get them - you won't be disappointed.
 
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The sound, price, and use are amazing, I use these head-phones when I ride (road bike). Therein lies the problem, when riding for extended periods of time (hours) I sweat a great deal. The sweat apparently broke down the rubber on the cord and its tearing away from the wiring. Its a shame because the performance of these phones has been the best I have ever experienced, even compared to Sony noise-cancelling.
 
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Back in 2002, and decided to give it a try. Since then, I've never regreted and I have 2 pairs. I agree with all of the good reviews; here are my observations: * Yes, you need to insert them inside your ears. For some people it is not comfortable; for me it fits well. * They collect grease, therefore keep your ears clean :) * These earbuds need some extra care: regularly clean with water and soap the removable silicone parts and gently use a small brush to clean the earpieces (do not use water or alcohol) * The cord is thin but I consider this a good point because it is lighter; just handle it gently and it will last. * They are so good in blocking a lot of external noise that I was using them in the NY subway, even if I was not listening to any music! Much nicer than using those orange foam noise cancelling earplugs that you buy in drugstores * They are so small and unobtrusive that I can go to sleep with them and put my ear against the pillow comfortably. Add some relaxing music and the sleep will come fast. * They will block most of the noises that wake you up too early in the morning. * For me it works better than taking pills to sleep!
 
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Like another reviewer, I lost one of the drivers after a few months of occasional use - one ear was suddenly much quieter than the other. However, I found that if you remove the silicone shrouds, underneath this is a small fabric pad covering up the end of the tube that leads down to the drivers. This was completely clogged up with ear wax. Once I removed the pad (using my fingernail) the earphones were fine again. The sound may be a little brighter than it was (I guess the pad absorbed some of the treble), and I'm not sure if the tube will now clog up in turn. Otherwise they are great, I just wish the cord to the left earpiece were a little longer but that's a minor nit. Can't beat them for the price.
 
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I've had these headphones for about a month now. I bought the shure e2cs at the same time. As for the sony's, they are icredibly comfortable and easy to use. It takes just a second to put them in and get a perfect seal. The bass is full in this set and sounds nice. This is probably a very good set of buds for anyone looking for extra bass. As for the rest of the sound, it is nice, but doesn't quite stack up to the shures. Most people won't notice the difference. This is definitely a great headphone at an incredible price! I might buy another pair for my wife!
 
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I have been using these with my Creative Zen Touch and it is such an improvement from the stock headphones. I am pleased that I can put them in and leave the volume low and not miss some of the more subtle tones of pianos and other instruments that can get lost with other head phones
 
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These headphones provided exactly what I needed, namely the ability to produce bass clearly, (some) noise cancellation, proper fit while running, and a value price. Unlike many headphones, the bass sounds full in normal volume, provided you compensate with the equalizers on your music player. These headphones cancel out a lot of constant background noises, such as traffic, loud fans, and chatter. Even while running hard and sweating profusely, they stayed in my ear instead of sliding off like every other headphones I've used. Assuming the price stays in the ~$30 range, these headphones are the best bang for your buck.
 
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Just got these today in the mail, and they sound absolutly great with my nomad zen xtra ! great bass and treble, and good power handling. i bought a pair of those 180.00 shure e2c ear bud headphones and they sound like crap in comparison. these sony's i highly suggest you purchase.
 
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So I thought paying more for Shure headphones would be a good thing. Yes, they sound good and block out noise, but the ear sleeves were too stiff. They hurt my ears. The bass response, which is what I wanted most, was not very good. Now the Sony EX71SL headphones sound great. They're very comfortable. The sleeves are much softer and still block out most noise. But the best part is the bass response. I can actually feel the bass. The other frequencies sound very good too. All this for a decent price. I hope I don't have the same problems others had, but I figure if I can get 6 months out of these headphones, I'd gladly pay for new ones again. Again, great sound, isolation and bass response.
 
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I really wanted a pair of earbuds for when I am active, yet I was never willing to give up the sound quality provided by my Sennheiser full-size headphones. I took a chance on these Sony's, and they are great. They provide excellent sound for an earbud. I know Shure and Etymotic have great sounding earbuds out there, but they're very expensive. At $29.99, the Sony MDR-EX71SL's are an unbeatable value. Only complaint is the odd cord configuration.
 
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Overall 8/10, great for the price, but no Etymotics, Shures or Sennheisers. Cord is oddly weighted to one side, pity the demise of the straight Y split cords of old. Extension is good, without it, the initial cord reaches nowhere fast.
 
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These are great, they eliminate outside noise. These ear buds give out pretty good bass, and crisp highs. I use this with my ipod mini and arm band. The short cord is perfect for that.
 
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I've had them for a few months now and they are awesome, although I'm starting to see the cords twist differently now then they used to. As someone else said, the wires are very thin. The sound is incredible, and they are perfect for what I use them for which is to wear under my motorcycle helmet while I'm riding to/from work. I used to wear regular foam earplugs while riding (very loud sport bike), and these have as much sound isolation, but also reproduce music very well. Actually nowadays what I do is put one earbud in my left ear and my bluetooth headset in my right ear so I can take calls while riding (it's over an hour each way, which is a long time to be out of touch) Anyway, I have recommended these to a couple of my friends and they rave about them as well. Definitely a great investment, and for ~$30/pair, you can afford to buy a couple of pairs!
 
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You will not be disappointed, especially for the $. After buying my first pair & using them for a couple of weeks, I bought 2 more pair. I don't want to ever be without them. They fit nice in my motorcycle helmet. I use them with my Rio Carbon (I love that too). I disliked the cord at first (one side longer than the other) but now I don't even notice.
 
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I bought these last year after reading the reviews on cnet.com. I can’t recommend them enough. I know this sounds like I work for Buy.com but you would be crazy not to buy these at this price of $28.99. These things rock, and am buying a second set just to have as a backup. The sound quality is supreme. For gaming they are nice and discreet (when the base blows up or you just launched 10 grenades, you can feel it in your gut). The only drawback I have noticed is ear fatigue after a couple of hours of use. I flew to Japan and listened to music for 17 hours, every three hours I needed to take a break (and talk to the cute nihon-jing next to me).
 
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I bought these in white for my girlfriend for christmas. I bought them because they were the only type that fit in her ear comfortably. She doesn't like to listen to music very loud, but if she has them on, i can be 5 feet away from her yelling and she isnt able to hear me. This is great for when she has to study and i want to play videogames. I am about to buy a pair for myself in black.
 
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1st, if you're thinking about buying these, do it, you won't be dissapointed. These are quite simply the best earbuds i have ever heard in my life. the 9mm drives on these things give you bass that you wouldn't believe from such a small bud. amazing. Size/style wise, these things are cool. The silicon part is very comfortable in your ear and will not fall out like other buds do. Ease of use- well, they aren't perfect. the cord is too short without the extension and too long with it. other than that, these things are near perfect. The first thing you need to do when you get these is put some techno/trance/dance on- then sit back and be amazed.
 
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I wanted a pair of inner phones that rocked, and these do just the job. They cancel out sounds you don't want, and the bass is ok but, for price, it's superb! Very happy to be lighter/portable, quality sound/convenient. One needs to adjust volume. Stay w/brand name Sony. My MDR-EX71SL's are super compatible w/Sony/Atrac3plus D-NF610. Extension unplugs to talk with wife/extension plugin to tune out. Quality sound/lightweight/portable. I like my music loud sometimes/doesn't disturb rest of house. Deal with the cords and ur fine. Purchased on 04-05-05, will see later/durability.
 
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These earbuds produce excellent sound for the money. Deepest bass will disappoint "bass heads" but is well balanced with the rest of the spectrum. After trying 4 different "enclosed" over-ear headphones to get some quiet in my noisy office, and being annoyed by the hollow, echo-y sound of those 'phones compared to decent open-air types like Sennheisers (or even RadioShack Pro35) I find these 'buds provide excellent isolation (without "deafness") and very good musical sound, from my Muvo Micro, laptop, CD player, or home stereo. I've worn them for hours without discomfort. Though tiny and lightweight they are fairly sturdy and have survived getting snagged on various things. I'm ordering a second pair in case I lose these!
 
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In earlier reviews I used to say these things were crap, but I now must fully retract and state that these are amazing for the price. When I first got them, I was hugely disappointed as there was no bass as advertised (and I'm no bass head). I tried different things, such as using the larger ear pieces and breaking them in for a few hours (ie, continuously pumping music through them at med to high volume). Then some guy suggested breaking them in for a few days. He said he accidentally left his on his stereo for a whole month while he was away. To quote him about when he returned, "I couldn't believe my ears". I left mine on for 10 days straight and now they sound truly wonderful -- very full sounding with decent bass. (At first I thought I wrecked them but it simply turned out that these now really bring out poorly encoded MP3's which wasn't really apparent before -- that's how much they've improved). BTW, the break in period for big home speakers is about 200 hrs so the same might apply here. I've had mine for about a year but I'm not sure about durability as I hardly touched them until now. As for noise blockage, I'd prefer a little more than what these offer, but they're still ok nonetheless. They fit very comfortably, are easy to insert and easy to carry around. Overall, they are fantastic value. (This is quite a compliment coming from someone who generally loathes Sony products).
 
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after i blew out my "ipod headphones" i decided to look at the new apple in ear headphones... they look nice but they lack bass and the sound quality is poor... so i did some research on the internet and bumped into these headphones. i read the reviews and was interested in buying them. i made a smart choice of not getting these headphones at a local electronic store because they are 49.99 which is still the amount of money these headphones are worth... anywayz these headphones have really nice bass, super good quality and they look great. i compared these headphones to my friends bose head phones which are 300 dollars and these have the same sound quality. i am very satisfied with this product!!!!!!!!!
 
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I've had these for the last 4 years. It will be difficult to find anything with "Response Bandwidth - 6 - 23000 Hz." You do not need this kind of response for an iPod, with these I can easily spot the difference between a CD and even highest MP3 or even 320 AAC encoding, but for a regular CD player - I'd never use anything but these. Considering the quality of its sound, price is well justified.
 
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I have had many different head/ear phones over the years... and these little babies are awesome. Well worth the $30 I paid for them. They fit nicely in your ear, block out most outside noise and make you feel as if you have a subwoofer in your ear when the bass hits. Nice Highs, Mids and Lows. They work great w/ a MP3/WMA player and they don't slip if your a runner. If you like to sing to the music, they may drive you a little nuts b/c you can hear the reverb in you head, being that are in your ear. But if you just listen they are great, if you want to tune out other people around you even better. My only complaint is when using the extension cord, where the two connect, it tends to get caught up on things, especially around the desk. So beware to not take your ear off by moving too fast around thing you can get caught on. Other than that, they are great!
 
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I've had the previous model. I like this one much better because the short extension makes life easier to use MD player. It's soundproff. It's very comfortable. What more do you want?
 
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Have used them with my iPod over the last 6 months: comfortable except for long periods, well made, good overall sound and bass (but iPod lacks good bass), two lengths of cord nice to have, much more affordable than Shure headphones which I researched, seal out noise well and with noise muffs they work great on airplanes! Buy them!
 
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These things are great. I am really impressed with these earbuds. One of my friends insisted that the sound from earbuds would never compare to really good standard "Princess Leia" headphones. I did my research and noticed that not many negative comments have been made about these earbud headphones. I went ahead and made the purchase and haven't looked back since. They were purchased because of the horrendous office noise I get from all the co-workers... and the multi-sized removable earpieces allow you to get a near perfect fit and block out a good deal of sound. Do these earbuds have everything you need to call it "Perfect"? I'd say so.
 
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I've been using a pair of EX70 headphones for a little over a year. I average 4 flights a week (about 6 hours in the air), and have these in my ear for pretty much the entire time. The sound quality is superb, the suppression of external noises is so good that I no longer use noise-cancelling headphones, and they remain comfortable with extended use (I have had them in my ears for 7 straight hours with no discomfort at all). I have had no problems with durability or sound quality deterioration. My only complaint is the cord does tangle easily betweeen uses.
 
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I first tried these from a friend who had been using them, and found the quality and comfort of it so amazing I had to purchase them myself. I've been extremely happy with this set ever since it came in the mail. I've only had it for about 3 months now, so I don't know about the issue of them dying yet. But all earphones die eventually. It's definitely a good investment for even a year. And these are effective enough to almost completely cancel out the noise on the subway! That should be enough of a sell right there.
 
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I had the same experience as one of the other reviewers. Great sound at first, almost as good as NC headphones for use in airplanes, but with better fidelity and much more convenient to carry. They lasted for about a year, though; now they sound so tiny that I'm just throwing them away - there goes $50... [my review is about the previous model, the MDR-EX70LP, so maybe this new model could be more durable?]
 
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If you ever tried to listen to your CD player or MP3 player on an airplane with standard earbuds, you know that it is a lesson in futility. These earbuds come with 3 different size silicone earcushions to provide an airtight seal, thus blocking out virtually all exterior noise. I would say they block out as much as a very good pair of ear-plugs. Plus they sound very good. The freq response is published as 6Hz to 35kHz, which is pretty good for any headphone. My main gripe is the short cord that is supplied with the unit, it is meant to connect to a shirt pocket MP3 player. However, it does come with a 3 ft extension for all other uses...In my opinion these perform better than the Bose noise-cancelling headsets, they require no batteries, and are small enough to fit in a 1"x2" carrying case, and perform better both sonically and in noise reduction.
 
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I bought these a month ago and was blown away by the sound quality and their ability to block out unwanted noise. Even on an airplane the headphones performed wonderfully. That is until the right headphone driver died on me. I've had cheapo headphones that lasted for years longer than these, so i'm very disappointed that i wasted $40. A previous pair of Sony headphones died on me as well (a different model of course). So, let the buyer beware. I'm not buying from Sony again any time soon.
 
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