Sony MDR-EX70LP Fontopia Headphones

First, all the good points:

1) Excellent, full sound. Again, this is a relative statement. Don't expect perfect acoustics, but for their size and intended application you just can't get better (with the possible exception of the Sony MDR-E888LP, which is the latest super high-end one released in the States but not here in the UK yet). The treble is very clear, but not harsh. The bass is strong, and on some tracks, can even be overpowering. It is not a boom-boom type bass that befits posers who like house-size woofers in the boots of their cars; it is a well-defined rounded bass. Though you can only get so much bass definition from something so small, so Sony obviously increased the bass volume and in the process degrading clarity, but don't get me wrong - the bass is good. The mid-range music tends to get drowned out a bit from the heavy bass, but it's still very audible. TIP: if you're like me and you're not too fond of too much bass, stick a small piece of tape over the three holes on the silver portion behind the driver units. That greatly improves the sound for me and stops the bass leaking into the other ranges.

2) Comfort is fabulous. If like me you can't find a comfortable pair of earphones, this will suit you fine. This thing actually fits IN your ear canal, so it's bound to fit. The silicon cups are very comfortable, and they come in 3 different sizes so big or small, you'll find something to suit you. You can leave this on all day, unlike all other earphones I've tried.

3) That's about it, really. Apart from all the technical mumbo-jumbo that's supposed to impress you, what from oxygen free copper to a gold-plated input - big deal. All we consumers care about is the sound. The proof is in the pudding.

Now, the bad points:

1) The physical design. The plastic/rubber surrounding the jack is very small and flimsy (even compared to Sony's lower-end earphones). The cable is flimsy and looks fragile. A large of the portion of the actual earphones are flexible rubber, not the usual hard plastic. This thing demands care, and Sony would have done well to provide a good case for storing the earphones while not in use, which leads me to my next point...

2) The storage case is crap. Pure and simple. It's my biggest gripe about the whole package. It's a little canister that looks like an overblown medicine capsule. Get this - it holds the actual earphones rather well (and actually it's quite cool), but all the wires are left dangling out. This is rubbish, as far as I'm concerned. I would've much preferred something like the case that Sony makes for their lower-end earphones (like the case for the MDR-E848LP which you can see here on Amazon.co.uk). I own one of Sony's very low-end earphones, and it comes with a case like this and I love it. I don't understand why Sony provided this crap case with their supposedly "high-end" earphones.

3) Ear wax. Because of the nature of the earphones, they tend to collect ear wax (and yes I do clean my ears). So sharing is not a viable idea, not so much that you don't want other people getting your wax, but more you don't want to get other people's wax. So they require a bit more cleaning than regular earphones.

And, finally the points that can be either good or bad depending on your point of view.

1) The noise elimination. These things work on an earplug principle, meaning the expand and fit your ear-canal, so effectively when the music is on you can't hear much else. You still can hear some ambient sounds, but a lot less than regular earphones. This is good, right? Not for the guy who didn't hear the car. Up to you if this is a positive feature or a negative criticism.

2) They look cool. One of my criteria when buying earphones is that they must look good (which is also the reason why my earphones tend to get stolen a lot). They don't look as cool as a silver Sony pair that I have, but there are nice touches that let you know that it's expensive. It's the whole image thing. For example, at the point where the cables split to the two earphones, there's a cool embossed Silver Sony logo there. Also the whole thing is a dark purplish blue, not black. Even the case (the stupid case which I feel like throwing away) is a transparent blue.

The last word:

If you're like me and you want portable good sound without having to carry around a big pair of headphones, get this. The sound quality really is impressive for what it is. Though I am full of complaints about the packaging and the fragility of the thing - Sony really should have done a lot better for their "high-end" model (check out Sony.co.uk's website and you'll see that they regard this model as the ultimate pair of earphones), especially when all their lower-end models incorporate good things that this doesn't.

But am I glad I bought it? Yes. The sound is unbeatable, and that is paramount to me. It only gets 4 stars because of the tainted packaging.

Now, it should be brought to the attention of anyone interested in buying these earphones for use with a minidisk unit or portable CD unit ...... don't expect miracles !!
The problem lies not with the earphones .. but with the playback units ! Minidisk units, CD players etc all have audio limiters to prevent excessive volumes being produced thus reducing hearing damage !
Now, as reviewers here have mentioned, these headphones do indeed produce incredibly clear audio ... strong bass, clear mid tones and crisp treble tones, even at low volumes as produced with portable units. Delivering audio ranging from an incredible 6hz at the low end up to 23000hz at the top ... even closed cup headphones would be doing well to produce that kind of quality.

Where I found these phones came into their own ... and it came as a surprise to me at the time ... after reading the tech spec and noticing that the power handling of these phones were ten times ... yes 10 x more powerful that standard earphones. It was claimed they could handle 100mw ... so I put it to the test ... and nearly took my head off !!!

Let me give you an idea what these are capable of ... I have used these phones in a professional recording studio environment as in-ear monitors whilst recording a drum kit .... without pushing the volume anywhere near what the headphones were capable of, and without distortion of any kind, I could not hear the accoustic drums I was playing above the audio playback ... and the kit is loud !!

These headphones seriously come into their own when they are worked and pushed harder that any portable unit can do. Be aware .... in no way do I or anyone else for that matter endorse anyone to use these phones in the way I did for any length of time ... (three minutes at a time was fine for me) ... unless you want to end up with hearing problems ..... but if you are brave ... give it a go ! Plug them in and slowly raise the volume and bass levels if you like ......they will handle any headphone output levels from any houshold stereo systems ... and studio amps !

This is a long winded way of saying ... these are incredible headphones and I would never be without them .. use these and be hooked for life !

They are with me at all times firmly attached to my minidisk player ... and they produce great sound everytime !!

Because of the design, they actually fit inside your ear canal, pumping sound right in to your ear. The sound is clear as anything, and if anything a little to heavy on the bass. The good thing is they tend to block out all sound around (they remind me of using a stethoscope), but this can also be a bad thing. When I wear them in the office, people have to physically poke me to get my attention, whereas before they could just say my name and I would hear them.

If you own a MiniDisc / CD walkman and you still have the rubbish earphones that came with it (why do they give you such rubbish even when you spend hundreds on a walkman?) then you NEED these headphones to appreciate the sound quality and block out the background noise on trains/roads/the tube. I have tried these out on the noisiest journeys and I was still able to listen to my music in peace. They're great for blocking out noisy kids as well! Using these headphones I have heard details in some tracks that I never noticed before - unusual for 'walkman' headphones, I trust you'll agree.

Unfortunately, the pair I have are a little old and I ran over the wire with a sun lounger on holiday, tearing the insulation. I'm just about to order a new pair. They are the best!