Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easier on your ears/Good Value/Quality Sound, 27 Jun 2003
A lot more has been said about the other in-ear bud Fontopia earphones that Sony make. At £30, they're great value and at that price such quality is rare.However, there are reasons for getting these earphones instead. The more popular bud earphones do have better quality sound, but the bass (which is impressive) is matched by the MDR-ED31LP's. The sound quality is almost as good (the Neodynium magnet is used in both models) and the frequency response is also impressive at this price. The design is comfortable at first (the earphone does extend right into your ear, it doesn't sit on the outside like most other headphones) and it doesn't fall out easily, such as in almost every other pair of in-ear 'phones. Thus, even though you don't have the same level of noise reduction as you do with the bud earphones, these make up for it by allowing you to turn down the volume. In some headphones you have to turn up the volume to get the 'complete experience from the music'. With these headphones, you can keep the volume nice and low and still enjoy the music. Even with dub, D'n'B and other types of "lo-freq. bass" music, you can still enjoy the music. *Why not buy the in-ear bud earphones - aren't they better?* The bud earphones can be uncomfortable, if not irritating. Although it's true that now I do use them more than the MDR-ED31LP's, there is a period when you have to get used to wearing these earphones - this might not be so good for people who don't use their personal audio players very often. These earphones are comfortable, easy to use and most of all they allow you to keep the volume low. *Save your hearing without losing listening pleasure* High volume (or even just medium volume) is now directly connected to a range of later-life ear difficiencies. Earphones can be worse even than live concerts, because, on high volume, they are no more than 2-3cm away from the ear-drum, resulting in possible damage. Owners of Sony personal audio units (such as a MiniDisc player) will notice that there is an AVLS (Automatic Volume Limiting System) included which keeps the volume low. Lots of people don't use this simply because it doesn't drain out nearby sounds, you can't feel the full effect of the bass straight in your ear, and often the volume seems too low. This preset maximum volume which they have is the loudest which you can have the unit without a possibility of ear-damage. Take my advice - if you're worried about damage to your ears through listening to personal audio players (and more and more people are thinking about it) get these earphones! They don't need to be put on high volume and the bass is noticeable, without leaving a stinging vibrating feeling in your ear (- that's your ear's natural pain response - i.e. telling you to turn down the music!). What's more they look good (silver); are comfortable; (unlike loads of other earphones) and are good value and good quality. One pair won't last you a lifetime of listening to music - these things probably last only about 6 months with heavy usage - but they're great value and are easy on your ears. Highly recommended for conscientious listeners!
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too flimsy, 4 Jan 2005
I bought these from my local catalogue shop, after becoming fed up with all the other earphones I had tried. Obviously, they cost a little more than some other earphones, but, as they were Sony, in my eyes a pretty reliable brand, I thought they would be worth it. Well, to begin with, they were. They never fell out of, or even moved out of position in my ears, even when running or perfoming numerous gymnastic activities (well maybe not gymnastic but I went upside down and stuff. It was pretty vigorous movement). In all honesty, I could confidently say I've never worn a more comfortable pair of in-ear headphones. The sound quality was superb, the bass excellent, and the overall sound amazing.
However. About a month after I had bought them, and using them for about 2 hours a day, I noticed a buzzing sound in the right ear when any heavy bass played (eg a normal guitar was fine, but bass guitars weren't). As time went by, this grew worse until I couldn't bear it any longer. A friend told me I had "blown the cone" which was why it buzzed. So I went back to the shop and demanded that they fix them. They refused. But they did replace them with a new pair, which was nice.
So I had my new earphones. Great sound, very comfortable, I was doing great. Or so I thought. This pair lasted about 2 weeks, before the rubber piece that fits inside your ear tore, thus making the earphone's metal inside rub against my ear, which proved very painful.
Call me a quitter, but I didn't bother trying to get them replaced or repaired. I just gave up. The broken earphones went into the bin and I found a nice alternative in some other (not Sony) earphones.
So, in conclusion, while these were pretty good to begin with, they were just too flimsy and breakable for a fairly heavy user. Maybe buy them if you're not going to use them.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than I thought when I first used them, 1 April 2005
I have owned a pair of these earphones for over a year now. When I first used them I was very disappointed with the sound quality - it was so muffled and bass heavy. I persevered but was never happy with the sound so gave up and tried finding an alternative. I was tempted by the Sony MDR-EX71SLB Fontopia's but a number of people had commented on how bassy they were so stuck with my supplied Creative Zen earphones. Yesterday morning I managed to break those so switched back to my Sony Fontopias just to have some music while I travelled to work. Same old muffled, bassy, sound......and then I noticed that the sound in one ear was louder than the other. I adjusted the ear bud with the low sound and all of a sudden my ears were filled with the most clear, crisp sound. I couldn't believe it! I then realised what the problem was, I had been jamming the earphones firmly into my ears not realising that I was blocking the speaker holes by doing so and resulted in such a muffled sound. Once I realised that the trick is to get the buds sitting just right in my ear I was amazed at the difference in sound quality - these earphones are fantastic for the money and I would recommend them without hesitation now that I can experience them properly. Sitting properly in the ear does not mean they are loose. I have had no problem with them falling out of my ears; they are designed so well that they fit perfectly without ramming them into the ear.And I have never had a problem with the braided cable - When I'm not using them I wind the cable gently round my hand and then store them, never had any kinking problems. As long as you don't just ram the cable into your pocket or such you should have no problems with kinking.
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