Headphones Reviews

These headphones are very light-weight and extremely comfortable, even over long periods. I've never owned a more comfortable pair. The screw-on 1/4" plug adaptor is very well designed, as is the single sided cord. My only complaint is that the headband design doesn't keep the drivers close enough to my ears for low bass. It might fit some users better though.

I recently broke a pair of headphones I got for free. I scoured reviews searching for the "right" replacement. I wanted to end up with a nice set for under $60. Although the other headphones did have a way to alter the volume right on the ear cups, this set of headphones is the most comfortable pair of headphones I've ever put on my head. After a while, I forget that I'm wearing headphones.

I normally reserve my recommendations, but this one is a great buy if you need new headphones. The sound is good, and the feeling is great.

Not to mention the long cord that prevents you from being so heavily tied to your headphone jack

When I saw these headphones, I thought they were a little strange. however, after I tried them, I noticed the excellent sound quality, the comfortable shape, the LONG cord, and the included jack size adapter, I was sold.

First thing's first: These things are extremely comfortable. They have a little ring that goes around your ear, and this effectively takes the pressure off your ears. If you intend to wear these for a long time, if you have big ears, (like me) or both, this is reason alone.

The sound quality is among the best I have ever heard. It has excellent frequency responce, and they can get very loud without distortion. If you are into extreme bass, be careful: If said bass comes from a source like Dynamic Bass Boost or the ilk from portable CD players, it tends to distort at higher volumes. Bass from a Stereo system doesn't seem to produce this problem.

One nifty feature is the screw-on adapter. This will fit into standard and mini headphone jacks, via a little screw-own adapter. The adapter fits over the mini jack, and can only be screwed off. Very useful in my '89 Areostar! The mini jack and the adapter are gold plated, and seem very well built. One problem: the adapter can be easy to lose.

The cord from the headset is a full 15' long, versus the 6' of most headphones. Very nice! Cord is also one cord, and not two little ones joined together, like most other pairs. This is great, since you can't rip the cord down the middle. The cord terminates into the left speaker, also eliminating that annoying v-joint most pairs have.

The foam is thick and comfortable, and the headband does not rip out hair. It is spring loaded, however, which means that it always returns to it's normal size after use. I find this useful, but you never know...

Overall, an excellent product. It seems to have been discontinued, so get a pair if you can!

I bought these based on the reviews on Amazon. I have to admit to being a bit disappointed. While these earphones are fairly good (better that most stock earbuds) they did not match what people have been saying about them. I found the mid and upper ranges to a bit cold and flat. They were clear, but lacked some dynamics. The bass is almost non-existent. I thought that from these reviews that I'd be wowed. I wasn't.

Don't believe everything you read, try them first. These earbuds are okay, but not of the quality I was hoping for.

Over 6 years ago when I first heard these... I knew these would be the last pair of earphones I would ever buy. I was shocked they still carried these through Amazon, I've repurchased a new set, along with an additional 2nd and 3rd (I've been through many in the past). I've gone through tons of other earbuds and headphones, but none of them come close to matching the clarity and quality these produce. What I particularly like about these compared to others, is that the design is made to go partly down the ear canal making the sound more crisp and defined. The dynamic range is exceptionally wide, and sensitivity is excellent (if you particularly like music at high volumes, these do the job).

One word of caution, never walk through a metal detector listening to these (the ones you find like at Circuit City). It cost me about 4 pairs over the years.

I was looking for some comfortable, inexpensive ear-buds to use when traveling and picked up a pair of these Sony's. I was just blown away! I usually listen at home via a Headroom Cosmic amp and Senn HD600 headphones, or over an audiophile system with Mark Levinson, Bryston, Wilson and B&W components. I have tried Etymotic ear buds, even with custom earmolds, and just don't like the sound balance and imaging. These cheap Sony's are so close to the balance and imaging of my Senn HD600's that I am amazed. Yes given a choice, I'll use the Senn's. But for travel, man are these buds awesome! Give yourself a treat and try a pair.

I had heard great things about the Monsoon MM 2000 speakers, and ordered a set to take with me to college. The subwoofer was DOA, so I had to ship the whole thing back and wait. Not cool, but oh well. The new set arrived and worked beautifully for just long enough for the warranty to expire. Then the subwoofer quietly, but permanently, died. It gets power, it hums and heats up; not a trace of bass. I should have taken it as a bad sign when the first subwoofer died, but to have a second expire for no good reason? You don't want a disposable speaker system at this price, and just try getting ahold of Monsoon for tech support (such as it is).

I have this set, and after 15 months, the subwoofer started blowing internal fuses when the unit was turned on (the speakers were never turned up even close to maximum, and were usually played quietly). Since they were (barely) out of warranty, I went ahead and opened up the subwoofer. I was disappointed in the quality of the circuitry - far too much hot glue strung about, a mishmash of resistors and capacitors bent this way and that (in order to make them fit in their crowded spaces). Not surprisingly, the subwoofer unit is made in China, while the nicely made satellite units are made in Canada.

I also have 2 sets of Cambridge Soundworks speakers (Soundworks and Microworks) as well as 2 sets of Klipsch Promedia speakers, both the 2.1 and the 4.1 units. All 3 makes perform well, with the Klipsch easily being the best sounding. As is well known, the Monsoons are very directional, and tend to be thin and harsh at times, although they are very detailed. The Klipsch have great detail as well, but the sound is better balanced and rich. The Monsoons win the style part of the competition, which is a big reason I bought my set.

If the prices were equivalent, it might be a tough choice. But the Monsoons are significantly more [costly] than the Klipsch now ..., and the Cambridge models are cheaper still ...With that in mind, I cannot recommend the Monsoons. They are tops in style, but the sound remains harsh to my ears, and the directional qualities are a negative for general listening. The poor build quality of the set I received makes me even more disappointed in them. I have replaced them with the Klipsch 4.1.

I'm 42 and have been into stereo equipment since 16: I'm AMAZED that you can get this sound for way, Way, WAY less than $1000. With good soundcard (mine's a Soundblaster Live) I get solid, open imaging; near electrostatic detail and great bass. The build quality is excellent. The satalites have perminantly attached lamp cord which is stripped and soldered to go into spring loaded clips on the Amplifier/Subwoofer - I'd rather see banana clips and terminals there but at this price you Really can't argue. If you like detailed, full bodied sound at a great price do yourself a favor and check these out. And oh yeah: they play plenty loud - you could these as regular stereo speakers if you don't listen at house party levels.

Incredibly light-weight and small.
Easy to learn and use.
A lot of features.
Only uses one AAA battery!

Reception, as with all Panasonics, is not that great (Sony reception is a lot clearer).
Buy different headphones. The ones provided are uncomfortable.

I have been using this radio for a very long time. If you are a serious radio listener(especially talk radio), you want to get a radio that has station memory. One of my only complains is that there is a lack of a belt clip. The headphones that come with them are okay, but I ended up getting another set because the original set kind of hurt my ears. If you are worried about the battery use, just do like I did and get a rechargeable battery set. They help anyway if you have some other devices that eat up batteries. I go to school at Georgia Tech and I commute, so I get bad reception in many places, however, it's like that with other radios also. I find that the analog tuners cannot get my favorite AM radio stations. I remember just sitting there tuning forever. It's just a waste of time. This reception is almost as good as my car radio. They are great if you want to go to the stadium and hear the game while watching because some stadiums require small radios that don't get a great signal, but this model has a reception that is just about as good as you can get.

I workout a lot of times in the gym and run on the treadmill all the times.i mostly carry the waist pouch with CD/radio but it's inconvinient all of the time switching the bag left and right in order to avoid hiting something.when i run in the treadmill, the pouch bag also bounch up and down.
I've been looking for armband radio that come with am/fm radio and i think this one solve the problem. the sound is Great with extra bass (XBS) on all station. even my wife try it and love it, now i need to buy another one for myself co'z she got the first one i have.
Overall , Highly recommend
Nat

I brought my pair of earphones some years back. It was fine for the first 2 years. I realised that the wire that connect the left to the right would work itself loose as time passes. Soon, the ear phone can only work on the left side.

But I thought this was due to normal wear and tear so i brought a newer model from sony recently. the same time happened but this time the right one was ok. And this is only like in 6 months.

I suggest thinking carefully if buying similar types of ear phones. not just sony but other brands too.

These headphones are wonderful. They are capable of getting quite loud, which is undeniably necessary. Another pro is the bass; they produce a ton of bass, another absolutely necessary feature. The fit, furthermore, is great. Finally, the cord is fabric like, another wonderful thing.
There are two cons that make me remove a star. One is that the cord is far too long. It gets tangled very easliy, so beware. The other problem is that the spring mechanism breaks (or so I've heard).
For those of you who cannot get them to fit well, here's how to do it. Open up the little black ear mechanism and put as much of it behind your ear as possible. Then, just twist the actual speaker up to its normal position. This way, they will fit perfectly.
So, for those of you who want some really good headphones, I strongly reccomend these.

Someone else mentioned that they found these headphones unconfortable to wear for long periods. So did I, until I "adjusted" them. On most clip type headphones, the clip is parallel to the earpad, and rotates with a hinge that is also parallel to the ear pad. On the Sony headphones, the ear clip rotates around a pivot that is nearly perpendicular to the ear pad so that as the clip is rotated, the distace between the clip and the ear pad varies between zero and 3/8 of an inch. However, unlike other designs, the clip stays nearly parallel to the ear pad. This makes the headphones sit in the ear better, and provides better sound IMHO.

The problem I had was that the clip itself is molded so that only the lower edge touches the back of your ear. In my case, this dug into my ear and left them red and sore after a few hours. The solution is to heat up the front part of the clip with a candle, and twist the clip so that it lays flatter against the inside of the ear. They don't hold quite as well this way, but they feel so light and pinch so much less you hardly notice you are wearing them. Once modified, these have proven to be great headphones!

I bought these to use with my MP-3 player. I needed a set of headphones that would not fall off while running at the track. The construction of the headphones make for a good fit around the ear (I had first tried another pair that would not stay on my ears).

My only complaint is about volume. With the MP-3, the music is not loud enough even at highest volume. When I hold the phones closer to my ear the sound is improved, but of course that is not feasible during a workout. I would say part of the problem lies with the MP-3 player because when I use these phones with my laptop and with my walkman, the sound is perfect.

Pros:

- Cool, customizable and catchy design
- Strong, clear sound
- Very lightweight and comfortable (louder than most other headphones)
- Great value
- Sony brand name
- New, more flexible type of wire (feels almost like a very thin strand of yarn)

Cons:

- Wire is too long and gets tangled too easily
- Feels "loose" on your ears, almost as if its about to fall off
- I suspect that the sound bleeds easily since it doesnt fit very tightly against your ear and doesn't have very much padding.

I was on a road trip to New York 2 years ago and I was listening to music the whole way and I had this crappy pair of bud headphones that where annoying the hell out of me the whole trip. So once I got to the city I threw them out and bought these headphones. I must say these headphones blew me away, they where the best sounding headphones I had ever used. What's even more amazing then that though is the fact that they lasted me from then till now. Needless to say they are really busted up and the cord is fraying badly, but thats to be expected after 2 years of my punishment. And by punishment I mean being thrown around, falling on the floor contantly, sitting in my bookbag for weeks at a time, and being chewed on by my dog .. twice. The only problems I have with these is that they do not lay flat on your ear so sound tends to excape, and after wearing them for an hour your ears get a little sore, but its not to bad, over all they are pretty comfortable and I even wear glasses and they are fine. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants good sounding headphones that will last them a while.

The quality of sound, especially the base, was wonderful. The collapsing headphones were extremely practical and slowed down the wear and tear of them in my backback, at the gym, etc.

Nonetheless, after only 5 months, they were broken. This was not because of the collapsible section, but rather because of the rapid fraying of the part of the cord around the jack where the headphones are plugged in to the discman.

I bought these for $20, (good price for these), and dont regret it at all. They are light and stay on your head very well. I was on a trampoline doning flips and they stood on perfectly. They are also very comfortable. They stay in play and dont move in your ear so the plastic wont rubb against your ear. They sound great too. I had sony MDR-EX51LP's (more expensive) and i like these alot better. Base doesn't overtake the sound,vocals sound perfect,and background is great too! So for 20 bucks, these are the best you will get!!

Bought this a few days back, and absolutely love it. The best thing about it is its weight; its so light, I often forget if its still on! A bit pricey, but then what the heck, a sony is never expected to be for the common money-minded man (well, I confess I've a weakness for gizmos!)

Yup, the bass is not as rich as one would expect, but its not bad either. What I mean is, I did not regret it for anything.

A good buy. Wish it was a bit cheaper, though! It makes up in its looks for all it lacks in the bass. So, no regrets.

These headphones won't get you the ladies like the posts above claim but paired with the correct amplifier (they like tube amps) these babies make pure music. Yes, they are expensive, but they are the best at what they do: immerse you in music with a spacious sound that is very true to life. For alternatives look to the Stax Omega II electrostatic earspeaker system. For complete reviews and recommended amplifiers for the R10 search http://www.Head-Fi.org.

My mother passed away, and $4000 is an awful lot to spend on a burial. So I buried her out in the backyard and spent the money on these headphones.

Let me tell you, this was the best decision that I have ever made!!!

How can the memory of your own mother compare with the silky highs, earth-shattering lows, and ultra-clear sounds that these babies produce.

Thank you Sony for changing my life - for the better!!!

These are the best headphones I have ever heard, bar none. If you have the cash, live and enjoy!

These headphones deliver excellent bass from the 40mm drivers. I did find the mid range and treble to be less quality, but still very acceptable for the price.

The phones are really light and comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. They also block outside sound and don't "leak" sound to others around you even when listening at high volume.

I use these with my home system so I really like the 16 foot cord. If you were using these with a portable walkman the cord might be too long.

All in all these are great headphones, especially for the price. You would have to pay at least double to do better.

My judgement of these Phones is after 3 years of solid use. After 100s of times accidently getting up with my foot on the cord, the cord still stays in place, without any loss in sound quality. So that takes care of build quality
The sound, very superb, you can say they hold much detail in visualization of sound for a huge variety of instruments. Sounds i have never heard on my hi fi stereo and my pioneer speakers are produced here with very awesome spacing, reverb replication, sound fading, and surround that i didn't think was possible for a cheapo Headset. I have been hearing instruments that sound as live as in person, something that isn't normal to be heard in my experience. I am not an experienced audiophile, but I do know these phones are pretty decent.
Well let's get this straight, Just don't compare this to a carver or Sennheiser headphone that is 300 bucks. These headphones easily beat many basic studio phones running 70 dollars. And anything in this price range for that matter.
Another thing is your sound source. My hi fi stereo, sony, didn't really produce much cutting sonic clarity and sounds a bit muffled and underpowered. I thought my headphones were crappy until tonight, i plugged these puppies as one last chance, into my soundcard and was blown away!..Well not like the sennheiser, but still!
Just remember the sound will will be as good as your source.
I can't recommend these for walkmans, cause its bulky and with a long cord. But i use a tie for it. And most walkmans won't produce the quality to make these sound good.
Overall, I am impressed. I give it 5 stars, cause it beats all in its price range and above a little. When you go to the 70+ range, these aren't better, and anything by Sennheiser makes this sound weak.

I'm a younger guy without a job yet and I'm on quite a bit of a limited budget. But no matter what I always like to get the very best value out of my dollar. So I read the reviews online, and I sat around comparing the specs of 5 different headphones in my price range in the store. I took these home and I have a winner. There is nothing that could compared to these with the outstanding frequency response, hearty bass, and clean mid-range for only $30!!! After following up on other people's opinions on the "volume control" I've decided to abstain from using it, just keeping it on max and letting the device control the volume. Asides from that I have yet to find any quirks with this solid pair of headphones, at a GREAT PRICE.

Nice headphones. Great price, good sound, comfortable too. They fold up really small and have a carrying pouch as well, which is a cool bonus. I highly recommend them!

These were the niftiest pair of headphones I've managed to wear out--so compact I could fold them into a baseball-sized pouch and stuff them into my rear pants pocket. Unfortunately, they did not take kindly to being sat on. If you can't find a pair (Panasonic appears to have dropped this model from its American line), the closest substitute is the Panasonic RPHC100's. On the other hand, the Sennheiser PX 100's are not only more compact and convenient but provide sound that is so superior I'm no longer fretting about the inglorious end of my 850's.

I purchased these headphones because I was searching for a great sounding pair of headphones that were small enough to take with me wherever I go. I commute to my college everyday, so I'm sure that my fellow communter students know how important it is to kill time between classes. For me, music is the perfect time-killer. These headphones contribute to this need. Anyway, I digress.

These headphones have it all (almost) they have great sound, fold up to a size that is smaller in diameter than my portable CD player, and they block outside noises really well. The earcups are small, but feel very nice once you fit your ears into them. The headpiece is not padded, but it is not really an issue for me because the phones are readily adjustable so you can make them whatever size you wish. Also, a feature that has been overlooked by these reviews is the so-called "shock absorber" for the cord. On the left earpiece, where the cord is connected, there is some sort of spring-loaded mechanism that allows the cord to be pulled away from the earpiece, thus protecting the cord. In other words, you're able to accidentally pull the cord and it won't pull out, rendering the headphones useless. Also, another good feature is the fact that these phones do not leak much sound, to they can be used in public without annoying others.

One minor drawback to these phones, is the length of the cord, it is, well, not very long, maybe 3-4 feet at the most, it isn't good if you are sitting far away from your music source, unless you can find some kind of extension, but for portable use it is just fine, however I doubt I could reach it from me to the output on my sound card, and still be left with adequate room to move around.

Overall, the cord issue is very minor compared to the other benefits these headphones offer. Good job Panasonic!