Phone-Accessories Reviews

I really enjoy my pair of these headphones. They deliver top notch sound with killer bass. They can at times be uncomfortable after extended listening periods. I've had mine for about 7 months and use them almost every day. I noticed some people said they wear quickly but I have yet to have a problem.

Awesome headphones. Sounds better than my stereo systems. Sound is ultra-clear, pure, clean sound. Bass hits VERY low and hard, awesome for rap songs. Pop songs let you hear every "uh" from Britney and every N'Sync member each clearly. Rock songs play great also, guitar riffs have never sounded better. Hard House/Trance music plays well, although the bass can be almost a little too much if it's really low and loud. Comfortable to wear, haven't had any problems. Haven't had too much chance to test the high highs, but everything I've played has worked without problems. I've even tested this with a DVD movie, plugged it into my stereo system and watched the movie with the headphones on. Never enjoyed the movie more! If you don't mind throwing some more money into getting a pair of headphones, then buy this one. You will not be dissapointed!

this headphones gives you excellent sound!
it also give you the feeling that your the DJ of your own music

the only bad thing about these is that

its not for pleasure of music

defenetly not for 3 hours of classic music

but you get to hear the pure quality of music

which is the main purpose of using a big sterio DJ headphones.

nice bass

and cool design

some people says that it cracks

but it doesnt if you take good care

peace

I recently got the Sennheiser PXC 250 after a lot of research. This specific product has been very positively reviewed in many technical publications. When it arrived I was impressed at the packaging of the headphones and latter I really enjoyed the sound quality, especially with the noise cancelling active that actually amplifies and colors the sound. The sound cancellation on the other side is minimal....of course mainly in the lower frequencies. What put me off is really the fact that in my third day of use the headphones started having a bad noise when active cancellation is activated. Very annoying! I was hoping for better quality control from this quite expensive headphone that got broke in my third day of use. Yes, they are going for repair....but needed repair so soon??? I wonder how long are they going to last. The design appears cool but the fit and finnish does not appear solid. They make you feel they are going to get damaged soon and not last long.

Plus, the cord is VERY short and definitely limits your listening distances. While the sound quality is really good indeed, it definitely does not justify the retail price these babies are being offered for. If you can get them discounted give them a try... otherwise full retail price is not what they are worth.

I like this unit, it was a real help on a trip with some very inconsiderate people in the vicinity. With noise-cancelling on, it really helped pick out movie dialogue- it completely enhances your enjoyment of films on a plane. It also really improves the sound of music too, although on the flight I was on even the lowest volume setting was way too loud is some cases. This unit could use an on-board volume control to combat this. The cigar shape noise cancelling thing is kind of a pain, particularly when someone wants out in the aisle and you have an extra cord to fiddle with. But it's not that bad.

The unit isn't perfect, and it doesn't seal out all noise by a long shot, but when you turn on the music or movies it goes a long way toward helping you forget that you are surrounded by a hundred strangers. You also aren't battling engine noise to hear dialogue. It makes a big difference and it will be going with me on all future flights. I had no problems with pressure or ill feeling, even after wearing it for 4hrs at a time on an int'l flight.

I purchased these headphones about 2 weeks ago primarily to get some peace and quiet at a highly noisy environment at work. I am surrounded by heavy duty computer equipment, printers and a noisy break room. Sennheiser pxc 250 really reduce all the noise to a very manageble level and make it possible to concentrate on my work.
I also used them while waiting in line at the major DMV office (renewing my license). I was really surprised how loud the enironment was, once I took them off.
These headphones are very light and comfortable, there is no ear fatigue at all. The feel a bit light and I was somewhat afraid that I will break them, however, they appear to be very well made. They neatly fold into a supplied case.
I definately recommend them to anyone.
I shopped around, and Amazon has them at the best price.

These admittedly dinky-looking headphones give surprisingly good sound. Bass is full and the rest of the frequency spectrum is nothing to sneeze at. Since statistically speaking you are like most people, you'll be plugging these into either an MP3 player full of badly-ripped, low-bitrate compressed audio tracks or else a crummy portable CD player with an extremely noisy potentiometer for a volume control. Buying better than these perfectly respectable headphones would be a waste of money.

The Sportapros fold up too, which makes them great for a coat pocket. Also, the headband can fold in such a way that the headphones look like "street-style" headphones that are oh-so-popular these days. This makes them clamp on your head a bit more, but it can't possibly be any less comfortable than any other headphones in such a configuration. I think it looks stupid that way, but hey, if that's your cup of tea so be it.

As for noise isolation, these don't offer much. If you really don't want to hear the subway along with your gangsta rap, you should be looking at a pair of noise-cancelling phones or better yet in-ear headphones such as those made by Etymotics. (The latter are a few times the price of the Sportapros on the bottom end, mind you.)

It even comes with a fake leather bag that I keep laundry money in. (Keeping a set of headphones this inexpensive in such a bag is just screaming "I have OCD!") Bottom line, this is the best pair of portable headphones you can buy for the price. They don't sound worse than the low-end Sennheisers in this price range, for example, and they are quite a bit smaller.

OK people, yes these are not the best looking headphones, but come on, get over it! Buy your headphones for the S-O-U-N-D. Let's get past the whole fashion statement thing-it's about music. Koss Sportapro's deliver in SPADES. These suckers have great bass response-very clear, crisp, and pounding in the low range. The mid's and high's sound really good as well. YOU CAN'T BEAT THESE HEADPHONES FOR THE PRICE. If you want better sound you have to go to at least [the more expensive] models, I know, I've owned many different headphones (including the predecessor of the Sportapro, the 'Portapro'). So yeah, you can pay thru the nose and get some Sony's (over-rated) or Sennheiser's, but hey; it's your money. For the most bang for the buck, get these.

I listen to everything from extreme metal to jazz and classical on these and it all sounds great. The extended cord length and mute button are also nice extras. Also, if you really don't want to talk to someone, just put on some outlandish music loudly-the design allows a good deal of sound to emmanate from the speakers. These phones 'breathe' if you know what I mean. Yet they deliver high quality sound into your ears. They sound great at all volumes. They are light, and the adjustable (over the head or behind the head) headband is really nice. Who says Koss doesn't care about fashion!? All of you who worry about your hair can simply flip the headband back and avoid disturbing your follicles.

Highly recommended.

Recently I was looking for a good pair of headphones for under $. After doing extensive research, I came to the conclusion that the Koss Sporta Pro headphones could not be beaten in that price range, I would even spend $ for them they are so good. The bass is the best I have ever heard from headphones, and the mid and high notes are also clear and well defined. Some people say that these headphones are uncomfortable. I personnally can only feel them for about 5 mins before my head gets used to them and they become very comfortable. The headphones have gold plated connection plug, as well as an adapter to plug them into your older stereo, which is also gold plated. The headphones even come with a carry case. In conclusion, the Sporta Pro's are the best value for headphones under $, and have a lifetime warranty to boot.

I have two HD-545 headphones and have gotten quite addicted to their lovely, rich, and incredibly clear sound. They were getting a bit worn however, and I have already replaced the cords on both of them. So I decided to try this headphone, mainly because the Amazon.com review said that the HD-570 was supposed to replace the HD-545.

Well, the HD-570 definitely has a different sound compared to the HD-545's. The Sennheiser website shows a frequency response chart for this headphone that describes it best, basically a dip in the midrange frequencies. And that's what I hear - the highs are quite sharp, the lows are definitely there, but the middle frequencies just seem to be dulled. And so the sound that comes out of these headphones lacks the rich fullness and ringing clarity of the HD-545's. With the highs and lows both registering fully, the sound can be both more shrill and booming at the same time, depending what's in the music that you are playing. "Muffled" isn't quite the right word, since the highs still come through, but yes, these headphones sound muffled.

Anyway, if you listen to the HD-570 exclusively, you can get used to the sound, it's not as bad as some of the reviews would make it. It's only when I do a direct comparison with the HD-545's that I kind of regret getting these headphones. Definitely, I like the HD-545's sound better, but then, I've been listening to them exclusively for about ten years or so.

(...).

Finally, there is a difference in the volume of the HD-570. It's not horrible, but on one computer, I have to max out the volume just to get it loud enough.

These are simply the best pair of headphones I've ever owned, by far. I listen to headphones for hours everyday so when my old pair of Sonys broke I decided to splurge on these. What a difference! The sound quality is incredible, I feel like I'm listening to song that I've listened to 1000 times before for the first time! you can hear every note and every instrument so clearly. They are also extremely comfortable, all other headphones I've had get a bit uncomfortable after a few hours. But the velvet padding on the earpieces makes these actually feel good (better than having nothing on your ears). Bottom line: These are incredible and well worth the cost!

These headphones sound fabulous with most music. They are very uncolored and don't fatigue or rip your head off. The midrange is very smooth and silky and they image vocals well. They are also the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn. I listen to hard rock, jazz and classical and find all that music pleasing through them. I use them for listening to CDs and in my home studio.

On the down side, as some people pointed out they are very inefficient and require a decent pre-amp to drive them. My Sony S2 Walkman can barely drive them so I use these with a Rotel stereo pre-amp or Mackie mixing board. They also distort if you drive them to moderately loud levels so if you like your rap music loud, these aren't for you.

I demo'd these against several other Sennhieser models (560 & 580 I think) and 3 Grado models in the same store. I also listened to some Sony MDR-7506 and AKG K240S Studio in another store. I thought the Sony's were a decent pair of phones and so were the AKGs but I found these to be superior in terms of having a very natural and smooth sound. The Grado's ripped my head off because they have a very bright and forward sound.

Well, I needed an [inexpensive] set of headphones, and these looked comfortable, and definately [inexpensive], so I bought em. Well, at first, I was thinking, hey, the sound on these are great. 10 minutes later, I was thinking, my heads on fire! Thats right, these things dont let any heat get out of your ears, which is where the most heat leaves your body, so your head gets really hot really fast. Really really hot. Not only that, but the headband is so tight, that no matter how loose they are, they squeeze your head pretyy annoyingly. Every time i listened to these for more than a half hour, I literaly got a headache. The only redeeming qualities are that they're [inexpensive], there's pretty good sound quality, the padding is pretty comfortable, and the cable is 7 feet long, which is actually a mixed blessing. If you're just sitting there, you can move around a lot, and still be able to leave the cd player in one place, however, if you're going for a walk or something, then you keep tripping on the chord, so you hve to stuff it in your pocket. So unless you live in a really cold place, and you need an [inexpensive] pair of headphones, do not buy these

Having suffered through a wide variety of garbagey headphones in my time, I was very pleased with the quality of sound to be found in these. Unfourtunately, my hapiness was short lived, as 3 months following my purchase, the plastic housing for the swiveling earpiece just snapped off...Never one to be discouraged, I repaired it with a small metal rod bent as a "splint" for the broken piece, and attached to the housing with electrical tape...much to my chagrin, the otherside broke 2 weeks later...in exactly the same way! well, I did the same ghetto style fix for the other side that I had for the first, and theyre still usable, although barely presentable... this is not a reliable product is the long and the short of it....

These headphones are great. You can't find anything else that sounds this good in this price range. Koss does stereophones right!

I have had my UR-20s for more than a year. They still sound great and have been stuffed into my backpack almost every day since i bought them. One of my size adjuster clips has broken, but it is no doubt due to my reckless use. Even broken, they fit comfortably on the head.

The ear cups are big enough for anyone's ears. They cover your ear completely and do not "crowd" your ear like the smaller UR-29s do.

The bass is amazing and the insulating ring makes such a close seal with your head that you will not hear anything while you have these headphones on. I don't like listening to music while I sleep, but I have used these headphones as noise reducers (without playing any music) on many occasions and bus rides.

Note that these headphones are larger than most. This is probably why they sound so great. I especially like that the headband is made of rubber coated metal to keep the phones close to your head, with a cloth balancing strap below that to make it comfortable in any situation.

Koss is the king as far as affordable, amazing stereophones go. Buy the UR-20s and you'll be glad you did. I have had no problems.

Well, I needed an [inexpensive] set of headphones, and these looked comfortable, and definately [inexpensive], so I bought em. Well, at first, I was thinking, hey, the sound on these are great. 10 minutes later, I was thinking, my heads on fire! Thats right, these things dont let any heat get out of your ears, which is where the most heat leaves your body, so your head gets really hot really fast. Really really hot. Not only that, but the headband is so tight, that no matter how loose they are, they squeeze your head pretyy annoyingly. Every time i listened to these for more than a half hour, I literaly got a headache. The only redeeming qualities are that they're [inexpensive], there's pretty good sound quality, the padding is pretty comfortable, and the cable is 7 feet long, which is actually a mixed blessing. If you're just sitting there, you can move around a lot, and still be able to leave the cd player in one place, however, if you're going for a walk or something, then you keep tripping on the chord, so you hve to stuff it in your pocket. So unless you live in a really cold place, and you need an [inexpensive] pair of headphones, do not buy these

Having suffered through a wide variety of garbagey headphones in my time, I was very pleased with the quality of sound to be found in these. Unfourtunately, my hapiness was short lived, as 3 months following my purchase, the plastic housing for the swiveling earpiece just snapped off...Never one to be discouraged, I repaired it with a small metal rod bent as a "splint" for the broken piece, and attached to the housing with electrical tape...much to my chagrin, the otherside broke 2 weeks later...in exactly the same way! well, I did the same ghetto style fix for the other side that I had for the first, and theyre still usable, although barely presentable... this is not a reliable product is the long and the short of it....

These headphones are great. You can't find anything else that sounds this good in this price range. Koss does stereophones right!

I have had my UR-20s for more than a year. They still sound great and have been stuffed into my backpack almost every day since i bought them. One of my size adjuster clips has broken, but it is no doubt due to my reckless use. Even broken, they fit comfortably on the head.

The ear cups are big enough for anyone's ears. They cover your ear completely and do not "crowd" your ear like the smaller UR-29s do.

The bass is amazing and the insulating ring makes such a close seal with your head that you will not hear anything while you have these headphones on. I don't like listening to music while I sleep, but I have used these headphones as noise reducers (without playing any music) on many occasions and bus rides.

Note that these headphones are larger than most. This is probably why they sound so great. I especially like that the headband is made of rubber coated metal to keep the phones close to your head, with a cloth balancing strap below that to make it comfortable in any situation.

Koss is the king as far as affordable, amazing stereophones go. Buy the UR-20s and you'll be glad you did. I have had no problems.

Well, I needed an [inexpensive] set of headphones, and these looked comfortable, and definately [inexpensive], so I bought em. Well, at first, I was thinking, hey, the sound on these are great. 10 minutes later, I was thinking, my heads on fire! Thats right, these things dont let any heat get out of your ears, which is where the most heat leaves your body, so your head gets really hot really fast. Really really hot. Not only that, but the headband is so tight, that no matter how loose they are, they squeeze your head pretyy annoyingly. Every time i listened to these for more than a half hour, I literaly got a headache. The only redeeming qualities are that they're [inexpensive], there's pretty good sound quality, the padding is pretty comfortable, and the cable is 7 feet long, which is actually a mixed blessing. If you're just sitting there, you can move around a lot, and still be able to leave the cd player in one place, however, if you're going for a walk or something, then you keep tripping on the chord, so you hve to stuff it in your pocket. So unless you live in a really cold place, and you need an [inexpensive] pair of headphones, do not buy these

Having suffered through a wide variety of garbagey headphones in my time, I was very pleased with the quality of sound to be found in these. Unfourtunately, my hapiness was short lived, as 3 months following my purchase, the plastic housing for the swiveling earpiece just snapped off...Never one to be discouraged, I repaired it with a small metal rod bent as a "splint" for the broken piece, and attached to the housing with electrical tape...much to my chagrin, the otherside broke 2 weeks later...in exactly the same way! well, I did the same ghetto style fix for the other side that I had for the first, and theyre still usable, although barely presentable... this is not a reliable product is the long and the short of it....

These headphones are great. You can't find anything else that sounds this good in this price range. Koss does stereophones right!

I have had my UR-20s for more than a year. They still sound great and have been stuffed into my backpack almost every day since i bought them. One of my size adjuster clips has broken, but it is no doubt due to my reckless use. Even broken, they fit comfortably on the head.

The ear cups are big enough for anyone's ears. They cover your ear completely and do not "crowd" your ear like the smaller UR-29s do.

The bass is amazing and the insulating ring makes such a close seal with your head that you will not hear anything while you have these headphones on. I don't like listening to music while I sleep, but I have used these headphones as noise reducers (without playing any music) on many occasions and bus rides.

Note that these headphones are larger than most. This is probably why they sound so great. I especially like that the headband is made of rubber coated metal to keep the phones close to your head, with a cloth balancing strap below that to make it comfortable in any situation.

Koss is the king as far as affordable, amazing stereophones go. Buy the UR-20s and you'll be glad you did. I have had no problems.

The Jensen JF25 Headphones are very well designed. This headphones fits you very well, with the help of the self-adjusting headband. It will adjust to your head and will fit right on your ears. You will also notice that they feel lightweight but yet solid and very comfortable. With people saying that it hurt your ears after wearing them for a long period of time, I find it to be very comfortable still.

The volume control is very convenient and the mute button is a nice addition. The only thing I don't like about this headphone is that you have to press and hold down the mute button for it to work. It's kind of point less when there's already a volume control button. The volume control knob is very well designed, IMHO. The JF25 headphones have a single cord design, reducing tangling and knotting. Jensen also provides a lifetime warranty. A 1/4" adapter is also included.

These headphones provides a good full-range sound and a powerful but yet clear bass. When you turn up the volume, the sounds doesn't crack and are still crisp and clear. Overall, the sound quality is very good for the price.

The Jensen JF25 Headphones are very comfortable and the sound quality is very good. The control on the headphones gives you quick access to volume and mute button. If you are on a budget and want the best value for your money then I would highly recommend this headphones. They are worth your money and more.

After wearing these headphones for 30 minutes, my ears begin to hurt. I'm not sure if I'm wearing them wrongly, but these headphones press my ears against my head.

Because these are closed ear headphones, you should expect the discomfort normally associated with wearing headphones for an extended period of time. So, it's a good idea to remove the headphones every so often. However, discomfort shouldn't include causing my ears to hurt.

The sound is pretty good for the price. I wouldn't say it's great; my Harmon Kardon speakers are better. I use these headphones to listen to audio when my roommate is in the room.

These headphones come with a volume control as part of the cord. I don't use the mute button because you have to hold it down, but I just turn the volume all the way down if I need to.

Countless times I've dropped the headphones, banged it, yanked it when the cable was caught on something, but the headphones still work. The 2 meter cable is nice and long, longer than the usual 2-5 feet you usually get. My final recommendation: if you're looking for cheap cheap headphones with good audio, get these, but don't wear them for extened periods of time.

they are so good i bought 2! one for me and one for my friend. they sound good and they are very comfortable, and affortable.

Kudos to Sony.These earphones offer the best combination of isolation, sound quality, comfort, and easy on-and-off design. I am a commuter in NYC, and twice a day I walk a few blocks, take a bus for about 15 minutes and a subway for another 20 minutes. I used to use Koss KSC-35's, but their open-air design had me constantly changing volumes to deal with the various noise levels. I also needed to put the volume on very high to deal with the subway, and I was afraid that I was harming my hearing. I tried the Sennheiser PX-200's and while real comfy, the isolation wasn't enough. Then I tried the Shure E2C's, but the only insert that would fit my small ear canals was the small foam pair. Since you need to take the time to roll these foam inserts up real small before inserting, then hold them in your ears till they expand, that made them very inconvenient for everyday on-and-off use. These Sony's are also a little more comfortable than the Shure E2C's. I have even tried the Koss Plugs, but they do not fit in my small ear canals at all and constantly came out. Thanks to these Sony earphones, I can now travel in comfort and musical bliss for my whole commute without the need to constantly change volumes. As with the Shure earphones, only the smaller inserts fit me on these Sony's. At first, it takes awhile to get used to these, and my ears did get a little sore, but after a few weeks I got used to them. The material that goes into the ear is pretty smooth for easy insertion, and is fairly easy to keep clean. A word of advice: do clean the removable inserts once in awhile in soap and water and keep your ears clean! The sound on these is very good with solid bass. Perhaps not the best you will hear, but better than your average moderately priced headphones of any design and brand. Another word of caution: if you need to operate a bicycle or vehicle these are dangerous as outside sounds are really muffled or cut off. So don't use these in environments where you need to hear sounds clearly.

I recently bought a Rio Chiba 256 cheap off of Ebay and after reading all the glowing reviews decided to buy these from Amazon for a reasonable 34 bucks to replace the 10 dollar Sonys I got from Wal Mart.
While impressed with the Chiba I thought it could stand to be a little louder because I do like loud music on occasion.
Thats where I'm a little disappointed with the 71's.
In my Chiba the $10 Sony's actually sound a little louder than the more expensive 71's.
The 71's have zero distortion and sound better however so they are worth using.
Sitting here typing on the computer on the other hand shows just how great these headphones are.
With the extra power soundwise the computer has vs the Chiba you can really see what the 71's can do.
With some power to them they are truly unbelievable!
I just wish my Chiba could sound like that!
Oh well its probably better for my ears that the Chiba is on the quiet side.
BTW I don't listen to anything less than 128kbps which to real audio snobs I know is garbage but I'll bet more people are using 128 than are using higher scan rates or newer formats.

In closing if you have a high powered portable like I heard the Karma is or you plan on listening to them on a computer then buy them you'll be amazed.
If you plan on using them only in a Chiba or similar MP3 player that is on the quiet side you won't be disappointed but you won't be blown away either.

BTW I really debated getting the 51's without the extention but I'm glad I opted for the flexibility of the 71's. I don't use a armband but the short cord is just perfect for a jacket I own.

Overall an amazing piece of technology. 10/10

After realizing that my current pair of Sony Street-style had reached the end of their lifespan, I began searching for a replacement pair. They had served me well, so I decided to see what Sony had to offer again.

They didn't disappoint me. I decided to look for an earbud type this time for convience and work-related reasons. What I found were the MDR-EX71SL's.

These little babies are a godsend. They fit snugly and comfortably inside your ear...you won't know how comfortably until you try them. The best part is, they sound absolutely amazing! I've never heard bass from earbuds like this before! The treble seems a little dark, but that may just be because I prefer bright treble. And, the closed-type design does a good job of blocking out outside noises, which was an unexpected bonus, I must say.

The cord quite short, but that's so you can connect it to the in-line remote of your CD or Mp3 player without having too much slack. Sony threw in a metre long extension for those of you that don't have a remote, but the combined length is a bit long for use with a portable player. This problem can be fixed with the nifty case that comes with the pair. Normally, it holds just the earbuds, but it also doubles as a cord winder, which is very useful. In the package you also get a cloth carrying case, which is totally useless IMO, unless you have a MiniDisc player, which it might fit, I don't know.

All in all, the MDR-EX71SL earbuds are best you're going to find without splurging on a pair from Shure or another high-end manufacturer. And one more thing, be sure to push them in all the way to get that deep bass, as previously mentioned by other reviewers.

Kudos to Sony.These earphones offer the best combination of isolation, sound quality, comfort, and easy on-and-off design. I am a commuter in NYC, and twice a day I walk a few blocks, take a bus for about 15 minutes and a subway for another 20 minutes. I used to use Koss KSC-35's, but their open-air design had me constantly changing volumes to deal with the various noise levels. I also needed to put the volume on very high to deal with the subway, and I was afraid that I was harming my hearing. I tried the Sennheiser PX-200's and while real comfy, the isolation wasn't enough. Then I tried the Shure E2C's, but the only insert that would fit my small ear canals was the small foam pair. Since you need to take the time to roll these foam inserts up real small before inserting, then hold them in your ears till they expand, that made them very inconvenient for everyday on-and-off use. These Sony's are also a little more comfortable than the Shure E2C's. I have even tried the Koss Plugs, but they do not fit in my small ear canals at all and constantly came out. Thanks to these Sony earphones, I can now travel in comfort and musical bliss for my whole commute without the need to constantly change volumes. As with the Shure earphones, only the smaller inserts fit me on these Sony's. At first, it takes awhile to get used to these, and my ears did get a little sore, but after a few weeks I got used to them. The material that goes into the ear is pretty smooth for easy insertion, and is fairly easy to keep clean. A word of advice: do clean the removable inserts once in awhile in soap and water and keep your ears clean! The sound on these is very good with solid bass. Perhaps not the best you will hear, but better than your average moderately priced headphones of any design and brand. Another word of caution: if you need to operate a bicycle or vehicle these are dangerous as outside sounds are really muffled or cut off. So don't use these in environments where you need to hear sounds clearly.

I recently bought a Rio Chiba 256 cheap off of Ebay and after reading all the glowing reviews decided to buy these from Amazon for a reasonable 34 bucks to replace the 10 dollar Sonys I got from Wal Mart.
While impressed with the Chiba I thought it could stand to be a little louder because I do like loud music on occasion.
Thats where I'm a little disappointed with the 71's.
In my Chiba the $10 Sony's actually sound a little louder than the more expensive 71's.
The 71's have zero distortion and sound better however so they are worth using.
Sitting here typing on the computer on the other hand shows just how great these headphones are.
With the extra power soundwise the computer has vs the Chiba you can really see what the 71's can do.
With some power to them they are truly unbelievable!
I just wish my Chiba could sound like that!
Oh well its probably better for my ears that the Chiba is on the quiet side.
BTW I don't listen to anything less than 128kbps which to real audio snobs I know is garbage but I'll bet more people are using 128 than are using higher scan rates or newer formats.

In closing if you have a high powered portable like I heard the Karma is or you plan on listening to them on a computer then buy them you'll be amazed.
If you plan on using them only in a Chiba or similar MP3 player that is on the quiet side you won't be disappointed but you won't be blown away either.

BTW I really debated getting the 51's without the extention but I'm glad I opted for the flexibility of the 71's. I don't use a armband but the short cord is just perfect for a jacket I own.

Overall an amazing piece of technology. 10/10

After realizing that my current pair of Sony Street-style had reached the end of their lifespan, I began searching for a replacement pair. They had served me well, so I decided to see what Sony had to offer again.

They didn't disappoint me. I decided to look for an earbud type this time for convience and work-related reasons. What I found were the MDR-EX71SL's.

These little babies are a godsend. They fit snugly and comfortably inside your ear...you won't know how comfortably until you try them. The best part is, they sound absolutely amazing! I've never heard bass from earbuds like this before! The treble seems a little dark, but that may just be because I prefer bright treble. And, the closed-type design does a good job of blocking out outside noises, which was an unexpected bonus, I must say.

The cord quite short, but that's so you can connect it to the in-line remote of your CD or Mp3 player without having too much slack. Sony threw in a metre long extension for those of you that don't have a remote, but the combined length is a bit long for use with a portable player. This problem can be fixed with the nifty case that comes with the pair. Normally, it holds just the earbuds, but it also doubles as a cord winder, which is very useful. In the package you also get a cloth carrying case, which is totally useless IMO, unless you have a MiniDisc player, which it might fit, I don't know.

All in all, the MDR-EX71SL earbuds are best you're going to find without splurging on a pair from Shure or another high-end manufacturer. And one more thing, be sure to push them in all the way to get that deep bass, as previously mentioned by other reviewers.