[phosfiend]

These arrived yesterday, 5 business days from the other end of the earth - audiocubes, colour me impressed.

I've been wearing my ATH-PRO700's for my portable getup lately, and it works like a charm - they sound GREAT, but alas, with the snow/rain + the want to wear my trapper hat, I needed something portable again. I also have a pair of akg k26p's - they sound good, but I just NEVER use them - they aren't portable enough to justify leaving the PRO700's at home. Also, I wanted a pair of earphones I could snowboard/bmx with under a helmet.

I've had 2 (maybe 3 pairs) of SONY ex71's, one died and the others I gave away. They were replaced with sony ex81's, which are in my opinion, absolute rubbish, I prefered the sound and fit of the ex71's.

I've also upgraded my MD recorder to one of the SHARP 1-bit AUVI units... so I really had no excuse not to try the MD33S'. I was hoping for something a bit better than the ex71/81's - and i am very satisfied.

quickly:

Build/Look:
the build of the earpiece seems sturdier than both of the above SONY's, and the cable feels much stronger (in contrast, the EX81 cable is coated in vintage Silly-Putty). Not that I care, but the look is very subdued, and even lower profile than the SONY's.

Fit:
In the case of buds/IEMS, fit is hugely subjective, but for what it's worth I prefer the MD33S' slightly over the EX71's and leagues beyond the EX81's.

Sound:
They are considerably cleaner than the SONY's - and somehow, there is more bass! - which is fortunately not as muddy, still far from articulate, but a definite improvement. I mirror the opinion around here that there is a tinny-ness to them in the upper mids, but it is totally tolerable. Cable noise is also a factor, but at $35 USD I'm not expecting coiled cables with sound damping coating. Thus far, I have not been distracted by cable-noise, but I think I may have the rare ability to tune it out. Soundstage seems wider as well, could the the 4 polar design have something to do with this? And finally, they are more efficient than the SONY's - I find myself constantly turning them down, a rarity for me.

Value:
For the price, the MD33S' are the clear winners when compared to the EX71's and the EX81's - I have not heard the similarly priced options from JVC, Pioneer, Panasonic or Audio-Technica, but I would wager that the SHARP's would give them some competition at this price point.

One thing I would have liked is a little case for them not unlike the pods for the EX71's or EX81's. Fortunately, since I have now useless pair of EX81's (they were pretty useless before too) the SHARP's fit snugly in their POD. I Imagine the same would go for the EX71 pod-like case.

To consider:
It's quite possible that I am actually using the best possible source available for these little IEB's as they were developed in parallel with my MD recorder.

 

[alexs]

i am considering getting these for a friend. however she will just be using them with a regular mp3 player. not the sharp. this is where i heard you have to use the extension cord, which is extremely uncomfortable.

but who knows, maybe you will be able to convince me. how inconvenient is it really?

thanks

 

[phosfiend]

I fortunately do not need the extension, as I am using my remote. But as far as Japanese IEM's in this price range go, most are MD friendly (aka short for remotes, but come with an extension). I believe there is a rebranded version of the MD33's by Creative, with a regular length cord, and no four-pole sillyness: Creative EP-630. I doubt there is much of an audible difference between the 4pole and 3 pole configurations, plus the added 'convenience' of a 1.2m cord.

 

[alexs]

sorry, one more question. how do these fit in your ear? ive been reading that iems go around the ear and then go in...not a fan of that..

are these like regular buds that you just stick in?

thanks

 

[phosfiend]

Some IEMS reach around your ear, the MD33S' don't. they fit essentially like a bud, but go deeper into the canal and provide a seal - this helps for isolation, and bass. Some IEMS also go much deeper into the ear, I guess earphones like MD33S' or EX71's are more like IEB's (In Ear Buds). Everyone is different, but I find this style of earphone more comfortable and a better fit than regular buds - I had a pair of MDR-e888's, they sounded quite nice, but I couldn't get them to fit properly so i gave them away.

 

[rhythmicmoose]

Is the cord symmetric or asymmetric? Anyone know which it is for the EP-630? I'm looking for an EX71 replacement too, and the models on my radar are Panasonic HJE50 (I think that's right), Creative EP-640, Sharp MD-33, Sennheiser IE-4, and Sennheiser CX-300. Has anyone heard more than one of these?

 

[phosfiend]

the Sharp's are asymmetric, you can assume the same for any that are 'MD friendly' (short, 0.5m to 0.65m). I don't know about the Creatives.
EDIT: the Sennheiser CX's are also MD33's and are asymmetric

 

[alexs]

from what ive read, the creatives do have a Y style cord. both sides are equal lenghts.

 

[DigDub]

creative ep630 has a Y-shaped cord, equal length. sharp md33 has a neck-chain cord, right longer than left.