Comments on Sony MDR-EX51

[MIKEp]

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the sony mdr-ex51 fontopia earbuds. I'm thinking of buying them but i would like to hear some opinions on the bass and overall sound quality. This is my first pair of quality headphones so I'm not looking for anything too fancy.

Thanks in advance

 

[Febs]

These and the related MDR-EX71 have been discussed extensively here at Head-Fi. To make some very broad generalizations, if you like the Sony sound signature, these can be a significant upgrade from stock earbuds, but they don't fall in the same class as the step up canalphones, the Shure E2 or the Etymotic ER6. The EX51/71 has strong (some say bloated) bass, recessed mids, and emphasized highs that some find sibilant. The typical user tends to find them more comfortable than the Shure or Ety models, but with less isolation.

Again these are very broad generalizations. Some like the EX51/71s a lot, and some hate them. If you do a search, you can find extensive discussion about them.

 

[kramer5150]

quick summary : polished turd look elsewhere, Bose level quality / value in disguise.

Detailed summary : Very muddy across the spectrum. Severely recessed mids, decent bass impact if the conjestion doesn't bother you. Excess treble. EQ-ing mids just makes them more conjested. Burned them in for 200 hours, with no luck or significant difference.

Their sonic flaws could be excuseable if they had decent isolation, but they dont isolate well enough to offset their sonic flaws.

Super comfey. Like the triport, thats about the only thing its got going for it.

Sonically KSC75 destroys it for much less $$ and e2c destroys it for isolation.

I paid $39 for them at best buy and got ripped off, to think I could have walked out with a UR40 that day