Driving the Sony MDR-EX71SL's & First Impressions

[rblanco10]

Hello Everybody,

Anbody here that owns the Sony MDR-EX71SL ear canal earphones, can you answer this question:

Do you have to turn up the volume (more than usual) on your Portable Player to get a louder performace out of the Sony
MDR-EX71SL's? Is this normal? What are your impressions of DRIVING the Sony MDR-EX71SL's (with your Portable Player, without an external headphone amp.)

**************************************************
First Impressions:

I just recieved these earphones and I like them alot. However, compared to the SENN MX500 I have to turn up the volume of my
PCDP & PMDP about 2 times as much for the Sony MDR-EX71SL's
compared to other earphones/earbuds.

I did a search on this topic here in this forum and all I could come up with were treads on the Sony MDR-EX70's. Maybe somebody
can help me with a link to the information?

I do not own the Sony MDR-EX70's, so I cannot compare with my new Sony MDR-EX71SL's, but the negative reviews on the Sony MDR-EX70's IMHO do not compare to the Sony MDR-EX71SL's.

The Sony MDR-EX71SL's produce very clear highs (treble is clear) and the bass is not boomy, muddy, or overpowering at all. Other than experiencing that it takes a fairly higher audio output (On a PCDP and/or PMDP) to DRIVE the Sony MDR-EX71SL's I have no complaints with them (well the price could have been lower.)

The Sony MDR-EX71SL's are very small, and they also fit deeper in the Ear Canal than one would imagine. But a nice thing is that it came with a SONY draw string bag to carry the earbuds around in, along with a plastic case to store the actual earbuds -
however the earphone cord does not fit in the plastic case so you
have to wrap the cord around the plastic case. (I am storing my
remote controls in this new bag also along with my Sony
MDR-EX71SL's earbuds very nicely.)

Alot of people in this forum have suggested the SENN MX500's as
the best lower cost earbud/earphones. All I can say is have you
heard the Sony MDR-EX71SL's? The MDR-EX71SL's, for me, are
more comfortable than the SENN MX500's. The MDR-EX71SL's
sound just as clear as the MX500's and you can hear the BASS
(which the MX500's have poor bass output.) The Sony
MDR-EX71SL's, IMHO, sound better than the SEN MX500
earphones.

I have not tried the Sure, ETTY's, or Sony MDR-E888 earphones,
and I know that they are supposedly the top of the line
"in the ear" earphones (and more expensive.) But for now I am
enjoying my Sony MDR-EX71SL's for the < $50 "in the ear"
earphones.

(Waiting for my new Koss KSC-35's and Sony
MDR-E848LP's to arrive also to make more comparisons.)

Just my initial impressions, just thought I would share for others looking for suggestions on which "in the ear" earphones < $50 to
upgrade to.

Lates.

 

[Guyferd]

good write up.
I bet your ex71sl will collect dust once the ksc-35 comes in.
At least that's what happened to my mx500

 

[evil-zen]

my ex70 does require more volume compared to normal earphones like mx500 and sony 888. the ex71 should be similar.

 

[ktp]

I've owned the EX71 for about three weeks, and I've noticed the same thing. I need to crank up the volume significantly to get the same output I'm able to get from stock Ipod earphones.

Otherwise, though, they sound fairly good. I'm a newbie to the scene, but here are my impressions anyway (some of this may sound like I'm parroting rblanco's post):

The bass is not overpowering at all. It's not as punchy as I'd like, but it's not boomy/messy. Highs and mids are both pretty clear. I tried various EQ settings on my Ipod, but find that "Flat" works best for me. "Rock" seems to emphasize the bass and treble--the treble a little too much so. It sounds OK at first, but is fatiguing after an hour.

There are a few minor issues that bother me a bit. The cord itself seems fairly flimsy. Wrapping them around the Ipod can leave visible creases in the cord, which makes me worry about their durability. The connection between the short cord and extension cord is a little too heavy. It's really difficult to go jogging with these plugs--the heavy junction bounces up and down with each step, slowly tugging the plugs out of your ears.

Otherwise, though, I'm pleased with them. I AB'ed them with the old Eggo's that my brother has (the 22's?), and the 71's were much clearer and isolated much better. I ordered the KSC-35's, though, and looking forward to comparing them with the EX71's.

 

[dragonlong]

My experience so far with the EX71SLs aren't as good. I definitely have to turn up the volume so that I can hear the details better, but the sound quality is definitely not that good. It seemed to lack the clarity and detail that I can get from my other head/earphones, especially the E888s. It seems that certain instruments/sounds are missing in the EX71s that can be heard from my other head/earphones, even when I turn up the volume.

 

[mariowar]

I listen to my 71s through a Total Airhead with the processor ON and they provided great sound. I tried them without the amp and they still sounded good but I felt that a hint of bass was missing. It is tough to realize but if you use in ear phones you have to be used to listen at lower volume because you may damage your hearing . It takes a while but you will finally learn to appreciate music without turning it TOO loud.
I remember when I bought the 70s long time ago, I felt the same way, right now everything has changed and I really found an appropriate level to enjoy music without losing any details.

The doctor reccomend me this, wear your headphones, play your music until you reach the right amount of volume to enjoy your music, AND LEAVE IT THERE!!!!! What usually happens is that after a while your ears get used to that level of volume and you start to turning it louder and louder expecting a fuller sound!!! that's when you start getting hearing problems like Tinnitus etc........

This is just like when you arrive to a Disco club, at the beggining you think that the volume is too loud, but after a while you get used to it....

 

[dragonlong]

Yeah, turning up the volume too high is BAD!!! I just turn it up a few notches above my "regular" volume for the EX71s, and if it's still not good enough, then I just say forget it!

Have you all compared the detail level of the EX71s with other headphones? To me, the EX71s provided the least detail out of all my headphones (which isn't that many, but still), and I've officially considered them my "piss me off" headphones just 'cuz there are some sounds that I know are there in some music, but the EX71s won't output them to my ears.

 

[mariowar]

Turning the dial up does not matter, because if the headphones requires more power it would be just fine. The thing is the sound pressure level you are getting with different kind of headphones, what I mean is that even your turn the dial a little bit more with the 70s, does not mean they are sounding louder than the others. On the other hand you have to be sure you'll listen at a lower sound pressure level using in ear phones because of the isolation, otherwise you;ll probably be facing hearing problems in the future.
I really find them pretty detail, maybe a little harsh. I don't think I'm missing detail it could be just that sometimes it doesn't sound the way it should.....

 

[dragonlong]

mariowar, what types of music do you listen to? Maybe the EX71s work better with certain types than others. I listen to all kinds: orchestral, anime/video game, eurobeat, celtic, soft vocals... some of my music has tinny/faint instruments in the background as accompaniment, but when I listen to them on the EX71s, they're gone. I don't expect any headphones to make those instruments more pronounced since they were made faint so that they don't overpower the other parts of the music, but if the earphones makes them disappear, then it really pisses me off.

On the other hand, for music that have a lot of bass and not many accompaniment, the EX71s are awesome! Alas, if only I liked only that type of music, then I would be using the EX71s more.

 

[mariowar]

Dragon you just hit the point. Headphones are lile speakers, It is imposible to have a pair of speakers that sound good with every type of music. You don't want to listen to heavy metal through a pair of martin Logan or Bw Nautilus, and you don't want to listen VERY detailed music, classic etc...through a pair of JBL studio series......(I have the JBL Studio Series and I love them

)

For very detailed music like Jazz and progressive rock and even for hard rock I listen the Sennheiser HD 590, you WOULD LOVE THEM, they are as detailed as the Grados 325 but have a wider soundstage.

To be honest I just choose the recordings that fit with the ex71 sound, of course not too harsh....or bright...

The point is, with portable headphones you lose sound but you gain portability. Now you could tell me, hey the Koss ksc 35 sound better than the ex71's, and yes you are right, but you lose isolation.....

 

[MDDrew]

a volume of 14/25 on a Nomad jukebox 2,will it damage hearing?

 

[xcalibur]

"The MDR-EX71SL's
sound just as clear as the MX500's and you can hear the BASS
(which the MX500's have poor bass output.)"

Hi..i'm kinda of a newbie but from what i heard when i had the ex-71, ex-70, e888 and MX500 (which is the only one i'm keeping) is that the 71 has the best bass..the 70 has good bass as well but the highs aren't as crisp and clear as the ex-71..the e888 of course has the best highs and mid ranges but all in all being a student i couldn't afford to keep them all so i decided to stick with the mx500 (which does have lousy bass..but i disagree that the ex-71 can match the mx500 when it comes to crispness and clarity on the highs and mids)..and although i do think the e888 is better than the mx500 i don't think the much higher price is justifyable..not for me..but maybe for those who can afford it..heheh

EDIT for spelling typos...

 

[Duncan]

I have the same 'phones as xcalibur (E888, MX500, EX70 & EX71) and I have to say that I think the EX71 wins the vote comfortably as being best earbud from this selection!

Whilst that may be because i'm spoilt, listening to them out of the D311, I can't help but notice that the midrange is massively improved on the 71s compared to the 70s... making them a very enjoyable listen with acoustic tracks... with a treble that can lose control if pushed too hard, but within the normal realms of listening is more than good enough...

The bass is also tamed quite a lot compared to the EX70s, although ultimately (even though its a fun listen) its still a little bit too much to be classed as 'audiophile'...

...The EX71s take the title away from the D66SL of being the best 'phones to listen to the D311 with

 

[soupy]

Quote:

I can't help but notice that the midrange is massively improved on the 71s compared to the 70s... making them a very enjoyable listen with acoustic tracks...

finally! I've been waiting forever for someone to confirm this instead of the the usual "oh the bass is crisper" since many people who get the ex phones only care about the bass

.

 

[rblanco10]

Yes after extensively burning in the Sony MDR-EX71SL's I would still suggest them to anyone looking for "in-the-ear" headphones < $50. If you can get the Sony MDR-EX71SL's for less than $40 this would be ideal! (Check for them on EBay.)

I just listened to the EX71SL's last night with my
Sharp MD-MS702MK and I didn't need to drive up the volume! (Or crank up the Bass Boost - I had it to zero.) And I still enjoyed the clear highs and heard the bass in all the right movements from my music.