[SyntheticDream]

Well second guessing myself i cancelled my shures and bought some of the sony mdr ex71's to get into the world of canal headphones.. Either im doing something wrong or these phones are terrible. crank up the volume any and the treble starts to distort, and becomes somewhat painful... no definition, guitar riffs get blurred together... i dont know how else to describe the sound but thats how i see it. is this what is meant when people talk about rolled off highs?
this problem is when im listening to metal and punk and the distorted guitar just turns into a pile of crap... but it also is noticeable to me in all music i listen to... what do i have to do to maintain clear highs? i will pay anything... well maybe more like 150 bucks... to get rid of this problem... i need some new phones... somethin where i can turn it up loud and the highs dont try to kill my ear... i have only used them on my minidisk player for now my dell dj should be here today.. so maybe an equalizer will help fix things up... any advice would be appreciated...

 

[3805]

Got the Sony MDREX71s... now what?
Now you have some horrible p.o.s. cans!

No but seriously, imo the ex-71 suck and are not worth the money. depending on your sound signature preferences, i would step up to at least the ety er-6, er-6i, or the shure e3c. Skip the e2's-they are not worth the money and are nearly as muddy as the ex71's, except for slightly more midrange detail and tighter bass. It all depends on what type of music you listen to and your preference for bright/warm sound.
er6i>e3c>er6>e2c>ex71.

For the ultimate in semi-affordable canalphone bliss, go for the ety er-4p. They should satisfy all your needs unless you're a basshead

 

[bangraman]

I don't think they are a waste of money as such... in terms of the overall product I think you get more or less what you pay for with these, but they are generally very harsh-sounding phones. I note that some people who recommend this clearly have impaired high-end hearing, so to them this would sound OK.


I'd suggest selling the EX71 and getting a pair of Shure E2c's (which aren't muddy, just treble-reduced). The difference will surprise you.

 

[bLue_oNioN]

I found the Shure E2s much better than the EX71SLs, if that is any help =)

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SyntheticDream Well second guessing myself i cancelled my shures and bought some of the sony mdr ex71's to get into the world of canal headphones.. Either im doing something wrong or these phones are terrible. crank up the volume any and the treble starts to distort, and becomes somewhat painful... no definition, guitar riffs get blurred together... i dont know how else to describe the sound but thats how i see it. is this what is meant when people talk about rolled off highs? this problem is when im listening to metal and punk and the distorted guitar just turns into a pile of crap... but it also is noticeable to me in all music i listen to... what do i have to do to maintain clear highs? i will pay anything... well maybe more like 150 bucks... to get rid of this problem... i need some new phones... somethin where i can turn it up loud and the highs dont try to kill my ear... i have only used them on my minidisk player for now my dell dj should be here today.. so maybe an equalizer will help fix things up... any advice would be appreciated...

Quite a revelation, if I may say so myself.

You're preaching to the choir!

Try returning them. Go for KSC35/Koss Porta Pros/PX100s.

Currently Listening to: "Fear" by Sarah McLachlan on my PX-100s.

 

[3805]

oh yes, and if you do not necessarily need canalphones, go woth the koss ksc75/ksc35/portapro's as crazyfrenchman27 said. They offer amazingly clear, detailed, and balanced (for the most part, but they are slightly bass heavy) sound for their price.

 

[SyntheticDream]

well i dont really need canalphones... but i do want plenty of isolation whatever i get.. i want the best sound i can get for 150 bucks and i want it to be fairly portable. if i can get a better sound out of closed headphones id be willing to do that as well... i guess im still in the process of learning the sound i like... but isolation and the capability to deal with some pretty heavy guitar shredding is a must..

 

[simplelife]

n/m

 

[450]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SyntheticDream well i dont really need canalphones... but i do want plenty of isolation whatever i get.. i want the best sound i can get for 150 bucks and i want it to be fairly portable. if i can get a better sound out of closed headphones id be willing to do that as well... i guess im still in the process of learning the sound i like... but isolation and the capability to deal with some pretty heavy guitar shredding is a must..

HD25-1 perhaps?

 

[dura]

Another vote for the e2.
I listened to MDR-EX70/71 for 2 years.
My player then had a rolled of treble, and I especially liked the 70, despite its seriously distorted bass.
The 71 has very hard mid and treble, and with a higher resolution player it clearly shows.
I like the e2 that I have since a month, a nice full yet detailed, friendly sound.
However, the 71 is more comfortable.

 

[guppi]

I can recommend the Sharp MD33 (in the same price league as your Sonys, get them from audiocubes). The Ety 6i might be an interesting upgrade (more than twice the price of the MD33).
The source might be part of your problem as well. So maybe wait and see how they sound with your Dell DJ.

 

[Superbaldguy]

Trust me, the EX71's will improve after burn-in.

 

[commando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SyntheticDream Well second guessing myself i cancelled my shures and bought some of the sony mdr ex71's to get into the world of canal headphones.. Either im doing something wrong or these phones are terrible. crank up the volume any and the treble starts to distort, and becomes somewhat painful... no definition, guitar riffs get blurred together... i dont know how else to describe the sound but thats how i see it. is this what is meant when people talk about rolled off highs? this problem is when im listening to metal and punk and the distorted guitar just turns into a pile of crap... but it also is noticeable to me in all music i listen to... what do i have to do to maintain clear highs? i will pay anything... well maybe more like 150 bucks... to get rid of this problem... i need some new phones... somethin where i can turn it up loud and the highs dont try to kill my ear... i have only used them on my minidisk player for now my dell dj should be here today.. so maybe an equalizer will help fix things up... any advice would be appreciated...

My EX71s are nothing like that, and they didn't change with burn in. I think yours are faulty: tell whoever you bought them from they're faulty, they'll replace them.

I find the clarity of the EX71s startling at times: powered by my creative mp3 player I sometimes look around when i'm walking down the street and the music plays an odd sound. They sound that real. I've never, ever managed to get them to distort like yours.

btw I had E3's and didn't like them, because of the rolled off highs, which I don't like. EX71s to my ears are far better than the E3's, cleared and with better bass - no flames please, it's my opinion, and I know not everyone shares it. If you must change i'd suggest Etys over Shures.

 

[MdRex]

People have unrealistic expectation of the EX series. Sheesh, its a BUDGET canalphone, it is in no league of the Shures or Etymotics. Given they dont sound all that great, they are NOT as bad as some believe it to be. I can almost buy 3 EX51 at the price of the 'comparative' E2C.

 

[commando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MdRex People have unrealistic expectation of the EX series. Sheesh, its a BUDGET canalphone, it is in no league of the Shures or Etymotics. Given they dont sound all that great, they are NOT as bad as some believe it to be. I can almost buy 3 EX51 at the price of the 'comparative' E2C.

I believe the EX71s are better than the E3s, and I don't consider them budget: I just consider the Shures overpriced.