[bLue]

I received the Sony EX71SLs yesterday, exactly 6 days after I pressed the order button. Mad props to Kohn and his crew for providing good service and accessibility.

When I took the Sony EX71SLs out of the plastic box and listened to them, I was disappointed, and felt kinda sick from listening to them for maybe 5 minutes (I scanned through various CDs, getting a feel for how these sounded). I also used the Ety EQ Mod made for the Sony EX70s. That made the Sony EX71s sound more like my MX500s, but I didn't like how the bass was noticeably taken away.

So after evaluating them, I stuck em' immediately in my CD player, put the CD player on repeat CD mode, and made them earbuds sing opera (among these, Puccini Gianni Schicchi O mio babbino caro, which goes up high), classical (among these the Paganini 24 Caprices performed by Itzhak Perlman), jazz (well, not the usual jazz, but the 'Round Midnight CD by Yo Yo Ma and some 11 other cellists plus a french horn or something here and there...and some acid jazz by DJ Mark Farina from mix CD I made from random songs), pop (in different languages too =P), rock (The Starting Line, Something Corporate), R&B and rap (NAS, Snoop Dogg, Ms Dynamite, Puff Daddy, Jay Z) for over 20 something hours before I took em' out of my drawer and listened to them again. Not quite the setup that most people here probably use (this forum is so high-end I'm assuming everyone's using those Porta Cordas, in conjuction with some player well known for good sound...or maybe even a home-theater setup)

I wouldn't say the difference was day and night, but there was a big improvement over the boxed-in, muted, covered-up (how else can I explain it?) sound I had heard the previous day. And I didn't feel sick listening to em' either.

Was this really a 'break-in session' that worked? Or is my mind playing tricks on me because I'm aware of the 'break-in' concept and am HOPING that it damn better work because if it doesn't, I'm stuck with a 50 dollar piece of trash? I'd say there really was a physical improvement, but then again, maybe I'm unconsciously persuading myself there was one.

I'm still playing CD after CD, hoping that the aforementioned boxed-in-ness will fade even more and give me better sound. I've A/B'd my new Sony EX71s with my old MX500 (who have gone through half a year's worth of playing everyday) and the MX500s still give me a sense of comfort in terms of the sound that I hear...the Sony EX71s kinda make you tired of what your hearing, and probably because of the boxed-in feeling. Somehow, I still feel that the EX71s have more potential than what's seen at the moment.

Anyway, those are my initial thoughts...if anyone has some comment on the validity of my posts, or any questions about the EX71s, I'll do my best to provide a coherent explaination. Why the word coherent? I've played two instruments (cello and piano) for 11 years each, but when it comes to sound, I can FEEL certain aspects of the cans/speakers...and can't identify exactly what it is that's wrong. So words like 'boxed-in' aren't from ME, they're words I picked up from posts in this forum that seem like the right word to use =P

Oh, and if anyone has any advice on these earbuds or the process of breaking in, let me know.

Hope this was a worthwhile read!

 

[doobooloo]

Hey bLue,

Thanks for your initial impressions.

I am also quite interested in the EX71s, I have the EX70s but I don't exactly like the sound (unmodded...)... So. I was reading through many reviews in Korean forums and they all seem to be saying that the bass is a lot tighter (less boomier) and not so overwhelming as in the EX70, improving midrange (vocals) a lot. I hear overall the sound quality difference between the EX70 and the EX71 is worth the upgrade...

After you think they're fully burned in, could you post your comparison impression between the two earbuds? (and perhaps with others also). Thanks a lot.

I may very well follow you and get the EX71s if your opinions are favorable enough!

 

[mariowar]

Blue, I own the 71s and I love them. To be honest I loved their sound out of the box and even though I burned them for 24 hours!!! I still get the same feeling, they are wonderful phones. I tried the 70s long time ago and I remember clearly the cd which I tested them with and how poor the mids sounded then. The 71s really are and improved version of their old siblings, better mids, definitely and a little tighter bass!!!
One important thing to consider is that if you are used to listen music at high levels......you will go deaf, because the isolation you'll be able to hear everything at low volume allowing them to be more comfty.
Comparing these tiny earphones to my beloved Senns HD 590 would be unfair, it's like comparing a Limousine to an sports car........ they are very different in terms of sound, look, comfort....... but both succeed in their own rights.

 

[TMC]

This makes me wonder how the EX51 would sound, maybe like the old EX70?

 

[doobooloo]

Actually, from what i read in the Korean forums, the EX51 still has that "improved" feel over the EX70, almost like a same family sound with the EX71, except less refinement (more muddled, etc.)...

Kind of vague, but haha, if i'm going to get one, why settle for the lesser one when the difference isn't that big?

 

[bLue]

It's been days since I received my Sony EX71SLs and they've been playing for almost all of that time, so unless there's something about burning in I don't know about, these earbuds aren't going to change significantly as time goes on. And yes, these earbuds have been playing a variety of music, with an emphasis in the later stages on songs that are strong in the mids and highs (mostly opera and violin pieces, with some jazz and lounge music thrown in.) Maybe it works, maybe it doesn¡¦t. At least I tried.

Before I drop in a few more thoughts on the EX71s, I want to make my position clear because I don¡¦t want anyone out there to rush out n¡¦ buy the EX71s, only to find themselves sorely disappointed a few days later.

I¡¦ve never had the opportunity to enjoy a Stax, a Sennheiser HD600, or even an Etymotic. Nor have I had the opportunity to play around with various amps (if someone wants to explain all that kind of stuff and introduce the world as audiophiles know it, I¡¦d be extremely thankful, because I¡¦m REALLY into music. This board has proved to be great resources for gleaning information, but at times, I get lost in the lingo¡K¡¥bump in the mids¡¦, for example.)

Also, I believe ¡¥what¡¦s good¡¦ is always relative. We all have different preferences. I suppose there¡¦s a certain point in your life where you purchase a headphone that opens your ears, so to speak, and pulls you into that cycle where you¡¦ve got to buy the next best thing¡Kand that most of the members of this board are probably caught in that cycle =P
Therefore, to select the right headphone for you, you must either try it out yourself with one of those ¡¥satisfaction guaranteed¡¦ deals, or find someone with preferences similar to yours and see what they think of it.

What are my preferences? I know a lot of people here are searching for zero coloration in their music. At the moment, I¡¦m not one of them. I like strong, punchy, tight bass. Bass is always the first thing I notice in speakers or headphones. In most songs, I know where the big bass notes are, and truly relish a smooth output. In other words, none of that fragmented, bloated crap. I WANT a strong, clear, even slightly over-emphasized presence. As for mids and highs, I don¡¦t ask for much. I don¡¦t want any tin-can sounding mids and highs or anything overly bright. On the flipside, I hate it when things sound muffled, and as I¡¦ll explain later, that¡¦s one of my major gripes with the EX71. If there¡¦s a string being plucked, I want to hear it BEING plucked. I¡¦m sorry if the paragraphs above didn¡¦t make any sense ¡V I¡¦m just trying to communicate where I¡¦m coming from.

On to my thoughts. I don't have the EX70s, but I've heard them before. I do have the MX500s.

An Etymotic report lists the EX70 as offering 9dBs of isolation. Obviously, the EX71s offer much better isolation when compared to the MX500s. The EX71s seem to offer the same amount of isolation compared to the EX70s, from what I remember. I haven¡¦t experienced isolation from the Etymotics yet, but the isolation from the EX71 is pretty good. With the music off, I can barely hear anybody around me talking, and can barely hear my hands drumming on the table. I cannot hear the six fans in my PC. Microphonics are present when you bump or rub the cord. With the music on, I cannot hear anybody talking, and cannot hear my hands drumming on the table. If somebody¡¦s at the door and is ringing the doorbell like mad, I certainly hope they¡¦re patient sort because unless I take them earbuds off to check my surroundings for safety issues, I won¡¦t be answering the door anytime soon. Microphonics ARE present with the music on at decent level, but it isn¡¦t too bad so long as you aren¡¦t actively bumping your cord.

So let¡¦s start from the lower frequencies. The EX71s seem to offer that ¡§visceral¡¨ bass a lot of people are looking for. I¡¦ve found that it packs a lot more punch than the MX500s, and is tighter than that of the EX70s. From what I remember, the EX70 had extremely boomy bass that sort of fragmented into the other frequencies (sorry, I don¡¦t know all the right terms so the picture I¡¦m trying to paint may very different from what it actually sounds like, but that¡¦s what it sounded like to me.) Some have said that the EX71 has nice tight bass. I wouldn¡¦t say that it¡¦s the tightest bass I¡¦ve ever heard. I¡¦m not sure how to describe it¡Kthe bass on the EX71 is deep and full, pretty rich, and it¡¦s a LITTLE loose at times, but it¡¦s very pleasurable to listen to. And of course, how loose the bass is depends a lot on the song.

On to the mids. When there¡¦s only one person singing, without too many instruments, I¡¦ve found that the soundstage has a tendency to get slightly warped. The singer gets displaced a bit too much off the center stage, but it¡¦s not like he/she¡¦s being displaced by too much bass. Instead, everything seems to be a little too muffled. In fact, the greatest complaint I have with the mids and highs is that for certain songs, they seem muffled. And quite frankly, I get annoyed at times. The muffled-ness is so bad sometimes it makes listening tiring. For example, there¡¦s a song named Mozart¡¦s Rap and when the person starts talking, it feels very muted, and enclosed to a point where you know the person is talking and you KNOW it¡¦s loud enough, but you want to turn the volume up so it¡¦s clearer. Again, there are only certain tracks where it¡¦s this bad because on pop songs, there isn¡¦t all that big of a problem with muted singing.

The Ety EQ soft-mod takes this problem away, but it also takes away the visceral bass I like, so I don¡¦t use the Ety EQ soft-mod. Increasing the volume helps a lot as well (and no, I¡¦m not listening at very low levels right now), but of course, there¡¦s a certain point where you have to stop. This problem isn¡¦t as apparent on the MX500, but perhaps that¡¦s just because the MX500 is an open earbud and the EX71 is a canalphone?

As for the plucking of strings, the actual plucking itself isn't all that noticeable, which may suggest a lack of detail?

The highs are not bad, if they aren¡¦t being muffled at the time. I don¡¦t find them overly bright, and they don¡¦t offer a tinny feel. For certain violin pieces, the sound leans the ¡¥rubbery¡¦ side, but that doesn¡¦t really make much sense, so forget that thought. =P

Well, I suppose that¡¦s all for now!
Hope I¡¦m providing a useful, accurate representation of the Sony EX71, and that my opinion will actually be of some use.

 

[hongman]

Has anyone tried both the 51 and 71? I'm using a pair of EX51s right now, and they do sound nicer in the mids than my EX70s. I'm wondering if splurging for the 71s (whos difference only seems to be the flexible rubber construction over the stiff plastic 51s) is worth it. I'm working in Japan right now, but will be gone in a few days, so i need to decide quick.

Chris

 

[Nights_85]

Hey blue... what are u playing ur ex71's on?

cause when I bought my ex70's and used em on my sharp st880 md player... I was so shocked at the absolute shiat sound that was coming out of em.. I then went to an electronics shop and tested them on an sony e500 and they actually sounded pretty decent, I but sharp on the treble but quite nice all the same.