[JaCe_jai]

Hello there,
I'm a relative n00b to headphones, but I do know the difference between good and rubbish- and after losing my month-old Sony MDR-ED31LP (which I thought were good; but the bass wasn't "that good"), I thought I'd move to buy online from bluetin.com- but I can't make up my mind what to buy, so I thought I'd ask experts from here ^__^

I'm tossing between:
*Pioneer SE-CL30
*Sony MDR-EX51SP

From what I've read, the MDR-EX51 are the same as the 71 in performance EXCEPT without the cord extender (I'm a bit concerned that 0.5m won't be long enough for my "other" uses such as using it with PC or discman)- and I'm also at the understanding that the SE-CL30 are better than the EX71 after reading TerryMX's opinions (http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=79759) which sound like he knows what he's talking about.

My budget is about $50aud, and the Pioneer's are about $40aud and the EX51 is about $47. For comparisons sake the EX71 is about $63, making them about 50% more expensive than the Pioneer.

I'm only using these for my MP3 player which hangs off my neck- from experience 0.5m is long enough, but the EX51's lacking of the extender still concerns me, and I'm not willing to pay $20aud more just for an extender. Sound quality, particularly BASS is very important to me. I recently used a Sony MDR74SL? (I think thats the model- they are new street style with some turbo duct for bass)- and the bass was EXCELLENT! But they were a tad above my budget (about $65aud), and I was hoping these headphones I've mentioned above will give similar bass at a slightly lower price. Also- The isolation nature is very cool sounding- but not essential. I don't really know what it feels like to be in isolation, but I'm guessing its similar to the feeling of rich bass surrounding you and outside noises being blocked out. Durability is also important since I have noticed I tend to 'break' headphones.... Panasonic ones are noticably the worst for me (I'm guessing thats why they are so cheap), but my recent Sony ones had a special cloth-wrapped cord or something like that which made them have a funky feel to it and helped prevent them from getting tangled.

Please reply with your opinions/suggestions (either about the above two products- or if you can think of a better alternative, also post that)- I have a restricted budget and brands which are commonly mentioned around here like Grado (I can't spell -sorry) and Shure, are not easily available in Australia (or not where I live anyway)- and I'd like to buy a known brand which is good quality.

Thanks
jeff.

 

[commando]

EX51 come in long (1.5m) and short (0.5m) cord versions. I have EX71s and I wish I had the 51s, the heavy plug on the cord's annoying. Sound wise they're fine, a bit too heavy in the bass and not audiophile grade, but fine for what I use them for - walking to work and the gym.

Consider the Sharp MD33s too, they have a good reputation, they're meant to be as comfortable as EX51/71 but sound better. You can get 'em from audiocubes.com

 

[JaCe_jai]

Thanks for your help

Would you be able to please elaborate on your views regarding the bass of the EX51/71? The sound quality is meant to be identical isn't it? As for the cord plug, I'm not really sure what your talking about... (sorry!) I'd like a fairly nice sound with good bass; but I don't think my standards are that high because after reading this review of the MDR-G74SL I've realised that what I thought was REALLY REALLY GOOD, the audiophiles here don't regard as being that great.

 

[commando]

51/71 are the same except for the cord. The 71 comes with a 0.5m cable that has a little socket at the end, and comes with a 1mextension cable that plugs into it. The weight of the socket/plug gets annoying in the gym, pulling the thing out of your ears, but only in the gym. The rest of the time it's fine.

There's a whole thread on the Sony EX71, do a search and that'll tell you pretty much everything you need to know.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Get the Sharps from Audiocubes. Settle for nothing less the way I did .

 

[JaCe_jai]

Thanks guys-

Sorry I'm restricted to buying from Bluetin (which seem to only have a few models which match my requirements/budget) because I lack credit card, etc.. and Bluetin has an Australian bank account which means I can pay (without parents knowing...)

I will conduct a search for the 71- but I know I've said this above.. but I hope for some confirmation from pro's that the 71 is the same as 51.

Anyone has opinion on the Pioneers?

 

[commando]

51 and 71 are the same, like I said do a search and others will confirm it. "Pros" might not bother to repeat themselves.

Never heard of those pioneers.

 

[JaCe_jai]

Thanks- I found the info I needed on the 51/71 in another topic as you suggested. They are the same.

... but now I just need to hear about the Pioneer ones, which are cheaper than the 51 and according to one poster, are better than the 71.

(UPDATE)
I found this quote which concerned me a bit.. I also don't really understand what 'tighter' bass means~
Quote:

next is the ex51. it sounds different from the ex71. the ex51 is not as smooth as the ex71 or the md33. the bass is a little bit tighter than the ex71 and sounds more exciting than the laid-back nature of the ex71.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

I mean, I'm pretty sure they are the same thing (51s/71s). I compared them side by side and I couldn't tell the difference...but are they really the same thing?

 

[commando]

Tight = precise. ie the frequency of the original noise is well reproduced, rather than just being a general, loud bass noise. That the best explaination I can come up with of what I understand right now.

 

[JaCe_jai]

... so you could argue that it is 'better'? Alot of people seemed to say that the EX71 had bloated bass or something. Well I'm hoping for the best ^__^

I'll wait another one or two days and then I'll order. ATM I'm looking at the EX51 in Blue ^__^

Thanks for all your help guys!

 

[BowerR64]

What ive found with earbuds is how they fit in your ear. The tighter they fit the ear and the better the seal is the thicker they sound. If they just sit in the ear loose they loose a bit of the thickness. Earbuds are alot different then cans because the way they fit can be different from ear to ear. I normaly pinch the foam on mine to kinda shape the tip to a point and as they go into my ear they expand making a nice seal.

 

[JaCe_jai]

Those canalphones seem to be good- and I wanna try out this isolation thing without spending too many $$- Bass is good for my dance tracks~

 

[JaCe_jai]

Hey, what do you guys think of the Sony MDR-E888 vs. the EX51, EX71 and the Sharp ones? I just realised they are only about $10 more but seem to be regarded quite highly? Any views? I like bass- but I guess I don't want the really sharp sounds which I've heard with my cheapo Sony headphones on Jay Chou tracks.

 

[Silas]

If you are looking for a cheap and good pair of canalphones, get the Pioneer SE-CL30. Bass of these phones' re not bad at all. You can get them from warehouse123.com for 30 dollars.

Also, you may check out the Pioneer SE-CS25