[Spyro]

Just received these today from Audiocubes. Over all I am dissapointed. I am using on portable equipment. I have been using Porta Pros and wanted more isolation but I believe there is a big sacrifice in sound from the Porta-Pros to these.

GOOD: Nice design, pretty good fit. Great midrange sound. Sony quality.

BAD: Very inefficient. Weak to average bass. Shrill highs.

What is the fuss about these? I will admit I tend to like my music bassy and somewhat loud and these do not meet either of those criteria. Cannot touch the Porta Pros in any area except isolation.

Should I have gotten Eggo's instead? I hear those are very efficient. Or are Porta Pros as good as i am going to get in this price range (under $100) and the fact that I like it loud and bassy?

Either way, I see Audiocubes has a "no return" policy. If anyone has been wanting a set of these I will gladly part with these for half of what I paid including shipping ($28.00). I live in the Chicago area. I would cover shipping charges to you. Feel free to private email me.

 

[dragonlong]

You're not the only one disappointed with the EX71s.

I mainly don't like them because the sound quality (clarity and detail) aren't good. I didn't find the bass to be weak or average though, although it did seem to muddy or overwhelm the rest of the sound. I let my bro test them on a different source and music, and he didn't like the EX71s either. Perhaps you should burn them in and give them a try again. I didn't test my pair out until I've burned them in for around 100 hours at a volume a bit higher than what I usually listen to.

And yes, I do agree with you that it is very inefficient.

Currently, my EX71s are just inside the pouch, collecting dust (or at least the pouch is). I took its extension cord to use it with my E888s which did not come with one.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Spyro and dragonlong, you're not the only two Head-Fiers that are disappointed with the EX71's or EX70's. Now I'll admit that I don't own the EX71's, but I do own the EX70's. I didn't like the EX70's much, due to their screechy highs, muddy bass and sucked-out mids.

It seems as if it's impossible to even make a decent-sounding in-ear isolating canalphone for much less than $100. All of those that I like cost well over $200.

 

[raymondlin]

You lot were expecting Ety for the price of $50 ? They might not be "perfect" and "HiFi", but it's cheap, excellent isolation and easily fit into any pocket. I have both EX70 & 71, I love, them. I could walk down the street with my HD600, but that would be silly, and everyone would hear what I am listening to.

 

[Guyferd]

ksc-35 will do much much better than them.. for even less than the amt of money paid on the ex70 or ex71..
that's why I never got myself these ..
for earbuds.. my choice has always been mx500 .

I don't really like sony hi-fi products.. they are abit overpriced imo, for the performance.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

And no, I'm not expecting Etymotic quality or performance for $50 or less. It's just that I've heard better than either of those Sony EX##'s for the same price - even in noisy environments.

 

[krayzie]

I still remember that first day with my EX70... I felt cheated by Sony of my hard earned money, even though I only paid half of what many paid by buying them domestically cuz my friend got them for me in Tokyo the month that they came out... I still couldn't believe the enormous number of EX users in Toronto I see every single day on the transit... I keep wondering, do they really think they're enjoying great sound or just that they are lying to themselves thinking "that" is great sound since they paid a premium for it... or they haven't heard anything good to begin with...

Just wondering have anyone tried those Sony MDR-E931s yet...

 

[traficante]

highs Quote:

Weak to average bass. Shrill highs

Sounds like you might have em stuck too far into your ear. I usually stick em in and pull them out a bit to adjust how much bass increase i want. Also try bigger earpieces.

I had the exact problem you had when i first got my 70s. Now I think they have too much bass even AFTER the tape mod. Theres a definite process in learing how to use these things.

 

[dragonlong]

I don't expect Ety quality from my EX71s either (I have the ER-4Ps). However, the price paid for the EX71s just isn't worth it. Sure, it's a cheap pair of isolation canal-phones, but I think they could've done better. As Guyferd has mentioned, the KSC-35s still sounds better even with all the noise around.

krayzie, I haven't tried the E931s yet. What are they canal phones also? What's "supposed" to be good about them?

 

[dragonlong]

Quote:

Originally posted by traficante highs Sounds like you might have em stuck too far into your ear. I usually stick em in and pull them out a bit to adjust how much bass increase i want. Also try bigger earpieces.

Is it possible to stick them in too far? The first time I put them on, I thought I stuck them in too little because they didn't feel like they were in the canals. Later, I realized that I was just too used to the Etys that went much deeper. I think Sony made the EX71s so short that there's no way that you can put them in too deep.

 

[blessingx]

What about the Shures for a sub $100 option? A few reviews here, but coming at them from a different perspective - Etys down, not PortaPros up. May not have your bass levels though. How about a V6?

 

[atici]

How do you compare EX70 vs EX71 ? What is improved? That's exactly what I wanted to figure out but never seen mentioned anywhere. Is there a quality difference or a difference in fit? I was going to buy MDR-E888 but sound isolation I find very important, and I didn't feel like shelling out a lot of money for Noise Cancellation buds. And unaware of EX71 coming out I got my EX70 this week

 

[JF_Aidan_Pryde]

Quote:

Originally posted by krayzie I still couldn't believe the enormous number of EX users in Toronto I see every single day on the transit... I keep wondering, do they really think they're enjoying great sound or just that they are lying to themselves thinking "that" is great sound since they paid a premium for it... or they haven't heard anything good to begin with...

Or maybe your interpretation of the EX70s isn't the standard. Or maybe there is no standard interpretation. Just maybe music and sound is a subject thing and other people enjoy it in their own ways. People like me. Me and many others.

 

[PodMan]

my ex70s are the phones to use for public transit. It's the only reason I still use them. they may not sound great, but they are a cheap effective way to block out some noise while you're on the bus. Also they are very small. A minidisc player (without remote) and ex70s can fit into my inner shirt pocket easily.

maybe if the ex70s ever break, I will look into a low-end shure or ety.

 

[Nights_85]

I'll agree that the ex70's are great for transport, heck I could hear more of my music. Although I'm rather disappointedin how inefficient, and absolutely lousy sound these things are. they sounded exactly like some cheap made in china earphone u'd find at a $1 shop, with boomy,muddy bass and ear-piercing highs. then I stuck them into a sony walkman and they sounded pretty decent.. strange since I put other headphones on my sharp md and it sounds very nice....

coincidence? I doubt it