sony ex71 half dead
Feb 12, 2005 at 8:18 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 5

shirleywhite

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My first post as a newbie. Firstly thanks to all for good posts/advice/comments etc. Been using ex71s for about a year. ( with N1/NH1 minidiscs and HD1 players) A couple of days ago the left side/speaker stopped dead ( though right side still fine) - my first thought was break in the lead somewhere? (Though I've been ultra careful not to pull/twist etc - always coil up gently and keep in a soft pouch. The plastic cylinder thingie sony give was always a no-no for me however!! .) So I've been thinking of upgrading to something like Ety6s?? Been mugging up on reviews and came across " if a channel stops working, detach the filter and clean etc etc". Could it be that my 71s (left side!) have somehow become "clogged" ?? Has anyone else suffered from this kind of thing? Is it a common fault with 71s? Is it rectifiable? ( though of course I appreciate that the sonys arent built like Ety6s with removable filter/micro screwdriver included etcetc!?)

To be honest I'm really only asking out of curiosity (!) because I've just about convinced myself that a better pair of earbuds is the answer. I like the look of the Ety6 (is Ety6i vastly different?? ) - many many people report how much better than 71s - but then I was impressed a year ago to "upgrade" from stock walkmans to 71s!! - but then others prefer Shures, Senns,UEs etc. I guess ( as many rightly say ) try...... and see what's best for YOU !! Thanks all.
 
Feb 12, 2005 at 9:19 PM Post #2 of 5
I had near enough the exact same problem you did. After two months of careful light use the left earphone stopped working and I sent them back to sony. They got lost between me posting them and getting to sony but was able to obtain a full refund from the post office as "a gesture of good will" which was exceptionally nice of them as I sent them normal post, not recorded or special delivery. With the money refunded I looked for close to a month and thought that I would get the shure e2c, e3c or etymotic er-6i. I was reluctant to go for the etymotic as I live in an area of quite high crime and several of my friends have been mugged of their ipod's due to white earphones. This narrowed it down to the shure's but eventually i went into John lewis and bought the sony's again simply because they were always comfortable and looked "normal" opposed to the futuristic hearing aid look. I thought that £35 for the sonys would be ok and would leave me money to buy a pair of headphones for my computer or ipod when I want something without the hassle of putting in my ear. I am now considering Alessandro's MS-1 and feel that it would be a good combination of headphones and earphones for portable and home use. I cant comment on the shure's or etymotic as I have never heard them but just added this post to make your decision a bit harder (sorry).

EDIT: I have read somewhere that the hole in the centre of the earphone of the sony's can become blocked with earwax so give them a clean with cotton wool buds and then try opening up the hole with a sharp object like a pin, this didn't work for mine but have heard that it did for many others.
 
Feb 12, 2005 at 9:58 PM Post #3 of 5
Thanks for the response. I've since tried wiping clean and gently pushing a thin needle through the hole - did it to both speakers/sides - didnt upset the "right" but the "left" still dead !!! As I said - I am virtually certain that an upgrade is called for. Appreciate your comments re Shures and have added MS1 to my shortlist - probably still favour Ety6s though. ( Not 6i because I also dont want the white buds etc) Thanks again.
 
Feb 12, 2005 at 10:43 PM Post #4 of 5
This problem has been discussed here before a few times, and it seems to be a design flaw with the EX-71's. I've gone through two pairs in 2 years (One every year) because the left side stops working.
 
Feb 13, 2005 at 12:27 AM Post #5 of 5
i used to have the 268's then the right side went out, due to the split getting fatigued. i replaced with the ex51's because the 268's were discontinued. well after less than 1 year the ex51's right side went out. i'm not sure if this time it was due to fatigue of wires or not, but this happened after i practically babied them knowing how they were prone to breaking. well the 90 day warranty did me no good. i just received my e2's earlier this week and i feel assured with their 2 year warranty.
 

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