Sony MDR ZX100 Review.
Mar 4, 2012 at 6:15 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16

PinoyPogiman

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Sony MDR ZX100 Headphones
 
Sony made headphones for the budget commuter for the get-go.
Price:  10$-30$
Colours: Black,  White
 
 

^Images provided by Bing Images. i would post my own pics, but i am lazy^
biggrin.gif

 
Aesthetics, Build 3/5
      upon my interest into headphones currently in High School, i bought these around early Freshman year.
i bought these at a Bargain shop for 20$, they are made of full plastic, leather/ or pleather. they have a red bit that identifies the Right side bud, and left side. easily identifiable.
a cool feature they have from its older predecessor, is swiveling earpieces. which greatly enhances transportation comfort and discreetness, they are great to wear on your neck when not in use.
     They are easy and simple to adjust. The Cord is a little on the short side, as it is rounded. i personally like Rounded cords more than Braided cords and Flat cords. They have a L-Shaped 3.5mm headphone jack. which is a common thing with Sony Headphones
Since they are all plastic, they feel a little on the flimsy side, but for 20$, thats not a suprise.
 
Comfort/ Style 2.5/5
They have Leather/ or Pleather earpads, they are plushy, soft, etc. These headphones are not really for more than an Hour of use, as you might start to feel clamped and uncomfortable after awhile. But it has Swiveling Earbuds which HIGHLY improve its transportability, i wear these around Highschool, which really is bliss; as they seem almost virtually not-there when i walk around wrapped around my neck.
They come in 2 Colours, White-Black as seen on the pics, i would have bought the White cans, but the store only had black ones. which all that i could afford at that time.
they have a General, Standard look. not that Flashy except the White ones.
 
Sound Quality 2/5
Because for some Budget|cheap cans. these are for the quiet Airplane ride, or a silent ride on a NY subway.
they have okay mids, bad Highs+lows. they have more treble than bass, which the Bass is nearly not there but it is.
these are clean sounding cans for the price. not the Best audio quality, but what to expect for the low price.
 
Overall
i would recommend for the person looking for some decent Closed over-the-ear Stereo Headphones. If your not looking for Sound Isolation, or Quality. Then i would not recommend if your looking for both of those traits.
 
Other Info:
Mainly Listened to Dubstep, Drum'n'bass, Daft Punk(THEY ARE THEY'RE OWN GENRE)
 
 
May 25, 2012 at 7:39 PM Post #2 of 16
Haha. Picked these up today as a sit-in until I can get my IEMs fixed or replaced. I def noticed the drop in quality at first. I've gotten used to it now I guess and I'm not disappointed for the money. I personally thought it had more bass than treble. It sounds good with a bit of drum and bass. Sometimes, the bass is distorted. 
 
Aug 2, 2012 at 11:35 AM Post #3 of 16
Hi there. Thank you very much for this review. You're probably not awarer that you can't use the word bud or earbud when describing over the ear headphones. Over the ear headphones and earbuds are two different technologies and they shouldn't be contextually mixed and thereby confused when giving a review about one or the other.
 
Oct 13, 2012 at 9:00 PM Post #5 of 16
I wonder if they share the same drivers as G45/51/52/7502/V250.
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 1:35 PM Post #6 of 16
I find this review kind of inaccurate.
Like aero26 said, they have a more pronounced bass, rather than treble.
One thing I'll mention is that they need a bit more power than 'usual'. Using my phone, I have to keep the volume near the top for a good sound level while in a bus or such (and no, I DON'T like to listen to music at high/exaggerated levels).
The sound quality is OK for the price, with some EQing it's pretty good.
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 4:46 PM Post #8 of 16
Quote:
Well im confused now, a previous poster reported that they were bass light with decent mids and treble. 
 
Take a look at this post:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/570309/modified-sony-mdr-zx100

Well, mine don't even look like that. They look like this: http://sp.sony-europe.com/da/241/107185.jpeg - Only the Sony logo on them and the headphone surface is rather glossy. It's funny because on the Sony.com website they look like the ones that guy modified, while mines look like the ones from Sony India (and I'm Romanian lol).
 
Anyway, I feel like mine still have to burn-in (yes, I now believe that such thing exists) but they sound good for the price.
 
LE: I've checked the Romanian Sony site too, they look like mine. I guess they might be different in different parts of the world.
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 7:45 PM Post #9 of 16
Quote:
Well, mine don't even look like that. They look like this: http://sp.sony-europe.com/da/241/107185.jpeg - Only the Sony logo on them and the headphone surface is rather glossy. It's funny because on the Sony.com website they look like the ones that guy modified, while mines look like the ones from Sony India (and I'm Romanian lol).
 
Anyway, I feel like mine still have to burn-in (yes, I now believe that such thing exists) but they sound good for the price.
 
LE: I've checked the Romanian Sony site too, they look like mine. I guess they might be different in different parts of the world.


that is true, to me they're more focused toward the Mid- Shrilling High spectrum.. as the Highs sound tinny and fatiguing to me. The Bass is almost nonexistent which is usual for a 20$ Cheapo pair.
and the one you have, apparently is Sony's MDR-ZX100B model, i havent seen the ZX100B model around here yet.. but it does seem like Sony made some minor changes to its aesthetics(Leaving "Sony" written and nothing else) and having a (as you state) Glossy finish.
i still wonder if it still sounds as it is.
though for 20$ they are very well worth the price for Budget-seeking non-audiophiles seeking a general design and exceptional SQ
 
Oct 25, 2012 at 7:49 PM Post #10 of 16
Sound Quality 2/5
Because for some Budget|cheap cans. these are for the quiet Airplane ride, or a silent ride on a NY subway.
they have okay mids, bad Highs+lows. they have more treble than bass, which the Bass is nearly not there but it is.
these are clean sounding cans for the price. not the Best audio quality, but what to expect for the low price.
 
2/5 but you say clean sounding cans?
 
The are decent for a budget pair of headphones. Good build quality, comfortable, look decent. Sound is ok. Not articulate but somehow enjoyable for a budget can. A good backup or for young people not critical yet.
 
 They actually come alive quite a bit with the Jazz or Latin EQ on Apple products.
 
Feb 17, 2013 at 6:36 PM Post #13 of 16
I'm getting a pair of Panasonic RP-HTF600's here soon, but I used SineGen to EQ these Sony cans to hold me over and they sound pretty decent. They peak in the 8.4 to 8.9kHz range and the bass starts rolling off around 50kHz, so I adjusted the EQ in those areas to the best of my ability and they much more "neutral" now. The bass has a little more punch, but still seems a bit recessed. They don't sound as harsh in the highs either.
 

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