Sony MDREX36V/BLK EX Earbud Headphone (Black)
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9mm EX Drivers — Allows for a comfortable fit and a deep and full sounding bass performance all in a small package. In-Line Volume control — Allows you to control your volume without having to take out your player from where you are carrying it. Cord adjuster — Allows you to conviently control the length of the cord. Three sizes of ear buds — You can pick the size that right for you for comfort and performance.
Features
- 9mm EX provides comfort fit and deep bass sound
- In line volume control
- Three sizes of earbuds (s/m/l)
- Cord adjuster
- Cord Length of 3.9ft (1.2m)
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 1 x 1 x 1 inches
- Weight: 0 pounds
Better than expected
I bought these because my Shure E2’s got worn out – every pair of earbuds I’ve ever had wind up having the copper wiring begin to wear through the casing near the earbud after about a year or so of daily use, causing that earbud to eventually stop working. The Shure E2’s are around $120 and I didn’t want to shell that out again for a new pair just yet, so I picked these up as a temporary replacement. I’m surprised at how good they sound for the price, for $100 cheaper than the E2’s the sound quality is superb and they cancel the noise out just the same. The wire for these is noticeably cheaper (thinner, feels weaker) so I’m not sure how long they’ll last, but I’ll likely just stick with these in the future for use with my iPod. I mainly use them to listen to podcasts, but music sounds great through them as well. If you’re into bass-driven music I would recommend over-the-ear headphones though, no earbud headphone is going to be good when it comes to that.
I can’t kill them…
Many reviewers have complained about the fragility of these earbuds. I can’t imagine what farm equipment or drunken frat parties they have put theirs through, but I just can’t kill mine.
I was inspired to review them after I rolled over them with my office chair yet another time(just a few minutes ago). They have also survived many instances of being ripped out of my ears when I stand up, being closed in car doors, being stepped on, and being stretched to the breaking point when I lean back and the cord is caught on something. These things are tough. I have had them for over a year and they look like new.
Oh, yes. They sound great too!
Love ‘Em
These are my favorite earbuds ever. Very sad when they died the other day.
The various sizes that came with it were perfect because I have abnormally small ear holes. Every pair of earbuds I owned before these pushed my tragus out and caused pain. The small size was perfect for me. The larger sizes that also come with the earbuds will probably be perfect for people with normal sized ears.
Because of the construction, they blocked out most of the ambient noise. This meant that I could use them at fairly low volume without missing out on the music or podcasts I was listening to. They sounded great at higher volumes as well. I wouldn’t recommend using them in an environment where you need to be aware of your surroundings because they are pretty effective at blocking out surrounding noise.
I used them about 50 hours a week for nearly a year and a half and while they weren’t quite as pretty at the end as they were at the beginning, they held up incredibly well. Your mileage will vary, but I think expecting any product like this to last more than six months of that kind of use is unreasonable.
Great sound quality. Terribly built.
I bought these headphones to replace my iPod headphones as an upgrade. Any pair of headphones is an upgrade honestly, but I wanted to try out these since my friend wouldn’t stop talking about them.
Pros
-Excellent sound quality. Deep and rich bass. Well balanced mids and lows. Everything sounds crisp.
-Good cord length.
-Comfortable buds.
-Reasonable price.
Cons
-These will start breaking within 3 months. I guarantee it. I work out at my local Shaolin temple with these and run a lot, and after a bit of time, the cheap plastic wears out.
These would be perfect if Sony built them to last. Other than that, if you’re just a casual music listener, I recommend you getting these 100%.
Cheers.
Withstood over 1 year of rugged use and abuse.
The first pair lasted over a year. But with all the abuse they took, I can’t complain. I have a second pair now and love them. Even though the cord is tiny, it can with stand much abuse. I use these at work, doing yardwork, riding the motorcycle, walking/jogging, and anytime I want music. There have been many times the cord got caught on something and ripped the speakers out of my ears-ouch! They have alot of bass, but only if you shove them in your ears deep. These headphones can block out noise, but not as good as earplugs. That’s good for me because I work in a very noisy machine shop. The inline volume control is great. I do not have to dig the MP3 player out of my pocket to change the volume. And on MP3 players the pushbutton volume takes forever to change. But these headphones have a mechanical knob-you can go from min to max in less than 1/4 second.
Surprisingly good earbuds, especially for the money
I travel on planes way too much, and I seem to collect all sorts of headphone contraptions. I have various types, brands, and shapes. All are obviously a compromise of one sort or another, be it cost, build quality, sound quality, durability, etc. Like many other folks, I’ve tried all sorts of brands, and I’ve mostly ended up using a couple of different Sennheiser units… I travel with an over the ear noise canceling (expensive) headphone, and my usual favorite, a pair of their overpriced earbuds, that have been my go to earbuds for a couple of years. I’m a closet wannabee audiophile, and I actually do like clear sound and wide dynamic range. Most earbuds are not great at wide range sound reproduction. I’ve also never really had a taste for Sony products in general, although there are some here and there that I’ve found decent.
In between, I’ve dabbled with many brands and types, when I usually have a senior moment and forget one or the other Sennheisers. I recently tried these Sony’s and frankly, I totally amazed at how good they are. Their sound is rich and dynamic. Their is ample bass, and even decent midrange. The high end is not as painful as many earbuds tend to be either. I also like their construction, especially the wire coating that helps in them not getting tangled (the overpriced Sennheisers, while they sound awesome, are always somehow getting tied into a knot, with their sticky, slimy wires)
These Sony’s aren’t the best noise cancelers (many earbuds are pretty good at that, simply because they seal your ear canal), but that’s not their intent. Nonetheless, for the decent price they are offered at, I’m very impressed.
Very poor sound
The sound was “tinny” very little base. And the worst was it has a cheap cord that if you touch it, the sound of your touch travels directly to your ear. I’ll be returning them. Too sad.
Best Headphones for the Price
I have always trusted Sony to make superb products and they have come through again. These headphones are fantastic. The bass on most headphones is a joke, but these have some the of the best bass I’ve heard on a pair of in-ear headphones. The price is very affordable. I have two pairs, one I use for my Zune HD and one for my laptop and they both work beautifully. They are very comfortable and I’ve worn them for multiple hours without becoming uncomfortable. If your looking for a great set of replacement headphones for a music player, or anything else really, these are of exceptional quality and very affordable.
Great at first but doesnt last long
Well I recieved a pair of these for Christmas and they were initially great. The sound was clear there was limited bass but the comfort made up for it, also they arnt very expensive. probelms came about 3 weeks after I began useing them the right headphone just stopped working I was literally lying on a couch and the sound just stopped. I figured it was a defect so I bought a new pair a couple days later. This pair lasted longer than 3 weeks it lasted 4 weeks before same thing happened. I was very upset with the quality of Sony earbuds and would not suggest these to anyone unless they like buying new headphones. I am going back to philips headphones which always seems to last a long time.
Finally: The Perfect Earbud
To the folks at Sony: You still got it.
As someone who wears buds everywhere and loses or breaks them frequently, I’ve replaced a lot of them over the last few years. Some common problems I had:
1) Cord too short/not adjustable
2) Wrong color (white only)
3) Marshmallows (buds) coming off with no easy replacement
4) Poor sound quality
5) $50 or more for good buds
This model addresses ALL these complaints. The cord is long and well adjustable to either side. Amazingly, the buds haven’t come off once yet. Sound quality is quite good, perhaps a notch below the very top for a bud, but way good enough. The comfortable buds make a great seal with your ears, which not only provides good bass response but also cuts out ambient noise. I wear them even with the sound off sometimes just to block outside noise. (Be sure to have them seated properly in your ear to maximize sound quality, especially bass.) And all this for $30, not $50. Less than $20 here on Amazon.
But wait — there’s more!
The best feature: a sleep, iPhone compatible volume control on the cord. Adjust the volume easily, or even pause your iPod or iTunes. A Godsend, as it is VERY inconvenient to pause your i-device without it.
Compared to these, all the other “high-end” buds I’ve tried honestly sucked.
Don’t even think about other buds before trying this model.
Way to go, Sony!
Best earbuds yet !!
So I really don’t like things in my ears so I am totally picky about it. I had a pair of SkullCandy earbuds that I liked and they quit working after a couple of years of abuse. I wanted volume control and also find that I am more comfortable with the different sized covers. All of these sizes are comfortable. Sometimes I need the smaller ones because my ears are particularly sensitive that day, or when I do need to be aware of the sounds outside of whatever I am listening to. The medium sized ones are super comfy and cancel out WAY more outside noise that the SkullCandy ones did. These, and the largest size, should be great for the plane. I really like these – they have the best sound of any earbuds I have found, and are the most comfortable. I like the fact that they come with a little bag (that way you can tote around the different size covers), and also a small component that allows you to wind the cords up when storing the head phones. I don’t know what it is about earbud cords, but you take them off for two minutes and when you go to pick them up again, they are tangled! Now I can just wind them around this little component and don’t have to spend 5 minutes getting them untangled. They aren’t the least expensive, but for those of you with sensitive ears like mine, I highly recommend these.
No Bass For You!!
I listen to headphones on my iPhone. I used to have a pair of Phillips SHE9500’s but I lost one of the silicon “pads” and thought I would just “try” something different, but in the same price range.
The buds themselves have pretty much anything you could ask for. They are “angled forward” which makes for easy insertion (wow, that doesn’t sound kinky). They come with three different size silicon ear pads for custom fit, and the cord is long enough to have my iPhone in my pocket and still have room to maneuver. There is a volume control on the cord but for the life of me I have never figured out why one would use that over the volume control on your mp3 player?? I had no problems with the quality of the material, or the construction, but I have only had these just over a week.
My biggest complaint (of the two) is that there is NO BASS in these phones to speak of. My previous phones (see above) were the “turbo bass” model and lived up to the description. I didn’t even realize my iPhone HAD “EQ” adjustments until I bought these Sony’s. I thought perhaps there was something wrong with my iPhone! I found the “Bass Booster” setting, turned it on, and they STILL dont sound as good as the Phillips!! (and yes, they have been played extensively for the last week to “break them in”).
My second complaint is a lot of vocals or mild percussion can “sting” at times. Anything that sounds like “shh” will pierce your eardrums and cause them to bleed. Ok, so I made up the bleeding part, but it WAS seriously painful!
I ended up returning these phones and getting a pair of “Skullcandy Titan’s”, which have WAY FAR better bass right out of the box, but STILL dont sound as good as the Phillips. So….go ahead and ask; “Why didn’t the big dummy just buy another pair of Phillips???PHILIPS SHE9500/27 In-Ear Headphones” A good question I might add. I long ago lost the paperwork for those and only realized TODAY that the model number is engraved into the metal piece where the cord splits to go to the earbuds…..DOH!!!
Not bad for what they’re meant to do
The Sony MDREX36V are a pair of passive noise isolating earphones. What this means is that a seal is created within the ear canal, to keep a reasonable amount of ambient noise out. The main advantage of using earphones to do this instead of full-size noise canceling headphones is that active noise cancellation introduces artifacts into the music, degrading sound quality.
The 36V’s come with small, medium, and large size tips of the famous Sony hybrids, a comfortable alternative to harder ear tips. It’s easy to get the tips on and off, which is a good thing, since it’s necessary to try out all of them; until you find the best fit for your ears, sound quality and/or isolation will suffer. Included also is a small draw-string pouch that’s just big enough to put the earphones in, a welcome addition at this price point.
With the in-line volume control, you can adjust the volume on the cord without changing settings on your computer or media player. And because earphones like these are relatively close to your ear drums, unlike open-air headphones or speakers, it’s necessary to get into a habit of LOWERING THE VOLUME, for your own hearing safety. I feel the need to emphasize this: passive isolation is theoretically safer than using ear buds or open-air headphones because you don’t need to drown out outside noise, but only if you keep volume levels reasonable. Cable noise can be a problem unless you wear them over the ear. The left ear bud has a small dot, which makes it possible to distinguish left from right in the dark.
After a month and a half of listening to these earphones, I finally found a short, sweet way to sum up their strengths: they sound good with pop, rap, and folk and not so good with everything else. These phones make my synthpop more engaging, giving the bass a clean, enjoyable sound that isn’t fatiguing, and to my ears poppy vocals are clear. Rap and folk benefit in the same ways from the presence of the bass line. However, with rock and metal and all their subgenres, the bass and mids are noticeably muddy, and the mids particularly lack detail. What this means for most people is that guitars and vocals will lose out big time on rock and metal. Still, for the price, they’re quite fun. I’d recommend them to someone coming from bass-light phones who wants to get a feel for what they’re missing, or if you only listen to the genres I mentioned. If you’re looking for something that sounds good across a number of musical styles, or that has detail across the frequency spectrum, then these aren’t for you.
Decided to go “cheap” and got more than I bargained for
I’ll keep it simple -
Pro’s -
Excellent low bass response
Clear, but not overpowering high’s
Comfortable
Affordable
VERY minor Con’s
Not enough mid-bass response right out of the box. I found a minor EQ bump in the 250-1000hz range really opens them up and creates a flatter response. I suggest the “Pop” setting on an iPod even though it slightly knocks the bass down. However, this also comes down to personal taste. Let your ears decide.
Wires seem a bit thin. We’ll see how they hold up and I’ll report back.
Review
Excellent quality for the price. Easy to use and in-line volume control is a must have. Carry case is a bonus.
Extremly good bass response
The frequency (6-23000 Hz) is amazing for the price. But buy two if you can because the base near the headphone jack breaks just like every other pair of headphones I have ever owned.
Comfortable, but sound quality is lacking
I recently purchased a pair of these earphones after my cat chewed on the wires to my old earphones. I had been using the Koss ‘The Plug’ earphones for quite some time, which uses a soft foam insert like that used in earplugs, and I was a little skeptical about the odd shape of the ear inserts in these earphones. However, I must say that they are quite comfortable and easy to use, even when I’m listening to music before going to sleep in my bed. Also, the volume control on the cord means that I get enough range in volume to fall asleep while listening to my music, which was more difficult before with The Plug as I couldn’t get the volume quite low enough to be non-distracting (which is mostly the fault of my mp3 player).
However, they do fall out just a little easier than my old earphones, and while the sound quality is great in the low volume range (i.e. bedtime listening), I like it to be louder when I’m out and about and when I’m on the treadmill. When you get above quiet volumes I noticed that the tenor quickly overcomes the bass and the sound consequently becomes increasingly tinny and sharp at higher volumes. This means that the primary use for my earphones, listening to music when running around and actually running, makes these earphones less than ideal. So, I’m keeping a pair of these for use in bed, and I’m purchasing another set of ‘The Plug’ earphones to use for running around. If you want to listen to your music with any volume, I don’t suggest these earphones as they don’t live up to their ‘heavy bass’ tagline.
Exactly what I was looking for
I found exactly what I was looking for in these babies, for a fraction of the price I expected to pay for good earbud headphones. Other reviewers have aptly described their incredible, clear sound quality, as well as the fact they will probably wear out in about 3 months. In addition to sound quality and comfort, I liked these because they look sharp, come in different colors and have tiny R and L lettering so the sound is always consistent. I don’t always wear my reading glasses, so I simply use a white rubber bud for left and black for right. There’s a little removable gadget to wrap excess cord length around, so I don’t hang myself passing by objects which would catch longer cord. The connection part is on a right angle, rather than straight into the mp3 player or other device, helping to stabilize the wires inside.
However, I could only award 4 stars because earlife for the two consecutive sets I’ve bought lasted only about 3 months. I use them daily, 6-8 hours per, so yours may last longer if your use is less. Incidentally, the included rubber buds fit the best, both on the set and in my ear. Replacement buds are easy to find, but aim for middle to higher range, such as Comply T-400. In my experience the cheaper ones fall off too easily. Unless I’m gifted with upscale earphones, I’ll stick with these forever!
Great sound….until they break.
I bought two pairs of these on sale. I thought the sale was a bargain, and with multiple ear cushion sizes, I found the one that fit and began to enjoy the great sound.
Unfortunately, these earphones can’t take any kind of long term wear and tear. Within 6 months, both pairs of earphones were dead. In both cases, the right ear died and only the left ear produces sound. I did not subject these phones to any excessive or abusive use. Apparently, Sony just hasn’t figured out how to make durable earphones yet.
Should you be looking for earphones, check out some other brand. These are not the phones you are looking for.
These break often.
I’ve gone through two pairs of these headphones within 4 months. The first set broke in 3 months, and the set I currently have is stripped so the wiring is exposed. The replacement warranty is only good if you keep everything, including the package and a store receipt. Maybe if the end of the headphone cable was straight instead of angled, the wire shielding would stay on longer.