Rating: 
Summary: Perfect NYC commuting headphones
Review: Kudos to Sony.These earphones offer the best combination of isolation, sound quality, comfort, and easy on-and-off design. I am a commuter in NYC, and twice a day I walk a few blocks, take a bus for about 15 minutes and a subway for another 20 minutes. I used to use Koss KSC-35's, but their open-air design had me constantly changing volumes to deal with the various noise levels. I also needed to put the volume on very high to deal with the subway, and I was afraid that I was harming my hearing. I tried the Sennheiser PX-200's and while real comfy, the isolation wasn't enough. Then I tried the Shure E2C's, but the only insert that would fit my small ear canals was the small foam pair. Since you need to take the time to roll these foam inserts up real small before inserting, then hold them in your ears till they expand, that made them very inconvenient for everyday on-and-off use. These Sony's are also a little more comfortable than the Shure E2C's. I have even tried the Koss Plugs, but they do not fit in my small ear canals at all and constantly came out. Thanks to these Sony earphones, I can now travel in comfort and musical bliss for my whole commute without the need to constantly change volumes. As with the Shure earphones, only the smaller inserts fit me on these Sony's. At first, it takes awhile to get used to these, and my ears did get a little sore, but after a few weeks I got used to them. The material that goes into the ear is pretty smooth for easy insertion, and is fairly easy to keep clean. A word of advice: do clean the removable inserts once in awhile in soap and water and keep your ears clean! The sound on these is very good with solid bass. Perhaps not the best you will hear, but better than your average moderately priced headphones of any design and brand. Another word of caution: if you need to operate a bicycle or vehicle these are dangerous as outside sounds are really muffled or cut off. So don't use these in environments where you need to hear sounds clearly.
Rating:
Summary: Give them their due
Review: I bought these after reading mixed reviews. Those that have trasehd them seem to be expecting something other than what $35.00 will buy. If you want overall great sounding and very comfortable earbuds, then these work great. If you want super high fidelity, then spend $200.00 on a pair of over the ear Sennheiser or the like. The in-ear system is by far the most comfortable set of bud type earphones I've ever worn. They also block out almost all of the noise around me when I'm exercising. For $35.00 you can't go wrong.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for casual listening
Review: I read everyone's reviews before making my decision to purchase these headphones for myself. I wanted new headphones to replace my failing iPod headphones. These fit the bill.Let me first say that everyone is correct in the comfort that you will receive using these. These are a world of improvement in the comfort factor over the cheap Apple iPod headphones and other ear buds. Second the sound is good. These are NOT premium over-the-ear headphones and should not be compared to any you own. They do provide the best noise blocking of any in-ear phones that I have tried. Previously remarked by other reiewers: you must put them in your ear fully or the bass is entirely lost. When I first put them on, I though I was in for a return, but after fiddling with them for a few minutes I was a happy camper again. Lastly, they come with a nice little case to keep them from meeting the same fate of other ear buds by being smashed in my backpack. They also come with a handy extension cord for when you want to lean back from the source. So if you need a new pair of ear phones, and comfort is at the top of your list - you might enjoy these.
Rating:
Summary: Best value for the price...
Review: Sound reproduction:
- Because it's an earbud and for this price, you can't expect the sound reproduction of a $100 over-the-head headphones. The bass is quite nice for size of the earbud, the bass may become a bit overcoming for some songs, the highs are there, I just think the mids are a bit weak. Size matters, and for such tiny thing to give an output close to my Sony MDR-V600, it's quite nice. Design:
- I'm amazed how many people do not like the extra length on the right side. I love this design because youcan put the right cord behind your head and you will never have worry about another cord being in your way in front of you. The extension of the cord is meant for people who have MP3 players with remotes, therefore shorter length and you won't have a cord dangling around. Fit:
- The one I purchased came with 3 sets of different size earbud, and I found the middle ones to fit best. I do not have the problem of others while working as they stay snug in my hear the whole time (treadmill, elliptical machine, etc...) Value:
- For under $40, it's the best earbuds for the price and some very nice sound reproduction. Design is especially convenient if you have a remote and you like the length to pull the cord behind your head.
Rating:
Summary: Know what you are buying
Review: 1) CORD a: Yes, the cord on one side is longer than the other so that you can either put the cord behind your neck or let it hang under your chin. This is a feature. If you don't think you'll like this design, then these headphones may not be for you. I do wish it was just a tad longer however. An additional couple of inches would help for those of you wearing heavy winter coats. 2) CORD b: These headphones are short-cord style headphones, with an extension cord. The short-cord style is ideal for many current portables that come with a wired remote so that you don't have an extra 6-10 inches tangled cord. For those who don't need it to be short, the extension should give you plenty of extra length. 3) EARBUDS & COMFORT: The earbuds are made of silicon and the degree of comfort may differ for everyone. Personally, these are significantly more comfortable than *ANY* in-ear headphones I have ever worn. I have not however, tried the Shure or Etymotic's, but then again, I'm not reviewing $120 headphones. Also, some of you may not like how far down the ear you have to insert these. It practically sits in your ear canal. I don't mind however. My only complaint about the silicon buds is that it picks up a lot of particles, from your ears or just dust sitting on the desk. Might want to give them a good wipe with a wet paper towel now and then. 4) SOUND: The frequency response specs on these are pretty impressive. Hooked into my MP3 player or MiniDisc player, I am pleased with the sound quality, which is mostly rock-based, pop, and some trance. The bass is very very good. So good, that I turned the bass boost on my MD down. I usually have to compensate for poor bass, but with the MDR-EX71SL's, not so. 5) ACCESSORIES: The MDR-EX71SL comes with 3 different sized earbuds, a 3 foot extension cord, a plastic case for the headphones, and another piece of plastic which I think is supposed to enclose the headphones or help wind the length of the cord(not sure yet). 6) MISC: I read one reviewer mention, "South Korean-made, Sony badged" and I'm not sure what that has anything to do with it. Sony hasn't made their products in Japan for a long time, less some of their higher end equipment. These are not rebadged headphones. SUMMARY:
If the features of these headphones appeal to you, I am confident that you will be satisfied, or even very happy with them. And it's hard to beat Amazon.com's price. I have a fairly discerning ear and I like them very much. I also own Grado's and Koss Pro headphones. If you can afford to pay 4 times more for headphones, then it's likely you will enjoy the Shure's or Etymotic's, but I for one would rather save the money. If you're like me, then I think the MDR-EX71SL's are worth a listen. If ultimate sound quality is your objective and price is no barrier, you might be happier with the higher end cans like the Etymotic's.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointed
Review: These are the first Sony earphones/headphones I have owned in a long time. I'm a big fan of Aiwa earphones, and Aiwa is a (low-end) subsidiary of the Sony Corp. I decided to get the MDR-EX71SL after losing my awesome Panasonic earphones. In short, I'm very disappointed in these South Korean-made earphones sold under the Sony brand. First of all, the earbuds are very uncomfortable. They press into your ears and can feel quite "invasive." They are made of thin, soft plastic rubber and can break easily. (Mine did after a couple days.) BTW, a total of three sizes are included; the medium size ones are already fitted on the earphones. I tried all three sets of earbuds but none of them proved satisfactory. Second, there's no inline volume control. I kinda expected this since it was not in the specs or description, but I was hoping for this price, it would come with the control, esp. as most Aiwa headphones do come with it. Third, the right-ear cord is longer than the left one so you wear it behind your neck. I actually do prefer this design because you can take out the earphones and let them hang in front of you. But, the right cord here is not long enough if you wear heavy winter clothing, and when you try to adjust the right earphone, you often end up pulling out the left one. VERY frustrating. Fourth, and most importantly, the sound quality sucks. My last pair of earphones, made by Panasonic and costing me less than ten bux at the Century 21 department store near the World Trade Center site, had much richer bass and much better response over the entire spectrum. I was very disappointed in the rather muffled sound put out by this set of earphones. BTW I used this on my Archos MP3 player, my RCA Lyra MP3 jukebox, my Aiwa CD player as well as my Cambridge SoundWorks CD/radio, and was disappointed no matter what music (classical, jazz, rock, pop, audio books...) I played. It would cost me too much to send this back to Amazon, so I'll give them to my friend who can use it to listen to audio books. In the meantime, I'm going to go back to Century 21 and get the cheap-but-good Pansonic earphones. Is Sony really dying???
Rating: 
Summary: Weak
Review: I don't know if the glowing reviews for this product are Sony's marketing street team or people who have no comprehension of good sound, but these headphones are very weak and flat sounding. The ones that came with my iPod are much fuller and cleaner. And, yes, I broke them in and, yes, I inserted them correctly. Now I'm returning them.
Rating:
Summary: Painful
Review: More bass than my ipod earbuds, but they are uncomfortably bright. They have absolutely no midrange so vocals sound thin and sibilant. Snare drums and cymbals are so bright they cut your head off. Perfect for accentuating artifacts of lossy compression.
The worst sounding earbuds I've tried yet.
Amazon is twisting the knife by charging a fee to return them.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome.
Review: First off, kudos to the USPS for getting them to me so fast. When I first tried these earbuds on, I'd had the bass boost on my CD player on. Big mistake. The bass is amazing, so there's no need for the boost. The extention cable takes a bit of effort to snap in- I was convinced mine was defective until someone gave it a little hit with the palm of their hand- it snapped right in. I got them from Amazon for 33. The local stores had them for 50. So hey, great deal in the bragain. All in all- totally worth the money.
Rating: 
Summary: Too many wires.
Review: You'd be better off buying a basic set of headphones at a fraction of the price. Trust me.
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