Rating: 
Summary: WORTH THE MONEY, YOU CAN'T GO WRONG ON THIS!
Review: I did an extensive research before buying these earbuds. I had to think for a few days between Koss thePlug, the 71SL, and these ones. First I liked the shape of these better than the higher end 71SLs. I am always skeptical that Sony products are usually overrated both in terms of price and quality. So I wasn't really sure I want to buy another Sony product (after my huge dissapointment with the w.ear Q22SL) But I really wanted light earbuds for travel, jogging, and casual walking. So I decided to give it a shot. And I am telling you, the size of these earbuds will surprise you with the sound that comes out of it. The bass is heavy, gives the real party hall vibration (if you have ever stand next to a huge speaker at a party). The highs are crip and the human voice is very distinct. The midrange frequency isn't very good, but personally I am not usually very concerned about it. I am more for the bass and highs. I would advice you to go for the $29.99 and make use of their free shipping.
Rating:
Summary: great design, good sound.
Review: a lot of "audiophiles" will look down on these earphones. i still think these are great. i own a senn. mx500, senn. 497, and this sony. sound quality of course isnt as good as senn 497 but its better than mx500. whats unique about these earbuds is that they block out sound very well. also, unlike the mx500s, the earpieces NEVER fall out while im doing other stuff like jogging / walking. it's well worth $30.
Rating:
Summary: BEST AND MOST COMFORTABLE HEADPHONE EVER!!!!
Review: holy crap!! i've bought dozens of headphones throughout my life and i gotta tell you guys.. this headphone is the most comfortablest headphone i ever purchased. old headphones would hurt my ear after 5 minutes and i searched all over the web for the most comfortable headphone with excellent bass. the search is over. i highly recommend the Sony MDR-EX51LP. you gotta try them to believe them.
Rating:
Summary: HOLY COW, I LOVE THESE!!
Review: These headphones are really great. The have extreemly good bass. Also, the sound is better than any other headphones i've ever heard. Also they have interchangable silocone ear butds, to fit your size. YOU WANT TO BUY THESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Crosstalk will muddy your sound
Review: I just compared the two Fontopia I own, MDREX51LP & MDREX71SL:
51LP has deeper more precise bass.
51LP, even though "closed", is just a tad better at shutting out external noise.
Neither will be good in really loud or windy environments unless you cover your ears with "ear muff" type hearing protection. Sound still gets past the low masses of the phones and the ear canal seals, even when in tight.
If you are looking for isolation *and* high fidelity in an in-ear phone, there is no *cheap* solution. Yes, you can replace the rubber ear canal seals with harder, denser protective earplugs. Good luck.Crosstalk (hearing some of the left channel in the right and vice-versa) is high in both models. I think this is the worst thing about them. Yes, you may have problems getting good bass. Tone varies significantly depending on your ear anatomy and how the ear buds are positioned in there. But once stuck in just right, I found the bass response of the MDREX51LP to be deeper than my main mixing phones, AKG K240DF. I would still not rely on any Fontopia phone to be tonally precise and would never mix with them *except* when forced to do a secondary mix in a loud room with military-grade "ear muffs" over them (This is why I bought them). There is still no hope for blocking out bass frequencies of course.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding--best headphones I have ever bought
Review: I bought a pair of these in advance of a 10,000-mile round trip vacation that involved 8 airline flights. As a seasoned traveller, I'm all too well versed in trying to crank up a walkman, computer, or other audio device to try to drown out the noise of the engines, other passengers, beverage carts, etc. And if you crank up a conventional set of headphones, you end up with ringing ears and temporary hearing loss after such prolonged abuse of your eardrums. Enter these in-ear "bud style" headphones. They block environmental noise like earplugs and then send their output into the now quieted environs of your ear canal. This lets you not only use a lower volume setting on your device but the sound you hear is much less cluttered. I'm writing this review to say they work every bit as well as I'd hoped when I bought them. The aircraft noise was muted to a distant hum and I was able to hear every guitar string of the songs I listened to and every footstep in the movies I played on my PowerBook. There were literally times when I found myself looking around the airplane cabin for a strange noise I'd heard, only to figure out it was a sound effect in the film I was playing. I'm serious--the sound was that good! Even when my batteries ran out, I kept these headphones in my ears as earplugs as I read a book. Many headphones cause pain after prolonged use; they cut off blood circulation or simply induce pressure which can lead to headaches or earaches until they are removed. Not these. They come with three different size rubber cups that you can try to find which one fits you best. And because they are rubber, not foam, they are easy to clean and also do not require any "pre-squishing" like other products. In quick response to a previous reviewer who claimed these had no bass, that is the result of improper use. These cannot be "set" in your outer ear like conventional mini headphones--they must be pushed into your ear canal so they can create a seal. Think of them as earplugs, not headphones. Once you put them in properly, the bass response is quite astounding. The only possible downside (if you can call it that) to these headphones is their size--they're so small they are easy to lose when not in use. I did misplace mine for a few months and was ready to buy another set before the originals were found. I never even considered a diffferent product I was so pleased with these. I've wholeheartedly recommended them to all my friends and will continue to do so.
Rating: 
Summary: Uuhhhgg!!
Review: OMG. These headphones had to be the biggest waste of money ever. The thing that really sucks is that I walked into a store, bought them, tried them out, and in the course of those five minutes, I found out that I wasted my money. What a horrible feeling. Anyway, these headphones are devoid of volume, bass, and an overall whole sound. I can't say enough about how much they set out to disappoint. I had to crank up the volume almost all the way on my iPod just to make it about as loud as the buds that come with the iPod at half volume. I felt totally thrown over a barrel when I bought these. Do not get them if you want good headphones. You can spend half the money and get great headphones. I have tried numerous ear buds and I can honestly say that the classic ear bud with the acoustical foam that goes over the bud is the best sound. I have tried them all and I can tell you that hands down. These are the WORST ear buds that I have ever owned. I would give them away just so I don't have to look at them and remember the money I wasted.
Rating:
Summary: Wow...just wow
Review: I kind of had mediocre expectations as to the sound of these earbuds as I've yet to have a pair that impressed me, until today. As the title says, my first reaction was just WOW. Great base, excellent treble, and a very crisp sound overall. Be it Prodigy's "Firestarter", Enya's "On Your Shore", or Vivaldi's Third Movement in Winter, these earbuds had excellent sound. I do have to say that the ability to seal "in" sound is a little overhyped as my family could hear them at about half volume. Their ability to seal "out" sound is phenomenal though, as they work and cushion very much like regular ear plugs and seem very firmly planted within my ears. A great buy if you need a set of comfortable, concealable pair of headphones that sound great.
Rating:
Summary: effective at sealing out noise in order to hear MUSIC
Review: 1.
This Sony model MDREX51LP has the same size (9mm.)
driver (mini-speaker) as the more expensive MDREX71SL;
for people with small ear canals (which get irritated by the
larger EarBud style headphones) this less expensive one
will do the job without hurting your ears or your pocket ($).
2.
The only advantage of getting the Sony MDREX71SL is that
it has more pieces included, meaning one can attach more
stuff to the basic unit (to custom-fit the 71SL to a situation).
In case you use the 9-mm driver EarBuds only INdoors, I'd
recommend that you pass on the MDREX51LP and upgrade
to the MDREX71SL, since you have more control over your
environment indoors, and therefore can probably protect the
costlier 71SL more effectively (by being meticulous). Should
you have to subject your EarBud set to outdoor situations, I'd
say that it's more advisable to stick with the MDREX51LP, so
that you don't have to go ballistic or hysterical when it dies a
violent end. In case you intend to buy either model for a teen
(especially because their ear canals haven't fully grown yet),
I'd say it would be advisable to get TWO sets of the 51LP, so
that when s/he inevitably loses/lends/damages the first set,
you can have a backup set readily available. A second set is
also useful to cannibalize parts until you can finish drying or
finding the particular piece. The silicone rubber cushions for
each EarBud (left and right side) are what make this style a
pleasure (in combination with the smaller diameter driver);
by getting two units (double order), you ensure that your ear
will always have available this seal to pamper it.
3.
In case you ride a bicycle, skateboard, moped, or motorcycle
while using these Sony sealed EarBuds in TRAFFIC, please
increase the odds of you surviving another day by stopping.
Do-NOT combine your more-or-less naked body in trafffic w/
sealed headphones (padded studio jumbos or these kind).
The most that the driver who hits you while you bliss out with
sealed headphones will do is mutter a comment about your
idiocy. Shoppers who buy the Sony 9mm EarBuds for use in
a sane country which has a separate farmer road alongside
the superhighway can don the sealed style while navigating
the farmer road either on foot or on a vehicle that provides 0
protection against errant motor vehicles. A farmer's combine
or tractor is not likely to mow you down without you having a
fighting chance to REACT in time. Fuggetabout suing me...
4.
In case you wish/need to further reduce/eliminate unwanted
outside noise/sound/Muzak/yell-phones beyond what Sony
does for you with either of the 9mm EarBuds, I recommend
the following solution. Wear the properly-fitted Sony EarBud,
and after streamlining the audio cord (perhaps by threading
it under your shirt/blouse or down your sleeve), then ADD an
extra sound-dampening hearing protector ON TOP (over the
in-place EarBuds). The particular make and model that has
worked both indoors and out-of-doors for me (a guy with no
long hair) is the 3M "Premium Ear Muff 1440" (model 1440).
It's made in Sweden and is really durable as well as super-
COMFORTABLE. I wear the 3M 1440 while sleeping; I work
nights, and the daytime/evening humans do everthing to get
me to hear their diabolical activities while I am in the stages
of sleep approaching REM (which supposedly takes ninety
minutes to begin/arrive-at). The Sony within the 3M lets one
rrreally tune into the desired music (or audiobook/lecture). I
pity you all when WWIII (world war 3) hits in our lifetime; you
will have no recourse to either device to reduce intrusions...
5.
To those naysayers who accuse you of being "unsociable"
by wearing the Sony 9mm 'phones in order to block out any
extra sound, tell 'em "Good fences make good neighbors".
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent for specific purposes
Review: I just got these a couple weeks ago, and they are fantastic for some purposes. They are useless for others, so know what you want to use them for: I travel alot, and these are *incredible* on buses, the subway, amtrak, and airplanes. Outside noise is reduced a great deal, and the sound quality is comparable to cheaper studio monitor headphones. This combination has allowed me to listen to very subtle music (classical and Indian) in noisy environments. The stethoscope effect is alive and well. It is at most a mild annoyance when walking, and if you position the headphone cord so that it doesn't flop around then it goes away. However, these headphones are NOT for exercising, and they are NOT good if you are eating anything remotely crunchy. The only other complaint I have (as has been articulated earlier), is that the interchangable rubbery earplug parts do come off. I'm tempted to try and glue mine on, so that I don't have to worry about losing them. Anyhow, I love these. If you want to listen to music while sitting in a noisy environment, and don't want huge studio monitor-style headphones, these are perfect.
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