Tag Archives: Sony

Sony MDR-EX 85 Review

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Pros: Good mid-bass, comfort
Cons: Isolation, mids, highs

Packaging & Accessories: 5/10
Build Quality: 7/10
Design & Look: 9/10
Microphonics (higher ratings means lower cable noise): 8/10
Isolation: 4/10
Comfort: 9/10
Audio Quality: 5/10
Value: 6/10
My final Rating: 7/10

Purchase Date: August 2008
Purchase Price: £20

This was my first ever IEM, back in 2008.
Feels so long ago…

The EX85’s were good, but when I got the EX500’s several months later, there wasn’t any comparison between the two.
The EX85’s had a very boomy mid-bass, not very accurate nor much sub-bass.
The mids were drowned out by the bass, and due to the heavy emphasis on the lows, the highs were rolled off.
That said, if you were a basshead (which I was, and now I am more than ever) the EX85’s were “smooth” and had a good punch in the lower region.

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Sony MDR-EX510 Review – Comparison with the Sony MDR-EX500

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Pros: J Shape cable design, mids, look/design, accessories, price
Cons: Isolation, not as much mid-bass as the EX500’s

Packaging & Accessories: 9/10
Build Quality: 8.5/10
Design & Look: 9/10
Microphonics (higher ratings means lower cable noise): 8/10
Isolation: 7/10
Comfort: 9/10
Audio Quality: 8/10
Value: 10/10
My final Rating: 9/10

Purchase Date: August 2009
Purchase Price: £40

My work colleague bought the EX510’s after my recommendation. I had previously owned the EX500’s and found them in being one of the best sub £50 earphones – So I logically thought, that the EX510’s were going to be the same. These EX510’s cost 50€, which is around £40. So, they do still remain sub £50, but the question is, do they match the EX500’s and their legacy?

Let’s get into the review and find out!

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Sony MDR-XB700 – Review – My old favourite set of headphones

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Pros: Bass, comfort, price, wire, design
Cons: Mids, highs, size

Packaging & Accessories: 7/10
Build Quality: 10/10
Design & Look: 8/10
Isolation: 8/10
Comfort: 9/10
Audio Quality: 7/10
Value: 10/10
My final Rating: 10/10

Purchase Date: August 2009
Purchase Price: £70

The XB700’s were one of my favourite headphones. I owned them for 2 years+ and there wasn’t a single fault in them, not even a scratch. They are bass-heavy headphones, at such an affordable price, you really can’t go wrong.

I eventually sold them, as I “upgraded” to the Denon AH-D2000’s.

I will go through each of the categories, and hopefully give you a full review of these amazing headphones!

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Sony MDR-EX500 Earphone Review

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For the impatient lot, here’s a quick summary of the review for your first, before we jump to the full length review right after the image gallery.

Quick summary

Packaging & Accessories: 7/10
Build Quality: 7/10
Design & Look: 8/10
Microphonics (higher ratings means lower cable noise): 8/10
Isolation: 7/10
Comfort: 9/10
Audio Quality: 8/10
Value: 10/10
My final Rating: 9.5/10

Purchase Date: January 2009
Purchase Price: £40

Pros

  • Good noise isolation
  • Fit isn’t bad, although it’s vastly improved with comply tips + the noise isolation become much better
  • Great differentiation between sounds
  • Bass response is excellent, better than the rest at its price point
  • J shaped wire between the Left and Right bud. Great for portability.
  • L shaped jack, which means improved flexibility, and better cabling life

Cons

  • Warranty is only 1 year in comparison to all other competitors out there.
  • They are loud for others. People can hear them when you have them in your ears
  • Reasonably big phones, you can’t sleep on them unlike the Sennheisers
  • Harsh sound out of the box
  • Quite a lot of fakes rolling around on the internet – Buy it from an Authorised dealer to save yourself the hassle.

Conclusion

Once you get a good fit with the Sony’s they turn out to be excellent, better than any other phones I’ve heard for under £50. More so, after 1 year and careful use, the J splitter fell apart, meaning I had to glue and tape it back together to prevent it from getting damaged further. So be warned, the cable isn’t the best aspect of these earphones.

Sound Quality Ratings
Lows: 8/10
Mids: 7/10
Highs: 7/10
Soundstage: 8/10

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