Sony MDR-AS40EX Active Style Headphones Earbud Style (Black)

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.2 x 2 inches ; 5.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0015AFOR8
• Item model number: MDR-AS40EX
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (143 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 14, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Enjoy your workout without any interference from bothersome cords

Sony's MDR-AS40EX Active Style Headphones give you the freedom to enjoy your music and workout without any interference from bothersome cords. These headphones are great for athletes, personal trainers, fitness enthusiasts and those who are continuously involved in physical activity or on-the-go. Enjoy features such as a sweat resistant guard design, rich sound quality, and a cord clip to secure the cord during movement.

Perfect for the active lifestyle

Moisture Guard

You can avoid damaging your headphones with the sweat-resistant moisture guard design that allows moisture to pass around the headphones while working out.

Convertible Clip-On Design

Concentrate on your workout with these versatile and lightweight active lifestyle headphones that never get in your way. The clip-on earbud design can be used with or without the detachable soft hangers. The headphones are supplied with 3 sizes of soft hangers for an ultra-secure and comfortable fit.

Sound Quality

Sound should not be sacrificed during high-impact workouts and activities. The rich sound quality found in these headphones will keep you moving with sharp tones and deep, vivid bass.

Cord Extension

 A short cord (2 feet) solution is provided for arm-band use and an extension cord (additional 2 feet) is supplied for additional cord length. There is also a clip to secure the cord in place.

Take to the Gym

A hard carrying case is included to keep your headphones protected while traveling. The lightweight, compact design allows the headphones to be easily carried in your gym bag, backpack, or in your pocket.

Compact design allows for easy portability

MDR-AS40EX Specs

Driver Unit:	9mm, dome type
Magnet Type:	Neodymium
Frequency Response:	10Hz - 23,000Hz
Impedance:	16 ohms
Sensitivity (db):	100dB/mW
Power Handling Capacity:	100mW
Cord Length:	2ft single sided, 2 ft extension cord

What's in the Box

• Carrying Case
• 2 ft. Extension Cord
• Soft Silicone Rubber Earbuds (S, M, L size)
• Clip 3-Size Ear Hangers (S, M, L)
  

Product Description

Earbud-style headphones deliver rich sound with deep bass.Moisture guard allows for moisture to pass around head phones. Short cord (2 feet) solution for arm-band use; extension cord (2 feet) is supplied. Supplied with 3 sizes of detachable soft hangers for ultra-secure and comfortable fit. Can also be used as standard earbud by detaching soft hangers. Three sizes of earbuds (S, M, L). Hard carrying case.Clip to secure the cord.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just what I wanted... but some problems with functionality, November 22, 2008

By 

Lucy Cat "Mandy" (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony MDR-AS40EX Active Style Headphones Earbud Style (Black) (Electronics)

Review updated: March 2011

When I bought these, I was searching for a pair of headphones that would:
1. Fit snug inside my ear so as to not fall out or come loose when working out
2. Produce excellent sound while blocking most ambient noise
3. Have a comfortable clip and ear bud so that they can be worn for hours at a time.

I have been using these headphones specifically for almost four years (I'm on my second pair, but that's because I lost my originals.) I use them almost exclusively for working out (weightlifting, cardio and gymnastics) and have found no other headphones to compare for my needs. A few things that make these great: outstanding Sony quality sound, very snug and customizable fit and good noise reduction. Sony includes three different ear hanger/clip sizes as well as three different ear bud/cone sizes. This allows you to enjoy the best possible fit, and if needed, adjust each ear individually. The sound quality is superb, but, you must fully insert the earbuds so that they form a "seal" in order to experience the full sound. If the headphones are only partially inserted or if they come loose during your workout, they are practically inaudible. On the flip side, these are excellent for reducing ambient noise (the treadmills and gym speakers never drown out my music) which allows me to avoid annoying distractions at the gym.

Downsides: The cord is entirely to short. If you do not wear an armband, these headphones will require the use of an extension cable (included) in order to reach your belt clip/pocket. However, I gave up using the extension cable after it annoyingly came detached from the main cord several times each workout. Furthermore, the extension cable makes the overall cable length entirely too long. If they had made the original cord about 4 inches longer, it would have made everyone happy-- the armband wearers and the pocket people. Oh well.

Second issue: The ear bud fit, although snug, can potentially come loose after several minutes of "active" use (ie: running on treadmill). On my first pair of headphones, I needed to press on the ear buds gently to get the seal snug every several minutes. I don't seem to have this issue with my newer pair, but perhaps I am using a better fitting ear bud/cone this time.

Update: While I definitely recommend these headphones, I've deducted a star because after about 3 years of use they seem to irritate my inner ears quite a bit. I can't be certain whether its the plastic/rubber material the buds are made of or whether its the fact that I wear them very frequently (about 15 hours a week) while training and perspiring. The design, as I've mentioned, requires a rather tight fit between the earbud cone and your physical ear canal, so wearing them "loosely" isn't an option. If you have particularly sensitive ears, you might take this into consideration. If you're wondering, I clean them often with a 96% alcohol solution!

Overall: These are an excellent set of sport headphones with great sound. They are highly adjustable for a custom fit and have withstood many tortuous workouts and heavy perspiration. (They have even gone through the washing machine unscathed once or twice!) Highly recommended! A+

Note: I use these headphones with the SanDisk Sansa Clip MP3 Player

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of both worlds - Comfortably stable and great sound !, April 24, 2008

By 

J. Ward "Think First" (CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony MDR-AS40EX Active Style Headphones Earbud Style (Black) (Electronics)

I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of using the handy ear hooks (you get three sizes - S, M , L), the ear buds went in snug and comfortable (you also get three sizes), as well as the dynamic sound that filled my ears when I turn them on! Not only that, but the sound isolation takes all background noise away, so as not to deter from your listening pleasure. This beats noise cancelling because isolation rids background noise by keeping it out of the canal, whereas noise cancelling uses circuitry to counteract background noise, introducing artifacts into your audio.
I use a treadmill and bike long distances outside, and they have never budged. You put them in and they stay put. They also have a guard which prevents sweat from causing damage, which is excellent for outdoor activity, and can be easliy removed and washed. Because I ride a bike, I can pull the left earbud out of my ear, but still leave it hooked in place to hear the music, but more importantly, to hear traffic!
Bass response is deep and rich, but doesn't drown out the clarity and depth of the mids and highs. Volume level is excellent, and if you don't want to fiddle with your volume control, Koss, Shure, and others sell in-line volume controls to plug in for under $10 on Amazon.
For the price, you'll be hard pressed to find a better pair!
Have a great day.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great headphones for working out, November 6, 2008

By 

C. Olstad "JJ Jigga Johns" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony MDR-AS40EX Active Style Headphones Earbud Style (Black) (Electronics)

About a year ago, I purchased an iPod Shuffle for working out. At the time, I was doing a lot of running (I still run today, just not as far). I would often base my runs on the length of songs (today I would run the distance of 12 songs, tomorrow 18 and so on), plus music makes the time go by. The classic iPod was just too bulky.

While I normally don't mind the basic iPod earbuds, they are terrible for working out; always falling out of my ear, I end up focusing on keeping them in-place rather than my task at hand.

In the past few years I've gone though various headphones looking for something that worked well, sounded decent and stayed in place. I've read reviews of all kinds, purchased headphones that were "made for working out" but nothing came close. My search ended up costing me more than I care to calculate and I had just about given up, doomed forever to readjust the bud in my ear.

But one day, while in Target, I saw these headphones. They had the in-ear design that I like and they featured an over-the-ear clip to keep them in place. To top it off, the price was right. I figured, "why not?"

I couldn't be happier.

First, they are comfortable. While working out, I hardly notice them.
Second, they stay in place without any problems. I've been using them for a few months now and I've never once had to make any re-adjustments.
Third, I'm no audiophile, but the sound is good. I wouldn't say great, as there has to be a reason why there are $100 headphones out there. For me, they sound great.
Lastly, they have a great cord. You might think this is silly, but its a key feature for me. Many of the headphones I've used in the past had a springy cord that I couldn't stand. During runs they would would always be bouncing, hitting my chin and driving me crazy. These Sony headphones have a cord much like the iPod earbuds that just "lay" and, for whatever reason, I vastly prefer this.

My only real complaint is that the cord is a bit long. Its is so minor that it's hardly worth mentioning, but I figure someone out there would like to know.

Looking for a way to keep your headphones in your ear, these are the way to go.