Sony MDR-EX71SLA Fontopia Bud-Style Headphones with Case (White)

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 10 x 6 inches ; 3.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000JKHXPQ
• Item model number: MDREX71SLA/W
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (246 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Color: White

Fontopia® Headphones in-the-ear design --- fits snugly, yet comfortably inside the ear; eliminates the headband so you can enjoy music while exercising, skating or dancing Sony's first closed-type Fontopia design --- reduces outside noise for high-intensity listening; helps generate powerful, resonant bass response New, super-small 9 mm drivers --- are a key enabling technology; ultra-compact drivers produce powerful sound with space left over for the sonic isolation of Sony's newly-designed silicon earbuds

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Weird - A Lot Wonderful, June 5, 2007

By 

Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sony MDR-EX71SLA Fontopia Bud-Style Headphones with Case (Black) (Electronics)

SOUND: These exist to reproduce sound. They give nice crisp highs and manage the bass so well I had to change my equalization profile. I've not heard better ear buds. The only headphones I've had that sounded better were full-sized, ear-enclosing models that cost upwards of $100.

ERGONOMICS: These fit my ears quite comfortably. They also function as earplugs when I sleep ... earplugs that play music!

CABLE: Here's the weird part - instead of a normal "Y" between ears, Sony felt compelled to make one side about 4" long and the other about a foot long. It's a little annoying, but I got used to it. The extension cable is a little bizarre, too. Excess length can be wrapped around the iPod, so it's not a problem.

CABLE ROT: I've don't remember how long I've had these. I wear them when walking and when sleeping. It's been months. No problems at all with cable deterioration.

When I bought these they were considerably more than they sell for now. If they wear out or break, I'll buy another pair. I feel I got my money's worth. Now they're a real bargain.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wire goes across the ****BACK**** of your neck!!!, October 11, 2007

By 

Raja Jaja "Purveyor of Fine Cheese" (Natick, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony MDR-EX71SLA Fontopia Bud-Style Headphones with Case (Black) (Electronics)

Sorry for the outburst, but so many of these reviews complain about the asymmetric wire or how the left ear bud pulls out while jogging. Unlike symmetric ear buds, these are designed to drape the right ear bud chord across the BACK of your neck. This configuration takes almost all the weight of the chord off the earbuds, a distinct advantage over typical symmetric-chorded ear buds. Also, if you pull your earbuds out for a moment, they will hang naturally from your neck and stay there rather than forcing you to carry them in your hands -- as you'd have to do with a front-chorded style of wear.

The short cable length is ideal for me. As some note, wearing your MP3 player on your belt would force you to use the included extension chord, which would be a bit clumsy. But if you wear your MP3 player on your upper arm or on a lanyard around your neck, the short length is absolutely ideal.

As far as sound quality goes, good sound overall, a bit weak in the bass department. Non-ported buds tend to be weak in bass. If you want better bass, tune your EQ or go with an ear bud that is ported (has an open hole). Ported buds won't reduce outside noise as much, but in addition to potentially better bass, you probably won't hear the chord noise as much. Personally, for a do-everything pair of earbuds, these are perfect for me.

One downside of the asymmetric chord is that the chord will make it harder to wear your MP3 player on your right arm (the chord will drape towards the left). So if you like to wear your MP3 player on your left arm (like me) or on a neck lanyard, these are a great set of headphones.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Comfortable and Perfect for New iPod Shuffle!, November 29, 2006

By 

Holly (Portsmouth, VA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony MDR-EX71SLA Fontopia Bud-Style Headphones with Case (Black) (Electronics)

The design and price of these earphones may not be ideal for every person or every device, but it suits my needs almost perfectly. Here's the lowdown:

The headset itself has a very short cord, only 22.5 inches from jack to left earbud. Another 21 inches of cord passes from the left earbud, behind the neck, to the right earbud. This short length lets me clip my iPod shuffle to my shirt collar with very little extra cord. The extra 2.5 feet of extension cord will let me put my iPod into my front pants pocket, should I need to. Very versatile.

I have very small ear openings, so any hard-plastic earbuds, no matter how well molded, make my ears ache horribly within 30 minutes. The silicone gaskets come in three different sizes, and the small buds fit my ears perfectly. I have worn these headphones for hours with perfect comfort.

I'm no audiophile, but the sound quality seems to be most adequate, with clear treble and palpable bass. They're noticeably quieter than their hard plastic counterparts; that is, there is less sound amplification, meaning I have to increase my volume when I wear these. The gaskets do a great job of keeping out external sounds; the unfortunate (but acceptable, to me) downside is increased "body" noise. Not the earphones you want to wear if you're eating something crunchy or breathing very heavily (although I've worn these jogging without being bothered by my own breathing).

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