Customer Reviews

Sony MDR-G52LP Street Style Headphones with Non-Slip Design

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These headphones are nice, they go around the back of your head (instead of over the top like traditional headphones). There aren't any adjustable parts, so there is no place to catch hair (a problem with my old headphones). I think they sound and look nice. The only slight drawback is they have a part that fits behind your ear, making them difficult (but not impossible) to wear with glasses.

This is a great sounding, excellent fitting, durable pair of headphones. Which is why when the foam that surrounds the earpieces wore off I looked around for a replacement. From Sony those little foam pads cost 15.95 A PIECE... Did I also mention that you have to pay 6.95 in shipping? Ridiculeous...They have not heard the last of me ;-)

Although these headphones are not perfect they are pretty close and this is considering that they are only $.... I bought these dispite the reviews saying that these hurt your ears alot. When I recieved them I used them for about 4 hours on a trip to Connecticutand I didn't have any problems with them hurting my ears and i have a fairly large head. The styling on these is also very good because they go behind your head instead of on top like traditional headphones. Although these are not to the quality of studio headphones, they are a great value and I would reccomend them to anyone who needs a good pair of portable headphones.

I bought these headphones because the earbud style 'phones were very difficult to use - they become dislodged, get completely soaked with sweat, irritate my ear canals, etc. I needed something that fit against the outside of my ear and this fits the bill perfectly. Not only do they fit comfortably and stay in place while I'm running, but the more open design allows me to hear the surrounding noises much better than with the earbuds.
I can't comment critically on the sound quality, because the only time I use these is when I'm running, so the sound is more or less present or absent. If you're after very high-quality sound, these may not be right, but if you're after phones that will stay in place while you're active, these are great.

I have these and I dont wear them much. They sound like the headphones that come with cd players, and thats not good. Also these hurt after wearing them for awhile, and they REALLY HURT WHEN YOU WEAR GLASSES, and I wear glasses. The only good thing is they look cool. Dont buy these, buy somethng that goes in your ear.

I cannot understand why so many people dislike these headphones, I have two pairs and my first one from six or more years ago is STILL working like new. I wear these headphones all day practically and they don't bother me. I can even sleep in these. The sound quality is pretty good, especially for how inexpensive these headphones are, especially if they're just tagging along with other Sony products. I realize it seems weird that I have two pairs of these headphones, but at the time my first pair's foam pads were worn thin and tearing I needed to replace them somehow. Either with new pads or just with another pair of headphones. I kind of did both, I couldn't get replacements in stores and the Sony company charges outrageous prices for new foam pads. What you can do though to keep using these wonderful headphones is purchase the foam pads on Ebay or other auction/online purchasing site, whch I did a couple years after getting the second pair of headphones. Even with overseas shipping that I paid for some pads coming from China, I paid less than $15 for several new pairs of foam pads and I haven't had to purchase any more yet. Again, these are quite comfortable for me. I can exercise in them without problems and I never worry about them falling off thanks to the design. And to anyone who does not like or does not want those little extra behind-the-ear hooks, you can easily rip them out with pliers or something without damaging the headphones. That's what I did when the hooks ended up eventually breaking from wear and tear. Sound quality wise I hear the bass and treble very nicely and I'm so pleased that there isn't any tin-like quality that I've heard in other people's headphones. Still great headphones to me and I anticipate using both these pairs for years more to come.

I have to buy a new pair every 6 months. I like these headphones for the fact that there cheap and sound decent. Its true these do cause your ears to hurt if you wear them to long, and if you fall alseep with them on, forget it. The one time I did it, I had pain in my ears the whole next day. And as I said befor I have to buy these often from poor design, this time I am going to spend the extra money and get a good pair that will last a couple years instead of spending the same amount of money replacing these.

I bought these headphones to make running with my ipod a little easier. (ipod in fannypack carrier is really nice and easy to run with) Phones do not fit my head and, consequently bounce around and the sound level is not very good requiring the volume to be turned way up when compaired to the ipod earbuds. Not a good solution for runners.

I consider myself something of an expert on Sony's MDR-G52LP Street Style headphones since I've gone through four of them. That's part of the joy of inexpensive headphones, that they're like pencils - you use one until it's worn down, then you go get another.

There are joyful elements to the G52s, namely the use of Sony's tried-and-true 30mm drivers, here again providing a reasonably well-balanced performance with adequate bass inexpensively. High frequencies are slightly dulled, but it's still better overall than anything from competitors in it's price range, and a huge improvement over the cheap units included in-box with portables.

But then comes the wearing down. Across many reviews, the chief complaint against the behind-the-head design in general is pinching of the ears. Despite the headphones being a comfortable fit otherwise, the ear-rests, which sit on the ear like glasses, somehow always manage to tweak the top of the ear. I used the G52s for many months hoping that either the headphones or my ears would eventually yield, to no avail; even to this day, putting on a pair of Street Style headphones is an irritating experience.

Should you choose to grin and bear it over the long-term, the foam padding covering the drivers will begin to crumble roughly a year out. Having the foam start to fail after a long while on headphones isn't too uncommon or such a big deal, but in this instance, it literally *crumbles*. You won't have much Street Style when you take off your headphones and it looks like topsoil is coming out of your ears.

In the end, the G52s are just a bit too much style over substance. Judging by the somber reviews of the new generation of Street Style headphones, plus the fact that the portable revolution is being heard through earbuds, the design is most likely headed for extinction. There'll always be a place in the future for Sony's venerable 30mm driver, it just won't be behind the ear.

Sony is definitely trendy and known for its quality products and this is a quality product but only for a short time. After a while you are going to run into problems. Whether that be the sound cutting in and out or the earmuffs deteroirating. If you don't mind spending 20 dollars on headphones every six months I guess you should go with this product if you are like me who is looking for a headphone set that you can use today, a year from now, and can use it not just for portable devices (i.e. your computer) - then pass on these.