Customer Reviews

Sony MDREX36V/BLK EX Earbud Headphone (Black)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

The Sony MDREX36V are a pair of passive noise isolating earphones. What this means is that a seal is created within the ear canal, to keep a reasonable amount of ambient noise out. The main advantage of using earphones to do this instead of full-size noise canceling headphones is that active noise cancellation introduces artifacts into the music, degrading sound quality.

The 36V's come with small, medium, and large size tips of the famous Sony hybrids, a comfortable alternative to harder ear tips. It's easy to get the tips on and off, which is a good thing, since it's necessary to try out all of them; until you find the best fit for your ears, sound quality and/or isolation will suffer. Included also is a small draw-string pouch that's just big enough to put the earphones in, a welcome addition at this price point.

With the in-line volume control, you can adjust the volume on the cord without changing settings on your computer or media player. And because earphones like these are relatively close to your ear drums, unlike open-air headphones or speakers, it's necessary to get into a habit of LOWERING THE VOLUME, for your own hearing safety. I feel the need to emphasize this: passive isolation is theoretically safer than using ear buds or open-air headphones because you don't need to drown out outside noise, but only if you keep volume levels reasonable. Cable noise can be a problem unless you wear them over the ear. The left ear bud has a small dot, which makes it possible to distinguish left from right in the dark.

After a month and a half of listening to these earphones, I finally found a short, sweet way to sum up their strengths: they sound good with pop, rap, and folk and not so good with everything else. These phones make my synthpop more engaging, giving the bass a clean, enjoyable sound that isn't fatiguing, and to my ears poppy vocals are clear. Rap and folk benefit in the same ways from the presence of the bass line. However, with rock and metal and all their subgenres, the bass and mids are noticeably muddy, and the mids particularly lack detail. What this means for most people is that guitars and vocals will lose out big time on rock and metal. Still, for the price, they're quite fun. I'd recommend them to someone coming from bass-light phones who wants to get a feel for what they're missing, or if you only listen to the genres I mentioned. If you're looking for something that sounds good across a number of musical styles, or that has detail across the frequency spectrum, then these aren't for you.

These Sony earbud headphones are well-designed for comfort. I recommend them, especially if you're looking for an iPod headphone alternative.

I have been able to hear my music for how it was supposed to be heard for the first time in a long time. These are definitely the best headphones for the price, and if, like me, switching from an iPod headphone, you will definitely notice exceptionally clear quality. As it says on its box, the headphones offer "clear and rich sound with deep bass".

Usually I am used to turning up the volume and losing mass amounts of quality, but even when I max out the volume the sound is very clear through these headphones.

The headphones are very comfortable. I have worn them for hours in a row before and my ears don't feel uncomfortable as they have with other headphones.

I have seen headphones priced around $60-70 that do not offer the range of these headphones (6-23000 Hz). Definitely well worth the money.

Absurdly good sound quality and frequency response. Very comfortable. You couldn't ask for better quality for the money. I would recommend these to anybody.

To give you an idea how good these are, I once tried a pair of older/cheaper Sony earbuds some years ago, and the sound was so terrible I sent them back and swore off earbuds forever. I've been using the Sony MDR-J20 h.ear Stereo Headphones (White) behind-the-ear headphones since then, and have been greatly spoiled for any other sub-$100 earphones by the bass and fidelity of their great neodymium drivers. They can be obtrusive and frustrating to wear however, so against my better judgment I decided to give these a try today. I was nervous about wasting my time and money, but my fears were proven to be for naught the second I started playing the first song. They trounced my old J20s in bass, treble, comfort and overall design. A truly great product at a great price. Easy 5 stars.

Well I recieved a pair of these for Christmas and they were initially great. The sound was clear there was limited bass but the comfort made up for it, also they arnt very expensive. probelms came about 3 weeks after I began useing them the right headphone just stopped working I was literally lying on a couch and the sound just stopped. I figured it was a defect so I bought a new pair a couple days later. This pair lasted longer than 3 weeks it lasted 4 weeks before same thing happened. I was very upset with the quality of Sony earbuds and would not suggest these to anyone unless they like buying new headphones. I am going back to philips headphones which always seems to last a long time.

Many reviewers have complained about the fragility of these earbuds. I can't imagine what farm equipment or drunken frat parties they have put theirs through, but I just can't kill mine.

I was inspired to review them after I rolled over them with my office chair yet another time(just a few minutes ago). They have also survived many instances of being ripped out of my ears when I stand up, being closed in car doors, being stepped on, and being stretched to the breaking point when I lean back and the cord is caught on something. These things are tough. I have had them for over a year and they look like new.

Oh, yes. They sound great too!

I travel on planes way too much, and I seem to collect all sorts of headphone contraptions. I have various types, brands, and shapes. All are obviously a compromise of one sort or another, be it cost, build quality, sound quality, durability, etc. Like many other folks, I've tried all sorts of brands, and I've mostly ended up using a couple of different Sennheiser units... I travel with an over the ear noise canceling (expensive) headphone, and my usual favorite, a pair of their overpriced earbuds, that have been my go to earbuds for a couple of years. I'm a closet wannabee audiophile, and I actually do like clear sound and wide dynamic range. Most earbuds are not great at wide range sound reproduction. I've also never really had a taste for Sony products in general, although there are some here and there that I've found decent.

In between, I've dabbled with many brands and types, when I usually have a senior moment and forget one or the other Sennheisers. I recently tried these Sony's and frankly, I totally amazed at how good they are. Their sound is rich and dynamic. Their is ample bass, and even decent midrange. The high end is not as painful as many earbuds tend to be either. I also like their construction, especially the wire coating that helps in them not getting tangled (the overpriced Sennheisers, while they sound awesome, are always somehow getting tied into a knot, with their sticky, slimy wires)

These Sony's aren't the best noise cancelers (many earbuds are pretty good at that, simply because they seal your ear canal), but that's not their intent. Nonetheless, for the decent price they are offered at, I'm very impressed.

This, people is a bargain. if you have 30 dollars, throw the ipod headphones away because these are the replacment anyone with a reapect for good sound will want. These headphones offer what a pair about to break the 100's range would. the ear pieces are changeable and fit great, they seal noise from outside the ear canal, which naturally enhances the base. It's hard to say what they sound like other than expensive. excellent fidelity. every detail is present in every song, and its there in balance, so nothing is overpowering, underemphasized, and there is no distortion. and they are Very loud. i like that the headphone plug is so small, it works good with the new paper thin ipod nano.

I liked these earbuds a lot until the left one went out for no apparent reason in 6 months from purchase. I have treated them with care. There is no wire fraying. The sound doesn't come back if I mess with the wire. The limited warranty for this product is 90 days.

Huge Upgrade over my Skull candy Ink'd earbuds. Really deep bass for such a small driver and the high's and lows sound great. Of course any dynamic driver needs a "burn in" time. After 8 or so hours of use you should hear an even better improved sound.

Pros:
- Sound is fantastic
- Very comfortable. 3 sizes of ear pieces come with it
- Volume Control on Cord
- Cord slider to avoid tangling
Cons:
- Cord seems kind of thin and flimsy. Hope it does not break over time

Overall a 5 star product. Sound is phenominal for the money

Bought these as a replacement for my old run-of-the-mill Creative buds of similar price. They are comfortable in the ear, stay in when I run, and produce good, rich sound. The frequency range of these buds (6-23kHz) is greater than that of comparable buds (notably Skullcandy buds which I was also considering), this is especially appreciable in the lows - these buds really put out good bass. Only drawback is the quality/craftsmanship of the cords, they are thin and feel a little cheap.