Sony MDR-EX71 In-Ear Headphones

Posted Mon Aug 8, 2005 in

I purchased my first set of Sony MDR-EX71 in-ear headphones (earbuds) in November 2003. (Yes, it really has been that long, and it is hard to believe I have blogged that long.) I sometimes have trouble sleeping or going to sleep without something “to soothe the savage beast.” A few nights ago I put them in as I prepared to go to sleep. Unfortunately, only the right side played; the left channel was dead.

I called Young Son to bring his ear-buds and check the iPod. The player worked fine.

So, my first set of EX71’s lasted almost two years. I commented on my experience with them in these entries. They see nearly daily use. That is not bad performance, considering I sleep in them most nights. They are the one set that is small enough so that they put no pressure on my ears when I lie on my side.

I was disappointed by their failure, but pleased they lasted so long. So last Wednesday Wife and I drove over to Circuit City and replaced them with a pair of MDR-EX71SL/WK earbuds, which are the white version of my previous set.

What can I say—they match my iPod.

I still claim the MDR-EX71SL is a good match for the iPod. The iPod is generally regarded as producing insufficient signal in the bass frequencies and the EX71SL earbuds are on the “bassy” side. They sound balanced to me. They also isolate outside noise well. (Plus I cannot bring myself to pay the $100 entry fee into noise-cancelling hardware.) I still recommend the EX71SL earbuds for iPod listening.