Sony Clip-ons user reviews (Silver)

Pros Sharp looking design. Sound quality better than most I've tried ... very good bass response.

Cons Rattling noise in LEFT earpiece (see cause & fix below). The "behind the ear" clips definitely not designed for a HUMAN ear. What, no carry case !!!!

Summary I am currently looking to purchase a second pair of headphones to supplement my current Sony MDR-828LP earbuds ... Which are still going strong for over a few years now!

The Sony MDR-Q55SL is the third pair that I have tested in the past week (I've also tried a pair of Philips in-ear noise-canceling headphones, and a pair of Sennheiser MX-550 earbuds). The Q55SLs beat the other two hands-down for sound quality!

I also like the cool styling of the Q55SLs, as they look much like a tiny pair of expensive studio quality headphones ... image is everything!

However, as with everything else in life, there are a few drawbacks and trade-offs to these headphones:

1. I like the braided cord, because it gives added strength to the wires. However, they also make them very stiff and rough ... ever heard of "rope burns" ... well, if you tried, you could probably give yourself one with these! Maybe over time, the cords will relax and not be as stiff. The fact that there is no carry case, also adds to the cord dilemma. If you were to simply toss them in a backpack or purse, you would ultimately spend quite a few minutes untangling them when you wanted to use them. The stiffness of the cord makes that task similar to unravelling a 100' extension cord ... we all know how tedious that can get!

2. The behind-the-ear clips are just too oddly shaped for my own ears. They became very uncomfortable to ME after only a few minutes of use. Perhaps they would eventually "break-in" after repeated use, but I really don't have the patience to give it a try.

3. The rough braided cord also introduces an unpleasant noise into the left headset (The one where the two wires enter). When I first put them on, I immediately noticed that there was a "grinding/rattling" noise in the left headset, whenever I would turn my head from side-to-side. I initially thought that there was something loose and rattling around inside. Upon further troubleshooting, I found that turning my head would cause the two braided wires to rub together, and the noise was being amplified by the plastic casing of the left headphone. However, I came up with a fix ... First, make sure you wear the wire (From the left to right headphone) behind your neck ... Not in front, like I was doing at the time. Then, take the supplied rubber tie that holds both wires together, and slide it down the wires, to a position about two inches below where they enter the left headphone. This virtually eliminated the rubbing of the two wires, and thus eliminated the noise.

4. I plan to use the new headphones at work. However, I will need a pair that I can get on and off very quickly and easily. The behind-the-ear clip design of the Q55SLs does not accomplish this for me. Like I said, the design is not good for MY ears, therefore it takes some tugging and pulling on my ear to get them to fit semi-comfortably. This takes too much time, and is the MAIN reason why I will be taking these headphones back to the store and get my money back.

Otherwise, I can definitely recommend these headphones to anyone who is looking for excellent sound quality, and knows that this earpiece design will definitely work for them.

Pros Good sound

Cons Clips can annoy user after about 30 minutes

Pros Bass is well above average although not perfect, treble and midtones above average. These produce a much better and clearer sound than most mini-component systems with emphasis on the right parts.

Cons Sony's design here is pretty useless. Despite looking good, they are uncomfortable to wear and after taking 2 minutes to get these on, they slip off very easily even while sitting.

Pros Clean sound, good bass.

Cons Very bad design, headphones fall off easily. Not the most comfortable ones either.

Summary I was excited about getting this pair of heaphones after seeing some pictures and reading the specs.
However, i couldn't have been more disappointed when i had worn them for a day.
I don't see how Sony could have released these headphones when they obviously don't stay on your ears.
They take some practice to put on properly, and when done correctly they fit very loosely, maintainting minimal contact with the ears and almost falling off if the head is tilted in any direction other than forwards.
The sound and bass quality on the other hand is good, but again, the bass can not even be heard unless the volume is turned up quite high because the headphones fit so loosely.
Overall a big thumbs down.