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"Clear sound, marred by bizarre folding" on by paul613
Pros: clear mids, highs, and lows; efficient; folds smaller than any closed phone
Cons: requires too much time to fold and unfold; isolation could be better
Summary: For the best review of these phones, see http://www.audiotstation.com/forum/showthread.php?p=346909
I own four folding closed phones: The Sony MD-710LP; AKG K27i; AKG K81 DJ; and Audio-Technica ATH-F55. Of the models I own, the Sony ranks a close second for overall clarity (behind the K81); second in efficiency (behind the K27i); first in small size, clarity of treble, and presence (that "live" sound). Bass is surprisingly good and clear for such a small phone. Mids are very present, terrific for vocals. However, the highs are a bit sharp and fatiguing, a trait that can probably be fixed by tweaking the equalization.
Unfortunately, in setting out to design the world's smallest closed folders, Sony's engineers created a contortionist design that requires more than a minute of wrestling to unfold, and forever and a day to fold. The headband appears to be sprung steel; it twists as soon as it's unsupported. The double-articulated arms can best be thought of as an elbow and a wrist; you literally must rotate two joints on each side. Because the sprung headband fights you as you fold, the "elbow" (the joint farther from the earcups) feels as though it's going to break. Even if you wanted to, you can't store the 710LP semifolded; the headband will twist like a pretzel, defying any attempt to store the phone in a slim profile.
Happily, it's fairly easy to achieve a decent seal. The seal works better at keeping your sound "in" that keeping the world "out." Even so, my cubicle neighbor can hear them from four feet away when I crank it up. Not so with my other three phones.
Those interested in low-cost, clear-sounding closed folders should also consider the Philips HP460 (HP-460), the Audio-Technica ATH-FC7 (sold as the Creative HQ1700 in Europe), and the Sennheiser PX200. All these models are discussed at length in the headphone forums of http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=2 .
In summary: Get the Sony if you need a closed phone, value maximum clarity in the smallest possible size, and don't plan to use the phone often. For everyday use, where convenience matters, there are better choices. If small size matters, go for the FC7, PX200, or K26p/K27i. If killer sound is paramount, you want the K81 DJ. -
"Compared to the AKG K26P's, these Sony's don't stand up, especially for their price." on by fox-orian
Pros: Metal hinges are nice, they feel quality and durable. Neutral design. The included case is nice, but it is rather comparable to a vending machine plastic egg.
Cons: The sound quality can be downright disappointing, output full of resonances, distortion, and uneven frequency distribution. Folding mechanics can be awkward, if not due to an over-tense headband.
Summary: I owned these headphones for a week before returning them out of sheer disappointment. I dropped $60 for them at a local Iris, and for the days I used them, I could not convince myself that my 60 hard-earned dollars went to good use. Over these headphones, delicate piano notes would vibrate and shriek. Songs with rich depth (such as Sigur Ros's "Hoppipolla") lost much of their resolution and became a distorted mess, not to mention losing the whole "rich" feeling. At the 75+% volume end, the music is understandable, but expect to grimace every now and then over the drivers failures to produce clean sound. The bass output was good, but far overpowered by the intense midranges, where most of the distortions occur due to a closed-back design without any careful engineering. If you're looking to upgrade from stock earbuds that came with your player, the MDR-710LP may not be any better than those buds outside of some enhanced bass.
Outside of the let-down sound, the design is a bit of a redeeming quality. They are very neutral -- not over elaborate to the point they seem dorky, and not totally plain that they seem like a $10 bargain brand. The folding mechanics can be annoying to perform, especially if your friend is attempting it while borrowing them for a day. At least the hinges are fully metal, giving you some assurance they won't snap in half during the twisting and turning. The headband can be extremely tense. When extended to wearing-size, the band can force the headphones to curl up into a loop, which can be annoying if you like to disarm them around your neck when not in use. The tension at least keeps them pretty well planted on your ears, but don't expect long-lasting comfort.
So, the Sony MDR-710LP's lacking in sound quality, and having a "mentionable" design, why spend $45 to $65 for them? I suppose the only reason could be if your only option IS to buy Sony brand products. But if you have a choice, I would like to recommend to you the AKG K26P headphones. The K26P's are the same size as the MDR-710's, bode a slightly more stylish retro design, much more intuitive folding mechanics, half the price, and most importantly sound almost as good as $100 open-back headphones. The K26P's have incredibly tight bass followed by incredibly balanced midranges and highs. Your ears and your wallet would thank you, and you would feel like your old stock earbuds really were unnecessary. -
"Great Headphones" on by darkside2205
Pros: Compact and easy to carry around, comes in a durable case. The headphones themselves are also extremely durable. Best sound quality you'll get unless you wanna buy an overpriced pair of bose, but even then all you're really extra from bose is the noise ca
Cons: kind of pricy if you don't really care for bad-ass sound. You can get decent 10 dollar headphones, but if you're an audiophile you'll definitely want these.
Summary: Great pair of headphones, no real drawbacks
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"Great sound for small, compact and inexpensive phones" on by joshg5454
Pros: Sound quality: clear highs, deep bass
Size: Amazingly small, folds to the size of your palm
Price: Sounds way better than more expensive headphones
Comfort: Lightweight, barely feels like it's onCons: Durability: Very flimsy so seems like it could have issues
Comfort: Ear pieces are very comfortable but loose and overhead strap it exposed metal
Style: For such compact headphones it's unfortunate that they stick out so far to the sides on your headSummary: I've only had these headphones for a few days, but very impressed and feel like I got way more than I expected. If you're looking for portable, comfortable, good sounding and seriously inexpensive headphones then these are for you. Real sound snobs will have issues, but for this price I am amazed at the sound - it's above and beyond most more expensive headphones I've tried. Folding up to fit in the palm of your hand, they're the most portable over-ear headphones I've ever seen. My only issue with them is that they oddly stick out on the side of your head. Regardless, they're so inexpensive, sound fantastic, are comfortable and super portable - I completely recommend.
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"good sound quality" on by Fenom23
Pros: good sound quality
Cons: they were very tight straight out of the box, they really hurt your ears, but then i bent them the other way for a minute of so until they loosened up, then it's fine, not sure how well they'll fold back in, but i don't really care about folding it
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