Sony MDR-EX55LP High Performance user reviews (Blue)

Pros Solid construction, deep controlled bass, clarity throughout the entire audio spectrum, comfortable, decent sound isolation, great price.

Cons Mids could be (much) warmer, there is too "much" around the 2-3KHz range, which can make these phones a chore to listen to, due to some songs sounding slightly shrill, can be fixed with EQ. Highs could use more detail.

Summary Purchased a refurbished pair of these 'phones for $9.99, which made great financial sense to me to replace my aged MDR-EX71s. To be completely frank, these didn't too far off from the EX71s I was using before, only evident difference was a slight crimp in the depth of bass. The construction of the buds felt much sturdier than the flexible EX71s. Overall, I was impressed with the clarity of the sound, although mid range was definitely lacking in warmth and depth. Highs could use more detail, but other than that, I have no complains. The noise isolation is great, so I'm not too sure why some individuals label the EX55s as having ho-hum isolation. The cord gets tangled VERY easily, which can become extremely annoying, since it's such a thin cable, but with a bit of patience, it's all good! I plan on using these for quite some time, as I did with my EX71s. Don't know why so many people question the reliability of Sony earbuds, I have yet to have any Sony earbuds break on me, and my earbuds consist of Sony and Sony only, and have always consisted of Sony only. For $9.99, I'm more than satisfied.

Pros look cool? fairly comfortable?

Cons A downgrade from the stock i-pod buds. Ugh. The specs on the box looked good but they have no bass at all. Mega treble. "Shrill" is the best way to describe the sound. Worse at higher volume. Painful to listen to.

Summary I bought 2 pairs at $40 each from ... Circuit City and now I can't take them back. I am not exaggerating when I say I will probably just throw them away. Very suprised that Sony put their name on this product ... and these are their "high performance" earbuds not their cheapest.

Pros It is good looking.

Cons The bass is overdone, not clear, overpriced, worse sound clarity than those that come with the iPod, somewhat uncomfortable L-shaped cable design, and easily breakable according to others.

Summary Sure, these headphones LOOK cool, but looks can be deceiving. These headphones have terrible sound quality for their price, and has that weird L-shaped cable design, which puts the cable behind your neck. Should the cable touch your neck, it is very chilly. You can easily buy a pair of $15 Skullcandies and be happy with that. If you want to get more bang for your buck, and yes, this is coming from an iPod owner, buy the Premium Zune headphones V2. They have much better sound quality than this piece of junk.