Sony MDREX36V EX Earbud Headphone review (Black)

Continuing down from the Sony MDR-EX36V earpieces is a thin, black, Y cable that conjoins at an inline volume module--another surprise inclusion at this price point. Here, you'll also find a cable slider to help prevent tangles. Overall, though, the cable feels cheap and raises some serious concern for durability. In all, it measures 48 inches long and terminates in a gold-plated L-plug.

Beyond comfort, the number one reason to upgrade from stock earbuds is sound quality, and the Sony MDR-EX36V earphones certainly offer an improvement there. The first thing you'll notice is the low-end response, in that there is actually bass. In fact, these definitely tend to lean more in the bass direction, so sound is not what we'd call balanced. Mids come through with reasonable warmth, but do have a tendency to sound digitized in certain tracks. The main issue with these 'phones is the high-end: it's clear, with some detail, but almost always sounds too brittle and overly-crisp. Still, for $25, we're impressed with the overall performance from the MDR-EX36V. Also, the noise-isolating capability is a nice bonus.