What's in the Box
Headphones, compact case and optional earbuds.

Product Description
Sony's first closed-type Fontopia design reduces outside noise for high-intensity listening, helping to generate powerful, resonant bass response. So exercise, dance, or skate with the new MDR-EX51LP Fontopia headphones. Featuring a super-light in-the-ear design for a snug, comfortable fit inside the ear - eliminating the headband, super-small 9 mm drivers, and soft, silicon earbuds, these headphones were created to enhance your on-the-go listening. Two sizes of earbuds are also included. So move to your music with the MDR-EX51LP.

I really enjoy both headphones, but they are sonically worlds apart. The Sony headphones are a bit easier to insert and sit more comfortably in the ear than the Shures, whose cables have to be looped up and over each ear, newscaster-style. When it comes to ease of use and physical comfort, the Sonys are simply better. Sonically, it is hard to say one set of earphones is objectively better than the other. The Sonys feature a very prominent bottom end while the Shures have tighter bass response and much more mid-range clarity. I would say the Sonys have been engineered to sound "hot" (lots of bass and treble) while the Shures were designed to sound more neutral. In places where a sense of energy is more important than nuance (e.g., at the gym or out jogging) I'd recommend the Sony earphones. For longer periods of more introspective, careful listening, the Shures can't be beat.


These are the ones to get...   October 10, 2004
 272 out of 296 found this review helpful

Initially I went out to find a pair of the 71's but bought these since I couldn't find them. I was really starting to like them when I lost them. Went to buy more and lo and behold they had the new snazzy white 71's, so I got them. I was a little concerned about all stuff I read here about the cord length, and rightly so once I opened the 71's up. No idea what Sony is thinking with that pathetically short cord with the horribly long extension. The connector weighs down the cord and pulls the left earpiece out, and the whole design is just downright annoying. Exchanged them for another pair of the 51's and am pleased as punch. Also noticed that the cord for the 51's is a little stouter than the 71's which I find reassuring. Sound-wise and "tech-specs-wise" they seem identical. Here's a tip for a carrying case: get some Altoids gum in the long/skinny tin box. The box works perfectly for these headphones.


Explanation of Recent Reviews   August 10, 2005
 267 out of 279 found this review helpful

You're probably confused about the reviews you've read regarding this product. People either give these earbuds five stars, saying that they're the greatest thing since sliced bread, or one star, complaining about a cord made of jelly. And then there are the people who complain about the lack of bass, but that shouldn't be confusing at all: These people are not inserting the earbuds properly into their ear anal. You can ignore these reviews.

The confusion regarding the first two types of reviews lies in when the reviews were written. It seems (from my own experience, and that of others) that around February 2005, which I will from here on refer to as "Day X," the material of the cord was changed. I have no words to describe the digust I feel towards the new material: After a few weeks, it literally turns to mush and starts peeling off. I don't know what Sony is trying to pull, but it's unfair that so many people keep buying these earbuds after reading the good reviews, which happen to be written either before Day X, or before the disintegration starts. It's also quite annoying that those who bought the earbuds prior to Day X keep telling others to ignore the bad reviews on Amazon, as their earbuds have lasted them years. Of course they have! You bought 'em before Day X, people! Oy.

Like the others who are perfectly content, I was totally satisfied with the pair I bought prior to Day X. In fact, I almost went on Amazon to give them a five star review! After a month or two, I had an unfortunate accident involving the earbuds snapping off the cord. That had nothing to do with their quality: It was a fluke. I purchased a new pair around February, and after about a month, the wire resembled silly putty. Attributing this to my carelessness, I got a new pair. A month later, the same thing happened. I didn't have time to deal with the warranty, so I kept this up until I had wasted over $100 on earbuds. That's where I am right now, and I just don't see myself buying these things every month for the rest of my life.

I have to admit that, aside from this enormous issue, I really do love everything about these earbuds, and hence the two stars. The sound is phenominal, with enough bass to surround you in your music. They're so comfortable that once you get used to them being in your ear canal, you barely notice them at all. One cord is longer than the other, so that it can be wrapped around the back of your neck; thus, when you're not actually listening, the buds will dangle from your neck. Finally, they isolate sound amazingly well: If you're not facing someone, you probably won't know that they're talking to you. If only I didn't break my first pair of earbuds! They were made properly, and I would've been content with them for a long, long time.

I have to say that if Sony keeps this up, the horrible ratings of late will finally overpower the great reviews of the past, and once that happens, they'll no longer be able to sell this horrible material on the back of properly made earbuds. Again, I don't know what kind of scam they're trying to pull, but I'm fed up with it. I'm not going to waste $100 every six months for a $25 pair of earbuds. Not anymore, Sony.

Hopefully I've cleared up the issues for you. Do yourself a favor and, at least for now, avoid these horribly made earbuds. Let's hope that Sony clears up the problem so that we can all once again enjoy the great sound these earbuds produce, just as those who bought them a while ago are still doing.

Good luck!


I don't know, maybe I'm squeamish...   February 3, 2006
 93 out of 118 found this review helpful

I know. I'm the one who's out of touch. I see all you kids with your little headphone nugs inserted into your skulls. I tried it but I can't handle it.

I like my rock as loud as anyone. You've got to feel your music to get those endorphins flowing. In fact, I like all my music loud, from my Slam-Grass to my pre-classical Rococo. But must I submit to penetration from my electronics. If I need earbuds to actually plug in to my auditory canal in order to feel the music, then why not also attach a subwoofer to a sigmoidoscope so I can feel my viscera reverberate with the bass? Are headbands really that much of a problem? Again, I know I'm the one who's out of touch. But I gave it a try. I guess I'll give it three stars because the sound quality was fine, and I know I'm really responding to my own neuroses. By the way, have you tried Sudoku yet? You really should.



effective at sealing out noise in order to hear MUSIC   December 19, 2003
 43 out of 69 found this review helpful

1.
This Sony model MDREX51LP has the same size (9mm.)
driver (mini-speaker) as the more expensive MDREX71SL;
for people with small ear canals (which get irritated by the
larger EarBud style headphones) this less expensive one
will do the job without hurting your ears or your pocket ($).
2.
The only advantage of getting the Sony MDREX71SL is that
it has more pieces included, meaning one can attach more
stuff to the basic unit (to custom-fit the 71SL to a situation).
In case you use the 9-mm driver EarBuds only INdoors, I'd
recommend that you pass on the MDREX51LP and upgrade
to the MDREX71SL, since you have more control over your
environment indoors, and therefore can probably protect the
costlier 71SL more effectively (by being meticulous). Should
you have to subject your EarBud set to outdoor situations, I'd
say that it's more advisable to stick with the MDREX51LP, so
that you don't have to go ballistic or hysterical when it dies a
violent end. In case you intend to buy either model for a teen
(especially because their ear canals haven't fully grown yet),
I'd say it would be advisable to get TWO sets of the 51LP, so
that when s/he inevitably loses/lends/damages the first set,
you can have a backup set readily available. A second set is
also useful to cannibalize parts until you can finish drying or
finding the particular piece. The silicone rubber cushions for
each EarBud (left and right side) are what make this style a
pleasure (in combination with the smaller diameter driver);
by getting two units (double order), you ensure that your ear
will always have available this seal to pamper it.
3.
In case you ride a bicycle, skateboard, moped, or motorcycle
while using these Sony sealed EarBuds in TRAFFIC, please
increase the odds of you surviving another day by stopping.
Do-NOT combine your more-or-less naked body in trafffic w/
sealed headphones (padded studio jumbos or these kind).
The most that the driver who hits you while you bliss out with
sealed headphones will do is mutter a comment about your
idiocy. Shoppers who buy the Sony 9mm EarBuds for use in
a sane country which has a separate farmer road alongside
the superhighway can don the sealed style while navigating
the farmer road either on foot or on a vehicle that provides 0
protection against errant motor vehicles. A farmer's combine
or tractor is not likely to mow you down without you having a
fighting chance to REACT in time. Fuggetabout suing me...
4.
In case you wish/need to further reduce/eliminate unwanted
outside noise/sound/Muzak/yell-phones beyond what Sony
does for you with either of the 9mm EarBuds, I recommend
the following solution. Wear the properly-fitted Sony EarBud,
and after streamlining the audio cord (perhaps by threading
it under your shirt/blouse or down your sleeve), then ADD an
extra sound-dampening hearing protector ON TOP (over the
in-place EarBuds). The particular make and model that has
worked both indoors and out-of-doors for me (a guy with no
long hair) is the 3M "Premium Ear Muff 1440" (model 1440).
It's made in Sweden and is really durable as well as super-
COMFORTABLE. I wear the 3M 1440 while sleeping; I work
nights, and the daytime/evening humans do everthing to get
me to hear their diabolical activities while I am in the stages
of sleep approaching REM (which supposedly takes ninety
minutes to begin/arrive-at). The Sony within the 3M lets one
rrreally tune into the desired music (or audiobook/lecture). I
pity you all when WWIII (world war 3) hits in our lifetime; you
will have no recourse to either device to reduce intrusions...
5.
To those naysayers who accuse you of being "unsociable"
by wearing the Sony 9mm 'phones in order to block out any
extra sound, tell 'em "Good fences make good neighbors".