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Sony MDR-EX81LP Bud-Style Stereo Earphones (White) | 
 enlarge | Brand: Sony
Category: CE
List Price: $49.99
Buy Refurbished: $17.88
You Save: $32.11 (64%)
New (2) from $40.33
Avg. Customer Rating:  241 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 4 x 2 x 10
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: MDREX81LP/W
Model: MDREX81LP/W
UPC: 027242651333
EAN: 0027242651333
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Closed type earphone structure delivers deep bass sound | | • | Elastomer hanger gives a snug, comfortable fit around your ears | | • | Soft, silicone rubber earbuds for a stable, comfortable fit | | • | Unique, aluminum shaft for lightweight stability | | • | Neodymium magnets (360 kJ/m3) for powerful bass and clear treble sounds |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Stylish and comfortable, the MDREX81LP/W Stereo Headphones are Sony's premier lateral in-the-ear headphones. Designed to reduce outside noise for high-intensity listening, helping to generate powerful, resonant bass response. Work or play with the MDREX81LP/W Stereo 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 Ear buds, these headphones were created to enhance your on-the-go listening. Two sized of ear buds are also included. For music on the go - go with Sony's Stereo Headphones. Carrying Pouch Supplied with Ear Pieces (small, medium, and large 2x) and Earphone Holder Weight - 10 gram Color - White Audio Sensitivity - 100dB/mW Audio Impedance - 16 ohms Audio Frequency Response - 5-23,000Hz Type - Closed, Dynamic Driver Unit - 9 mm Diaphragm - PET Magnet - Neodymium (400kJ/m3) Cord - OFC neck chain, 1.2m Plug - L shaped stereo mini plug (Gold) Power Handling Capacity - 100mW (IEC)
Amazon.com Product Description
Audiophiles who demand great sound quality but need something smaller than DJ headphones will appreciate the Sony MDR-EX81LP Bud-Style Stereo Earphones. With nine millimeter diameter driver units and PET (generic mylar) diaphragms, your music will sound loud, clear and rich. The MDR-EX81LP driver units reproduce surprisingly clear recorded sounds at a wide frequency range (5-23,000 Hz). These substantial, compact earphones also feature neodymium magnets for greater power handling and higher frequencies. Five times more powerful than standard earphone ferrite magnets of the same size, these neodymium magnets mean that the MDR-EX81LP Bud-Style Stereo Earphones maximize energy, while keeping size to a minimum. With these advanced technological features, the MDR-EX81LP provides great sound in a tiny package. The Sony MDR-EX81LP Bud-Style Stereo Earphones' earbud design was built for the audiophile on the go. Made of Elastomer, the hanger fits around your lobes for a snug fit. Sony has not scrimped on comfort, designing the earbuds with soft silicone for a stable and comfortable fit for your ears. Also, Sony has used a lightweight, aluminum shaft throughout the earphone for even more stability. These features allow you to listen to clear, robust sound while you're at the gym, the ballpark, or any time you're on the move. What's in the Box
Sony MDR-EX81LP Bud-Style Stereo Headphones, earphone holder, carrying case, and small, medium, and large ear pieces.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 236 more reviews...
 The Best Earbuds March 29, 2005
139 out of 143 found this review helpful
I've had Sony's MDR-EX51LP and MDR-EX71SL Fontopia headphones, and this are decisively better. The 52LP's at around $27 are still the best option for someone on a budget, but I'm very happy with the extra ten I paid for these. The sound quality is VERY similar to what you get from the 71SLs (which is lower bass than the 51s, but much more clarity), but the earhook design of these 81LPs overcomes a MAJOR design flaw of its forebearers. I've had a huge problem with the earbud coverings flying off into oblivion when the plug was pulled out on the othermodels, rending the unit unuseable until I found the extra buds (infuriating when they're in another state).
The earhooks on this one ensure that won't be a problem and are thus infinitely better for use at the gym and elsewhere. Of course the sound quality and clarity on all of these is excellent and although you won't get any directional audio, the plug design locks out surrounding sound like a champ, fuctioning just as well or better than any noise-cancelling headphones in this price range.
 Nice Headphones June 28, 2005
85 out of 86 found this review helpful
These headphones offer good portability, comfort, and good sound at an affordable price. The bass and treble are slightly muddy but all the sounds are there (I am comparing them to a pair of Grado SR80's). In addition, the bass is clearly enhanced with the EX81's but not as exaggerated as other Sony "DJ style" headphones.
I am a 5'7" male with normal sized (and shaped) ears. They fit my ears perfectly with the medium buds. They do a good job of blocking out ambient noise but outside sounds can still be heard.
I bought these earphones to go with my Sandisk mp3 player. I really enjoy using them "on the go". They are easy to put in my pocket and roll out when needed. One caveat to those who want to use these for jogging. The cord has kind of a "stethoscope" effect whereby the sounds are transmitted from the cord directly into your ears. This can be very annoying. It is because of this I would not recommend these for joggers (stationary bike - yes, joggers - no).
** Addendum **
I paid around $50 for my EX81LP's around Feb 2005 due to the fact that it was only available in Japan at that time (bought from Ebay). I cannot confirm this, but it is possible the EX81LP's now available in the US offer a hard egg shaped carry case which would in essence render previous comments discussing the soft cloth carry case useless. By the way, I find the soft cloth carry case to be useful although it does not offer much in the way of protection.
The EX81LP I purchased is black. I noticed many people complaining of their white EX81's cords "dissolving". I have had my headphones for 4 months now and my cords are fine. I have not seen any complaints regarding the black EX81's cords dissolving.
Many people complaining of tinny distant sound music. It is necessary to pull the ears back (or up) and then insert the earbuds inside the ear canal to get the best response. If you don't place the buds inside the ears you won't hear anything. This has been a common complaint regarding "canal" type earphones.
I would recommend these headphones to a friend.
Awesome Earbuds! March 30, 2005
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
After trying several different kinds of earbuds, I decided to go ahead and give these a shot. They are noticeably better than any other earbuds I have tried (sennheiser, koss & panasonic). They have good bass and excellent clarity. I use these at the gym and they fit very comfortably and don't move. They also work really well for running. I would recommend these to any MP3 owner.
Good Headphones October 5, 2005
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
These are good headphones. There are a couple of things that should be mentioned.
First off, I bought these headphones to walk around my college with, as they would not fall out during longish walks (up to about 25 minutes from my dorm to class with a major road [which is loud]) because I don't like earbuds, as they fall out.
1) Size: The earbuds are great sizes. For my ear canals, either the middle-sized ones or the small ones will work (I actually haven't even tried the large ones...), so I effectively have two pairs of earbuds, in case one of them breaks/deteriorates/whatever. However, the over the ear thing is ALMOST (but not quite) too big for me. I have slightly larger than average ears (I'm 6'2", with kind of large ears, but not very large). This clip is great, because I can tug on it all I want, and the earphones won't fall out. (I have oddly shaped ears, so the little flap below the ear canal doesn't stick up, but rather out, so normally earbuds will never stay on me. These do, though, because of the clip. Great!)
2) Good sound... kind of... The bass is good. The treble is good. Basically, they sounded really good. But, the treble did kind of weird things. There's a more pronounced hiss with these phones than with my last phones (Sony MDR-Q22LP open air phones). This kind of bugged me at first, but I'll get used to it, and it's a worthy sacrifice, because the sound is good other than it.
VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE:
I am now returning these headphones to amazon.com. The sound, while impressive in it's treble and bass heaviness at first, is unbearable after awhile. What happened was that I discovered that in fact, there's no middle sounds at all. A usually warm classical passage now sounds harsh and substanceless (the bass is used to cover up the lack of substance in the headphones). Rock and other stuff actually still can sound pretty good, but classical music is horrid. Violins are painfully unbearable. Drums that are not boom boom drums (like bass drums) have no body whatsoever (e.g. snare drums sound like the snare part [the little metal chains of beads on the bottom] without any of the drum part). I like the warm sound produced by, say, larger speakers that resonate well. These do not do that at all. My other headphones do this very well with this warm sound, but these headphones just sound... cheap. However, if you're into rock or rap (or basically nothing legado like certain types of classical music), you'll probably be okay with these, but I hate them (because I love classical music and the warm sound that larger drivers produce).
3) Sound- Blocking. This works, but not as well as one might think. Earplugs do a better job of blocking out sound. However, the sound blocking is good.
UPDATE
If you do strenuous activity, you can hear your heart beat, which is kind of annoying. Also, they shift when you walk/jog/whatever, and you can sometimes hear that.
4) Volume. I figured that a pair of headphones like these would have a better volume output than my last headphones. They do, but not by much. This, however, doesn't bug me, because I am fine playing my mp3 player (a Creative Zen Xtra) at 11 volume level (25 being the loudest).
5) Durability. The cord doesn't feel that durable. (I have the white version) It's odd; they feel kind of chalk-like. I haven't had the headphones for a long time, so I can't comment on how durable they actually are. That the cords don't feel durable doesn't bother me too much, as I'll just cover up any holes with electrical tape. As a whole, the headphones feel cheaper than I thought they would, but this is actually a good thing, because they are lighter due to this.
Summary: I like these, and would recommend these to anyone with normal to large sized ears for whom the normal ear buds fall out all of the time (my last pair of canal phones Koss's "The Plug." They would not stay in for more than 10 seconds). If you have smaller ears, I would recommend the other fontopias. I haven't tried them, but they look like pretty much the same thing except without the hook thing. These headphones are not perfect, but are pretty much the best that anyone can expect of a pair of 30 dollar headphones. I am satisfied and happy with them, but they are not the answer to all of my dreams.
UPDATE: I would still recommend these to some. Read the other updates above. I would lower my review to 3 stars if I could.
 DONT BUY. The rubber will disintegrate after 3 months June 17, 2006
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
It has been stated over and over again. These headphones are great for the first couple months (this accounts for the great reviews) but the rubber around the wire WILL start to come off right after your 3 month warranty runs out. Its strange but true.
Once again, RUBBER DISINTEGRATES AFTER 3 MONTHS.
Read the reviews...it happens on both white and black. I have the black. The rubber is broke in 6 different spots and sticky. Unfortunately, Sony is not putting out a "support alert" on this product because they have not received enough calls on it from owners that have had this fail *within the 3 month warranty period*.
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