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1. 

   Angel_Pen
   March 16th, 2010 - 06:21

   Unless you have purchased one of the very latest iPod nano 4th generation and up, this remote headset is not compatible with your iPod. Read the small print carefully before you buy, Sony does not print anything on the package to warn you, some stores add a little sticker to the box with this warning. The headset will however work as a regular headset (audio only) without the remote control on older iPods. You won’t be able to change the volume or tracks or use the microphone. Buyer beware.
   Rating: 1 / 5
2. 

   Kyle Buckley
   March 16th, 2010 - 07:27

   When you get the buds to sit in your ear just right, they sound great, but movement can jar them causing sound in one ear to become muted. Also, if the buds aren’t positioned just so, one side is bass heavy.

   It usually takes me a good 5 minutes to get them to fit in my ears so that the sound is balanced properly, but then, as I exercise or do housework, they frequently need readjusting due to balance offset caused by the cord moving as my body moves. Additionally, since the buds go deep into your ear canal, it gives the sensation of having your ears plugged. This causes you to hear friction on the cord, your heavy breathing, drinking, chewing, and swallowing.

   As far as comfort goes, they aren’t. It comes with multiple user-switchable earbuds, all different sizes. No matter if I used the large, medium, or small buds, they felt uncomfortable.

   The remote and mic work great. The controls seem to be easier to use than Apple’s stock earphones with remote. But who cares how great the remote is if the sound quality is inconsistent and the buds are uncomfortable?

   These work great if you don’t plan on moving in the slightest while listening to music, and if you don’t mind constant physical pressure in your ears.
   Rating: 1 / 5
3. 

   Anonymous
   March 16th, 2010 - 09:25

   I am not an audiophile but I do love music. From that standpoint and in the environments in which I listen to my iPod the audio quality of these headphones is fine. However, the remote does not work on my iPod classic, claims from Sony notwithstanding. I contacted Sony tech support for assistance. The first time, they told me to “Make sure the Remote Control has fully charged batteries”, that “Using the remote control too close or too far away may prevent the Infrared (IR) beam from reaching the IR sensor on the unit” and “Ensure the Remote Sensor of the device is not exposed to direct sunlight or bright florescent lights, as this can interfere with the sensors ability to receive signals from the remote control”. Hello???? Don’t know what ya’ll have been smokin’ but it must be some good stuff ‘cuz: 1) This unit does not use batteries; 2) There is no IR transmitter on the headpones; 3) There is no IR reciever on an iPod. Eventually, Sony support blamed my iPod saying I need to reset (didn’t help) and update to the lastest firmware (already installed).

   In short, the remote function does not work as advertisted. So consider these simply a $[...]+ set of headphones.
   Rating: 3 / 5
4. 

   E. Murphy
   March 16th, 2010 - 12:14

   I’ll keep it brief.

   These headphones have excellent sound quality. The soft, in-ear adapters have been redesigned and will not pop off if the bud is yanked out of the ear. If they made these two improvements to the MDR-EX51 earbuds, I would buy them in a heartbeat.

   The new headphone jack connector has had it’s rubber housing drastically reduced. I can only assume this was done to save cost, but it ends up markedly reducing the durability. It begins with the flexible end starting to fray. Then, within a few weeks, the entire housing loosens to the point where it easily slips off of the wires that it covers. For a short time, I gingerly pushed the housing back over the connector, but eventually, one of the speakers failed.

   I understand using earbuds for a year and then having one side fail; I actually expect it. However, I purchased the earbuds in June, and by September they had this issue. By mid-November, they became unusable.

   I’ve uploaded photos to the page. Please check them out.
   Rating: 2 / 5
5. 

   Random Reviewer
   March 16th, 2010 - 13:41

   I’m not going jogging with my Touch — so no worries here about sweating on these earbuds. (Seriously, if I did anything sweaty with an iPod, I’d use my old Nano and not risk my Touch!)

   Until now, the only time I used buds/headphones was for falling asleep to audiobooks. (Everything else is dock or car.) I started with sorta-comfortable Sennheiser headphones (not perfect to fall asleep in), and then used my boyfriend’s comfortable (and $100) Bose buds. Well — neither of those works with the Touch because of the jack, and I have NO idea how anybody uses stock iPod buds… they are contemptible.

   So I bought these Sonys today and tested them in a nice long nap with the Touch, using a binaural-beat app that requires sound separation via headphones/buds.

   They were more comfortable than the Bose buds. They stayed put better as well… even when I rolled over to sleep on either side, and were still firmly in place when I woke up. I switched from the binaural-beat program to some music, and frankly didn’t want to get up then because it sounded so good, I just wanted to lie there and rediscover an album I’d gotten recently.

   Volume control works fine. I haven’t tested the mic, because that feature of the Touch works comically badly for me — I ask for songs by one artist and get something completely off the wall. Someone else will have to tell you how good/bad the mic is. There’s plenty of cord length, and these come with a rubber cord-winder that adjusts cord length to whatever you need.

   The fittings (interchangeable by size) are soft rubber that, once in the ear, expand just enough and block a lot more outside noise than I expected. I thought I’d need the smallest size, based on experience with the Bose fittings, but the mediums worked fine.

   I’m crazy about these and was shocked to see them here with a measly 2 stars. I’m guessing you’ll like them if you don’t sweat like mad while using them.

   Rating: 5 / 5

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