Sony MDR-EX71SLB Fontopia Headphones - Black

However I got a hell of a lot more. These are some of the best sounding headphones I have had the pleasure of using. The treble is clear the middle is spot on and the bass is rich and deep especially for such small phones.

Another fantastic feature is that as they are inserted deeply into the ear (actually very, very comfortable) they do an excellent job of reducing outside noise so you don't need to set the volume to full (I never have it above 8). And you wont be embarrassed on the train, as others cannot hear your music.

These are perfect for anyone who wants something the sounds great, are secure, comfortable and discreet. In short these are some of the best earphones around.


Take the advice...   December 17, 2003
Simon J. Whight (Manchester)
35 out of 37 found this review helpful

At first I thought any old headphone would do the job nicely, so when I got my Sony Minidisc with headphones the size of 10p pieces, I just put up with it. After several weeks of chunking alongside a main road, desperately trying to hold the headphones in my ears so I could get some form of volume and bass I decided enough was enough. Being a DJ, I knew that price of headphone usually translated to quality ... so I plumped for these, one of the higher end spec headphones in the Fontopia series. You can get a set which also have Noise Cancelling technology built in, but then you're stepping up to the 120 mark.

First thing I noticed was the sheer quality in sound, no distortion, bass resonates nicely at high volumes and the high end is nice and crispy. Full marks there. Second thing I liked was the design, rather than being the 'hard' style in-ear headphones or the round balls of foam that I've been used to, this was quite a novelty. The design is soft, designed to plug your ear up and have a little hole in the end which leads to the speaker. For those of you worried about Sony taking a 'one size for all' approach, will be glad to hear about the inclusion of small, medium and large sizes of interchangeable heads. These rubber things can also be washed too which is nice. As far as what they do, try putting your fingers in your ears, this is what things sound like when you've got them on. The busy road that I walk along everyday just doesn't register anymore, all I have in my ears is pure music. Nice. One thing you WILL notice though is that if the wires rub against your clothing or if you bump into anything etc you will hear a muffled noise travel up the wire to your ears. This is mainly due to the design, the snug fit. A very MINOR minus point, and something you'll only really notice if you go out of your way to experiment with this. Third thing I was impressed with is the 'remote adaptor' you get with the package. You can attach an extra length of wire to the headphones which have an L shaped adaptor to plug into whatever you're using, but for those of us using them to replace headphones with, say, a Minidiscman, you can take this attachment off and you're left with a shorter wire with a straight adaptor, which will replace your old headphones nicely. Good thinking.

All in all, I'm pretty damn happy with these, the little touches that Sony put in really make the package and keep them one step ahead of the competition. Anyone who has tried out a Sony Playstation joypad and then tried an Xbox joypad know that they put alot of thought into making something that is a good product to use. On a side note, I gave them to my girlie to try, she couldn't deny the sound quality but didn't like the in-ear design. If you're not a fan of in-ear headphones, avoid these ... they'll be a nightmare for you!


You need these in your life   September 19, 2003
23 out of 24 found this review helpful

If you’re thinking that these earplugs are too expensive, think of the quality. I have spent so much money on earplugs, they are too tinny, they don’t stay in your ear, they break after a year, the left plug stops working etc etc, but these will LAST!
9mm drive unit, and yes, these have va va voom of some proportions! They block out external sound just because they fit so snugly in your ear so they won’t fall out, and to ensure the full spectrum of sound, a full bass sound, a very clear mid-range sound and clear treble.

My main problem with earphones was that they kept falling out, and the sound quality was poor. These are comfortable, don’t fall out, and they are Powerful!
Anybody who says the sound quality is poor has probably got these baby’s plugged into a poor system. I have to say that these do excel themselves in a Sony portable music player.
I really had to buy these, because the Sony Net MD, the MD-710 has a quiet output volume, and you cannot hear the music especially when outside in London traffic, or on the train, but these headphones block out all that, then deliver amazing sound.

Even though I’m not getting a cut of Sony’s profits for advertising these to you, I still think you need them in your life. The only thing that would beat these headphones would be some Bose, Sennheiser or Bang & Olufson ear plugs, and they are not expensive, they’re extortionate for what they are, and the Sony ones are a steal compared!


To get Quality you have to pay for Quality   July 28, 2004
Mr. S. Tierney
32 out of 34 found this review helpful

Two months ago I purchased the IRIVER IHP-140, I wasn't satisfied with the quality of the earphones provided (not that they are the worst around) and wanted more from my old Sony earphones, so based on the reviews here and form recommendations from people who purchased the IHP-140 I splashed out on the Sony MDR-EX71SLB Fontopia Headphones.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The earphone where nicely packaged, giving you a clear view as to what's inside before you open the packaging. I'll be honest for 25 I was expecting a bit much and when I first saw the packaging I was a little disappointed, however I did not pay 25 for packaging.

OUT OF THE BOX: All that is described in the manufacturers description is provided, the three sizes of earbuds, carry pouch, extension cable, manual and the all important ONE year guarantee.

READ THE MANUAL: I know your thinking to yourself, why the hell would I want to read the manual for a set of earphone, all I need to do is put them in my ear, well YES and NO. The instruction themselves aren't the best but they do tell you how to change the earbuds and look after you earphones, essential.

FIND THE ONE THAT FITS: It is important as the INSTRUCTIONS say to find the earbud that best fits your ear. When you open the pack the earphones will be set up with the medium earbud, now this is the one I use, however I had tried all three, the large one just wouldn't go into my ear and it was a choice between the small and medium one. I decided on the medium one as this gave me the better sound. What your looking for when choosing the earbud for you is for the earbud to fit into your ear, not to fall out or be too tight, you should hear the bass more clearly when playing music, keep your settings at normal on your music device to hear what it sounds like then try it out on the settings you most often use, which ever earbud feel and sounds best, go for it.

SOUND: Now here we go, for me the sound that these earphone produce is FANTASTIC, I can really hear the instruments more clearly on my HI-FI or Portable CD Player, but it really shines on my IRIVER IHP-140, coupled with the true base setting it is WONDERFUL, however as these earphone heighten the bass in any song, if your settings are for higher bass then you may find that the vocals on a track are slightly quieter than that of the instruments, in particular the bass.

RECOMMENDATIONS: For those of you that have no intention of reading the instructions (I know you're out there), please remember to CLEAN your earbuds at least once a week depending on how often you use them. The reason behind this is normal earphone only sit at the opening of the ear, whereas the FONTOPIA earphones are inserted into the ear, so make sure they are clean, as you don't want to insert anything dirty into your ears or pull out your earphones covered in ear wax, do you?

REMEMBER: These earphones are inside your ear close to your ear drum, it's like sticking your fingers in your ear, can't hear much? Imagine that with music, so when you are out and about with the earphones in BE AWARE of what's around you.

Why did I pay 25 for these? Quite simply to get quality you have to pay for quality and that's what these earphones are, QUALITY.


Sony MDR-EX71SLB   May 25, 2003
53 out of 57 found this review helpful

I open the packet of headphones hoping it were not going to be an anti climax and finally the people at Sony listened (literally) these headphones are fantastic! These reasons I tell you why...

When the fontopia range of headphones came out I bought a pair, the older version of these (EX-70's) and to be honest was neither happy nor sad (but I wanted to say dam these headphones are the business man!). They went back to the drawing board with these and created a gem that should have been but fell at the final hurdle. They may seem expensive but these are top spec headphones. The sound output is awesome (you would need a good pair of DJ headphones to beat these – you would need to pay a lot more then!) as with the previous model except bass and treble output has increased furthermore! With all fontopia headphones tiny little 9mm motors drive the speakers. Designed to fit into your ear nice and snug with a set of different plugs (depending on your ear size) to prevent them falling out like a cheap pair of headphones would. It comes with a small plastic holder to keep the headphones protected (same as previous model) when not in use.

When I forked out for the old pair I was missing something, they were still great but I had no extras. I was expecting more than some top spec headphones for the price. With the new version you get a free soft pouch to keep your player in. I think the pouch though was designed for one thing – for Sony’s line of NETMD players (i.e. MZ-N1 etc) as it fits one of these perfect. This time you don’t get a load of wire. It was nothing but a nuisance when you were on the move. They have included extension cord if you need the extra wire instead – thanks Sony! Most walkmans have controllers to switch between tracks the extra wire is not needed unless you don’t use a controller (personally sometimes I don’t) or don’t have one, its helpful either way!

So here comes the moment of truth…

GOOD NEWS:

SOUND: Top notch you can hear every note being played for any genre of music
COMFORT: Fits perfect in your ear nicely and the pouch is soft and furry!!
STYLE: Nicely packaged and presented the headphones have a silver metallic finish for each one with the Sony brand where the wire splits to each headphone.

BAD NEWS:

PRICE: Expensive but It is worth it if you want the best sound and headphones that don’t fall out your ears!

Supplied with:

Extension cord (1m) Earbuds (Sx2, Mx2, Lx2) Holder and carrying pouch & the usual 1yr guarantee from Sony.