Review on 🎧 Sony Fontopia MDR-EX51LP Headphones - Discontinued by Manufacturer (SEO-optimized) by Todd Saunders

Just received, some observations: 1. They are quite comfortable, that's the first thing that catches the eye. There are small soft rubber boots that you put on over the part that goes into the ear canal (it goes in quite a bit). The boots are available in 3 sizes and you can choose the one that suits you best.2. There are 2 reasons why the bass is boosted as others have noted. a) It goes about a quarter of an inch into the ear canal unlike other headphones. If they slip out of the auditory canal, the bass drops noticeably. To get the full bass boost effect, you need to choose a rubber boot size that will hold them securely in your ear. b) The second reason why the bass is boosted is because the rubber case has a partial noise-cancelling isolation effect (you can still hear outside noise, but it cuts it out more than normal headphones). In general, the sound is good, not tinny, the high frequencies are not as shrill as with normal headphones, and there is a pleasant "balance" in the sound. It actually took me a while to get used to as I'm mostly used to the stiffer and more piercing headphones that usually come with MP3 players. After a while I began to appreciate the difference, and I think I experienced less 'listening fatigue' when I listened for a longer period of time. Now some caveats. First, when your ear canal is filled with wax, you will find that the ear tips tend to slip out over time. This will teach you not to clean your ears.5. If you don't fully introduce them, you will lose the bass boost effect and its benefits.6. If you choose a rubber boot that fits snugly in your ear canal, you may experience a "pop in the ears" effect the first time you put them on. It's not exactly pleasant. Sometimes my eyes water if I do it too fast. This is only at the very beginning; After a moment, the air pressure in the ear will equalize. (Thanks for the Eustace tube.) (look).7. If you choose smaller rubber boots to minimize the impact of air pressure, they will slip out of your ear over time. (I chose this because I really dislike the feel of air pressure in my ear). So I have to regularly adjust them to get the best sound by putting them back in my ear after they slip out. No big deal, comfort and sound quality make up for it.8. Finally, note that CNET rated them as almost on par with headphones that cost four times as much. Also note that the LP designation in the title indicates a long 4-foot cable (another designation, S or SL, indicates a shorter 1.5-foot cable, which most reviewers felt was too short and had to use an extension cord). Finally, note that on this model, one earbud is on a shorter cord than the other (so it hangs down to one side next to your shoulder, rather than down the middle of your body). Some people don't like it. Sony reportedly has this pair of headphones with a different mid-body style cable (and there are two cable lengths too: 1.5ft and 4ft). I actually thought I'd order the mid-body version, but I got the side-body version. Anyway I won't swap them out as I think they are good enough but basically be careful what you order if those differences mean a lot to you! Bottom Line: They outperform traditional headphones by allowing you to listen to music for long periods without discomfort and by boosting bass levels. Be wary of the cable placement (side-body or mid-body and cable length), which Sony has unfortunately created with these excellent headphones. And take the earwax out of your ear.