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

As always, I give the product time for an evaluation. In this case, the EX51LP took a while to get used to the "hot" sound. "Hot" here means that the bass and treble sound more pronounced than on other phones, especially the iPod. Not bad mind you, just more of a sound type in your face. I use it with the Shuffle, which, as you may know, has the best bass response of any iPod (PCMag tests also review their new version, where it rates it 71 higher than the Shure E3c), so the bass was really, really right. It can be too bright at low and high frequencies, but to me it also eliminates the need for equalization. Other phones will sound darker afterwards, not necessarily more accurate, but definitely darker. The iPod Lounge is another good source for many comparisons between the Bud and other phones. The specs for the 51 and 71 are identical as is the sound, the 81's mounts are slightly different but the sound is similar, people hate the 71's two piece cable. The vast majority prefer a cable length of 51 feet, the left ear is about 4 inches, the right ear is 12 inches, the connection cable is about 4 feet. The cord is prone to tangling and the little "wrap" case is useless, use a jar of Altoids instead. All 3 ear cup sizes fit my ear well, the ear tips are SO soft. The buds are small enough that you can fall asleep on the side of your head, and they don't hurt. They're not very effective at 100dB, iPods are very loud at 1/2 full power, but for example my Panasonic MP3 CD player had to be turned on almost fully. The informed opinion is that the higher-end Etymotics and Shure earphones are more accurate, if not as "hot" or "impressive" in sound. But for sheer performance under $100, you'll find it hard to do more.