The first set of Sony MDR-EX71 headphones I bought were brilliant, until it decided to only work in one ear after 3 months. So I exchanged them to get another pair, which now give me electric shocks, and the cable has already split after only 2 months this time. If you lose one of those buds, which have a tendency of easily springing off down the road, then you have to go for a different size which can be very uncomfortable.

Absolute rubbish!

After reading lots of glowing reviews on this Sony MDR-EX71 earphone, I must admit to being disappointed.

The sound quality was ok to good, but the build quality is shocking for the price. They lasted all of 4 months, before the wire showed threw and the eventually just gave up.

I have since bought a pair of Soundwise S1 Sport. I was a little worried as the price is low, but they use the same driver as the acclaimed ezears Sx50. They have really similar sound to the MDR-EX71 but have a little better bass. The build quality is far better than Sony and at around half the price.

I got them from Soundwise.co.uk, not sure if you can find them cheaper though.

Paul

After reading the many reviews I decided to plump for the Sony MDR-EX71, I was expecting a comfortable, great sounding, experience form these earphones and was hugely let down. Firstly the price, I was looking for a decent set for under £50 and found the EX71's on the web for £25 which I thought was a bit of a bargain (at the time).
Sound- The bass is too heavy, volume is to low you have to turn your players volume right up, Isolation isn't very good for an ear bud headphones, fails to drown out, outside noise.
Build quality is bad, after a few weeks wiring showing from ear casing.
Would not recommend this product - hopefully Sony has got its act together with the EX81's.
If anyone can recommend me a decent pair for under the £50 mark I would be very grateful.

Overall, the sound quality of the Sony MDR-EX71 headphones is very good except for the bad treble. It's best feature is that they are easy to use, and the comfort of the fit into the ear. Without a good air seal there will be little or no bass. Of course, good bass is essential to enjoyment of music. But unfortunately true, high quality bass is hard to come by; and most listening has little and/or booming bass. The EX71 has a good pleasing bass.

I have had the Sony MDR-EX71 headphones for about 9 months now, and they are brilliant! I have used them with my MZ-N10 Mini Disc player, and the sound is amazing. They completely blocks out noise, and all you can hear are your tunes, and they sound as good as if they were being played on a stereo.

I didn't believe the reviews until I bought a pair, and the only fault I can find is that my dog bit the soft coating on the cable and it has begun to tear. The cable also gets tangled very easily, but apart from that they are brilliant!

The earphones sit very comfortably in your ear, and you forget you have them in your ears. This has to be the biggest advantage for me. They come with different size ear plug things, and fit very snugly. This is definitely the biggest selling point for them!

Another thing I noticed, is that they don't seem to play as loudly as normal earphones, which is a bit of a disappointment, as you just want to keep turning the volume up, but that could just be something to do with my MD Player, as it is a European version which might have those volume restrictions.

Overall, I think that for the sound quality, the price is pretty reasonable, and they are a definite upgrade from those standard earphones. Unless you're willing to pay £100 for earphones, I don't think you will get any better for the money.

Hope you find this useful.

To start, just a little disclaimer - My review is based on a Japanese import version of the Sony MDR-EX71 headphones, which means that the package is a little lacking, and there may be differences between my set and those sold internationally.

The cord is the first thing I noticed when I started using these headphones. It's long enough to use without an extension cord, and it's also short enough that it doesn't dangle to the ground when I use them with my remote. But, there were a couple of occasions when I almost pulled the cord in half because it wasn't long enough, usually when using it with my computer.

The second thing was the sound. The bass is really heavy, in fact a little too heavy. I actually have to push the treble up sometimes or it sounds muffled. That's not to say that it sounds bad. It is one of the best headphones that I have bought so far.

The third point is the comfort - it feels natural sitting in my ear, and I use them like earplugs to block out noise often.

This is a great performer overall, and I can honestly say that I have no reason to be unhappy with my purchase.

I fail to understand how the Sony MDR-EX71 headphones are receiving the great reviews.

The Sony MDR-EX71 headphones definitely take the top spot in terms of sound quality. But Sony has sacrificed everything else in order to make them do this. I had these headphones for 8 weeks before the wiring broke in one speaker. I treat my electronics with care and I never stretched or bent the cable sharply, and this still happened. Sony, of course, don't want to know. As these are one of the most expensive pairs of in-ear headphones on the market, I am pretty angry about it!

The other major problem is the cable length. You cannot use these headphones to listen to a walkman that is in your trouser pocket, the cable is that short. You could use the included extension cable, but as the jack from the 'phones drops out of the extension's jack with the slightest jiggle, it's really not worth it.

In short, these headphones simply don't last.

Sony MDR-EX71 phones have a great sound, and would overall make a great product, if they'd last longer than 6 months. They are in particular great on planes, as they reduce engine noise a lot, even if you don't hear music. I always keep them in my ear. I'll definitely look for similar ones with better cables.

I have been using my set of Sony MDR-EX71 headphones for 7 months now. The sound quality is just unbelievable! First of all, even with no music on, they remove so much noise from surroundings, that they are 3 times better than the original ear protection at work. Then after turning on the music, basically all surrounding noise is gone.
while listening to the music, you simply get blown away by the clarity of the sound and the bass. I never imagined that you could get such a bass reproduction from earplug-type headphones!
They are like the Rolls Royce of headphones!

The cord of the right earplug is longer, allowing you to place the cord over your shoulders, and minimize the risk of getting it tangled in front of you.
While some consider Sony's choice of soft cord covering material a drawback, I consider it a BIG plus. It is a LOT more comfortable than other hard rubber cords. You never feel it against the skin!
Also, the extension unplugging is relatively easy, and is a plus in my opinion. If it gets riped out by accident, I'd rather have to plug it back in than have a torn cord (a non working one).
I used these even on the beach in 40+C, and had no problems whatsoever. I left them in a hot car in direct sunshine (no idea how hot it was INSIDE the car, but it was 40+C outside... you do the math), but, still no problems with them!

They have proven to be a workhorse, and worth the money from the second I put them on for the first time..

To sum it all up in one word: WOW!

Go and get a pair..!

The Sony MDR-EX71 headphones are rubbish!! I took them on holiday, and was listening to my iPod Nano whilst sunbathing, and the external rubber sheath has totally melted! Sony are not interested!

I am now on to my second pair of Sony MDR-EX71 headphones. Both have suffered from the same fatal flaw.

The sound quality of these units is absolutely brilliant, and owners of MP3 / MD players with a lack of volume will appreciate the closed-chamber design, which gives you higher volume and better bass for the same power input.

Unfortunately, everything good about the sound quality is erased by an extremely poor choice in cable.

And no, I don't mean "one earpiece wire is longer than the other" - that's called street-style (well, used-to-be). Sony have been making headphones like this for 15 years. The problem is sheath quality. I'll explain:

Inside the cable to each earpiece, you have two thin copper cables that actually carry the sound. With Sony headphones, the copper is actually wound around some stronger nylon fibres, to make the cable less prone to breaking when tugged on - say, when you drop your Walkman. This is a fantastic idea, normally, but in the case of these headphones, the "sheath" or black rubber on the outside of the cable is too soft. So, as the wires inside twist and bend in regular operation, the sheath comes loose and eventually tears away completely, leaving you with really ugly and expensive black marks on all your shirts.

Sony provide a case to hold the earpieces together when not in use, and this is theoretically supposed to counteract the sheath problems by preventing twists. In practise, this just doesn't work however, as you'll often pull out one ear to hear someone talk or answer your phone, by which time a twist has started.

I've owned my Sony MDR-EX71 headphones for about two months. I've already been forced to retire them. I lost one of the earbuds, and I've been forced to use the headphones with one earbud that is too big for my ear. This was affecting the sound quality, but it was something I could live with. The thing that forced me to retire these headphones was the fact that the right speaker stopped working. I don't tug on the wires, or stress them out in anyway -- I am known for taking care of my electronics. The wiring is just poorly made, and as a result rendered these headphones useless.

Because of the poor quality of this product, I am giving it a low(er) rating. However, when these headphones were in their prime, the sound quality was excellent.

The right ear wire for the Sony MDR-EX71 is longer than the left. This gives them a slightly lop-sided look when you wear them. On the other hand you can sling the right ear wire over your shoulder so it doesnt dangle in front of you.
There are 3 sizes of attachments to fit your ears.
There are reports of them being fragile. I know someone whose right-ear piece stopped working after 9 months, which by all accounts is quite good going. Lets hope Sony replace it free of charge for him.

I looked forever and finally was recommended the Sony MDR-EX71 headphones by someone else with small ears. They're the most comfortable pair I've ever owned. Sound quality is fine. The few drawbacks, mainly to do with cord length and the extension cord, can easily be overlooked or overcome (I'm thinking it's nothing a little dab of superglue won't solve...) and they're well worth the money.

The Sony MDR-EX71 are amazing headphones and come with different sized pieces that fit onto them for your ears, whatever size they may be. Also comes with extention lead (1m). Costing just 35 pounds they are well worth every penny.