Sony MDR-EH51LP - Perfection on a Budget
Pros:
Transparent Music Reproduction. Good Comfort and Fit. Low Price.
Cons:
None.
The Bottom Line:
Buy them, as long as you like "in ear" earbuds. If you like accurate music reproduction, you will probably like the Sony MDR-EH51LP earbuds.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
These "in ear," semi-isolated earbuds offer many advantages. Earbuds are a very personal item, in part because the fit depends on your ear. Even with the supplied 2 x Small, 2 x Medium, and 2 x Large soft silicon earbuds, I am certain that someone will not be able to get a good fit. I had no trouble, however using the small or medium earbuds to get a good fit. The sound quality depends on the fit because if you don't get a good fit, the bass and midrange response will change.
The sound quality with these earbuds is as good as any I have experienced, and I have tried a lot of them. What makes the sound quality superior to me is that I can listen for hours and forget that I am listening to the earbuds because they so transparently reproduce the music. I have not had any discomfort from long-term use either. Some other brands I have used have caused pain or discomfort after anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes of use.
Some folks mistake transparent with lackluster. I think a proper evaluation of any headphones requires listening to many styles of music to make a determination of the quality and transparency of the headphones. Some recordings are simply poor recordings, and will never sound good through audiophile grade gear.
I have used these earbuds with mp3 players, laptop computers, and with home audio gear with equally good results. On an airplane, these earbuds do block out a bit of ambient noise, and this helps keep the listening volume within safe levels. When outdoors, I have used the earbuds along with "180's" to block out high wind noise quite effectively, and also could keep the volume at safe levels.
Earbuds now come in many different styles such as in ear isolating, in ear, over ear bands, over ear clips, etc., so you are going to need to determine which design works best for you. However for price-performance and absolute sound quality, these earbuds are worth a try.
If my Sony MDR-EH51LP earbuds were broken or damaged for any reason, I would not hesitate to purchase another set. I have been using this product for more than a year with no trouble, and from what I can determine, the quality of the product will allow me to continue with several more years of trouble-free use.
