MDR-EX110LP - Sony, you can do better

     The MDR-EX110LP is a budget IEM with good fit, a nice compact bud design and comes with a cord winder. It comes in a variety of bright colours that fit well with the shiny chrome finish.

Pros: Compact, comfortable, should fit almost all ear sizes, good isolation and stays snugly in ear. Fairly well balanced sound.

Cons: Bass does not extend well, gets lost among other sounds, lots of sibilance, details lack crispness and a defining edge, even for a budget IEM,

The variety of colours this IEM comes in.

Close up view of the shiny earbuds with their unique design.

     These look quite good, I must say. The shiny finish of the earbuds are not overdone, it is toned down yet stands out, providing a good look. The SONY logo is written on the back of the earbuds at an angle and is quite conspicious, which may please some people. A healthy array of accessories such as a cord winder and different bud sizes round up the package, and all of this at just S$39.

     However, sound is another matter entirely. As these are IEMs, I will not focus too much on soundstage, but even then, the sound cannot compete with other budget IEMs. The bass is not overpowering, but actually lacks power to avoid getting drowned in the mix. It is often lost so easily. Mids and treble is tolerable at best, with details blurring out due to a lack of crispness and edge and there is also lots of sibilance. 

  

     The sound is a real turn-off, despite everything else being rather good. Also, if you care to top up another S$6, which I advise you to, you can get the MDR-EX220LP which is angled for an even better fit in the ear and most probably will provide better sound through the usage of 13.5mm drivers, unlike the 9mm drivers the MDR-EX110LP are using.

The MDR-EX220LP.

MDR-ZX300 review - Budget Goodness!

     I am here today with an MDR-ZX300 review. These are a pair of budget cans costing S$55 from Sony. They are basically the more expensive sibling to the MDR-ZX100. The styling of both headphones are the same except that the earcups of the MDR-ZX300 are shiny while those of the MDR-ZX100 are not. So how are they, let us find out.

Pros: Nice design, slim, easily identifiable right side due to red piece of plastic, balanced sound with good vocals, rather sweet sounding for the price.

Cons: Nothing of note.

 

They come in 5 colours all with shiny earcups

The shiny earcups look good, don't they?

The box looks good too

     These headphones look really good, with handsome stylish looks. They are extremely light and do not clamp too much on your head, so they feel really good. The earpads are soft and comfortable. They have a thick 1.2m cable which terminates in an L-shaped gold plated stereo mini plug. The cable is tangle free, so the many times I pulled it out of my bag after putting it inside the cable is most of the time never tangled.

     The sound quality is superb, with even balanced sound and great bass. Bass is nicely textured and defined, and is quite good without being overpowering in the slightest. Mids and highs are profoundly smooth for the price. Of course they will not sound as good as more expensive offerings from Audio Technica, Sennheiser and even Sony itself, but they sound really good for the price and sound even better than cans from other companies such as beats or skullcandy that cost many times more.

     Overall, I say these pair of cans are awesome for the price, so if you are looking for a pair of headphones to replace your standard set of earphones that came with your phone and have a budget of S$55 and want a stylish pair of cans as well, look no further. Get these immdiately!

MDR-ZX600 review

     The MDR-ZX600 is a budget offering by Sony. Sporting stylish good looks with a brushed metal plating on the earcups, good sound quality and the price to match, at S$89.90. However, is it truly worth it? Let's find out.

     Firstly, the comfort. These earphones are extremely comfortable (They are more comfortable then some circumaural pairs I know) with little clamping effect and supersoft earpads. Of course, this leads to super poor noise isolation, but you know you cannot always have both comfort and isolation.The headphones themselves asound, tremely stylish with a sielsewhere.  colour plus suitably placed accents. The cord is tan and it terminates in a L-shaped 3.5mm gold plated stereo plug. 

     Now, on to the sound quality. The sound quality is really nice, with really balanced sound. The bass does not get overwhelmed by other sounds but is not strong enough to be overpowering itself. The headphones feel extremely light and almost non-existent on my ears and the balanced sound from the 40mm neodymium magnet drivers are extremely enjoyable. However, there is an extreme put-off: Sound quality is extremely grainy and unrefined. The sound quality would be really enjoyable, especially for the daily budget commuters, if not for the grain. 

     Of course, these may not be the headphone of the century, or the best sounding headphones for its price, but the sound quality combined with its stylish looks and rugged goodness with an extremely tangle free cord (chuck it in my bag, take it out 3 hours later, cord is barely tangled. Just pull it straight!), makes this one very good buy. If you are a commuter seeking a good pair of headphones for the daily commute and for daily listening without eating a hole in your wallet then this is the one for you. However, if you prefer a less grainy sound, you probably should look elsewhere.