Sony electronics. The are the head of everything that has the word "electronics". Game systems, radios, walkmans, and so on. But, headphones? Maybe...I think I might have to say Sennheiser but Sony would likely be in second place.
Anyway, time and time again to go in search for another pair of earbuds. The place, Wal-Mart because all Walgreens carried were the Koss Earbudz, which are white, and I don't own an iPod. I hate it when companies make all of their earbuds in white as if the iPod were the only portable music player on the face of this universe. While Apple probably carries 70%, well, since when was that 100? Anyway, so on to Wal-Mart, on to Wal-Mart. I have to say, Wal-Mart has been very skimpy on their headphones selections lately. Now they only carry earbuds, and the over-the-head kind. For earbuds under $10 (what I was aiming for), they had three options that weren't white cord. The JVC gummy buds were sold out with the only color left being pink (ugh). They also had a pair of 99 cent earbuds. And they had these. Hmm well I think I took a good milisecond to eliminate the other two and choose these. Sony products for me always seem to be a different story. Many of their products are good but when they are bad, they are HORRIFIC. Luckily, I'd probably put these on the other side.
The Sony MDRE828LP earbud headphones are well packaged and presented. Sony seems to have new packaging on their products. Instead of the typical orange and black, it's now white and green, and is in the box form. I like this better becuase it's easier to see what you are getting. Sony actually doesn't claim much on the box, just that it it has a 16mm driver unit, a silent cap, and comes with a winding case.
Overall Sound Quality
Like anyone would say, the most importance in a pair of headphones is how good they sound. Overall, these definitely aren't up to the level of my PX100s or my MDREX51LPs, but they do have a decent osund quality with the price that they offer.
Bass: Yes, as with any pair of headphones under $10, the lower bass was recessed, but not by a lot. On rap and R&B I was reaching to the bass boost button, but on rock or softer music, this isn't much of an issue. The higher bass (100-300) was much easier heard, and sound nice and true rather that just a "boom".
Mids: The mids in these headphones were a bit more "hot", similar to how the h.ears sound. The lower mids (300-500) were very accurate without issues, while the higher mids (500-2) were a bit overpowered, which made them sound a bit flat without bass boost or on higher volumes.
Highs: Overall, I was impressed with the highs (anything above mids). The highs were also slightly overpowered, but more accurate with a more definite note than a twang. I'm not quite sure about the fake 22,000 KHz it lists, but it does test to go well up to about 17,000 KHZ.
Overall, the sound quality definitely wasn't fantastic, but it was good and suprising at such a low price. The bass was a bit recessed but that is typical for earbuds in general. The mids were a little harsh but not annoying. But what I was really impressed with were the highs, they were really flat and bring out some detail into the music that most stock headphones can't produce.
Comfort & Speicifications
For the most part I found these earbuds to be comfortable. Instead of the annoying way people make earbuds into a circle (I dare you to find someone with an ear-canal like that), they are shaped into an actual ear. They do fall out during runs but for the most part stay in at all times. If you want something for the gym I'd rather recommend the Sony h.ears (MDRJ10) since they stay in much better. One thing I didn't like was the short three feet cord. I am 5'8" and if I was any taller it would be impossible to put my MP3 player/CD player in my pocket and have the cord be long enough to my ears. You can buy a cheap extension cord at Radio Shack for $2 at most but I'm still wondering why Sony skimpped so much with the cord on these.
Durability
I've only used these for a few hours so I can't
really say a comment here, but it does in fact have the Sony name and usually, for me, Sony products last some time before they die out. The cord seems to be wrapped a bit better than others and the plug is an L jack so it won't get bumped around all the time. The earbuds themselves are pretty strong and would probably stand beatings, but rain...maybe.
Wait if you got the MDRE828s, What About the Carrying Case?
Okay, the case. I always get exciting when I get a carrying case with my earbuds thinking they will protect them through everything and it will be so easy to use. Here's the magical carrying case...it locks your earbuds in and you wrap the cord around and close it. That's it. It has no waterprrof protection or is prone to nothing. That case will likely break if dropped hard enough, it is also made of plastic and plastic can't protect plastic very easily. Also, winding the case up takes about one and a half minutes. I just don't see much use if it takes that long to wrap. I did see a pair of headphones with a retractale cord but they looked pretty cheap and I'm not totally crazy about cases either. Just don't expect wonders...
Warranty Information
The warranty of the earbuds is a sad 90-days. This might be a good warranty if you buy from Circuit City or Best Buy with only 30-days worth warranty but if you get these at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, or Target, it's almost useless because they have 90-days and therefore it would probably be better to return them to the store if they become defective. However, they are fair in their warranty. If defective under their cause, they will replace or repair your earbuds for no charge. Koss has a lifetime warranty but you have to pay $6 to get them fixed.
Pricing
For the most part, these earbuds range from $6-$12 online, so you may want to shop around for the dirt low price, but regardless of what you pay in that range, they are worth it if you need a pair of earbuds that have good sound and are comfortable.
The Bottom Line
These would definitely fit on the good side of Sony's products. The short cord can get annoying at times but these have good sound (with very good treble), are comfortable, fit well, come with a 90-day warranty, and are only $10. I say go for it!
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