So the lesson is, if you're a careful, meticulous person then definitely buy these because the quality is excellent. If you're someone like me who plans on carrying them in your pocket all over the place, be prepared to either shell out a daylight robbery type of price for replacements or buy new headphones altogether pretty soon.

Best earbuds you can find without blowing a lot of $$$! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : After realizing that my current pair of Sony Street-style had reached the end of their lifespan, I began searching for a replacement pair. They had served me well, so I decided to see what Sony had to offer again.

They didn't disappoint me. I decided to look for an earbud type this time for convience and work-related reasons. What I found were the MDR-EX71SL's.

These little babies are a godsend. They fit snugly and comfortably inside your ear...you won't know how comfortably until you try them. The best part is, they sound absolutely amazing! I've never heard bass from earbuds like this before! The treble seems a little dark, but that may just be because I prefer bright treble. And, the closed-type design does a good job of blocking out outside noises, which was an unexpected bonus, I must say.

The cord quite short, but that's so you can connect it to the in-line remote of your CD or Mp3 player without having too much slack. Sony threw in a metre long extension for those of you that don't have a remote, but the combined length is a bit long for use with a portable player. This problem can be fixed with the nifty case that comes with the pair. Normally, it holds just the earbuds, but it also doubles as a cord winder, which is very useful. In the package you also get a cloth carrying case, which is totally useless IMO, unless you have a MiniDisc player, which it might fit, I don't know.

All in all, the MDR-EX71SL earbuds are best you're going to find without splurging on a pair from Shure or another high-end manufacturer. And one more thing, be sure to push them in all the way to get that deep bass, as previously mentioned by other reviewers.

Believe the hype. (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I recently bought a Rio Chiba 256 cheap off of Ebay and after reading all the glowing reviews decided to buy these from Amazon for a reasonable 34 bucks to replace the 10 dollar Sonys I got from Wal Mart.
While impressed with the Chiba I thought it could stand to be a little louder because I do like loud music on occasion.
Thats where I'm a little disappointed with the 71's.
In my Chiba the $10 Sony's actually sound a little louder than the more expensive 71's.
The 71's have zero distortion and sound better however so they are worth using.
Sitting here typing on the computer on the other hand shows just how great these headphones are.
With the extra power soundwise the computer has vs the Chiba you can really see what the 71's can do.
With some power to them they are truly unbelievable!
I just wish my Chiba could sound like that!
Oh well its probably better for my ears that the Chiba is on the quiet side.
BTW I don't listen to anything less than 128kbps which to real audio snobs I know is garbage but I'll bet more people are using 128 than are using higher scan rates or newer formats.

In closing if you have a high powered portable like I heard the Karma is or you plan on listening to them on a computer then buy them you'll be amazed.
If you plan on using them only in a Chiba or similar MP3 player that is on the quiet side you won't be disappointed but you won't be blown away either.

BTW I really debated getting the 51's without the extention but I'm glad I opted for the flexibility of the 71's. I don't use a armband but the short cord is just perfect for a jacket I own.

Overall an amazing piece of technology. 10/10

Perfect NYC commuting headphones (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Kudos to Sony.These earphones offer the best combination of isolation, sound quality, comfort, and easy on-and-off design. I am a commuter in NYC, and twice a day I walk a few blocks, take a bus for about 15 minutes and a subway for another 20 minutes. I used to use Koss KSC-35's, but their open-air design had me constantly changing volumes to deal with the various noise levels. I also needed to put the volume on very high to deal with the subway, and I was afraid that I was harming my hearing. I tried the Sennheiser PX-200's and while real comfy, the isolation wasn't enough. Then I tried the Shure E2C's, but the only insert that would fit my small ear canals was the small foam pair. Since you need to take the time to roll these foam inserts up real small before inserting, then hold them in your ears till they expand, that made them very inconvenient for everyday on-and-off use. These Sony's are also a little more comfortable than the Shure E2C's. I have even tried the Koss Plugs, but they do not fit in my small ear canals at all and constantly came out. Thanks to these Sony earphones, I can now travel in comfort and musical bliss for my whole commute without the need to constantly change volumes. As with the Shure earphones, only the smaller inserts fit me on these Sony's. At first, it takes awhile to get used to these, and my ears did get a little sore, but after a few weeks I got used to them. The material that goes into the ear is pretty smooth for easy insertion, and is fairly easy to keep clean. A word of advice: do clean the removable inserts once in awhile in soap and water and keep your ears clean! The sound on these is very good with solid bass. Perhaps not the best you will hear, but better than your average moderately priced headphones of any design and brand. Another word of caution: if you need to operate a bicycle or vehicle these are dangerous as outside sounds are really muffled or cut off. So don't use these in environments where you need to hear sounds clearly.

Mine broke as well.... (Rating: 3.00)
Review : Just like another reviewer below, mine worked great. Then the right one just stopped working. I noticed the rubber ring connected to the wire was lose. I pulled back on it and found this green gunk all the way around the plug. Aparently the copper wasn't sealed properly and corroded. There is no lose wire and it is impossible to take the bud apart to fix it. I did get a great 10 months out of them. Very high quality sound and they block out the screaming babies on planes very well. If only the design wasn't flawed....

Excellent for the purpose (Rating: 4.00)
Review : First of all, realize that these are not a replacement for traditional over-head phones - These are strictly for a portable player. Plug them into you're computer or sound system, and you will immediately notice how overly heavy the bass is - its like that for a reason. Most portable players have a problem with under-emphazied bass, and these headphones solve that problem. They are very comfy; after a few minutes, you will forget they are there. They also block out much of the nosie that would otherwise distrupt you're listening experience. They are ideal for listening in an airplane or car (as long as you aren't driving!). The carrying case is a nice addition (although it takes awhile to pack and unpack them. They are excelent overall.

THE headphones for portable listening (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I am on my third set - first one broke though was still usable as it did not affect sound (new designs have addressed the issue where this broke). Second set was a new design - more sturdy but I lost these. Well by this point I just had to get another pair as any cheaper version I tried was inadequate in comparison. What I love about them is they go right into your ear accomplishing two things with this - they block out external sound (to an extent) and they give deep base - you get a hint at the type of base I'm talking of when you push your cheaper headphones right into the ear - of course when you let go of the pushing you lose that base, well not with these; that is what you get the whole time and NO distortion. The sound is superb - now I am no audiophile but I do know I have not found or heard better. 5 Stars - indeed.