Sony MDR-E828LP Fontopia Earbuds with Winding Case
by Sony
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony MDR-E828LP Fontopia Earbuds with Winding Case
Customer Review: Great sound at a great price
Summary: 5 Stars
I am now on my second set of MRD-E828LP earbud headphones, after temporarily misplacing my original ones. (After buying the second set I found the originals - so now I own two sets!)
The shape of the earbud is right for me - they sit well in my ears and don't cause pain or discomfort unless I'm lying down with them in or have used them for a long time.
In terms of the features, I can present a direct comparison between the MDR-E828LP and the Sennheiser MX-400, having bought the Sennheisers to see if they lived up to the hype. (I since gave the Sennheisers away...) While the Sennheisers feel way lighter in the ear, they're also a lot less bass-y. Not to say that they're bad quality - they've got a clearer, more airy sound than the Sonys - but they don't suit my typical listening genres of jazz, classical, house and lounge, and some pop/rock. I like to hear all the way down to the bottom of the bass/kick/cello, and the Sony earbud design helps the buds to have great bass response without needing to switch on bass boost on my player.
And they look good too - understated, unobtrusive, not the "I've-got-an-iPod" white kitsch which has been forced upon consumers of late.
I bought my original set of these headphones a number of years ago (Sony have been making these headphones with the exact same specs for a while now) and they still sound excellent. After wearing my new set in for a while, I can't pick any sonic difference between the two. The only modification Sony seems to have made in the intervening time is to the cord. It used to be a standard black insulated headphone cord, but now they've changed to a more rubbery cord. It still winds up nicely but it's somewhat springy, so it straightens out really easily and doesn't get tangled as much.
All in all I find that they are an excellent purchase, and at their consistently low price they remain the best price-for-performance earbuds on the market before investing in higher-end in-ear designs like the Shure E3 or E4.
Customer Review: THE best earphones for its price
Summary: 5 Stars
These earphones are undoubtedly the best earphones on the market for $10. The bass and treble is absolutely incredible, even compared to the $30 silicone earbuds that are supposed to improve bass. I have compared this to many other higher-valued earphones, and none can rival the sound from these earphones.
These come with foam paddings, which eases the hard plastic push in your ear. I personally do not have a problem with the firmness of these earphones as long as I'm wearing the paddings. I actually prefer them over the silicone earbuds, since I have to stick those into my actual ear canal, uncomfortably expanding the hole of my ear. The paddings also give a bass boost, which contributes to the already magnificent quality of the sound.
As for the winding case, it works fairly well. Just place the earphones in the slots, close the case, and wind it, the whole process taking about 6 seconds. Nothing extravagant. It is sturdy and lightweight, and easily fits in your pocket. The only criticism I would give is that the case doesn't really click-open or close, therefore it's easier for the case to accidentally open. But even so, the earphones will rarely tangle and fall out of the case.
The line is also very flexible, yet tough and well-crafted. While the iPod earphone line will tear on the outer covering due to assembly by glue, these headphones are not sloppily pasted together, and the line covering is made of a higher-quality material: A flexible and elastic rubber, while the iPod's is flexible but will stay in that form once bent.
A very good product overall. High quality yet incredulously inexpensive, light, and long-lasting. Easily beats the iPod earphones in every aspect.
Customer Review: Best open air headphone you can buy
Summary: 5 Stars
I give these five stars, not just as a $10 set of headphones, but compared to any headphones no matter how expensive. They are very light, and without the foam cushion, they rest very comfortably in my ear, I can wear them all day. I have found no other type of headphone to be as comfortable.
The sound is great, very clear and crisp mid-range and high-range. You will not get great bass with these, an inevitable result of this type of design. There are some other reviews which say how great the bass is. Obviously, those reviewers never tried closed headphones. There's no comparison. They are probably comparing this to other earbud headphones which aren't as good. Indeed, as far as this type of headphone goes, the bass is as good as it's going to get!
These headphones are so incredibly comfortable that I would never bother to wear something else just to get better bass. But there's something else that this headphone doesn't do, and that's block out any outside noise. And unfortunately, the world can be a pretty noisy place. So my ultimate conclusion is that this is the ultimate headphone to use if you don't need to block out noise.
I tried the more expensive Sony earbuds that you are supposed to stick into your ear canal, but they didn't work for me (but they do seem to work for some people--headphones are a very personal thing because everyone has different sized and shaped heads, ears and ear canals).
These headphones do tend to break easily (seldom do they last longer than a year), but for only $10 I can easily afford to own a backup pair.
Customer Review: Great Sony earbuds
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my second pair of Fontopia Earbuds with the winding case. My first pair is 3 years old, and going strong. The price on Amazon was fabulous, and they arrived ahead of schedule.
I decided to keep a permanent pair at home, and have a second pair for my briefcase when I'm out and about. The hard plastic case took some getting use to, but now I wouldn't have earphones stored any other way. The winding case is great, and protect the earbuds perfectly. The sound from the Sony Fontopia Earbuds is quite clear, with decent bass, midrange and treble. I listen to music, talk radio, and old-time movies and radio shows on my media player, whenever I have a few minutes available.
I do have a suggestion: use an adhesive (hypoallergenic) of some kind, to affix the small foam covers (earpads) that come with the earbuds. They wiggle off very easily, so I used some "white glue," the kind kids use in school. I carefully applied the glue around the perimeter of the foam pad with a toothpick, making sure none of the glue got on the earphone's tiny speaker. The foam earpads make a noticeable improvement in the quality of the sound, improve sound isolation, and keep them from slipping out of my ears when I'm exercising.
In summary, storing (and carrying) earphones, and getting the cables all tangled up, was a chronic problem---until I discovered these Fontopia Earbuds from Sony. I recommend you give these earbuds and case a try. I think you'll be highly pleased. Happy shopping!
Customer Review: Great sound for the price, and a well thought out design.
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're willing to spend a lot of money, of course there are better headphones out there, but you can't compare these to a $200 set. Or can you?
The best things about these headphones besides their great performance to price ratio come from the well thought out design.
The cord material is durable and supple--so it's unlikely to get kinked or tangled (which would shorten the life of the headphone set).
The cord is just long enough without being too long. Whomever designed this realized that an unnecessarily longer cord would get caught on things and be a pain in the butt to wrap up.
The wind up case is nice, but these have been around a long time.
Best of all is the volume control right where the chord splits for your left and right earphones. It's a lot easier to find than if it were elsewhere; it has a nice range so that you don't find yourself needing to pull out your mp3 player to get it louder or softer than the line controller allows; and it slides instead of being indexed, allowing for even the slightest adjustment.
BOTTOM LINE: I thought I was just buying the cheapest set of decent headphones I could find, and ended up with a real quality item I'll likely be using for years to come.
Sony never disappoints.