Sony EX81

[Lucifer]

So my EX71s fell apart due to cord disentagration (actually they still work fine but they're electrical taped), so I decided to get a new pair. I either was going to get a new pair of '71s or '81s. So after reading some reviews of the '81s I decided to get them.

So I got them a few days ago, and so far I love them (I was one of those people who loved the '71s too).

Pros:

Midrange is just fine. Of course I'm using the x5 which has a custom 5 band EQ so I can boost the mids if they're recessed.

Improved highs. They arent as piercing as the 71s

Bass. there's still plenty of bass, but it doesn't seem as bloated and boomy; it's a little tighter.

I got the LP version which gets rid of the bulky cord connector found on the '71s. It's just one single cord now. Also, the cord is shorter than the 71s, but not too short.

It might just be me, but comparing the 81s to the 71s, the cord on the 81s seems to be made out of a different material than the 71s. It feels harder and stiffer.

Cons:

Over the ear design. I think it's really useful but sometimes it can be a pain

I think these are great iems for the price (be warned. only buy these of Amazon.com or a similar online store. I paid $50 for the '71s at radioshack which was a ripoff. I only paid $30 for the '81s.

So if you're looking for IEMs at a good price I reccomend the Sony EX81s.

[Zephyron]

It still depends on whether you're going for brand name actually.

The EX81 has only slightly improved mids as compared to the EX71/51, but they're still recessed, and are more expensive as compared to the EX51/71 as well being 'higher' up the scale of the MDR-EXx1 family.

The bass may sound a little tighter, but just slightly, and this is probably because burn-in hasn't taken place yet. Test it out on a PCDP with max bass boost and you'll hear the EX81 farting all over the place. The only good thing about this thing's bass is that is bass extension extends quite deep, but even though so its still bloated (PCDP no bass boost/iAudio U3 EQ Normal M3B 0).

The highs don't sound as piercing because of the very marginally improved mids perhaps, but on my ears, they still sound sibilant/scrathy/piercing.

Clarity is muddy at best, and is easily outperformed by the Creative EP630/Sharp MD33 (US$38), Panasonic RP-HJE50 (US$27-$28) , Cresyn LMX-E630 (US$16-$28) and heck, even the Apple-in-ears sound better than it on every category.

Regarding its soundstage
-Average at best. The highs sound like they're reproduced from a very narrow area, a very 'boxed-in' kind of feel, vocals are grainy and far-away and the bass seems to be coming from inside your head rather than being further away.

For items of this price range, I recommend against the MDR-EXx1 family. They're amongst the worst duds than Sony ever came up with.