MDR-EX800ST(Japan Import)

These IEMs, despite having been released over 10 years ago, are better than the vast majority of competitors, even those costing many times more. They are unique in that, due to their design (using a massive 16mm dynamic driver, mounted obliquely to the nozzle, and with vent ports), and the tuning of their driver, they have an extremely natural, open, and solid presentation. The frequency response is extremely balanced, and the timbre is very natural, which makes these shine in particular with any acoustic material (classical, jazz, vocal, etc) Instruments sound the way they are supposed to sound, and percussion (in particular), which is very hard to get right in IEMs, is amazing. It is very deep and authoritative, but it is not overemphasized. While the bass registers (including subbass) are very present and natural, the bass is also very controlled and nuanced, and it never overpowers the mids. The treble (looking at frequency charts) is very rolled beyond 12Khz, but this doesn't affect acoustic material, and most people wouldn't hear much beyond 12Khz, anyway. On the plus side, this means that these IEMs are very easy to listen to for extended periods of time, without causing fatigue or irritation. I think this rolling off in the highest registers of the treble is done by design, since these are monitoring IEMs produced in Japan, meant to be used by sound engineers and producers for many hours every day. I haven't found the treble to be fatiguing or excessive, and when this has been the case, it has been a fault of the recording, and not of the IEMs themselves, which simply reveal what is there. The mids are beautiful. Compared to something like an ER2SE (notiriously mid-centric), the mids in the EX800ST sound slightly withdrawn, but they lack nothing in terms of detail. This is only noticeable by comparison with other IEMs that have a stronger presence region, like the ER2SE already mentioned. If there is something to be mentioned as an outstanding feature of the EX800ST, however, it is the soundstage. Even though I already knew from reviews that the soundstage in these was amazing, I wasn't prepared for what I heard. Combined with very accurate imaging, when listening to well mastered material, it seems as if you are a part of a space, surrounded by sounds that envelope you. The degree to which this (along with the natural timbre) contributes to providing a sensation of actually "being there" can't be understated, and it makes listening to good music with these a very satisfying experience. The EX800ST is an amazing IEM with a design which not only has stood the test of time, but which is still superior to most IEMs (and also full headphones) produced nowadays. A work of art.

They sound absolutely fantastic - I could not begin to recommend these enough. Before buying these, I had assumed that IEMs in general would necessarily have worse bass than over-the-ear headphones, owing to their smaller drivers. This view turns out to be completely wrong: IEMs have smaller drivers, but operate in not as large a volume of air, and it is the ratio that matters. The bass of the Sonys both goes just as low and sounds cleaner than my JVC SZ-2000s - that, folks, is quite the accomplishment. Sound stage / separation is better than the SZ-2000s, and better than a $200 pair of old Audio-Technicas that I also have. Most importantly: these sound fantastic and well-balanced *WITHOUT* any EQ, which makes them usable on-the-go. Many other headphones don't really sound their best unless you plug them into a DSP, which in practice makes them hard to use on-the-go. Sound isolation is good enough for city transit. Medium tips felt best for me - they come with three sizes. The headphones are designed for the cable to wrap around the ear, but the stock cable is so stiff that I couldn't get it to stay in the right place. I ended up getting rid of it entirely, buying an MMCX adapter, and wearing these in an earbud manner with cable pointing down rather than around-the-ear. This has worked out well for me - more comfortable and no problems with falling out. Pros: * Amazing sound. Solid bass with a well-balanced overall aesthetic. * Very good price for what you get. I've paid double for worse headphones before. Caveats: * Very plain packaging - ordinary white box with everything in Japanese, not even a picture. Looks suspicious, but very clear from the sound that these are the real deal. * Japan import - you're implicitly paying for tariffs and import fees, which would not be necessary if Sony sold these as a US product. * Warranty requires dealing with Sony Japan - no personal experience with this. * Stock cable is absolute trash. Get rid of it immediately and buy an MMCX adapter.

XBAシリーズをこよなく愛する者ですが、Z5の販売終了に間に合わず、やむおえず中古品購入となってしまった経験から、欲しいと思った今、購入に踏み切りました。 BA＋ダイナミックドライバー構成のXBAに比べると、音の派手さはなく、最初は物足りなさを感じました。ですが、日々、通勤で使用している内に、慣れというか良さに目覚めたというか他の方のレビューにもある様に、ナチュラルな再生域、音域が心地よく感じる様になりました。 まだ価格改定前の在庫を所有しているショップさんがありますので、安く新品を購入する最後のチャンスだと思います。 自分はDAPの都合で購入後、すぐにMMCXアダプタｰ＋コンプライTRZｰ200＋onso iect_03_bl4m 4.4mmに換装して使用中です。 付属ケーブル使用との使用感や試聴感に若干の違いがあるかもしれません。 ご参考までに‥

Llevo más de un año con estos audífonos y lo único que puedo decir es que no te vas a arrepentir: el sonido es simplemente perfecto, aunque sí recomiendo hacerles un poco de burn-in. Con ellos es muy fácil notar cuándo una canción está bien producida, porque suena increíble; las demás solo se sienten simples en comparación. Son muy buenos si te gusta ecualizar la musica, realmente cambia mucho el sonido.

great headphones with nice strong bass. Sad that i lost it using only a month.

I have purchased a number of high quality Sony IEM and these are very good . Clear quality sound without too much base emphasis allowing vocals to shine and they are comfortable

Son clon, además la caja viene toda rota