Sony ZX Series Wired On-Ear Headphones, Black MDR-ZX110

Die Kopfhörer sind wirklich gut. Der Ton ist gut und sie sind angenehm zu tragen. Allerdings sind sie leider nicht so haltbar. Nach vier Jahren hat das Material an den Ohrmuscheln angefangen abzublättern (s. Foto). Die grauen Fasern hat man dann nach dem Tragen überall in den Haaren und Ohren. Das ist ziemlich ärgerlich, vor allem weil ich die Kopfhörer erst seit zwei Jahren einigermaßen regelmäßig benutzt hatte, davor eigentlich kaum. Schade.

overall — 4.5 stars
my main complaint is the noise cancellation but looking past that these headphones are honestly amazing for only $10. they’re great budget headphones for average use, but don’t expect them to be anything fancy (i see a lot of people complaining about the lack of bass. the bass sound comes through perfectly and is still there, it’s just not boosted.) they’re definitely not crap quality headphones, these are probably the best headphones in their price range.

sound quality — 5 stars
i think a lot of personal preference goes into sound quality but as someone who’s never had a super expensive pair of headphones i LOVE the sound quality in these. the bass comes through well (it’s not anything boosted though, but i don’t mind as i didn’t expect it), plus it really does sound like a small stereo next to your ear. the quality still holds strong at loud volumes as well. in songs where they split parts of the audio between two ears i can make out both parts clearly. vocals also come through beautifully!

noise cancellation — 3 stars
i listen to music pretty loud so this may be mostly personal preference but the noise cancellation is pretty bad lol, though they’re not over-the-ear so i somewhat expected this. when i take off my headphones in a quiet room with my computer volume halfway up, i can still hear my music clearly. despite this i don’t think it’d bother another person across the room, maybe someone closer to you though. when i have the volume all the way up in a quiet room and i take my headphones off, the music is perfectly clear and sounds like its coming from a phone at a low volume.

fit — 5 stars
I am a 14 year old boy, these headphones fit my head perfectly with no discomfort. when i turn or shake my head lightly they don’t slide around, but when i lean my head forward they start to fall. they surprisingly fit my ears very well though! i can wear them for an extended period of time without my ears starting to hurt. the foam on both speakers is comfortable as well.

quality — 4 stars
they seem kinda flimsy but that’s what i’d expect with $10 headphones, especially the part that connects the two speakers. the foam over the speakers looks well made, and it’s firmly attached to the plastic on the speakers. the wire also looks sturdy, it’s a third the thickness of my pinky (again, 14 year old boy). the headphones fold up so that they’re flat, and you can also wrap up the wire well for storage as it doesn’t get tangled easily. the headphone jack looks sturdy and not easy to damage.

look and feel — 5 STARS!!! 10 IF I COULD
by far the most aesthetically appealing headphones I’ve worn or owned. they don’t look clunky on my head or around my neck. they are light and don’t weigh down my head. plus the speakers are flat so they’re perfect for decorating with stickers and paint and such (something i plan to do) they are made with soft foam and a matte feeling plastic, apart from the outside of the speakers which is a more smooth and slightly reflective plastic (perfect for stickers lol)

headphone jack/plugin — 5 stars
its a standard 3.5mm jack, so this means it’s not directly compatible with most newer phones (anything above an iPhone 6, anything above a Pixel XL, and most new androids made past 2018). despite this it works with pretty much all computers and gaming consoles (works with my nintendo switch fine). and even if these headphones don’t plug directly into your phone, you can buy headphone adapters for your specific phone model.

lifetime — unrated
i have yet to use these headphones for a while, but from what i see from other reviews these can last 2 years if you’re careful with them which is great. they also seem like they’d survive a while from the quality, but I’ve seen mixed opinions about how long each speaker lasts. despite all that i’m pretty sure these should last a while if you’re mindful of how you handle them.

IN SHORT
> Great for the price. Very good sound quality. Very well designed. Comfortable.
COMPARED TO EARBUDS
> For most uses, mostly listening to audiobooks, I use Panasonic ErgoFit earbuds-HJE120K or Sony MDR-EX15LP earbuds. In comparison, I was blown away with the much greater base response of the Sony ZX headphones — even though I was expecting the fuller base. The better base adds a dimension to most music, even for music which has little base.
> GIVE THEM A CHANCE — My first impression was poor — they sounded muddy. Then I remembered that I’ve had similar first impressions of some other new headphones. It takes a while, maybe 12 hours of use, to «break in» some earphones or headphones. So, don’t be misled by immediate reactions posted by some other reviewers — nor your own first impression.
> After 12 hours of use (and now, several weeks later), the mid-tones were still a little muddy, at least to my aging ears, in the music I listen to — a little smothered by the base. I need to reduce the base by using a graphic equalizer (such as in Windows Media Player, or built into some devices) for almost any music to sound best to me—but that’s generally true of high quality earphones. That is, audiophile headphones have a «flat response»—meaning that they reproduce what was recorded, as is was recorded, without emphasizing the base, midtones, nor high notes. For listening, adjustment is often necessary. If you’ve never used an equalizer, you’ll be stunned by the difference that slight adjustments can make.
FOLDABLE
> Folds flat (to about 1″ thick X 4″ X 6″). Some other foldable headphones fold into balls, which are not easily carried in a pocket.
CORD
> The cord is 4′ and a few inches long. For me, that is long enough to reach my computer audio plug (but, I added a 1′ extension to make it easier). However, in my opinion, the cord is much too long to connect to a cell phone, etc. in your pocket. I’d prefer that the cord plugged into the headphones, so that I could simply purchase cords of the appropriate length.
> The plug is L-shaped, angled at 90 degrees, unfortunately. That means that it won’t «cleanly» connect to an extension. If you pull on the cord, you won’t easily pull it out the socket, but you will put on strain on the cord where the plug attaches, and potential damage the cord. In my experience, this is how most headphones fail. So, I consider the angled plug a negative feature, and another reason that replaceable cords are desirable.
CUSHIONS AND COMFORT
> The cushions do not look impressive nor luxurious — but they are very functional. They are quite comfortable — essentially unnoticeable — and they easily stay in place for many hours of listening. The «crinkled-tissue» surface material and the flat design help grip the ears lightly without concentrating pressure. In comparison, I’ve used other headphones with cushions which, least at first, gave the impression of greater luxury — but, I remember some headphones which would not stay in place, and gave me sore ears after a half-hour or so. Not the Sony ZX headphones, they stay in place and I can wear them all day long without getting sore ears.
> The tightness is not adjustable, so the Sony ZX headphones might be loose on small heads.
> How you wear the headset can make a difference on the quality of the sound. Although that’s probably dependent on the size and shape of your ears. For me, if I pull the «legs» out a little, so that the headset is barely touching the top of my head, and the earphones are angled a little bit upward into my ears, that the sound is best. I use black gaffer’s tape to hold the legs at my preferred adjustment.
> Part of the comfort equation is that the whole headset is very light – it’s not going to press down on the top of your head. You won’t have to adjust the tightness too tight (IF you could adjust the tightness) to hold the headphones in place.
CAVEAT
> Apparently obligatory if you want to be taken seriously) «Of course, more expensive headphones, deliver higher (audiophile) quality.» Yeh, sure. In an era when almost everyone is listening to highly compressed mp3, or even more compressed streamed music (and as a result, the quality of most recorded music is mediocre), I doubt that more than 1 in 100 people, maybe 1 in 1000, can tell the difference between these headphones and «audiophile» headphones — and even then, only when listening to high quality recordings.
> RECOMMENDATIONS
> For most people, instead of fretting about audio quality, consider other features which may be important to you, such as a plug-in cord, wi-fi, adjustable headband tension, noise cancellation, etc. I’m not saying that you need these features — I’m just saying that IF you do, then they may be valid reasons to look at other brands and models. If looking at other models, don’t forget to consider foldability, and ear cushion comfort.
> If you just want good sound (for music) at a good price, you can stop here. For voice (telephone conversations, audiobooks, podcasts, etc.) I recommend considering earbuds instead. Sony MDR-EX15LP earbuds are cleaner, clearer and crisper in the voice-range, without fiddling with an equalizer. The Sony MDR-EX15LP earbuds (or Panasonic Ergofit, or similar earbuds, with cup-shaped rubber cushions) also provide better isolation (you hear less of the ambient noise around you), and are a better choice than the Sony ZX headphones (or most other headphones) in noisy environments.
ASIDE—WHY?
> There is a direct relationship between the size of a speaker and the sound waves it can best produce. Decades ago, even in home systems, base speakers (woofers) were 2 feet in diameter. Tweaters 1 1/2 inches across were used for high notes, with various size speakers in between for mid-ranges. It is extraordinary that headphones can reproduce base at all, and an engineering miracle that earbuds can produce even a hint of base. But still, the underlying physics remains. So, most audiophiles will insist on 50mm «drivers» in headsets — the Sony ZX driver are nominally 35mm diameter — much smaller. But «big drivers» means bigger, much heavier, magnets — so you have to wear the headphones tighter, and therefore get sore ears. Google it — there are dozens of websites about how to cope with «headphone ear pain» — but the best solution, for most people, is to wear lighter headphones, such as Sony ZX headphones.
> Also (grossly over simplifying), different frequencies of sound interfere with each other, especially on the cone (or emitting surface) of speaker. In fact, on multiple speaker setups (with tweeters, midtone speakers, woofers, and sometimes subwoofers), frequencies outside the optimal range for the particular speaker are filtered out before they get to the speaker — so the mid-tone speaker does not get high frequency signals nor base signals. So, if a speaker (such as an earbud) inherently has a minimal base response, the mid-tones will be cleaner and clearer. If you object, «I hear base on my earbuds» — well yes, but that’s a magnified base with little detail. So (all other things being equal — which is never the case): earbuds for voice, headphones for music, headphones with large drivers for audiophile quality sound (if you can tolerate the sore ears). In real life, it isn’t so clear.
> Keep in mind that, for most people, headphones are «bling» — a fashion accessory, where prestige is the most important consideration, and the headphones are priced accordingly. The sound quality, comfort, etc. of «fashionable headphones» is often a secondary, or tertiary, consideration. Sony ZX headphones make the statement that, «I am a practical person who doesn’t care about fashion». If that describes you, and music quality is important to you, and the mix of features fit your needs, then Sony ZX headphones are a good choice for you among headphones priced under $200.
> SONY — In my limited experience, Sony design and execution is uniformly top notch. Not the fad-of-the-moment feature in every model—but a good balance of features in every model. Not the best possible at ANY cost — but rather, the best quality at the target price — and often very competitive with more expensive products from other brands. Not necessarily «better» than another brand or model — the mix of features and aesthetics can matter. But, if I had to purchase an audio gift for someone, (not knowing their exact preferences) or if I had to grab an audio product when running through an airport for my own use, it would be Sony every time.
NOISE CANCELLATION
> The Sony ZX headphones do NOT feature noise cancellation, and you don’t need it just for listening to music. Beware also that so-called «noise cancellation» means at least four different things. «Noise cancellation» is mostly a highly-abused «buzz word» used in advertising copy.
> The «noise cancellation» touted for most earbuds is really just passive isolation — which the Sony MDR-EX15LP earbuds (or Panasonic Ergofit, and ANY other similar earbuds, with cup-shaped rubber cushions) provide. The wifi earbuds for Apple and Samsung phones etc (round balls on sticks, without the cup-shaped rubber cushions) do NOT provide passive isolation.
—> The Sony ZX headphones provide little passive isolation. Some other brands and models are better, but at the «price» of large heavy cup-shaped cushions which enclose your entire ear.
> The «noise cancellation» touted for those «round balls on sticks» wifi earbuds, is really anti-feedback circuitry — which is useful if you are using the headsets like a telephone — but otherwise, the circuitry provides little, if any, noise cancellation, and such earbuds provide almost no passive isolation. If you have earbuds with good passive isolation, you don’t need anti-feedback circuitry.
> The «noise cancellation» touted for many headsets is really the addition of «white noise» on top of the ambient noise, and on top of whatever it is that you want to listen to. This is cheap and actually works fairly well (almost as good you’d like it to work), when combined with passive isolation, in noisy environments. But, in my experience, it may stress your ears more, and give you a sick headache after a few hours. I use such a set for air travel.
> True «noise cancellation», more fully called «active noise cancellation» is limited, and is usually expensive. It is good for low frequency constant or repetitive noise, such as aircraft engines, but is of no help at all for screaming children or other random noises. Caveat, just because the advertising copy claims «active noise cancellation», does not mean that you actually get «active noise cancellation».