Sony MDR-EX650AP Premium Wired Earphones with Brass Housing, Neodymium dynamic drivers, Smartphone Mic and Control - Black/Gold

After ordering the Meta Quest 2, I was keen to quickly find high quality, spacious (so that sound, 'sounds' wide and open... e..g a scene in a film in a banquet hall; I want to sense that cutlery and chatter is all around me at varying distances). Naturally, having spent hundreds on the VR headset, I was particularly budget-conscious and my expectations were tempered -I had the 'visual' side but maybe wait until next year to go crazy on the 'audio' side. If I spent 'only' £50 and got some halfway decent sound I would have been content, although I expected little more. However, these are the Brass Bad Boys...the Sony MDR-EX650AP. Mysteriously luxurious looking yet priced around the £40 mark. The type of price you'd pay for lesser-known brands on high street retail shelves. I paid £37 I believe...so what are they? These headphones have an in-ear design and include silicone plugs in different sizes. Additionally, they also feature a built-in microphone. What is astounding is the fact that they are really made from massive brass. That's good for durability and provides slightly better protection against external noises. Sony applied a clear coat in order to maintain the shiny appearance of the metal. If it gets worn over time, you may have to polish the metal from time to time – the function should not be affected. The material truly becomes vintage as it visibly ages over time.. The earphones are very comfortable and well-balanced. The selection of materials for the cable is equally impressive. It has a subtly coarse texture and is coated with a pleasantly tactile plastic. The purpose of this combination is to prevent the transfer of cable noise to the headphones. Mission successful: you almost hear nothing besides your music. With Sony headphones, you won't have to worry about annoying cable rubbing noises on your jacket like you do with other headphones. Small details like that can hardly be advertised as major selling points, but when you take these factors into account, in total, they are in fact, major selling points... but only when the actual sound is on point. The sound is great on both ends. If you choose to use the MDR-EX650AP for listening to music, you will be amazed by the exceptional sound quality it offers within this price range. If you take telephone calls, you can hear yourself the exact right amount (crosstalk). Really though, had this product cost £100 more, it would still be worth the investment simply because the audio quality is spacious, the bass is forceful, and the highs are not overly shrill. For my intended Gaming and VR: amazing purchase...taking the price into account, perfect. 5/5.

Having had Sony in-ear headphones throughout my teenage Walkman years and loved them, it was lovely to read the reviews online saying they've come back to producing good quality and sounding headphones at reasonable prices. I've been using Klipsch S4i's for the last few years as I wanted good sound when using my iPhone, but still have the remote control and the ability to put the phone & 'phones in my jeans pocket, so clunky cans were not an option. They have been great, but after reading about these I took a chance when I need a new set and am so glad I did - the build quality is truly excellent, they feel they can stand any abuse I might give them with the 'phones, cable and even the plug feeling very sturdy and resilient. The remote doesn't have volume keys, but to be honest am picking holes at that point as otherwise these are perfect. Sonically, these offer a better bass and soundstage than the Klipsch model and are the best I've heard without going into £200+ range. They fit comfortably, the right-angle plug is nice to avoid stressing the phone's socket when in my pocket, and as I said the build quality is very reassuring. They come with a little bag to hold them, but I tend to just stuff them in my pocket when I go out, and they seem fine with it - even the silicon buds are well-designed and don't come off accidentally when pulling them out of my pocket as others have done. So overall am delighted with them and expect them to last, though whether my own hearing will fare so well remains to be seen after all those teenage years of blasting rock!

With these headphones I came from the Soundmagic E10, which I was, for the most part, happy with. The only thing missing was a mic and a bit of bass. With the E10's I used the included double flange eartips since their isolation wasn't great. I discovered these earphones through their magical What HiFi rating which made me take the plunge. Bearing in mind I'm not an audiophile and this is the most I've spent on headphones. When first trying the headphones, they didn't sound great. The sound was muddy and lacking in bass which was slightly surprising. But they had glowing reviews and I've heard of this 'burn in period' as well so I decided to persist with them, and I'm glad I did! They definitely open up after a few hours use and they definitely pack a punch with the bass (but not overpowering). If you're coming from iPhone earphones, there's a huge difference! You hear things in your songs that you've never heard and they actually stay in your ear! The fit was pretty good. Once you choose the right earbud size (I had to go one lower than the ones fitted on originally) they stay in your ear perfectly thanks to the design which sort of just sits in your ear. The isolation was pretty good as well. Once they fit in your ear properly they block a fair amount of outside noise. Since i'm on a daily commute to London, I'm not looking to block all the sound since I don't have a death wish so they're perfect for me. I've actually used these in the gym as well. Obviously not great, but not as bad as you may think! They probably fell out twice but for the most part managed to stay in There are a few negatives. I've had these less than a month, and the brass colour has sort of started chipping away which is disappointing. Another thing is the button on the inline mic is quite mushy. There's no good response from it so there's quite a few times where I'm unsure if I've actually pressed it or not. I hate the one button for everything approach, but I suppose this isn't really a Sony problem so they cannot be faulted for that. All in all, a great choice without breaking the bank.

I'm writing this review as I am about to buy these earphones for the second time, as one of my rabbits chewed through the wire on my previous set (don't worry, I've not going to give them a one-star review for that, as some Amazon reviewers would). I rarely write reviews, as I'm exceedingly lazy, but thought this product truly deserves it. There's a very good reason I'm buying the exact same earphones again, and that is that they are, in my opinion, the best earphones you can get for the price. Since it's a while since I bought my original pair I did a bit of research, and I still stick by that opinion. First up, the main thing most people are interested in - sound quality. It is simply amazing for earphones at this price. The dynamics are great, with rich warm bass all the way through to crisp highs. If I find a new song/album that I really get into, I make a point of lying in bed and listening to it on these bad boys. The same goes for long-beloved music - I notice new things in albums I thought I knew by heart. This is true when listening on my now-decrepit iPod Nano, and even more so when I plug them into my hi-fi amplifier in the living room. I also sometimes use them in this configuration when playing my PS4, and this gives a level of immersion I thought only possible with over-ear headphones (incidentally, this is how my rabbit got at them - I was sitting on the floor, very much immersed, and the wire was dangling at perfect rabbit head-height). Second of all - durability. I have put these headphones through the wash. Twice. They are not advertised as washproof, but to my amazement they worked perfectly afterwards. And were lovely and clean. I wouldn't recommend it though, it was an accident both times - I may be exceedingly lazy, but I'm not a complete idiot. Looking back on my order history, I see I ordered my original pair in August 2015. So they were working as good as new, despite four years of heavy use and two accidental wash cycles, right up until the moment The Unstoppable Destructo-Bunny sank her teeth into them (the wee cow also managed to chew through three digital aerial cables until I worked out an impenetrable way to protect the back of the TV). I have also bought my mother a pair of these as a present, and my brother bought a pair on my recommendation - both of them were equally impressed with their performance and robustness. So, in summary, if you are looking for a £60-or-less pair of earphones that have fantastic sound and will last, these can't be beat. In fact, I don't think any sub-£100 earphones can beat them. Also, if you get rabbits as pets, don't let them near any wires even for a second.

I can see why What Hi Fi rate these so highly but agree with the reviewer who suggests that the Sound Magic EM10 at half the price are not far behind and offers better value. That said: once you've run the Sony's in and adjusted the graphic equalizer downwards at around 4k level (fairly high frequency) - the balance sounds right. These earphones are both spacious and detailed once adjusted - excellent sound and build quality. The issue of the bling that shiny brass brings is a matter for personal taste but their weight is an issue. this could easily be solved with a clip on the lead to support them. This is hardly a deal breaker though. As for the lack of tangling I have to disagree with most. The material seems durable but mine do tangle and this is largely due to the weighty earphones and the mic knotting up. Again this is a nuisance rather than a deal breaker. I appreciate that the mic doesn't work with some smart phones though it has been fine with my EE Kestrel. I'd still thoroughly recommend them at this price if you're looking for good sound quality. postscript: they look well built and my experience of Sony ear phones is that they are durable but these only lasted four months when sound starting failing in one ear and then cutting out in musical climaxes on another mp3 player: that is unusual. I am pleased to report that the suppliers; "Sevenoaks Sound & Vision On-Line" were quick to provide a replacement without any quibble. The replacements are, if anything, richer and more balanced in tone than the first pair. I cannot thank them enough for being so helpful. I'm happy to accept that I was unlucky with the first pair. The earphones themselves may not be quite the incredible value that of the Sound Magic E10S but are a definite step up in quality, offering more clarity and spacious sound stage. They're certainly well worth the money so I strongly recommend them.

I swithered a long time before deciding to spend £50 on a pair of in-ear headphones. I had read the What HiFi reviews for these (2014 award winners £50-100) and the cheaper Sound Magic E10s (also What HiFi award winners under £50) and poured over other Amazon reviews. A friend opted for the Sound Magic but was I put off by the quite large microphone piece on the cord. The one on these is much smaller. I have a proper separates HiFi at home and have always enjoyed sitting listening to music but most of my listening these days is on the go so it was important that I got the right decision. Having used these for a few days I am confident I made the correct choice. First thing....don't open the box, plug them in and expect to hear them at their best. Spend a bit of time ensuring you select the best fitting silicone rubber buds. This isn't just down to comfort, the better the fit not only serves up better sound isolation from outside but it also helps tune the sound giving a fuller bass without ever swamping the rest of the music. Also I chose to plug them into my HTC One phone and left them playing on repeat for about 6 hours before actually sitting down to listen to them. I think that helped soften any initial sharpness. So on to the listening...I have a 32GB micro sd card in my phone so am not short of storage space. For that reason I like to rip or download my music at 320kbs or higher (sometime lossless). I started out with a FLAC rip of Rush 2112 album (70's prog rock) and was blown away within the first few moments. I didn't think it possible to have such an airy, 3 dimensional, out-of-your-head sound from ear buds but these Sonys manage it with aplomb. Moving on to more modern music I gave Daft Punk's Random Access Memories ago from Spotify. The dance music had great rhythm and well controlled bass. A wee dabble in to some classical music didn't phase these either. As for the button on the cord...yes there is no volume control, but as others have pointed out your phone isn't likely to be that far away and an in line volume control is adding 'resistance' to the music which could affect quality. The button does work well for call handling. Also I use PowerAmp as my android music player. Its menu allows you to decide what button presses do e.g one click to pause/start, double click to advance, treble click or long click to go back. The Sonys handle all the commands well. I don't often take calls while wearing headphones (to be honest it hasn't been an option before) but having tried it a few times, call quality was perfect and the person on the other end never complained or commented that I sound weird (or should that be 'wired'). Overall, I am delighted with these. The only slight down side is the claim that the cable will not tangle. Granted it is better than previous earphones I have had, the cable having a textured feel, but it still finds a away to loop itself into a bow! Maybe I need to take a little more care before storing?

They get a star for being a basic sound emitting device. That's it. I needed a backup headset/ microphone for work calls. The amount of background noise the mic picks up meant I had to leave the three Teams calls I attempted. These are now in a bottom drawer and may never see the light of day again.

Disclaimer: I'm not an audiophile. I had been researching in-ears for a while, in hopes of finding a comparable replacement for my MDR-EX310 in-ears, as one of the earbuds died Comparable in regards to sound quality and price. I was looking for something on a modest budget, about the same price as what my 310s were new (about $80 CDN), and to be honest, there really didn't seem to be much out there that provided the same quality product as the 310s. I wasn't concerned with noise cancellation, being wireless, or bluetooth capabilities (avoiding these features was more to do with staying within my budget than anything else). So I started looking into products from recent years, instead of the latest and greatest. That's when I came across the 650s. I believe they came out in '13 or '14. The reviews I read were very positive. They ticked all of my checkboxes, including price so I thought I'd give them a shot. They also looked similar to my 310s, and I had hoped that the fit would be similar. I can't get technical with this much so I'll just point out what I like in simplest terms: - build quality is quite nice. I like the cable. The brass housing. It's all pretty slick. And the weight is good. The brass housing gives them a solid feel. - the fit is great as the tips fit the same as my old 310s. However, none of the tips came with the same foam insert found in the tips that came with my 310s. I took the foam inserts out of my 310s and put them in the new tips of the 650s, and voila. They've very comfy; they fit snug and I get decent isolation. -this is where I'd like to get technical, but I can't - sound quality. I distinctly remember when I first put on my 310s I was blown away by the sound quality; the bass and clarity; for the money I spent. I was not blown away by the 650s. And maybe that's because they're so similar to my 310s, that I simply don't notice much of a difference, and so the first impression of the 650s isn't "WOW!" like it was for my 310s. That being said, and when I think about it more, this is ok. They still sound good. I'm not disappointed in the sound quality really; maybe the clarity isn't quite there. I like the balance; bass is good; mids are fine. I listen to a lot of metal, which in itself can be pretty muddy depending on the quality of the engineering of the music, and perhaps it's an unrealistic expectation to expect amazing clarity from ~$80 headphones. Based on all of the reviews I've read for in-ears in this price range, I do still strongly feel I made a good choice and will be happy with theses for a long time (hopefully)... - which leads to lastly, durability. I haven't had them long enough to be able to confidently give these 5 stars for durability. My 310s lasted about 6 years until one of the earbuds died. I'm hoping to get at least that much life out of the 650s. As mentioned, I really like the build quality. They appear to be a higher quality product from the jack, to the cable to the actual buds, than the 310s, and I hope that translates to a longer life. This is also why I can't give them an overall rating of 5 stars. They'd need to be able to stand the test of time first. Ratings are subjective anyway. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I can't see how someone could go wrong with these at this price. You're getting build quality, snug fit (and isolation if you have foam inserts for the tips), and great sound for the money.