Excellent earbuds, work great even in deployed environment

I spent a good deal of time looking for a good set of small earphones to go with my Archos GMini 400 player. I think I found them in the MDR-EX51LP. These buds have incredible sound when used correctly. I have used many an ear bud-style headphone based on the style of small speakers that fit in the outside ear and use a crappy foam-rubber cushion to stay anchored. They never sounded as good as the EX51LP buds, and they always made my ear sore (not from noise, just from discomfort in wear).

The secret with these buds is the silicon/rubber cushions. These cushions work just like regular rubber earplugs to seat the earbuds just inside the ear canal. They then seal the good sound in your ear and do their best to exclude outside noise. I have experienced very commendable treble and bass response with these buds, much better than any other set of compact headphones I'd used before. Of course, they will never work as well as the gigantic, ear-cupping, wraparound audiophile headphones, but those monsters are just not practical for use outside of them home or studio. For real-world use, these earbuds are outstanding.

I really like these headphones, as they work well in a military transport-environment. I have done some commuting back and forth in Air Force C-130 cargo transport aircraft, which are planes powered by 4 *VERY* noisy turboprop engines. I have seen other soldiers jamming their cheap headphones against their ears trying to listen to them at full volume. I am spared this poor remedy because the MDR-EX51LP headphones do an excellent job of blocking out exterior sound. They are not foolproof, but they do work extremely well.

I had some issues with the cord at first. The supplied cord comes in two sections: a short Y-cord with 2 different lengths for the individual ear buds that can be used by itself, and a headphone extension cord that the smaller Y-cord into which the Y-cord can plug. The Y-cord by itself is not long enough for practical use by itself, and with the extension, the weight of the cord can tend to pull the bud with the smaller cord out of your ear. The key is to drape the cord around your neck to take the weight off of the buds. Also, I have found that it helps to insert the mid-cord plug extension in the small "pen pocket" slot in the top of my left breast pocket on my Army desert combat uniform. Of course, if you don't wear DCUs on a daily basis, you will have to find another solution.

One thing I will caution on is that, like everything here in the desert, these buds will get dirty. Keep them clean -- remember, you've essentially only got the one tiny little hole for sound to pass through with these buds. Also, I have not yet experienced how the rubber part of these plugs hold up in the summer -- I'll edit my review once I have used these in 140-degree heat.

Hope this helps deployed troops and even you folks at home. -- CPT D