See my review of the MDR-A30G headphones dated 9/21/00.

I am writing this review to refute my previous review dated 6/25/00. The sound from these headphones is surprisingly well balanced for their size and price! My 1996 sample was made in Japan--but newer samples are now made in the Philippines. (My MDR-A30G and MDR-W20G are made in the Philippines.) The only difference is these aren't water resistant. So, if you are leery of yellow, buy these!

Light, secure for active use, value for money

Short cord, harsh sound

I bought these after I lost an older (~1995) set of Sony "vertical in-ear" headphones that I adored for their suprising sound quality, given their cheapness. I'm happy with the new design and fit, but the sound just isn't the same. Specifically, listening with a variety of sources and musical styles, I found there to be a nasty peak in the high mid-range, that I managed to localize to somewhere around 10kHz with my EQ. It's not just a sample defect- I've listened to two different sets. I know I shouldn't expect much for $25, but I know Sony can do better. I ended up buying them any way, since I haven't found anything better for the money, and earbuds just aren't comfortable for me.

Similar Products Used:

Older Sony in-ear headphones, misc. low and mid-range headphones

Bass output, folding design

Slightly uneven sound quality, more fragile than non-folding Sony V.I.T.E.'s

These sounded a bit less even than the yellow-coloured "sports" V.I.T.E. cans, and the pivots that allow them to be folded up are a bit flimsy. The MDR-W20G and A30G are better buys for the same money or less.

In short, I give these 4 stars for value, 3 stars for performance.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-E827G, MDR-E848LP, MDR-W20G

cheap, light, comfortable, don't look ugly, sound pretty good.

none really for the price

I just got these, because I have been using Koss Sporta Pros but I realize I look way too stupid walking around at school with them, and since my other headphones (ones mentioned above) sounded like crap compared to the koss' i got these because of the reviews here. I'm glad I did. They sound good enough for me to use often. Not as good as the Koss' but they look way better and are more compact and way cheaper. Only $30 Canadian. Koss' were $60. I wish I had a volume control on these though. For the price though, it seems all the money went into making them sound decent. Thanks for the reviews you guys.

Similar Products Used:

Koss Sporta Pro, MDR-WO8L, Sony earbuds

Excellent highs, very good lows, small and foldable, light.

none

For the size and price(24.95 list, 19.95 on the net), these are the best headphones you can buy. I rate them the equal of the Grado SR-60s(69.95), and FAR superior to the Koss Porta/Sporta Pros(junk-49.95 list). The bass is about 75% of the Koss Pro 25/35(24.95), but the highs are much more defined. You'll miss some high details entirely and depth of soundstage in your music listening to the Koss 25/35s, UNLESS your primary interest is throbbing bass in Techno. I've listened to all the "Similar Products Used" in the last 2 months, initially trying to find a new pair of headphones for "portable" use(max. 100.00) and one for home use,(max. 500.00). The more I listen, the more I'm impressed with the MDR-A34ls in comparison. For my "portable" headphones, meaning I can carry them around at work, on the street or at a swim meet, these will remain my favorites. Buy a pair and Enjoy. Tonight I'm opening a pair of Sony MDR-CD1700s. I can't wait.

Similar Products Used:

Koss Porta-Pro&Sporta-Pro, Grado SR-60, Koss-Pro 25 and 35, Sony MDR-F1, Sony MDR-V6, Grado SR-325, Sony MDR-V900, Sennheiser 580

Pretty comfortable, decent sound

Short cable

Definitely the best sounding pair of "low-end" headphones I've ever heard.

In comparison to more expensive (~$50 headphones), these phones actually account for themselves quite well. I found them far better sounding than the pair of Sennheiser HD-470s I bought to replace them. They're pretty comfortable (especially for those of us who wear glasses), as the in-the-ear design doesn't put any pressure on the ear.

All aspects of sound (highs, lows, details, etc.) are pretty decent for such a low-end 'phone. Detail is pretty good, highs are crisp, and lows are reasonably well-defined. I listen to them almost all day, and really don't feel fatigued by them.

I'm sure that higher end products (in the $75 and up range) sound better, but many people may find these to be quite adequate sonically.

The only weakness (which may only be for the version that comes free with MD players) is that the cable is very short (like 2 feet). This is because MD players come with wired remote controls that add additional length. The retail version may not have this problem.

Light, comfortable, decent sound, allows outside sounds in (that's a good thing for this type of phone)

Lack of bass, flimsy cord attachment

This is my second pair of A-34's...the first had to be replaced when the cord connection in one ear went bad. The dual cord attachments mean these frequently get tangled when I'm wearing them at my desk on on the train, and it doesn't take much tugging to ruin the earpiece connections.

That aside, the sound from these is pretty darn good from such a tiny driver, and with the folding mechanism, they're much easier to carry around than any other phones I've used.

There's a definite lack of bass on these, probably due in equal parts from the small driver size, and from the way they sit partly in and partly out of the ear canal. If you press the earpiece hard against your ear while they're playing, you can hear a noticeable bass boost, but that's not a practical way to listen.

Anyway, for commuting, exercising, or at work, these phones are ideal. When the cord separates on this pair, I'll either buy another set, or look into the type that insert directly in the ear canal.

Similar Products Used:

Koss Porta-Pro, Koss Sporta-Pro, various other Sony Walkman phones

Compact, folding design

Poor sound

These are V.I.T.E. headphones, or "verticle in the ear". They sit right on the edge of you ear canal and use it as a resonance chamber to improve the bass. I found the bass boomy and thick, without definition or musicality. The midrange and highs were thin and muddy sounding. These are bad headphones at any price, which is surpising considering they use similar drivers to the vastly superior MDR E848LP earbuds. I returned these for a refund.

Similar Products Used:

MDR E848LP, MDR V6, MDR V600, MDR CD570, MDR CD360, etc..

See below

See my new review on the Sony MDR-A30G's dated 11/12/00.

All of the criticisms of that model also apply to these V.I.T.E. (Vertical-In-The-Ear) headphones as well. No wonder why a leading comsumer magazine (with the initials "CR") gave these and all other vertical Sony earbuds with 16mm drivers a mediocre grade for sound quality.