overall sound is very subtle and treble the best i ever heard from ear phones. worth the money 4 sure. very comfy as i can keep em in all day if i want unlike any others i ever used

bass not as strong as some might expect but other sony models are available for bass peeps

Got sony minidisc mzr-750 and required quality phones
got 888-sp from micmic.com which i highly recommend. sound far superier to anything else ever heard this size. very comfy and rarely fall out. i listen only 2 drum and bass and this combo is superb. I burned them in for 6 hours before listening but am gonna give em 24 hours of rigerous use before i use a digital recording to demo em to any one as this is what others say. Overall worth the money if using digital source and require something special

Similar Products Used:

10's of ear phones over the years

Good Looking - Clear Smooth Sounding

Expensive

Fairly excellent all around. Sub-Bass doesnt seem to reach to advertised 8Hz, Bass is good a bit flat, Midrange is right on if perhaps a little forward, Treble very clear and clean, maybe not crisp enough.

Once again, these are very good! and I'm only expressing my personal tastes. A perfect Earbud/Headphone would have that sub-bass presence while maintaining the bass fairly set back and flat. With soft midrange while having crisp, high energy treble. These meet that goal about 75%

I'm comparing them to SONY Earbuds (MODEL?) I used to own (94-98), and these are a close equal to the those, which were the best earphones/headphones I've ever heard. The were stolen from me!!! I have not seen them sold anywhere since. Had twin Gold Plated Bass Tubes, with rubberized housing and a silver fine mesh diaphram grille. If anyone has these, dont think of upgrading!

Similar Products Used:

Sone Earbuds (?), Sennheiser MX4, SONY MDR-V600, Aiwa,Panasonic,Sony Headphones

Surprisingly solid sound from an earbud. 'Silent cap' feature keeps the music from bothering neighbors.

Rather pricey.

I've had terrible experiences with Sony's other offerings (MDR-x00 series) and wasn't really expecting much from these earbuds. But after breaking them in for a couple of weeks, I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised. To me, the audible range (the frequency specs are quite inflated and useless) is reproduced naturally and without a huge midbass hump or grating high-end harshness. The sound is smooth and listenable for long periods of time.

But the devil's in the details and this is where the earbud falls a bit short. It lacks the resolution of other headphones in its price class (such as the Grado SR60). And even though I find the headphone 'soundstage' a dubious quality, I have to say that it didn't sound as full as a Grado or Sennheiser headphone at comparable volumes. But it's an earbud after all.

That being said, when worn, they're inconspicuous and don't leak sound like the other headphones mentioned so they're a perfect fit for the sound quality conscious consumer who scrapes out a living in a beige maze.

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR60, Alessandro Music Series One, Sennheiser HD580

Beautiful design/Clear sound

Fragile cord/The silver coating can be scratched off easily

I bought it after my E 484G right channel cord was broken (the normal cause of death for earphones).

I've heard many reviewers compare it to the E 484G (the former top of the line before
E 888, not E 848 which is in the same generation of the E 888) and complain about its
thin sound. Which is unlike E 484G warm/big sound.

E 888 really need break-in period, for me, it was 2-3 day. After that this is the
best earphone I've ever used, better than the E 484G. E 484G lacks the clarity of
upper and mid ranges, some people like this sound character. While E 888 takes me
closer to the reality.

Now after 2 years, the cord of E 888 broke again. Too bad, the diaphrams are still
in good shape but unusable because the left channel cord is broken. It also seems
harder for E 888 to replace the cord, unlike E 484.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR E 484G

Clear highs, mids, lows, and are comfortable.

Cords are a bit thin, the bass may not be as strong as some may like.

While a bit expensive, these are definitely the best sounding earphones I've ever heard. These easily beat any and all of my headphones in sound quality, due to the high end bio-cellulose diaphragm used in these 888s, which are also used in Sony's most expensive headphones, the CD-3000. The highs are clear with absolutely no sibilants, the midrange is strong, something that is lacking in pratically all other earphones, and the bass is well rounded. Some may prefer the bass to be stronger, but that depends on whether you want plain bass, or sound quality. These earphones are all about sound quality, but using equipment with greater bass boosts you can compensate for the lack of powerful bass. I have also been able to push these to volume levels where other earphones would have distorted long ago, bass or otherwise...these 888s however stay with the program and don't distort. However, to get these results, you MUST burn them in (leave them connected to a source with volume turned up to 75% for about 3 days, like a radio)...out of the box they sound horrible with shrill highs and no bass at all. These earphones are just great...I just might get another pair before Sony discontinues them!

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-268, MDR-238, MDR-268, MDR-837, MDR-NC10

Great sound (for open-air-type earbuds)

Very expensive, a bit flimsy

This is an update of a review back in July 2000:

I have owned these earbuds for almost a year, and they still perform very well - although these days, I prefer listening to them without any foam pads at all. The low bass is balanced with the mid-bass; the treble has no sibilants; the mids are sweet and quite musical. I have since acquired some of the other earbuds listed under "Similar Products Used:" (except for my MDR-E848LP's, which I already have had at the time of my MDR-E888LP purchase); I now judge the new MDR-E828LP an excellent value for $10, and my MDR-ED268LP beats all of my other earbuds for BASS (that's "bass" in CAPITAL letters) - but my MDR-ED238LP is the crappiest model of the bunch, with too much crappy mid/upper-bass and no low bass extension.

So far, I haven't broken these earbuds, but based on my taking care of them, they'll last me at least a few more years. But carelessness will break them almost immediately.

I still think the MDR-E888LP's are still outstanding overall (for open-type earbuds), but some of the other earbuds listed under "Similar Products Used:" are better choices for specific needs.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-E828LP, MDR-E848LP, MDR-ED238LP, MDR-ED268LP

Sound quality.

Awkward case.

These are the first ear buds I have ever had. They surprised me. The sound is more than satisfactory for what they are and are as good as bigger units in the same price range. When I first used them I heard a tinny sound on highs and the low end. Piece of junk was my first thought. But after about 30 minutes of use, they became very smooth. I know speakers need a ‘break in’ period, maybe ear buds do too. Now I used them everyday and cannot find any real fault with them. The lower mid range seemed a little weak at times, but equalization can fix that. These earphones cover the full range of sound very well. Surprising for such small units. Being close to the ear canal probably helps, but I would also expect to hear any flaws amplified too. I really haven’t heard any. These are not studio monitor headsets, but for $51 I wasn’t expecting them to be.

I use them at work on my Toshiba laptop workstation. One of the biggest advantages, and why I decided to try ear buds, is that they are not as visible as other headsets. In a business environment this is important. My full sized ear cover Sony’s were not appropriate and the sport phones in bright yellow were also very visible. These ear buds are not very noticeable. Another item I noticed, others cannot hear them. This is a concern when others are working around you. Other people working here use the regular ‘Walkman’ type earphones and you can hear what they are listening to when you walk by or sit near them. Very distracting. With these ear buds nobody hears what I am listening to and I don’t disrupt their work. The other surprising thing, since these cover the ear opening, I thought I wouldn’t hear any sound from the environment (phones, other people talking to you). But this hasn’t been the case. Most external noise is eliminated, but not completely shut out. I can easily hear the phone, and I have the ringer turned way down, and can easily hold a conversation or hear others trying to get my attention.

I am very pleased with these earphones and recommend them highly. I wouldn't use them at home, but in a work environment, they are perfect.

Similar Products Used:

Koss, other Sony

Lasted the full first day I had them

Broke on 2nd day I had them

Quick way to waste $110. I am buying a Sennheiser based on reviews here

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser

Great sound quality & small protable.

Expensive for airbud, easy to break it :)

Great headphone indeed, took about 1 hour "break in" time before it reached full sound range. So far the best airbud I ever used. Cool carrying case, I use it mostly with my MP3 player and it's great so far. But I'm not sure how soon will it last, it looks and feels really easy to break apart. So enjoy the great sound quality while you can.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-268, 228

Great sound.

Earbud fatigue.

I've been looking for some sport/portable headphones to use with my Nomad Jukebox while walking/working out. After much trial and error, I bought the MDR-E888LPs and am delighted. Great highs without being tinny and surprisingly good bass considering they're just buds.

If you're looking for great-sounding unobtrusive headphones, look no further.

Similar Products Used:

Too numerous to count (including Koss Buds -poor sound; Sportapros - good sound, odd looking, clunky)