In-ear headphones are an essential buy for most music listeners for their handy size and convenience, but with so many styles available they haven’t always been the easiest accessories to purchase if you want to get a great sound. We thought it’s time to have a fresh look at the Sony MDREX650 and explain what makes a good pair of ‘phones stand out from the rest.
So much of what can make or break an earphone is down to the design, and ultimately how comfortable it is to have in your ear. The advent of ‘tip’ based ear bud ‘phones has made in-ear styles much easier to live with than the older, plastic design which were the stuff of nightmares. The crux of it is to make sure your earphones fit correctly to ensure that important areas, such as bass response, are performing as best as they can.
Hand on heart, the Sony MDREX650 are, for my ears, the most comfortable, and certainly the best fitting earphones that I’ve ever worn at this price point and beyond (barring some of Shure’s higher end range). Which made the fact that I left my pair on a train sometime ago all the more difficult to take. With their reputation as a one-time What Hi-Fi Award winner to live up to, I thought it was about time they got a review.
Easily the first thing that people notice when looking at the MDREX650 is their gold colour finish, which actually turns out to be one of their key design features. But rather than actual gold, Sony have designed the outer housing of these earphones from brass, a material they claim will reduce vibration and increase treble clarity via its use in the inner ducts of the earphone itself. It makes for a striking look either way. It’s an image that won’t necessarily appeal to everyone, but one that absolutely has its basis in science, rather than fashion.
This design is also ergonomically shaped to fit better inside the ear canal, with the ‘phones bending slightly in the middle to allow for a more snug fit. As mentioned previously, my own use of them provided not only a comfortable fit, but also gave great bass response. The bud never fell out of my ear even when I’m out running. Whilst specific ‘sports’ earphones will be better for exercise use, I found the MDREX650 to be the best of the rest in that regard. Four pairs of different size tips are provided to help ensure that the fit will work for almost any ear, however, I found the standard fit that is already attached to be the perfect one for me.
“From sound, to fit, the EX650s are everything a pair of in-ears should be.” What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision magazine, Product of the Year, 2014 Awards.
It’s asking a lot for a set of earphones to come with anything worthwhile in the way of accessories, and Sony haven’t exactly gone overboard here. As well as the aforementioned spare tips, there’s also a neat little carry bag (which I also left on the train!) and that’s about it. I’m not about to mark them down for these shortcomings, because very few brands will go beyond the basics but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. The supplied cable comes in at 1.2m, a standard length that is easy to tuck out the way and long enough not to be impractical for putting phones in trouser pockets.
Sony has opted for a 12mm neodymium drive unit in the ‘650, aiming for a punchy yet weighty sound. Sculpted internal air vents also help to shape the lower frequencies, giving greater accuracy and precision. The brass housing and their in-ear design mean that they are a closed-back ‘phone, and they isolate the listener both from the outside world and from music leakage very well.
For my test run, I plugged them into a Samsung Galaxy S7 and also a Chord Mojo headphone amplifier. Given their relatively low price they won’t necessarily be partnered with an external DAC or headphone amp, but the ‘650’s did scale well, showing improvements across the board when they were hooked up to the Mojo.
Playing back in lossless from Tidal, the Sony showed immediately why they have been so highly praised in the past few years. Listening to Nicolas Jaar’s ‘Space Is Only Noise’ album showed the Sony capable of great layering of sounds, and the bottom end really shone through with this reasonably left-field electronic music. Not only was the bass plentiful, it was also well textured, with no boom apparent at any time. This solid bass performance wasn’t at the expense of the mids or the treble though, with the vocals on James Blake’s track ‘Overgrown’ sounds full and rich, with a top end that was detailed yet smooth, and mids that were just as luscious without being too thick.
Again, with the right fit, they offer what most people are likely looking for in an earphone: a balanced sound that favours no particular genre or frequency range, and that is pleasant, but still musically exciting to listen to. It goes without saying that I’ll be buying another pair. I just need to remember not to let these ones out of my sight! Highly recommended!
Click to find out more about the Sony MDREX650 headphones.
Author: Chris, Liverpool store
