Sony ZX Series Wired On-Ear Headphones Review

★★★★★★★★★★

“I finally replaced the 15 year old headphones I’d been using with my vintage Technics digital piano.I’m not one to throw money around, so when I saw these Sony headphones I pressed the button.They are basic; no bells and whistles, just clear sound at a reasonable priceI actually prefer the shorter cord on these. My other pair had a cord that went for miles, and I was constantly tripping on it. For me, sitting at my piano with the jack 3 feet away, these are perfect.Forgot to mention that they are very comfortable on my ears. Very cushiony.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“These headphones are comfortable and light weight. They sound great and fit very nicely. Just put them on and go. Price was very good for a nice product.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“This is a fairly good headset with decent sound that does an adequate job at music reproduction. They are fairly inexpensive, so going with the old accepted 'wisdom' that you get what you pay for, I really hadn't expected much from them when I made the purchase, so they've pretty much lived up to that lofty expectation. Anyway, I've used them pretty much on a daily basis for months now without really given them much thought, so I've been happy enough. After all, they were affordable. They aren't particularly uncomfortable. They didn't sound horrible and they seem to be all I need for the use to which I put them. I unplugged the old set, put 'em away, plugged in these and that was that. Because I wasn't expecting much, I never considered doing any sort of quality testing or comparison listening when they arrived. That was a mistake. With clear hindsight, I'd now say I'd already pretty much convinced myself they would do when I ordered them, so I never bothered to check if they actually were. Naturally they sound okay, since I wasn't expecting much, but they're being used almost exclusively for non-critical, background listening to music on my tablet while I'm doing other things (almost anything instead of watching the idiot box while my wife is in the same room, online and talking with her coworkers and clients and trying to concentrate on her new full-time, off-site job). So, since I haven't really been thinking about anything more than whether or not they reproduce music, they're okay. Not awful, not great, but okay. That's what I expected so that's pretty much what I got. I should have been more careful.A couple of days ago my wife was out exercising before starting her work shift, so I took advantage of the opportunity to test-drive some new music I was thinking about purchasing. I needed to be more discerning in my listening and I needed to be online, so I moved over to my desk so I could use my souped-up PC and Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speaker system, a combination that reproduces music pretty well for me. I realized from the outset I couldn't expect to favorably compare my inexpensive Sony 'phones to that, but I was completely surprised even so. I'd never checked, so I never realized just how much of the music I'd been missing with the new headphones.Now I started thinking about my headphones a bit more critically, the old and new. Yes, the old set was a bit long in the tooth; after all, it was quite a few years old and had seen a lot of use. Even so, I'd replaced it not because of a problem with the sound reproduction, but because the connector cable was wearing out and getting a bit ratty. Worse, it had developed a somewhat quirky connector that often required reseating in the jack to work. A pain in the butt, but when they worked, they still sounded quite good. I then remembered listening to music and thinking about just how great it sounded on a brand new laptop I used recently (with the old headset). At the time, I attributed the great sound pretty much entirely to the new sound chip in the costly new Dell, but maybe it had been more than just the laptop.Time and past time for action! I pulled open the junk drawer in my desk and started digging around, movin' aside all the old serial cables, card readers, cabled mouses (mice?) and such until I found the cloth bag I'd stored my old headphones in when I got the new set. I disconnected the Sony's, set 'em aside and plugged in the old ones. Rats: same old problem. I reach up and jiggle the connector around this way and that, push it in a bit further and pull it out a skosh until it's just right and finally, sound! Wow. I noticed immediately that the music was much more detailed than it had been with the new headphones. I was clearly hearing vocals and instruments as distinct individual elements, instead of, or rather, in addition to the one musical whole produced by the entire band I heard with the Sony headphones. A very noticeable difference. So I listened carefully for awhile, unplugged the old set and tried the newer Sony set again for a couple of songs, then unplugged them again and reconnected the old headphones. There was absolutely no doubt about it -- the old no-name headset (only about $20 more expensive than the new Sony's) absolutely reproduced the music with more clarity and even a deeper low end.Now what to do? Well, when I'm not paying close attention to the music, the Sony headphones and my Samsung tablet are fine, so I have those in the living room beside my easy chair (to use while my wife is working). If I want better sound while she's at work, now I have the option to move over to my desk and use my old headphones on my desktop. Not ideal maybe, but it works for me. I still have the problem with the connector on the old set every now and again, but unless and until it breaks down completely, it works.Bottom line? These inexpensive Sony headphones work, they're not uncomfortable, they're not even close to being awful, so they may be perfect for listening to music in the background or other such offhand use where not too much attention will be paid to the details. Folks that aren't too picky about music or really don't care about all the subtle little nuances that better, more expensive headphones reproduce accurately should be happy with this inexpensive choice. Again, they're not awful, they're not great, but they are okay. On the other hand, for some being merely okay really might not be all that okay, so if that's you, or music in all its multifaceted, heavily nuanced glory is more your thing, it might be better to think about something better.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“I purchased these inexpensive Sony headphones to preview songs I’m creating online and to check the output quality for my online radio station. They are a massive step up from listening through standard computer speakers. While they obviously don't sound like high-end professional studio monitors, the sound quality is surprisingly good for the price. I can clearly hear the separation between the bass, treble, and mids. They are also incredibly comfortable; I sometimes work for hours listening to the station and completely forget that I have them on my ears. The only minor quirk is that the wired cord is on the shorter side, so it occasionally catches my hand when I'm moving from the keyboard to the mouse, but a quick adjustment usually prevents it. They aren't noise-cancelling, but they don't claim to be either. For a budget-friendly pair of wired headphones, these punch well above their weight.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“Initially, I planned to buy these Sony headphones only as backup ones, but they very soon turned out to be my regular headphones. Having been an owner of the wonderful and amazing sounding Sony MDR-V700 Headphones, what surprised me positively is the lightness and comfort of their wear. These headphones do not squeeze your head and do not make you feel discomfort in your ears even after several hours of use.The sound reproduction is good, there is a nice clarity and nice bass, although it is a low-priced model. I also appreciate the fact that I do not need to charge them – I simply connect them to the device, and they are ready to be used.I appreciate the convenience and compactness of these headphones since they can be easily carried in the bag or in your pocket since they can be folded and stored anywhere – laptop bags, backpacks, even handbags can accommodate them nicely.In addition, they have an optional integrated microphone version, which is convenient to communicate via the Internet. Considering everything mentioned above these headphones are reliable, easy-to-use, and very cost-effective exceeding all my expectations easily!”