I'd only heard good things about these headphones until i saw them getting only 2 out of 5 in a recent review. What's going on?! I thought these were meant to be decent, but now I'm not so sure...any advice?

I've got a pair of these and they're great - the only thing i would say is that they seem to be wearing out pretty quickly - maybe it's just me getting used to them but the sound through doesn't seem as full as when i first bought them - But at £25 (on amazon) you can't go wrong!

There are better in-ear 'phones out there, if you're willing to spend a bit more. Shure have got a couple of really neat ones (they're about £60 though) and if you're feeling flush then there's the Etymotic er-6i's at £100, which, like Shure's stuff, have got noise cancelling technology on them - great for travelling! :)

Cheers steve - wow, i think £100 is probably over-doing it a bit!? That nearly costs as much as my mp3 player...i've heard that sony r releasing a replacement for the ex71's though - maybe they could be the answer. You know any more about this?

I've got the Etymotic ER6i. There's no noise cancelling technology; they're just made with very thick insulation.

I don't find them as comfortable as comfortable as the Japanese alternatives.

Good sound though albeit not as bassy as the Panasonic versions.

Thanks Christopher - when you say Japanese alternatives, do you mean they're still made by Etymotic? i.e. still expensive.

No. I mean the Sonys which are the subject of this discussion and the Panasonic equivalent.

I'm currently using the Panasonic for commuting if I don't have the space in my bag for my Sennheiser HD25.

Less than £30 for either.

I do want to emphasise that the Etymotics are MUCH higher quality but the Japanese are more comfortable if less purist.

You spend less time scraping ear wax off them than you do with the Etymotics. They're such a tight fit that on the instructions, they suggest that you wet the tips before you insert them!

Tom- Not sure if they were a replacement to the ex71's though sony did release the ex81's a while back

http://www.ipodlounge.com/index.php/reviews/comments/sony-mdr-ex81-earphones-ipod/

I don't particularly like the design peronally, I think the bits that clip round your ears make you look pretty silly though it does apparently add comfort. What's the general opinion about them?