Hi gang, after doing much research and soul-searching, I went out this weekend and bought the Sony MDR-EX70LP "20th Anniversary Fontopia Headphones."
They are pretty much the latest evolution of the Sony earbud headphones, and the big difference is that they are of the "earplug" design, using silicone attachments to go hold the device in your ear while blocking out ambient noise. They seem to be similar in design to many in-ear monitors, except that they are not wireless and cost a fraction of what the in-ear monitors do.
Evidently, they have new-type drivers and a totally enclosed design which permits an advertised 6Hz to 23KHz frequency response range. I can't vouch for that, but so far, my observations are:
- Very secure and comfortable. There were 3 different sizes of silicone ear inserts included, and I was able to fit them to where they were comfy and will probably stay secure in my ears during a live performance.
- Super low-profile. With my (considerable) hair hanging loose, they were totally invisible, as opposed to conventional headphones.
- Isolation seems pretty good so far. Not having tried them with my band yet, I ran a home test. I cranked up my massive home stereo with one CD, while playing a raw mix of one of my band's songs thru the headphones. I couldn't hear what the big stereo was playing, and it is pushing 2 sets of Bose loudspeakers with about 440w/channel @4 Ohms. Loud.
- The bass-handling capability seems far beyond any other "Walkman-style" lightweight or earbud-type headphones I've tried before.
- The cost was only $50 at a U.S. nationwide electronics chain.
My whole goal was to try and find the perfect (for me) headphones for stage monitoring. I play along with a click & sequenced keyboard parts during my band's shows, and need a way of hearing the click over the roar of my Zildjian Z Customs, as well as monitoring my V-Drums. I don't always count on the house monitor mix, as it has left me wanting in the past. The other main consideration was visual - I didn't want a set of headphones poking out while I was onstage. I've done it before, and seeing video & pix of it have left me with the opinion that it just doesn't look good. I need something that sounds good, isolates me from excess ambient noise, is comfortable, visually unobtrusive, and doesn't cost much. Tall order, eh?
The litmus test will come this week, when I have a rehearsal tomorrow and a gig on Thursday night with these babies. One drawback so far is that the cord is relatively short, at about 4' or so. I have a headphone extension cord, which I'll be using for performance, though, so it shouldn't be a major issue.
In the meantime, has anyone else tried these with E-drums? If so, what were your observations? Thanks, and I'll update my report as more info is gathered in field testing...
-Danny
They are pretty much the latest evolution of the Sony earbud headphones, and the big difference is that they are of the "earplug" design, using silicone attachments to go hold the device in your ear while blocking out ambient noise. They seem to be similar in design to many in-ear monitors, except that they are not wireless and cost a fraction of what the in-ear monitors do.
Evidently, they have new-type drivers and a totally enclosed design which permits an advertised 6Hz to 23KHz frequency response range. I can't vouch for that, but so far, my observations are:
- Very secure and comfortable. There were 3 different sizes of silicone ear inserts included, and I was able to fit them to where they were comfy and will probably stay secure in my ears during a live performance.
- Super low-profile. With my (considerable) hair hanging loose, they were totally invisible, as opposed to conventional headphones.
- Isolation seems pretty good so far. Not having tried them with my band yet, I ran a home test. I cranked up my massive home stereo with one CD, while playing a raw mix of one of my band's songs thru the headphones. I couldn't hear what the big stereo was playing, and it is pushing 2 sets of Bose loudspeakers with about 440w/channel @4 Ohms. Loud.
- The bass-handling capability seems far beyond any other "Walkman-style" lightweight or earbud-type headphones I've tried before.
- The cost was only $50 at a U.S. nationwide electronics chain.
My whole goal was to try and find the perfect (for me) headphones for stage monitoring. I play along with a click & sequenced keyboard parts during my band's shows, and need a way of hearing the click over the roar of my Zildjian Z Customs, as well as monitoring my V-Drums. I don't always count on the house monitor mix, as it has left me wanting in the past. The other main consideration was visual - I didn't want a set of headphones poking out while I was onstage. I've done it before, and seeing video & pix of it have left me with the opinion that it just doesn't look good. I need something that sounds good, isolates me from excess ambient noise, is comfortable, visually unobtrusive, and doesn't cost much. Tall order, eh?

The litmus test will come this week, when I have a rehearsal tomorrow and a gig on Thursday night with these babies. One drawback so far is that the cord is relatively short, at about 4' or so. I have a headphone extension cord, which I'll be using for performance, though, so it shouldn't be a major issue.
In the meantime, has anyone else tried these with E-drums? If so, what were your observations? Thanks, and I'll update my report as more info is gathered in field testing...
-Danny
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