I don't give 5 stars lightly, but this is about as good a deal as I've seen on headphones in a long time. I got these for a little under $16 (as Prime) and they were well worth that price. I do a lot of live sound work and I tried these because our videographer asked me for something low-end to monitor the audio feed I was sending him. He asked for "closed cans" because he wanted to isolate the feed from the ambient sound in the room. The Amazon description doesn't confirm that, so I went to the Sony site, which had them listed as "Closed supra-aural", so I took a shot. About the only negative thing I can say about these is that they are not true closed cup headphones, but with their noise canceling feature, they still served our purpose.
The Amazon description is accurate, though lacking some information I would have liked to know up front. The answers to my questions were all pleasant surprises. The nicest surprise is that the 1/8" plug at the end of the cable is a 90-degree molded plug, with the typical crimp protection for molded plugs. If you work with as much live sound as I do, you know that 99% of all cable failures occur at the plug. The wires inside these cables are tiny, and repairing them is a major pain, so a failure usually means ditching the cable (or in this case, the headphones). A 90-degree plug goes a long way towards reducing the chance of failure because it keeps the cord in a low vertical profile to the jack it plugs into, and also reduces the amount of bend when the cable hangs down. The molded cover for the plug is slightly tapered where it meets the actual metal stem, which allowed it to fit securely into my iPhone jack without hitting the case. This is where I've seen many 1/8" plugs fail. Another pleasant surprise was that the cable, which is just under 4 ft long, has a nice, thick jacket, which can also be helpful in prolonging the life of the internal wires.
The actual headphones were quite comfortable and light. These are "on the ear" phones because the cups are not large enough to be "over the ear", so if you need that level of isolation, these are not the ones for you. A few reviewers have mentioned the red band to help you quickly identify the right ear, but the headband also has a small "pimple" molded on the left side to help you identify the orientation by touch once you're wearing them. Not a big thing, but a nice touch.
Audio quality was fine; especially for under $20. I often find the cheaper phones either over-accentuate bass (unnaturally), or are very bright. These seem to have a very accurate reproduction of the input. I was working with our videographer to chase down an annoying hum in the audio from the camera, and when we finally got it eliminated, he turned to me and said "These sound great. They'll do fine." Because I'm a bit obsessive about audio, I asked to hear, and they did sound just like the audio feed I was sending him. Since they aren't true isolation cups, I had to attribute the clean sound to the quality of the noise cancellation feature, since there was over 80db of ambient sound at the time. Keep in mind, these are less than $20.
Some final tidbits for those who care about these things. The plug is a true 1/8" plug and it does NOT come with an adapter for 1/4" jacks. It also appears that the noise cancellation logic struggles when the input signal is low. This may be the "distant" or "muddy" sound cited by some other reviewers. I experienced the same thing with my initial tests before realizing the unit I had plugged into was actually sending a lower signal than normal. When I switched to other devices (including my iPhone) which put out stronger signals, the sound was crisp and clean. Some may also find the 4 ft cord a bit short, which would be true if you need to move around a stationary object while wearing them. For my specific need (in this case) or something like a mobile phone in your pocket, this is ideal because you don't have a lot excess wire swinging around. The unit also apparently has a lithium ion battery, but I did not see an obvious way to change it out. I'm sure this is to power the noise cancellation circuitry, so if it goes out, the cost of the battery will probably be about half the cost of replacing the headphones - and you'll probably have to tear them open to change it. Remember, $15. And finally, a curious statement printed on the back of the package: "If you use the headphones with WALKMAN that has a noise canceling function, the noise canceling function will not work." Curious, since Walkman is a Sony trademark.
In conclusion, a great deal (in my opinion), with some nice touches. I've generally been happy with the Sony products I've used, but often found them a bit pricier than similar options. These headphones were a great value for the price.
There is a newer model of this item:
Sony ZX Series Wired On-Ear Headphones with Mic, Black MDR-ZX110AP
$14.99
(99,846)
Available to ship in 1-2 days
$14.99
(99,846)
Available to ship in 1-2 days
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This Item  Sony MDRZX100 Headphones (Black) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | -37% $249.99 New Price: $398.00 | $409.99 | $294.95 | $58.00 | $17.96 |
| Delivery | — | Get it Apr 26 - May 2 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 24 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 24 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 24 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Noise cancellation | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Sole Providers | Beach Camera Same Day Shipping | Deals2Go (SN Recorded) | Amazon.com | Slam-Dunk |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless | Wired |
| headphones form factor | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | In Ear | On Ear | Over Ear |
| connector type | 3.5mm Jack | wireless | Stereo Mini Jack | wireless | USB Type C | 3.5mm Jack |
| noise control | — | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | — | — |
| headphones jack | 3.5 mm Jack | — | 3.5 mm Jack | — | — | 3.5 mm Jack |
| cable feature | Retractable | Without Cable | Detachable | Without Cable | Without Cable | Tangle Free |
| control type | Media Control | Voice Control | Media Control | Voice Control | Media Control | — |
| water resistance | — | — | not water resistant | — | not water resistant | not water resistant |
| material | Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) | Leather | Leather, Metal, Plastic | — | Plastic | — |
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Sony Headphones Wired in Black MDRZX100 3.5
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REVIEW: Sony MDRZX100 ZX Series Stereo Headphones
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THE Sony MDR-ZX100 Headphones ARE AMAZING HEADPHONES!
Sam
Reviews with images
Awesome in every way. :)
For the price, this is an EXTREMELY good set of headphones. This is my third pair. First pair went kaputz when the jack got stuck in something and I yanked so hard on the wire that it messed the wire up. :( My bad. Second pair, I ordered for my dad. Now I am ordering myself a pair to replace my first set!Good sound quality, they're comfortable and don't squeeze my head too much, and I've never had a tangle in the wire. I don't feel the need to order a different brand or different product, because I like these quite a bit. :)My little guy likes them also!!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2014
Color: BlackProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2016
Color: BlackProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase
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Buy it. Just buy it.
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