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Buyer's Guide: The Best Monitors 
Sony MDR-EX500LP
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Headphone Type | Semi in-ear | ||
| Frequency Response | 4 Hz - 28 kHz | ||
| Speaker | Dynamic transducer | ||
| Impedance | 16 ohms | ||
| Sensitivity | 108 dB SPL | ||
 Show all specifications
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| Cable Length | 1.2m |
| Weight | N.C. |
 Hide specifications | |
Tristan François
Test date: May 4, 2010
Test date: May 4, 2010
Transducers: a speaker in an earphone
What exactly is a dynamic transducer?
Basically, it's a classic speaker diaphragm—or cone—that vibrates, causing the air surrounding it to vibrate too. An electrical current is required to make the cone vibrate, and this is supplied by the electrical signal from your MP3 player, phone, hi-fi etc. A coil of conducting wire wrapped around a magnet—known as a voice coil—is fixed to one end of the cone.
The current arrives in the coil which then creates a magnetic field that varies in relation to the electrical signal received. The magnet effectively 'translates' the signal into vibrations which are then passed on to the cone. The cone then vibrates accordingly, creating sound waves.
If you want to see the system in action, don't try taking apart your earphones, as this is almost always the same system that can be found in any regular audio speakers; it's just a much smaller version. In fact, the transducer can be under a millimetre in size in in-ear earphones.
Basically, it's a classic speaker diaphragm—or cone—that vibrates, causing the air surrounding it to vibrate too. An electrical current is required to make the cone vibrate, and this is supplied by the electrical signal from your MP3 player, phone, hi-fi etc. A coil of conducting wire wrapped around a magnet—known as a voice coil—is fixed to one end of the cone.
The current arrives in the coil which then creates a magnetic field that varies in relation to the electrical signal received. The magnet effectively 'translates' the signal into vibrations which are then passed on to the cone. The cone then vibrates accordingly, creating sound waves.
If you want to see the system in action, don't try taking apart your earphones, as this is almost always the same system that can be found in any regular audio speakers; it's just a much smaller version. In fact, the transducer can be under a millimetre in size in in-ear earphones.
Sony isn't really a major player in the market for in-ear headphones. However, on more than one occasion, the Japanese manufacturer has surprised us with high-quality, low-priced products that have the added advantage of being widely available.
Design: unusual, but not unpleasantSony's earphones look to have been flipped round 90° compared with the classic in-ear headphone design. This makes the earphones slimmer, and thus a good choice for users with smaller ears.
The earphones come with a pair of classic silicone ear-buds and a semi-rigid case, in which the cable can be wound up for easy storage. It'll certainly keep your earphones safe, even if it is a tad on the large side.
Apart from that, no other accessories are included. For a mid-range pair of earphones that are even listed as a 'Premium' product on Sony's US website, that's a little bit cheeky. We would have at least expected a few extra ear-buds or a couple of adapters.
Audio quality: spot the dynamic transducerAnyone who's used to handling in-ear earphones will be able to tell straight away that the Sony EX500LP feature traditional-style transducers.
Typically, then, the bass and lower-to-middle sounds are powerful and surging, although not always handled as well as they could be. Even if mid-range frequencies are a little under-represented, the treble comes back with enough power to effectively balance out the lower end of the spectrum.
You'll also find some of the characteristic drawbacks of average-quality transducers, in particular the lack of subtlety and precision in the sound. Nevertheless, the overall audio quality is still very good for this type of product.
The MDR-EX500LP won't be the most ground-breaking earphones of 2010, but they'll be just fine for most users out there. Without being particularly exceptional, these Sony earphones manage to produce a sound output that'll please the vast majority of people. Another key advantage is that they're widely available both on the net and on the high-street.
Pluses
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Original design, fairly comfortable
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Dynamic sound
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Widely available
Minuses
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Sound lacks precision and can be quite dry
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Not many accessories included
The MDR-EX500LP won't be the most ground-breaking earphones of 2010, but they'll be perfectly good for the vast majority of users. Plus, unlike many specialist brands, they're widely available.
