SonyMDR-EX800ST(Japan Import)

These IEMs, despite having been released over 10 years ago, are better than the vast majority of competitors, even those costing many times more. They are unique in that, due to their design (using a massive 16mm dynamic driver, mounted obliquely to the nozzle, and with vent ports), and the tuning of their driver, they have an extremely natural, open, and solid presentation.The frequency response is extremely balanced, and the timbre is very natural, which makes these shine in particular with any acoustic material (classical, jazz, vocal, etc) Instruments sound the way they are supposed to sound, and percussion (in particular), which is very hard to get right in IEMs, is amazing. It is very deep and authoritative, but it is not overemphasized. While the bass registers (including subbass) are very present and natural, the bass is also very controlled and nuanced, and it never overpowers the mids. The treble (looking at frequency charts) is very rolled beyond 12Khz, but this doesn't affect acoustic material, and most people wouldn't hear much beyond 12Khz, anyway. On the plus side, this means that these IEMs are very easy to listen to for extended periods of time, without causing fatigue or irritation. I think this rolling off in the highest registers of the treble is done by design, since these are monitoring IEMs produced in Japan, meant to be used by sound engineers and producers for many hours every day. I haven't found the treble to be fatiguing or excessive, and when this has been the case, it has been a fault of the recording, and not of the IEMs themselves, which simply reveal what is there.The mids are beautiful. Compared to something like an ER2SE (notiriously mid-centric), the mids in the EX800ST sound slightly withdrawn, but they lack nothing in terms of detail. This is only noticeable by comparison with other IEMs that have a stronger presence region, like the ER2SE already mentioned.If there is something to be mentioned as an outstanding feature of the EX800ST, however, it is the soundstage. Even though I already knew from reviews that the soundstage in these was amazing, I wasn't prepared for what I heard. Combined with very accurate imaging, when listening to well mastered material, it seems as if you are a part of a space, surrounded by sounds that envelope you. The degree to which this (along with the natural timbre) contributes to providing a sensation of actually "being there" can't be understated, and it makes listening to good music with these a very satisfying experience.The EX800ST is an amazing IEM with a design which not only has stood the test of time, but which is still superior to most IEMs (and also full headphones) produced nowadays. A work of art.

This is the latest of my purchases of Dynamic Driver iem’s , and although the self-proclaimed audiophiles and professional reviewers vehemently disagree with others in this subset about burn in, for this product I have experienced an obvious improvement in the upper midrange and lower treble regions after around 45 hours. These have been around for years, and some “experts” claim they need more than 100 hours to start sounding good. CA Honeydew and IKKO OH10 seemed to improve somewhat, DENON ah-c820 showed no change, but these are much better after burn in. The first day I was ready to return them, but I changed my mind after giving them a few days. The hack of covering the vent and putting a pin hole in the tape increases the bass profoundly. Then I replaced the silicone tips with Comply foams and these have moved up in my rotation. The sub bass rumble is unmatched-I’m waiting for a chance to get the FatFreq on eBay. If you’re not a basshead, but you’re treble sensitive, just make the hole in the tape over the vent larger. There’s also foam in the sound tubes that diminishes the upper treble that can be removed, but I don’t need that for my preferences. So….these are easily adjustable to your needs. I enjoy the midrange and the wide soundstage as is, but if you’re coming from iem’s with a narrow soundstage, your brain will have to adjust-it was initially distracting (although I am easily distracted). I will update after 55 additional hours. I do equalize and amplify them, so your results may be different. Update: I replaced the Comply foams with the t200 in large size to better stabilize and for a better seal. After 100 hours I still had issues with the upper treble region when there was a lot of information that seemed to overwhelm the huge Dynamic Drivers. I purchased a 2.5mm balanced cable ($38 on eBay), and that improved the treble region tremendously. FOR MY MUSIC. I listen to dark, bassy music, guitar centered blues and jazz fusion, so these are great for me. The bass is amazing, midrange impressive, and the treble is okay. Your genres may not give you the same experience. Keyboard, female vocals and percussion are all exceptional. Details and soundstage are fantastic for the $220ish I have invested. But-for someone with different musical tastes-$135 for the DENON ah-c820 on eBay and $110 for the Shanling ua3 DAC amp will give you most of thump, impressive mids and treble.

The sound quality was really good even the sound stage but it was not comfortable at all, because you had to stay still without moving cause of you do, it comes off, which was really annoying. You can't even walk with it so I had to return it and I am still waiting for my refund which I haven't received yet.

There is basically just one issue here, and that is that Sony U.S. will not honor the warranty on these (I just checked). It's unlikely that you're going to have a warranty issue, but if you do, you're going to have to deal with Sony Japan.I do have a couple of suggestions after having used a pair of Sony Mdr-ex700l's for about 3 years. Ear wax will end up building up in the ear pieces and eventually contaminate the foam pieces that are buried in the metal housing, to protect the diaphragms from wax and other external contaminates. To prevent this problem it is a good idea to remove the ear pieces occasionally and clean out any built up ear wax in the tubes. As an added precaution on mine, I went to the local Wally World superstore and bought a piece of ordinary foam and cut out little 1/8" diameter, 1/8" deep plugs that I placed in the outer most part of the metal tube that meets with the rubber ear pieces. If ear wax does get on them, it's simple to replace them, and for me at least, there was no noticeable loss of fidelity caused by doing this.If you can find the Sony MDR-7550 IEM at a similar price, it is an identical product to the MDR-EX800ST, but it caries the full U.S. manufacturers warranty.Pros: Appears to be an authentic Sony product.Amazing fidelityLow priceBased on my previous experience with Sony earbuds, they are incredibly durable.Cons: Effectively no warranty.