CeoBred—August 17, 2025
I recently purchased the Sony MDREX15AP In-Ear Earbud Headphones, and I have to say, they are an excellent choice for anyone looking for reliable, quality sound without breaking the bank. The sound quality is surprisingly robust for earbuds in this price range. The audio is clear and crisp, and the bass, while not overpowering, provides a nice, full-bodied sound that makes listening to music or podcasts a real pleasure. The built-in microphone is also a huge plus, offering clear audio for Zoom calls. I've used them for several calls, and the sound has been consistently good on both ends. Comfort is another major win. The earbuds are lightweight and come with different-sized silicone tips, making it easy to find a snug and secure fit. They stay in place well, even during a brisk walk, which is something I've had issues with in the past with other brands. Overall, the Sony MDREX15AP earbuds are a fantastic value. They deliver on all the essentials—good sound, comfort, and a convenient mic—in a simple, stylish, and affordable package. I would highly recommend them to anyone in need of a dependable pair of everyday headphones. Read more
Stoney—February 6, 2023
> MUSIC QUALITY – The sound-quality of music using the Sony MDREX15LP earbuds is very good – with typical (mediocre) earbud base. That’s just a matter of physics, earbud drivers are simply too small to produce good base. "Base boosted" earbuds produce louder base (which smothers the high- and mid-tones), but "loud" (lacking any detail) is not the same thing as "good"). Suggestion, use the earbuds when you are out, but purchase a Sony ZX headphone set for listening to music at home -- and enjoy the base. > VOICE QUALITY – Clean, clear and crisp in the voice-range, without fiddling with an equalizer – largely because the base is poor. So, these (or similar) earbuds are clearly the choice for listening to audiobooks, podcasts, talking on your phone, etc. Listening to music, with base-rich music, with Sony MDREX15LP earbuds , can be very enjoyable -- but Sony ZX headphones produce far superior base than any brand of earbuds, at any price. > Loud vs efficient. Sony MDREX15LP earbuds are very efficient --- the volume is "loud" at low volume settings -- not TOO loud, there is plenty of room for adjustment. But, louder than many other earbuds and louder than most headsets, at the same volume settings. Practically speaking, "efficient" means that the earbuds do not drain the battery on your battery-operated device as quickly. "Efficient" is a good thing. Also, if you pay attention, you can usually lower the volume, and the sound quality will be just as good -- and your battery will last longer. Always play music at the lowest setting that you can hear well. Or you can crank up the volume and plan on being deaf by the time you are 50 --- 40 if you use garbage "base-boosted" earbuds. > EXERCISE, ETC – Stays in place better than most earbuds. But, if you engage in strenuous exercise, consider Panasonic ErgoFit, which fit deeper in your ear. The down side of the Panasonic ErgoFit is that they fit so securely that it is difficult to get them out of your ear quickly, to answer a phone, etc. In fact, the Panasonics originally came witha little "piggy-tail" tab for extracting the earbuds. > SYMMETRY – The Sony MDREX15L are close to being bilaterally symmetrical – It doesn’t really matter if you put the put the left earbud in your right ear, etc. However, the Panasonic ErgoFit are not, they fit deeper into the ear, and are shaped differently to match your right and left ear canals. It can take a while to get used to inserting the right Ergofit earbud into your right ear, and the left into the left. > ISOLATION – All truly in-the-ear earbuds, with cup-shaped rubber cushions, are good at reducing outside noise, better than headphones – often good enough for air travel (depending on the aircraft and the location of your seat). Many earbud brands claim to feature “noise cancellation” but do not actually have any noise cancellation circuitry. Passive isolation (such as provided by the Sony MDREX15LP earbuds), is NOT noise cancellation. Feedback reduction (on wi-fi earbuds with microphones) is often called noise "cancellation", but isn't. Beware that while true noise cancellation works moderately well for aircraft engines (and similar sounds), it doesn’t work at all for screaming children or random noise. If your earbuds feel loose in your ear, you may need to install large cushions on the earbuds, to get them to seal in your ear canal good enough to provide good isolation. > COMFORT – The secret to comfort when using earbuds is to use the smallest cushions which work for you. Three sets, small, medium, and large are included with the Sony MDREX15LP earbuds. You might be most comfortable with smaller cushions. It a can also take a while to build up tolerance. So, if earbuds hurt your ears, build up slowly wearing them a little longer each day. It can take weeks to get to the point that you can wear them all day long without pain. Changing, or replacing, earbud cushions is easy -- just pull the cushion off, and push the new one (or cleaned one) back on. > PLUG – The plug is angled, at 90 degrees, unfortunately. If you pull on the cord, you won't easily pull the plug out the socket, but you will put on strain on the cord (where the cord attaches to the plug), and potential damage it. In my experience, this is how most headphones fail. UPDATE -- I've owned about 20 sets of Sony MDREX15LP earbuds over the past 5 years and never experienced this kind of failure --- I don't know what Sony did to fix the problem. My Senegal parrot is now the main cause of failure of my earbuds --- but that's a different story. So, I change my recommendation; I prefer the right-angle plugs since they are no longer a source of failure. > PACKAGING – The Sony MDREX15LP earbuds that I purchased came in wonderful frustration–free packaging — in a small plastic bag in a small easy-to-open cardboard box. But, I can’t promise that you won’t get a horrible retail anti-theft pack. Amzn used to promote and feature frustration-free packaging -- but, sadly, doesn't anymore. Update, every set (20 sets) of Sony MDREX15LP earbuds that I've purchased from Amazon over the past 5 years has been in "frustration free packaging". Thumbs up for both Sony and Amazon. > SLEEPING – The Sony MDREX15L don’t stick out as far as some other brands, and so, may be more comfortable when resting with your head to the side (or inside a helmet). Panasonic ErgoFit fit deeper in the ear, and are a little more comfortable in such situations. APTEK offers a nice earbud set for sleeping that is even smaller–but the cushion is built-in, so you can’t choose the cushion size. However, even with the APTEKs, I cannot comfortably sleep with an earbud in the ear that is on the pillow. My solution – I just use one earbud in the ear that is NOT on the pillow. In fact, I recycle earbud sets where one earbud has failed, by cutting the failed earbud off, and using the working earbud, shifting the earbud from ear to ear if I change sides. > TIP – CLEANING EARBUDS – The build up of earwax is a serious problem. It can actually muffle and distort or block the sound, and when it gets that bad, effective cleaning is difficult or impossible. The best and simplest strategy is to take a look at your earbuds every few days, and vigorously scratch/flick the open hole of the cushion several times. That breaks loose the wax into flakes, which you can then just blow away. Wiping (such as with a Q-tip) doesn’t work so well (unless you take the cushions off, clean them, and reinstall them), because wiping with a Q-tip may just grind wax into the little screen in front of the speakers, which is then impossible to clean. Caveat, Sony MDREX15L earbud cup-cushions are a slightly different shape from other brands, with a smaller hole, and seems to collect less earwax -- even so, regularly checking and clearing earwax is a good thing to do. If you purchase the Panasonic Ergofits it becomes more important to monitor them for earwax buildup. UNDOCUMENTED FEATURE: On the model without the microphone ONLY -- there is a little slider, just above the Y-split of the cord. If you slide the slider up to the earbuds themselves, and install the earbuds on your head, with the slider (and earbuds) on the back of your neck, your earbuds will stay in place (hang from your neck), even if you take the earbuds out of your ears. The model with the microphone does NOT have this feature. Read more
