Price Paid:  $20.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
I've been looking for a cheap set of closed-style headphones to use at my computer. I've gone through standard open headphones (no bass) and some bud headphones (painful, fall out, break easily), but these blow them all away!

I'm not a big audiophile, but I do know that these headphones have great bass output (what you'd expect from in-ear headphones) and reasonable mid-high performance.

The only real downside is that, while they're worth the $20 I paid, I wish I could have paid $50 for a set that was 150% better. Highly recommended if you need portable/water resistant headphones!

Strengths:
Deep bass, comfortable

Weaknesses:
You get what you pay for

Similar Products Used:
Philips

Summary:
I had posted a positive review on 21 September 2000, but I now have second thoughts about it. I am beginning to find the Sony MDR-A30G's (and all other Sony vertical bud-type headphones) really lacking in its sound quality. The versions with 16mm drivers (such as these) have phenomenally overemphasized and boomy bass, muddy tin-can-like midrange, phenomenally harsh and sibilant midrange... BLECH. (The other vertical Sony buds, with smaller 13.5mm drivers, are also lacking a lot -- weak bass and no mids.) On some decent-sounding equipment nevertheless.

Too bad you can't audition earbuds before you buy; I can't imagine anyone liking these for anything other than working out. The MDR-A30G's (or any other vertical bud-type headphone) just didn't blow me away at all. Tomorrow I'll be ordering either the Grado SR-60's or the SR-80's or maybe even the Sennheiser HD-570's. I will report on my chosen headphone in a future review.

Because I've heard worse in headphones -- and I've also heard much better -- I can't give the MDR-A30G's an overall rating other than 2 stars.

Price Paid:  $22.00 from Sony Gallery of Consumer Electronics

Summary:
I had bought these headphones before I tried the MDR-ED series "Groove" earbuds. In my opinion, these (along with the similar MDR-A34L, MDR-A44L and MDR-W20G models) are among the best-sounding headphones for under $25. If I wanted sound quality this good in a full-size headphone I would have to spend well over $50! The bass is strong, the mids are clear, the treble had some sibilants for the first few days but the sibilants have largely disappeared. In fact, if you want traditional "no-headband" earbuds, you will have to splurge at least $80 (Sony's price) for the MDR-E888LP earbuds just to edge out these vertical earbuds. The full-size MDR-V600 headphones (which I also own) fall short of these earbuds in sound quality--surprising, given its $100 price tag (another example of some manufacturers offering expensive headphones that perform worse than some of those same companies' cheaper models). The fold-up design and gold-plated plug of these (and of the MDR-A34L) are well worth the extra $4 over the MDR-W20G ($16 list).

In short, buy this model (even if you have to buy it from Circuit City)! Your ears won't believe that you bought something this small and cheap!

Strengths:
Strong bass, fold-up design, water-resistant

Weaknesses:
Typical vertical-earbud complaints: ear-wax can clog the holes on the buds, hard plastic can be somewhat painful (but less so than the "Groove"-style earbuds

Similar Products Used:
Almost every Sony headphone the stores in my neighborhood carry

Summary:
I bought these about a month ago for my panasonic shockwave cd player. I wanted something small and portable that would be pretty comfortable. The comfort thing worried me the most because I wasn't sure how they would feel, and when I first got them they did feel a little wierd (but not nearly as bad as the panasonic ones). But I got used to them pretty quickly and now they're fine. I do think that sound is sometimes lacking. To get good bass you have to press them against your ear a bit, which I don't always want to do. But even if you don't do that, the sound is good, if your player doesn't give out much power the sound gets distorted, but that's not a problem with mine. I like how they fold, it's very convenient when you need to pack them up and go somewhere. And finally, it's nice to know that they're water-resistant when you're wet from swimming or something or if it's raining. If you want to know what the difference is between these and a pair of earbuds (since they're about the same size), it's very convenient to have a headband. For instance, when you need to talk to someone you can take these of and rest them around your neck and not worry about them. I like that a lot. I recommend these headphones for anyone who needs good lightweight headphones.

Strengths:
Small, water-resistant, lightweight

Weaknesses:
sound is sometimes lacking

Similar Products Used:
Panasonic vertical in-ear phones