Sony MDR-G72LP Headphones

Sony MDR-G72LP Headphones 

DESCRIPTION

Street Style Headphones

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 11  
[Apr 08, 2003]
joel2762
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sony name, comfortable, great sound, can fold up.

Weakness:

A little expensive, but worth the cash.

These headphones are awesome. They sound great, but when I use lower end products they do not sound as great. When I use them with my Sony Net MD Walkman Or Sony Micro System, they sound great. If you excpect them to sound great using lower end gear like cheap computer speakers, etc, you will not get the same great sound. The bass on these is great, really deep, the highs are great too. These are also very comfortable and I like how they can fold up and fit almost anywhere. These are the best headphones I've ever seen and heard.

Similar Products Used:

Cheap no-name earbuds

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Dec 25, 2002]
randombaz
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

sound quality

Weakness:

bit sore round the ears, but i have been using them for about a day, they might hurt less as i get used to them or something

this reviews i've read saying the headphones are poor for this and that, are a joke. one person writing a stupidly long review finally came to the point there's no bass. i've just got a new sony minidisc player and these headphones, and the bass is MASSIVE for what they are (if you want it up that much) the soudn quality and balance is good. i have a £900 sony stereo system in my room. when i played my fav tracks on my MD player with these headphones, i noticed a few background noises (not noise...purpose sounds) that i hadn't noticed before. i rushed back and wow, i could notice them THEN these headphones feel a bit off round the ears, bit sore, but the sound quality is great

Similar Products Used:

na

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Sep 22, 2002]
tom coric
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

everything

Weakness:

nothin

the best

Similar Products Used:

mdr-g52

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 13, 2002]
sanman_76
AudioPhile

Strength:

Clear sound. Treble, Mids, and Bass are adequate. Small size.

Weakness:

A bit flimsy. Not quite pounding bass, but for a good reason. Price.

Come on people!!! Most of you have no idea what you are talking about. First of all you get what you pay for. Second these headphones are decent. They are clear with little distortion. Lastly, for the design I think they sound pretty darn good. Bass is not quite as loud as I want it, but what do you expect from a 30mm driver in an open air design.

Similar Products Used:

MDR-G52

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Aug 09, 2000]
Dog Cr**
Audiophile

I am posting this to partially refute my earlier post on 8/3/00.

I do agree with some of the things that the reviewer from agua fria had said on 8/8/00, but if he says that the Koss Porta Pros sound great, maybe it’s the severely underpowered headphone output that he had those Koss’s plugged into. But he’s right about the Street Styles’ glassy highs and lack of comfort. But my particular MDR-G72LP’s need less output power than the other Street Style models I’ve tried. There is little bass response--but what’s there is remarkably detailed. The Koss’s, on the other hand-produced boomy, muddy, indistinct bass (when fed a good-quality audio signal) even with the bass boost or EQ turned off or flat. And they have 60 ohms impedance (the G72’s are 24 ohms)--which means that the Porta Pros may not work well with today’s portables (they are designed for 32 ohms maximum). However, I had inadvertently given this model a 5-star rating on my earlier post--they deserve somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I’ll round down, given looks rather than sound quality is what sells the Street Styles.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Oct 20, 2000]
Randall Leong
Audiophile

Strength:

Style, size, foldability/portability, above-average sound (especially with good equipment)

Weakness:

Can be uncomfortable when wearing glasses

I had the misfortune of listening to these after listening to the excellent $99 pair of Sennheiser HD495 Silver headphones--but the MDR-G72LP Street Styles sounded better than I had expected, especially through a Headroom Airhead headphone amp. The bass is present though a tad boomy; the mids are a bit uneven; the highs are a tad rolled off. In other words, they don't sound like my very-highly-rated Senns--but then, it costs only 40 percent of the HD495's price.

BOTTOM LINE: You get what you pay for--but in the case of the MDR-G72LP Sony Street Style headphones, people giving them one or two stars are underrating them! I had originally given them five stars, then three stars--it all balances out! Five stars for value, four stars for overall quality.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 03, 2000]
Randy L.
Audiophile

Strength:

Very good sound, folds up to fit in a shirt pocket

Weakness:

Slightly tinny highs due to the open air design, can be uncomfortable when wearing glasses

These Street Style (MDR-G72LP, not MDR-G52LP) headphones are one of the best headphones for portable use! The bass isn’t as boomy as the similarly priced Koss Porta/Sporta Pros, and the cord is single-sided (not a Y-cord attached to both earpieces). The highs are clear (if slightly tinny) and the mids are smooth and detailed. If you’re thinking about buying the $20 MDR-G52LPs, I’d STRONGLY recommend forking over an extra $20 for the MDR-G72LPs. The difference is like day and night.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 30, 2001]
R.L.
Audiophile

Strength:

see below

Weakness:

see below

When I read Casey's review, I knew he couldn't have been an audiophile. He is more a bass-freak than an audiophile - which means, "you have to have boomy, overpowering bass or it's no good". That quote is truly false.

That said, the MDR-G72LP isn't one of the better-sounding headphones at any price point; in fact, I wouldn't pay even $20 for them. The mids just aren't there like some of the better headphones at the $40 list price range; the bass is uneven (bloated mid-bass with no real deep bass extension), the treble is tinny and muffled both at once. And the plastic clips that hold the headphones securely to the ear dig into my upper ear, causing upper-ear pain. And the clips interfere with eyeglass wearing.

All I can say is, "Sorry, Sony, most of your products are overpriced and underperforming."

Similar Products Used:

None this mediocre!

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Oct 30, 2001]
Casey Espinosa
Audiophile

Strength:

None, whatsoever!!

Weakness:

1.)Treble,TREBLE!! Hardly ANY bass!! If you want solid bass, you'll only get less than 25%. Gets much worse at higher levels.

2.)The wraparound style is somewhat loose and can easily fall from the back of your head (that is, if your head is too big.

3.)Sound leakage. When I had these plugged into my black Panasonic SL-S150 CD portable (BTW, this is a model from way back in '93)with the volume dial at around 6 or 7, someone sitting behind me in the computer lab very sternly told me that the leakage was "greatly interfering with her work."

4.)Sound absolutely awful for the $.


Well, I have quite a story to tell about the Sony MDR-G72LPs. I got these for a birthday present when my dear friend was feeling quite sorry for me after I had told him I'd accidentally destroyed a pair of black Panasonic portable 'phones, which I'd owned for six straight years, (Sorry, I never bothered to look at the model number!) on a shuttle bus. Apparently, on a fateful day in December 1999, the portion of the Y-cord attached to the right can suddenly got yanked when it tangled around the arm of a seat. Alas, my beloved black Panasonic portable 'phones were ULTIMATELY destroyed. To add to the misery, these only had a 90-day warranty, plus the model dated back to 1992 or 1993, so Panasonic no longer made the model. These were indeed the best headphones I had ever heard in a lifetime; the bass was rich and ever-powerful, and perfectly matched the caressing beauty of the mids and highs, which both sounded as pure and as beautiful as crystal. These beautiful black 'phones had a built-in subwoofer which gave an amazing 3D dimension, plus the pads were quite comfortable and effectively blocked out the excesses of a noisy environment. From that day on, I knew that no other set of 'phones would match such classic audio quality.

So, for eight straight months, I was miserable. Seeing my misery, my best friend told me that Sony had a couple pairs of stylish 'phones selling fast on the market. They were the Street Style kind and could be purchased at any nearby music or electronics store. So I went to a nearby Musicland store and checked them out. Amongst the pairs, I came upon the MDR-G72LP's. They looked quite different from the usual over-the-head phones, with their wraparound headband and metallic finish, which coated both cans. I asked the clerk if he knew anybody who had worn these, and the reply I got was "Yes, indeed. They're the best sounding Sony wraparound headphones compared to the other similar ones. They got awesome, mind-blowing bass, if that's what you want." I told him, "Yes, that's EXACTLY what I want. At the time, I was so desperate to buy this pair of 'phones, but unfortunately I didn't have enough $; Musicland was selling these for $39.99!!

So on my birthday in August 2000, I asked my friend to buy me the MDR-G72LP's. We then drove to a Sunnyvale Fry's Electronics store and found a pair for the same price. But fortunately, my friend more than enough $ in his wallet. He then forked out the dough and said, "Well, I hope you'll enjoy your gift." At the end of the day, I was eager in hoping that I found what I was looking for.

When I finally came home, I rushed in great anticipation as I opened the package. I put one of my fave CD's into my Magnavox mini system and plugged in the G72LP's. My heart was pumping ever so fast before the first track. Then suddenly, one minute into the song, my heart fell. "What the $@#*?," I asked myself, "Where's the $@#*ing bass?" There was very little bass; the 'phones DEFINITELY favored the treble. The treble was so unbearable on the ears that I had to adjust the tone dial on my Magnavox. Yet despite these efforts, the metal-clashing treble stood its ground. I then played dozens of other CD's, yet the results remained the same. I also plugged the G72LP's into my Panasonic portable, but the results STILL remained the same. Treble ruled. No bass. The metal-clashing treble was evident on almost EVERY pop/alternative rock tune, and to add, high-pitched vocals sounded just like nails scratching on chalkboard in addition to the clashing pots and pans.

But I had to get used to these things; my friend paid full price and probably wouldn't want to go through the annoying process of returning these to Fry's (the process of returns/exchanges is really a waste of time, in his opinion), plus he had the annoying habit of throwing away receipts after purchases. To add to the horror, just after one full month, the earpads had faded. Seeing my frustration (not to mention, he was quite frustrated himself), he told me, "Just takes a matter of getting used to this pair." But as I tried and TRIED, my ears just couldn't, wouldn't adjust.

So finally, almost one full year later, I was able to give my G72LP's to my younger cousin, who needed another pair of 'phones for her second Philips CD portable. I was so relieved when she told me the sound was "absolutely sweet music" (meaning metal-thrashing alternative) to her young ears. Gone was the misery I had long experienced (along with the excessive treble, there was sound leakage-read above, and the tendency for these to fall from my somewhat large head). I then bought the Koss KTX/Pros at the same Fry's store. These may not have heart-thumping bass, yet overall, the sound is great for the money ($15.99), plus it well-complements my Panasonic SL-SX280 and has a lifetime warranty. Also, well over a month ago, I bought Radio Shack's Optimus Nova 75 'phones for use on my Magnavox, and the results have been great (rich bass and crystal treble), especially for the price-$29.99.

So please, take my advice. Don't spend $39.99 for a portable set of 'phones that are awesome in style, but cheap in overall sound quality. Also, be sure to listen to a pair before you buy. Unfortunately, the MDR-G72LP's are not on listening display at any music or electronic stores, so be sure your closest pal has a pair, ask to borrow his, and see for yourself. But let me be honest; if you want a fair or immense amount of bass, these are definitely NOT the 'phones for you.

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
2
[Aug 22, 2000]
Chad Bell
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Comfortable. Decent sized cord for a non-studio monitor. Clear Bass, decent treble. Cool looking "Stree-Style" headphone.

Weakness:

No Mid-Range.

Ok, I really enjoy my MDR-V250s. I have been looking to get something of similar quality for listening to music at work. I went to the music store and decided to get some new headphones. I assumed that since the MDR-V250s cost me about $30, spending $40 would get me something better. It did not. I listen to alot of classical music in addition to rock, jazz, and rap. Well, for the rock and rap, where volume plays a more important role than flat frequency response, these headphones sound great. On classic and jazz, where alot of small detail is in the midrange, these headphones sound hollow. After all of that though, they are better than the MDR-W08s which have way too much high-range, but I wouldn't place them better than the MDR-CD60s which have a flat frequency response, except that they do not go past 50 hz.

Sony should point out the differences between the different styles of headphones that they sell (such as differences in frequency response). Instead, they want every headphone to be everything to everybody. It doesn't work that way Sony!

If style in your headphone is more important that performance, these headphones rock. If performance is more important (and size isn't), get the MDR-V250s. I feel they give a much clearer sound.

Similar Products Used:

Sony MDR-V250, Sony MDR-W08, Sony MDR-CD60

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
2
Showing 1-10 of 11  

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