Sony MDR-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 Compared to something like an ER2SE (notiriously mid-centric), the mids in the EX800ST sound slightly withdrawn, but they lack nothing in terms of detail.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.

Okay this first paragraph is a rant. Wasn't going to even make a review but I had to after seeing some crackheads saying these are "suspected fakes". No they're not, do some research. The EX800s in Japan have always came in a sketchy white box. Look at people reviewing these IEMs from over a decade ago. You'll see the same sketchy looking white box from people that imported them to the U.S. or people that bought them that actually live in Japan. They don't "sound fake" or "not as good as my other pair of EX800s" that's nonsense. Who is going to make fake pairs of an IEM that's over a decade old that no one really cares about? These are weird looking Sony IEMs no one ever heard of and they have weird connectors that no one wants to make overpriced connectors for. No one took the time to make a perfect fake replica with the same connections and everything. These are not fake. No one would fake these. Common sense. Rant over.Okay so the packaging sucks. No hiding that. The IEM itself is nice although a bit funky looking. It's plastic. The cable is kinda trash. You'll want to replace it with a nicer and heavier cable. The cable is so light and thin it loves to come undone from around your ear if you move too much or tilt your head. These IEMs seal well in my ear with OEM or spinfit tips. Haven't tried foam but I'd imagine that'd work better. If you cannot get these to seal they will not sound nearly as good as they should. You'll probably hate them and return them if that's the case.The soundstage on these is ridiculous. Has a nice airy almost 3 dimensional feeling like the music is around you. Instruments and vocals all sound normal. Nothing sounds wrong with any frequencies. These have a good amount of bass, these large drivers move a lot of air. If you do the little mod where you put take over the large vents on these and poke a hole in them with a pin the bass is absolutely ridiculous. If you want a lot of bass, this is how you'll get it. Interestingly enough it isn't muddy bass and it doesn't really change the overall soundstage on these much. I personally listen to these without the tape. I love bass but for listening to these all the time, it was a bit too much for me. These sound amazing as is though. They respond very well the EQ if that's your sort of thing, I do not EQ these. It's just hard to describe how well these sound. They do everything extremely well, you can get sets that cost more that sound better, but there is absolutely nothing about the sound of these that can be described as anything less than excellent.These have aged VERY well. They sound amazing honestly. There really isn't many new pairs out there that sound much better than these, even ones that cost a lot more. There are even less that have as much bass as these (when you tape the vents). I love the way these look. I don't have an issue with fit or getting a seal. I absolutely love the way these sound. If you are okay with the weird shape and want something that has a huge soundstage and you can get a lot of bass out of them, buy them. Just note you may have an issue with fit, but if you do, return them and get your money back. If you have a soft spot for anything Sony like I do, DEFINITELY buy these, you will not regret it.

I am fairly certain I got a defective pair, since none of the many reviews I read mentioned this. The pair I had had a very unpleasant spike somewhere between 5-8k. Cymbals, hyped treble on toms and snares, and sibilance on female vocals literally hurt my ears. Any poorly recorded music was unlistenable, and even many good recordings were unpleasant. I returned them after a few days. Listening to them actually started making me a little nauseous and aggravated my tinnitus. On a good note, they were really wide, detailed and pleasant in all the other frequencies. But for the treble spike, they would have been great. I bought a different pair of IEMs and have not had this problem after purposely listening to the same tracks for comparison.

Great neutral IEM superb detail retrieval, sound stage, and bass to satisfy me. I haven't tried the tape mod which apparently makes the sub bass and treble go up. Only issues I've had with these IEMs is that the cable is a little to long and the over the back design of inserting these is weird. The second issue which is the primary reason for 1 star less is that getting a seal on these is a crap shoot at times, as well as trying different tips that aren't the included stock one makes the sound quite different. Besides that, I'm happy with what I got so far.

Came in a plain white box with no print on it anywhere no identification code. Don't sound as good as other ex800st I've owned. I suspect them to be fake