Replacement silicone earpieces for MDR-EX90 earbuds

[Tim Elliott]

I bought a pair of these refurbished from eCost and they came with only one large earpiece and 3 small ones, which were too small to make a good seal in my ear. I haven't gotten any help so far from Sony or eCost. I know the trend is to withhold replacement parts to encourage people to buy new.

Anyone know where I can get replacements that fit properly or a DIY solution? I had been using earpieces from a set of cheap Skullcandy buds but they didn't fit properly and fell off.

Thanks,

Tim

[Shinji Ikeda]

I bought a pair of these refurbished from eCost and they came with only one large earpiece and 3 small ones, which were too small to make a good seal in my ear. I haven't gotten any help so far from Sony or eCost. I know the trend is to withhold replacement parts to encourage people to buy new.

Anyone know where I can get replacements that fit properly or a DIY solution? I had been using earpieces from a set of cheap Skullcandy buds but they didn't fit properly and fell off.

Thanks,

Tim

If you are unable to find these at your local electronic shop, then I would suggest purchasing them from eBay. Anyways, where are you located? Someone may be able to let you know if your local store has one. Any replacement ear buds for Sony will work.

[Tim Elliott]

If you are unable to find these at your local electronic shop, then I would suggest purchasing them from eBay. Anyways, where are you located? Someone may be able to let you know if your local store has one. Any replacement ear buds for Sony will work.

I am in Evansville, IN.

Have you seen them packaged by themselves? They seem to be a little shorter than others, which is probably why the ones I used from Skullcandy wouldn't stay on as well. Radio Shack still carry the foam replacement covers for cheap earbuds but no earpieces for the in-ear type.

I've been thinking of trying foam earplugs with a hole bored in the center and cut down to size. Not sure if it would be a pain keeping those on but even if I lost them it wouldn't be that big a deal.

Thanks,

Tim

[Shinji Ikeda]

Sorry I was not very clear in my original response. You need to get Sony branded silicon ear buds. Radio Shack probably will not stock these items. Your best bet would be ebay.

The ear buds that are supplied with the MDR-EX90 are designed to create a seal around you ears. DIY would not work with these ear phone. In Japan most electronics shops have them. Your local Sony Store may sell them, or electronics store. If not they can be bought on EBay.

[brianbrant]

Finally I can be of some value on this site rather than posting unanswerable q's.

Almost all the Sony phones of the mdr series use the same type of tip, but I don't know about the new ex700 which I'm salivating to get my creepy mits on. I've spent a ton of money on ebay searching out and buying tips that 1)hold their shape; 2)have enough mass for a decent seal which is essential for bass; 3)don't pull inside-out when you remove them; 4)don't pull off the phones themselves if you have them pushed into your ear properly for that snug fit; 5)most importantly, fit with micron precision to the Sony dimensions. Not one source from ebay could satisfy these criteria.

The plot thickens...

I was so enthusiastic when I discovered the replacements from 'iloveipod.com' that I wrote a gushing review, which the company posted on their site to advertise these tips. To suggest they are the best I've encountered - far, far better than the original flimsy Sony tips packaged with their phones - would not do them justice. These tips are vastly superior in every possible way. When you get to the site read my review. If you're particular about color, you have a choice of 13. I like the 'clear ice' and they look snazzy and alien with my ex90s. (Oh, I discovered my 'fakes' are real; the plastic is indeed aluminum. I just got lucky... no wonder they sound so damn good!)

Back to the tips: they don't cost much more than the garbage you'll find trolling the gutters on many ebay sites. But, startlingly, iloveipod has an ebay site, and I don't remember how I discovered this company. You can save if you buy three sets at a time. Not much savings, but more than zero. I've used the same pair of tips for about six months and they're like new and never pull off the earphones or turn inside-out, both signs of poor quality material and fatigue. I bought many, many sets for backup. I doubt if I'll ever need them. But since I'm a Sony fan, they will eventually be put to use.

[juli_]

I have never been able to buy genuine Sony replacement tips, even from the Sony website. Luckily, I still have the ones that came with my player and I bought 'compatible' ones from eBay. Does anyone have a link to genuine Sony EX tips, rather than just 'compatible' ones?

[kodigo]

@ juli

heres the link:

Replacement ear cushions for the MDREX90

This may not be compatible if you will based it from the specs indicated on the webpage but this is the exact replacement ear pieces for the EX90 units. thats for sure.

[juli_]

Oh, THANK you. They don't seem to be available from the UK site though. Mind you, I searched for 'replacement tips' and not 'ear cushions' so I'll go back and check again. I wonder why they insist on selling 3 different sizes in the replacement packs. I can understand supplying them like that with the players, but once you know which size fits, you wouldn't want 3 different sizes. I'd rather have 3 pairs of mediums. Oh well. . .

@ juli

heres the link:

Replacement ear cushions for the MDREX90

This may not be compatible if you will based it from the specs indicated on the webpage but this is the exact replacement ear pieces for the EX90 units. thats for sure.

[brianbrant]

Not to overdo the iloveipod tips, but they sell three sets of one size for about $9. I don't know about shipping constraints. If you can get 'em, I promise you they are vastly superior to anything out there. And a choice of 13 colors!