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Updated April 10, 2024·
If your priority is wireless convenience and better call quality, the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is the way to go. They also offer active noise cancelling for a quieter experience during air travel or exercise, and their battery life is significantly longer, which includes wireless charging. However, if you're looking for a more affordable option primarily for wired listening with a focus on music and TV, the Sony MDREX15AP may suit you better. Nevertheless, bear in mind that Sony's model lacks the features for calls, active noise cancelling, and wireless capabilities that Creative Labs offers. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Pro
Very good for phone calls
Very good for exercise
Very good for air travel
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sony MDREX15AP
Very good for music
Excellent for TV and video
Key differences
Music
5.9/10
8.3/10
The Sony MDREX15AP is very good for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.
Gaming
5.3/10
6.7/10
The Sony MDREX15AP is only fair for gaming, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.
Phone Calls
8.3/10
3.5/10
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for phone calls, while the Sony MDREX15AP is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.9/10
5.4/10
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sony MDREX15AP is poor.
TV and Video
5.5/10
9.3/10
The Sony MDREX15AP is excellent for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.
Noise Reduction
8.3/10
7.0/10
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for noise reduction, while the Sony MDREX15AP is good.
Battery
10.0 Hours
N/A
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has 10 hours of battery life. The Sony MDREX15AP does not have a battery.
Cost
$50
$20
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has a price of $50 and the Sony MDREX15AP costs $20.
Build Quality
9.0/10
8.0/10
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has excellent build quality, while the Sony MDREX15AP has very good build quality.
"If you listen to music for extended periods such as commuting and work, and you hate having to pause to charge, give the Creative Outlier Pro wireless earbuds a try. You should be able to enjoy your tunes all day, or longer, without interruption."
"At the ultra budget $10 price-point (and we’ve seen the no-mic version go for as cheap as $7), I’d say these are a decent option if you’re looking for a passable pair of earbuds for basic use that’s as cheap as possible. I wouldn’t say they feel or sound as good as some of the ultra-budget alternatives out there – of which there are a few at this point – but some might disagree. I will say though that the cable is a little bit nicer than those of that same competition."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Pro or the Sony MDREX15AP
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
About Sony
Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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