Jazzy-looking earphones which deliver as good as they look are a rarity. On the one hand, you have the Etymotic ER-4Ps, technically superior canal earphones but with an industrial design blandness. On the other hand, there're those no name el-cheapo makes which sport fancy colors and not much else. The new Sony MDR-EX90, which was announced at CES 2006, fits right into the sweet spot between both.

In an amalgam of the company's own Fontopia series and Shure's earphones, the MDR-EX90 comes encased in a lathed aluminum housing that's reminiscent of B&O's signature polish. Put it on and you've a pair of earbuds classy enough to hang with your diamond-studded iPod.

But take it out of your ears and you are facing a design that's reminiscent of Shure's canal earphones. Sort of. There's an in-ear rubber insertion bud which is attached to the earphone at a 45-degree angle, and what's interesting is the extra cover on top which ought to help block out some external noise. Noteworthy is the fact that putting it on will take some getting used to for the uninitiated.

When we started play-testing the MDR-EX90, we found the miniature earbud insertions plus the extraneous cover served to block out noise to a certain degree, but it was nothing compared with the ER-4P or the Sennheiser PXC-300's noise-canceling circuitry. But what was given up in sound isolation capability was an increase in wearing comfort. Unlike dedicated canal earphones which achieves noise blockage by inserting itself deeper into the ear to obtain a better seal, the MDR-EX90's shorter rubber inserts are a whole lot more comfortable.

We auditioned the MDR-EX90 alongside the MDR-EX51 and the ER-4P. With Beverley Craven's Promise Me, the EX51 turned out weedy vocals and was quite unable to articulate details like cymbals which sounded more like an splash than a percussion instrument. The EX90 pips the EX51 with a weightier performance and a treble/mid detail that simply blows away the cheaper earphone.

Next we challenged the EX90 with the ER-4P. With the clinical clarity of the ER-4P, the EX90 was unable to match the Etymotic earphones when it came to Craven's vocals. However, given the Sony's bassy tendencies, it presented a level of warmth that the ER-4P was quite unable to match. In Diana Krall's You Are Getting to be a Habit with Me, the EX90 sounded roomier and, in the chorus sequence where the piano keys were depressed to punctuate Krall's crooning, the EX90 remained faithful to the instrument while the ER-4P removed the accompanying bass notes.

In Massive Attack's Angel, the EX90 was undoubtedly the winner, beating off the ER-4P by a mile in the bass-heavy track. Bass was delivered tightly with a power that was first-rate without any resulting distortion.