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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a compact, everyday in-ear headset for calls and music on a phone or laptop, choose Sony MDREX155AP; if you need a volume-limited, durable over-ear pair built for kids to use at school and on trips, choose IMYB V8.
• Sony MDREX155AP — biggest strength: tiny in-ear design with an integrated mic and smartphone playback control, plus 9mm neodymium drivers and a wide 5Hz–24,000Hz frequency response.
• Sony MDREX155AP — biggest trade-off: no noise control at all, and the sound depends heavily on getting a good seal from the right ear tip.
• IMYB V8 — biggest strength: over-ear comfort for kids with a volume limit of 85/94dB, 40mm drivers and a tangle-free nylon braided cable.
• IMYB V8 — biggest trade-off: it's a kids' headphone, so the fit, styling and 2-year manufacturer warranty are aimed at children and teens rather than adult listeners.
• Who Sony MDREX155AP is for: adults who want a pocketable wired headset for calls and music.
• Who IMYB V8 is for: parents buying safe, tough headphones for a child aged roughly 3 to 15.
The MDREX155AP is a minimalist in-ear headphone. You get a 9mm dynamic neodymium driver, an impedance of 16 ohm and a frequency range that stretches from 5Hz all the way up to 24kHz. That low impedance matters in practice: it means a phone or laptop doesn't need much power to drive these earbuds to a usable volume. The rounded silicone tips come in three sizes (small, medium, large), and the box also includes a cord adjuster so you can take up slack on the 3.94 ft Y-shaped cable.
The part that separates it from a plain pair of earbuds is the inline setup. There's an integrated microphone plus a touch-based volume control, so you can take a call or tweak playback without pulling your phone out. At 3.13 g it disappears in a pocket, and the black silicone enclosure keeps things low-key.
Who should buy it? Anyone who wants one small wired headset that handles both music and phone calls, and who prefers the light, unobtrusive feel of in-ears over a headband. It's a natural fit for commuting, working at a desk, or walking around with a phone in a pocket.
Who should skip it? If you need noise cancellation or sound isolation, look elsewhere — the MDREX155AP has no noise control feature. And if you struggle to get a consistent seal with silicone tips, note Sony's own guidance: if the tips don't match your ear canals or the buds aren't seated properly, you won't get the intended sound quality or call performance. Swapping to a snugger tip size is the fix, but it's still a fit-dependent design.
The IMYB V8 is built around a completely different job: keeping a child's ears safe while they listen. The headline feature is the 85/94dB volume limit, which caps how loud the headphones can go — a meaningful safeguard for young listeners, and the main reason a parent would pick these over a generic pair.
Comfort and durability come next. These are over-ear headphones with padded soft cushions and an adjustable headband, so they can grow with a kid from about age 3 upward. The enclosure is ABS plastic, the earcups are circular, and the whole thing folds down for compact storage in a bag or backpack. The cable is a 5 ft nylon braided cord, which is the detail that matters most for rough daily use — it resists tangling and stands up to drops and tugs far better than a thin rubber cord.
For sound, IMYB uses 40mm custom drivers with 32 ohm impedance, tuned for balanced stereo with rich bass and crisp highs. Big drivers in an over-ear shell generally give you a fuller, more room-filling sound than tiny in-ear buds, though that's a design consequence rather than a measured claim. There's also sound isolation via the padded cushions, plus a remote with button-based volume control. IMYB backs it with a 2-year manufacturer warranty.
Who should buy it? Parents and gift-buyers shopping for a school-age kid who needs headphones for an iPad, tablet, PC, or a flight. The blue colorway, foldable build and braided cable all point at exactly that use case.
Who should skip it? Adults who want a discreet pair for calls. These are bulky over-ears with a kids-first design, and the styling and fit are aimed at children and teens, not grown-up commuters.
• Best for phone calls → Sony MDREX155AP. It has an integrated mic and inline playback control; the IMYB V8 has a volume remote but is positioned as a listening headphone for kids.
• Best for child safety → IMYB V8. The 85/94dB volume limit is the single most important difference between these two products.
• Best for portability → Sony MDREX155AP. At 3.13 g with a 3.94 ft cord and a cord adjuster, it vanishes into a pocket. The IMYB V8 folds, but it's still an over-ear headphone.
• Best for durability with kids → IMYB V8. The nylon braided 5 ft cable and ABS shell are designed for drops, tugs and daily rough handling.
• Best for a secure, sealed fit → Sony MDREX155AP, provided you use the right tip size. Three pairs of silicone tips are included, and Sony explicitly ties sound and call quality to a proper seal.
• Best for comfortable long sessions → IMYB V8. Padded over-ear cushions and an adjustable headband distribute pressure across the head instead of inside the ear canal.
• Best for low-power devices → Sony MDREX155AP. At 16 ohm versus 32 ohm, it's the easier load for a phone, tablet or laptop headphone jack to drive.
• Best for shared family use on a trip → IMYB V8. Foldable storage plus a longer 5 ft braided cord makes it the friendlier travel companion for a kid in the back seat.
In my opinion, these two aren't really competitors — they solve different problems, and that's the honest answer. If I were buying for myself, I'd take the Sony MDREX155AP: the integrated mic, touch volume control, 16 ohm impedance and genuinely pocketable 3.13 g build make it the better all-round wired headset for an adult who takes calls and listens on the go. I'd only accept the trade-off of no noise control and a fit-dependent seal.
If I were buying for a child, I'd go the other way and pick the IMYB V8 without hesitating. The 85/94dB volume limit, padded over-ear cushions, foldable frame, braided 5 ft cable and 2-year manufacturer warranty are exactly the features a parent should be paying attention to. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, then match the product to the person.
FAQ
how to wired headphones work
how to use wired headphones with iphone
Plug the 3.5 mm jack into your iPhone if it has a headphone port; newer iPhones without one need a separate 3.5 mm adapter, which isn't included with either product here. Once connected, the Sony MDREX155AP lets you take calls and control playback inline thanks to its integrated mic. The IMYB V8 gives you button-based volume control on its remote.
how to fix wired headphones no sound
Start with the simple checks: make sure the 3.5 mm plug is fully seated, try a different device, and confirm the volume isn't muted or at zero. With the Sony MDREX155AP specifically, Sony notes that a poor ear-tip seal or an ill-fitting tip can hurt sound and call performance — so try the small, medium or large silicone tips included in the box. If a different device and a proper seal don't help, the cable or driver is likely the issue.
are these headphones good for kids
The IMYB V8 is the one designed for kids: it's rated for ages 3 to 15, caps volume at 85/94dB, uses padded over-ear cushions, folds for storage and carries a 2-year manufacturer warranty. The Sony MDREX155AP is described for an adult age range and has no volume limiter, so I wouldn't recommend it as a child's primary pair.
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