[richard]

Any reason to prefer one to the other, assuming you don't need a volume control and don't care about a few dollars?

Prior posts on the subject seem inconclusive, which may be the answer

 

[Duncan]

Prefer the MX400... its cheaper, and looks more 'normal' in its black outfit rather than the shiny blue of the MX500s

 

[shaun3000]

I like the blue. Every pair of earbuds I've had, before, has always been boring black.

Anyway, the 500 is a couple bucks more than the 400, is sparkly blue, and has an inline volume slider. the 400 is black, slightly cheaper, andhas no slider.

Frankly, the slider isnt' really all that handy. It's so small, it's impossible to make adjustments. It's either loud, in between, or quiet. (It doesn't block the sound, completley, just cuts it down to about 1/4 the volume)

If I had to buy another pair, I'd go with the 400.

 

[phonatic]

Haven't heard the 400s, but saw them next to the 500s when I bought them. I like the blue color of the 500s. The volume slider is not so bad actually... I like having a way to mute/reduce volume on the cable so I don't have to fish out my MD player. Some feel the 500s sound better than the 400s; I can't really comment on that.

I think the 500s sound really good. Try getting some Radio Shack foamies to put on them... improves their comfort.

 

[Lisa]

Quote:

Originally posted by phonatic Try getting some Radio Shack foamies to put on them... improves their comfort.

Everybody is saying that, but for me it's the opposite.
I tried thicker foamies and they don't fit my ears so good. The bass gets less and, well they just sound less. The stock foamies fit me perfectly and with them the mx500s sound much better.

 

[phonatic]

Yes... it depends entirely on the shape and size of your ear. I am starting to think also that the ones I got at Radio Shack don't sound quite as good as the ones that came with my 500s. For me they are a bit more comfortable though...

RS also carries these little silicone pads... I got some but haven't listened with them yet because they appear to obscure a good portion of the driver grille.

 

[TMC]

Personally I found the highs to be a bit too harsh with the stock MX500 earbuds and a pair of thicker ones remedied that pretty well and at the same time strengthens the bass a bit.

 

[richard]

I just noticed what Sennheiser had to say:

MX400 MSRP $12.95
Excellent sound, full bass
With convenient windup-case

MX500 MSRP $17.95
Cool metallic blue
Superior sound reproduction
Volume control built into the cable
With convenient windup-case

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/pages/p...dphones/mx.htm

This appears to suggest a difference in sound (excellent v. superior).

 

[Lisa]

The German Sennheiser site gives a different frequency responce. but if no one can hear a diffrence...

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser...853?Open&row=2

I'm this close to e-mailing Sennheiser to ask them.
This is starting to drive me nuts

 

[skippy]

i e-mailed sennheiser about the differences when they first came out, and told me the mx400 had a frequency response up to 20k and the mx500 had a response up to 22k, in addition to a volume control. in other words the guy just read bs on the back of the product pacakages.

a couple years ago i ran frequency response tests on both of them (in a very unscientific manner), and both of them had had graphs that were nearly identical (both of them were also severely attenuated far before even reaching 20k).

 

[richard]

My guess is that there is no real difference between the two and that unit to unit manufacturing differences outweigh any sonic differences between them.

Is there someone who owns both and who has listened to them on a blind basis and prefers one to the other?

 

[Duncan]

lets not forget that on the Sennheiser website(s) they show the HD600 as going up to 39khz, whilst the HD580 goes to 38khz... yet in the instruction manual, it says the HD600 goes up to 38khz...

Most people rely on figures, and if they see two the same, why go for the most expensive option??

 

[skagen]

As long the company doesn't claim the freqeuncy range is HIGHER than it really is, I think they can legally make any claim they want about frequency range. So I'm willing to bet money that those things are the same. They are probably just under-stataing the 400 so that they can make folk pay up a bit more for the 500 - and then they throw in the blue color and volume as the carrot.

Its not worth the money to develop that many products with different core components - and sell them for $10-$15. No way.

 

[greenhorn]

Did anybody here try to wear the MX500s in the strange manner I did? I mean, with the cable pointing at 90° from my ears and with the drivers facing in front of me. Strange, I agree - but the sound improved significantly to my ears!

 

[skagen]

I tried that, sounded just marginally better but they don't stay put.

To be honest, although the sound of the 400/500 is good, the fit is crap. I don't know why Koss didn't put that little flange that you see on some earbuds. Its very simple and effective for improvin the fit, especially in active usage.