[TopS]

I recently broke my MX 471 and I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the MX 475 or MX 585, because I can't find any reviews about them. Also if they are no good can anyone recommend something around the same price?

 

[kjk1281]

I'm interested in these myself. I'd get a pair (of each) if they were available here in the US. If I do get them, I'll be sure to post impressions or a review in the Portable Headphone fourm.

Also, welcome to Head-Fi!

 

[dusty-2011]

I wrote an extensive review of the Sennheiser MX 475 in Dutch on tweakers.net:
http://tweakers.net/productreview/93845/sennheiser-mx-475-%28zwart%29.html
 
Here's a translation in English of the review:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftweakers.net%2Fproductreview%2F93845%2Fsennheiser-mx-475-%28zwart%29.html
 
Some peculiarities in the translation:
- "hama 19mm headphone pillows" should be: "hama 19mm ear pads"
- "DVD" should be: "Bluray" (what kind of genius working at Google translated Bluray as DVD??)
- These earbuds don't sound "hot" as translated by Google but "warm".
 
Here's a very short summary of the review:
The Sennheiser MX 475 earbuds have a good price / quality ratio. They sound excellent for the price. They sound slightly better and slightly warmer than the MX 470. The Sennheiser MX 475 earbuds sound a lot better than the earbuds that were supplied together with my Sansa Clip Zip mp3 player.
The most critical flaw of the Sennheiser MX 470 was the durability of the plug, it was too flexible and could break easily. The Sennheiser MX 475 earbuds have a newly designed plug which seems more durable and is sturdier.
 
 
If you liked the sound of the Sennheiser MX 471 you will like the sound of the MX 475 too, since it sounds quite similar (the MX 475 sounds slightly better IMO, but do not expect a big difference).

 

[TopS]

Thank you for the help, I bought a pair yesterday, it should arrive tomorrow.

 

[dusty-2011]

You're welcome. I'm interested in your opinion about the MX 475. Do you agree with my opinion that they sound excellent given their price?

 

[tchek]

Hi
 
I bought some Sennheiser MX475 a month ago. I already have JVC Marshmallow, Sennheiser MX270 and HD201
 
At first I hated the fit, they were horrible in my ears, always about to fall. As for the sound... Well, I'm not an expert but I was totally blown away!
 
I can't tell you how and why, but they were the most impressive earphones I ever had for the price. If I had to describe the sound of them, it's "deep" and "clear". I say "had" because I woke up last week and some rodent chewed the cable off! I was pissed, had to buy another pair and it was the last ones, so I bought MX470 instead which sounds good but not as good IMO, though the fit is much better for me.

 

[dusty-2011]

The weight distribution of the MX475 is a bit different than that of the MX470. The MX475 is slightly thicker at the back, with slightly more weight outside the ear. This can explain why the fit is a bit worse for you. This is very personal though. For me, the fit of the MX470 is excellent and the fit of the MX475 is excellent too. I use both in conjunction with ear pads. The wearing comfort is good with the supplied ear pads. It is even better with hama 19mm replacement ear pads, those are slightly thicker pads which improve the wearing comfort. Did you try the MX475 with ear pads? For me it is really impossible for the earbuds to fall out of my ear as long as I have ear pads on them (even when I strongly tilt my head the buds stay in my ear). Without ear pads the fit is not as good and the buds can move in my ear or even fall out when I tilt my head.
 
I'm glad you share my opinion about the sound quality of the MX475. The MX470 sounded quite good already, but the MX475 boasts improved sound quality. The MX475 also has an improved plug design which should increase durability (although it is not yet resistant to rodents as you experienced ).
 
I also agree with your keywords "deep" and "clear" for describing the sound of the MX475. As I wrote in my review on tweakers.net, the buds sound quite warm but at the same time very clear. The buds have an impressive bass response, mid range and high range. You can hear enough details, the dynamics are quite natural and the soundstage is quite large. Furthermore, they can go really loud without distorting.
 
It's quite logical that the Sennheiser MX 270 sounds inferior, since it costs less than 10 euros. But the Sennheiser HD201 is around the same price as the MX475. I'm very curious how the sound quality of the Sennheiser HD201 compares to the sound quality of the MX475. Can you describe the differences?
 
In what country do you live tchek? Here in The Netherlands the MX475 can be bought in six online webshops. But I heard it is not yet available in the US. Does anyone know why it's not available in the US?

 

[tchek]

The fit depends on one's earshape; the MX475 buds are quite large for mine. Much better with ear pads, though I still have the feeling that they sit "at the edge" of my ears.
 
To me, the MX475 sounds better than the HD201 which sounds good but nothing spectacular, they never impressed me the way MX475 did; I'm not really a headphone guy anyway.
In comparaison, I find the JVC Marshmallow a tad overrated; they sound a bit muffled to me. I'm far from being an expert anyway. 

I'm from Belgium btw. Can't find any details on the MX475 anywhere except here; I bought them in a Saturn/Mediamarkt store, they are always big on Sennheisers.
 
I will probably buy them back, unless you suggest a better choice in the same price range .

 

[dusty-2011]

"The fit depends on one's earshape; the MX475 buds are quite large for mine."
I have both the MX470 and the MX475, the diameter of the buds is exactly the same, both 15mm. So I don't really know what you are pointing at here. The MX475 is thicker at the back though, its total thickness is 15mm. The total thickness of the MX470 is 11mm.
 
Saturn and Mediamarkt also sell the MX475 in The Netherlands, but they regularly run out of stock. When they've run out of stock it usually takes about a week before they can sell it again.
 
You can look for sellers here: http://www.kieskeurig.be/koptelefoon/sennheiser/mx_475_-_in-ear_koptelefoon_-_zwart/prijzen/bezorgen/1801630#prijzen
You can buy them at the Belgium MyCom for €24,99 (free delivery) and have them delivered the next day at your house.
 
I wouldn't really know anything better in the same price range. It's hard to beat the MX475's price-quality ratio. I've heard the BlueEverBlue 328R sounds good, but I've never listened to it myself. And it's not available in Belgian shops so you would have to import it (link: http://blueeverblue.com/product-black.html). If you want earbuds (these do not penetrate the ear canal) I'd suggest you buy the MX475. If you want ear canal phones, you can look up yourself which one has a good price-quality ratio. Here are some links:
http://www.inearmatters.net/2009/01/list_01.html
http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-list/
http://theheadphonelist.com/earphone-buyers-guide/
http://www.head-fi.org/t/541204/concise-multi-iem-comparison-final-update-march-1st-2013
 
If you don't know what to buy or are in doubt between several models, you can also ask for help in the following thread on tweakers.net:
http://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1546081/0

 

[tchek]

  "The fit depends on one's earshape; the MX475 buds are quite large for mine."
I have both the MX470 and the MX475, the diameter of the buds is exactly the same, both 15mm. So I don't really know what you are pointing at here. The MX475 is thicker at the back though, its total thickness is 15mm. The total thickness of the MX470 is 11mm.
 

Must be the thickness then. They really barely enter my ears.
 
Since I prefer in-ears to buds, the Mediamarkt store in my area sells the Sennheiser CX300 II too, but for twice the price. Problem is they don't seem too rated from the reviews I've read (they are good quality, but a few bad reviews here and there). The ideal would be an in-ear phones with the quality of the MX475.

 

[dusty-2011]

Since I prefer in-ears to buds, the Mediamarkt store in my area sells the Sennheiser CX300 II too, but for twice the price. Problem is they don't seem too rated from the reviews I've read (they are good quality, but a few bad reviews here and there). The ideal would be an in-ear phones with the quality of the MX475.
 
You can find a lot of useful information in the links I wrote above. I'm not really an expert on in-ears but when you read through the links I gave you I'm sure you'll find a few affordable models that you like. You can also go to http://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1546081/0 and tell them you really like the sound of the Sennheiser MX475 and are looking for in-ears with a similar sound. I'm sure they'll be able to point you to a few models. Be sure to describe the sound of the MX475: it sounds warm with a nice midbass that is not overwhelming, the midrange and treble are detailed and clear, the dynamics are quite natural and the soundstage is quite large. When you like the sound of the MX475 and want something similar, you are not looking for a super bass-heavy earphone, nor are you looking for a too analytical earphone. You want a slight emphasis on the bass and lower midrange.

 

[TopS]

After having a few days to try out the MX475 I can say that I really like the sound they produce. Compared to the MX471 it has a richer(not sure this is the perfect word) sound and a bit more bass, but the 471 was without pads (They fell off easily so for the last few months I had to put those rubber things on but I bought it almost 3 years ago so I'm not complaining).

 

[dusty-2011]

  After having a few days to try out the MX475 I can say that I really like the sound they produce. Compared to the MX471 it has a richer(not sure this is the perfect word) sound and a bit more bass, but the 471 was without pads (They fell off easily so for the last few months I had to put those rubber things on but I bought it almost 3 years ago so I'm not complaining).

I'm glad that you like the MX475. If you lose the supplied ear pads, you can easily buy spare ones on the internet. If you want Original Sennheiser ear pads, google for Earpads black, 5 pair (523879). Shipping costs are high though for the original Sennheiser ear pads, which makes them quite expensive. I have bough Hama replacement ear pads 19mm instead, which I could buy with much lower shipping costs. The Hama ear pads are a bit thicker, which increases the wearing comfort of the earbuds. The Hama ear pads are of high quality, they won't tear. The Hama ear pads also don't fall of as easily from the earbuds as the Sennheiser ones (they still fall of quite easily though, but not as easy as the Sennheiser's).
 
If you want 19mm ear pads really cheap, you can look for them on Ebay or Amazon. Be aware though that the ear pads sold on Ebay and Amazon are not always of high quality, some sellers sell ear pads which are very thin and tear easily. The Hama ear pads are a bit more expensive, but almost impossible to tear unless you really intend to tear them.
 
Using ear pads in conjunction with the MX475 is strongly recommended, as it enhances the bass performance, increases wearing comfort and prevents the earbuds from moving in the ear.
 
I'm not surprised you like the sound of the MX475. The MX475 is basically an MX470 but only improved. And the MX475 has a really inoffensive sound without great weaknesses. Sure, it can't compete with 1000 dollar headphones, but it provides excellent value for the money. I think it sounds quite a bit better than most consumers would expect for its price.

 

[kjk1281]

Thanks dusty, TopS, and tchek for the impressions. I'd really like a pair of each of these to review, but it looks like Sennheiser USA isn't carrying them. I'm really getting tired of having to import, and these new MXs are successors to a popular line of earphones which I'm sure doesn't cost much to produce. At least sell them on the company website for crying out loud!

 

[dusty-2011]

Thanks dusty, TopS, and tchek for the impressions. I'd really like a pair of each of these to review, but it looks like Sennheiser USA isn't carrying them. I'm really getting tired of having to import, and these new MXs are successors to a popular line of earphones which I'm sure doesn't cost much to produce. At least sell them on the company website for crying out loud!

If you can import an MX475 for less than $40 then it's totally worth it. They provide incredible value for the money. Just don't expect a massive sound difference compared to the MX470, they do sound a bit better but it's not a night and day difference.