idunno
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2007
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Well, here's my first review on Head-Fi; the Senn MX 85 Sport II earbuds. I had planned to do a thorough review with a comparison to my Yuin PK2's, but am so disappointed with the MX 85's that I've decided to give up. I know I'm not alone in looking for earbuds suited to exercise, so I thought I'd share my experience thus far. I'm no expert in describing audio, so I hope you'll bear with me.
Out of the box, the MX 85's sounded horrendous, but a few hours burn-in settled them down dramatically. For good measure, I plugged them into my home rig and gave them about 50 hours of burn-in. I didn't notice any changes after about 30 hours, so I think they're fully burned-in. For what it's worth, they did seem to improve somewhat with amplification, but my review is based upon their unamped performance, since I prefer to travel light when exercising.
This review is based upon listening with my Cowon i7 as source, with 320kbs lame mp3. None of the i7's “sound enhancements” were used, except where specifically noted.
Sound Quality
Lows are boomy and smeared, and a bit fatiguing. Mids are deeply recessed. Highs are passable but nothing to write home about. Overall sound goes beyond dark into the range of muddy, with a general lack of detail and energy. Soundstage is shallow and dense, with the exception of how vocals sometimes seem to be in a different room than you and the instruments.
Experimentation with EQ settings (pushing the mids and highs) balanced the sound signature out a bit, reducing some of the bass fatigue and bringing the vocals into the same room, but did nothing to improve the detail or energy.
Removing the foamies reduces some of the muddiness, but the overall sound is somewhat thinner and harsher. Somehow, without the foamies these things manage to be both dark and overly bright. For me, the foamies were also necessary for fit and overall comfort.
Fit
The “twist-to-fit” system is nothing less than ingenious. This is essentially an arm with a pad on the end of it, which reaches up above the earbud itself. The pad braces against part of your ear, and you twist the whole assembly around in your ear until you find a stable position. The MX 85's are quite versatile in terms of fit; there are three different sizes of pads for the arms, two different widths of rings for the earbuds, and the foamies. For me, the medium pads, small rings, plus foamies, were just right. Senn also provides a clip to secure the cord to your shirt, to further reduce movement in the system. The MX 85's stay in place better than any earbud I've ever worn.
Isolation
The MX 85's provide little to no isolation, which to me is the point; I don't feel safe moving around while isolated from my environment. (Not to mention that IEM bone conduction drives me nuts).
Build
The MX 85's are solidly built and seem to be up to pretty much anything you can throw at them. I haven't tried running them under the faucet, though Senn claims they're washable. The cord is rubbery, and as such exhibits some limited microphonics. The rubbery cord and the weird shape of the MX 85's do lead to more tangling than most other earbuds I've used. Note that the cord is a J-type, and Senn claims that the long right side cord should be worn behind the head.
Conclusion
I had high hopes for the MX 85's, which seem to have been misplaced. Yes, the fit is fantastic, but the sound is disappointing to say the least. At this point, I've decided that I'd rather risk damage to my PK2's than listen to the MX 85's any further. I think that the idea of a clip to help reduce movement, and thereby keep the earbuds in place better, has potential to help the PK2's (not sure why I didn't try that sooner), but my search for decent Gym-Fi will continue. Any chance Senn would license the twist-to-fit design to Yuin?
Out of the box, the MX 85's sounded horrendous, but a few hours burn-in settled them down dramatically. For good measure, I plugged them into my home rig and gave them about 50 hours of burn-in. I didn't notice any changes after about 30 hours, so I think they're fully burned-in. For what it's worth, they did seem to improve somewhat with amplification, but my review is based upon their unamped performance, since I prefer to travel light when exercising.
This review is based upon listening with my Cowon i7 as source, with 320kbs lame mp3. None of the i7's “sound enhancements” were used, except where specifically noted.
Sound Quality
Lows are boomy and smeared, and a bit fatiguing. Mids are deeply recessed. Highs are passable but nothing to write home about. Overall sound goes beyond dark into the range of muddy, with a general lack of detail and energy. Soundstage is shallow and dense, with the exception of how vocals sometimes seem to be in a different room than you and the instruments.
Experimentation with EQ settings (pushing the mids and highs) balanced the sound signature out a bit, reducing some of the bass fatigue and bringing the vocals into the same room, but did nothing to improve the detail or energy.
Removing the foamies reduces some of the muddiness, but the overall sound is somewhat thinner and harsher. Somehow, without the foamies these things manage to be both dark and overly bright. For me, the foamies were also necessary for fit and overall comfort.
Fit
The “twist-to-fit” system is nothing less than ingenious. This is essentially an arm with a pad on the end of it, which reaches up above the earbud itself. The pad braces against part of your ear, and you twist the whole assembly around in your ear until you find a stable position. The MX 85's are quite versatile in terms of fit; there are three different sizes of pads for the arms, two different widths of rings for the earbuds, and the foamies. For me, the medium pads, small rings, plus foamies, were just right. Senn also provides a clip to secure the cord to your shirt, to further reduce movement in the system. The MX 85's stay in place better than any earbud I've ever worn.
Isolation
The MX 85's provide little to no isolation, which to me is the point; I don't feel safe moving around while isolated from my environment. (Not to mention that IEM bone conduction drives me nuts).
Build
The MX 85's are solidly built and seem to be up to pretty much anything you can throw at them. I haven't tried running them under the faucet, though Senn claims they're washable. The cord is rubbery, and as such exhibits some limited microphonics. The rubbery cord and the weird shape of the MX 85's do lead to more tangling than most other earbuds I've used. Note that the cord is a J-type, and Senn claims that the long right side cord should be worn behind the head.
Conclusion
I had high hopes for the MX 85's, which seem to have been misplaced. Yes, the fit is fantastic, but the sound is disappointing to say the least. At this point, I've decided that I'd rather risk damage to my PK2's than listen to the MX 85's any further. I think that the idea of a clip to help reduce movement, and thereby keep the earbuds in place better, has potential to help the PK2's (not sure why I didn't try that sooner), but my search for decent Gym-Fi will continue. Any chance Senn would license the twist-to-fit design to Yuin?
