pinoyman
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- May 25, 2010
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this is the FIRST IMPRESSION ON THIS EARBUD, BELOW DOWN IS THE FINAL REVIEW...
enjoy reading!
rock on!!!
pics:
the review:
sennheiser mx980 is the top of the line in the mx series.
all released this year including the mx880, a downgrade series for $79, an earbud considered to have a good bass.
i love earbuds.
it doesnt make my ears itch in hours of use. and i hear everything around me.
unlike in iems, it blocks all the noise, and sometimes makes my ears itch.
hearing it all doesnt make me feel like stupid.
i enjoy my music, and i can still hear everything around me.
or its just me.
this review is base only on the first impression or first use.
please be reminded that i didnt have the mental burn in yet...so consider this is a BETA.
BUILD:
the mx980 is built with metal, stainless steel.
the tip that holds the wire and the phones is an angled steel to make the wires stay off.
the end plug can be straightened or angled depending on your choice of style.
everything seems new here, compared to the ordinary and plastic pk2.
the mx980 seems to be a winner in build department.
it is well thought product.
with materials that you can count on.
what i do hate in this earbud is the volume control.
it is useless in a sense wherein it is a sliding style volume control...
anytime you might accidentally brush it and its either you lose the overall volume or it changes to max that might make the earbud scream at your ears...
well, its bad.
no microphonic on the wires, nice one!
overall: a well built earbud with an ugly and useless (SLIDING)volume control.
SOUND QUALITY:
this is the most important part.
from a 10minute audition and first listen, i think it is totally a very different upgrade to the pk2.
the highs, the most popular signature of this earbud is closer/tending to be sibilant.
but not at all sibilant. almost. or i can say it reaches to the peak of its spark/brilliancy but not ear-fatiguing at all.
it is very good on the highs...if you love the highs like me.
most of my gears has sparkling highs.
among them the ue700. and it has it.
the mids, is so clear.
its like nothing is veiled. the mids is crystal clear. a clarity that i didnt find in my pk2.
it is making the music closer to you. it can be compared to my ue700...
it is so clear.
not warm at all.
bright signature, i call it.
the lows, well...
its there but not as low and not as defined as others may say.
it hits, but not as hard as an iem.
its only a natural bass that hits simply, down.
tried playing MJ's (Michael Jackson's) tracks....and i hear no deep bass.
it has bass but not deep.
INSTRUMENT SEPARATION:
it is not as far as everyone would think.
its not as mind blowing, or im just lets say expecting too much on this earbud?
hmmm... its nice. its fine. and nothing worth mentioning.
not bad at all. just good. and not the best.
DEFINITION/ RESOLUTION:
where the mx980 trumps in all earbud brand you can give.
i think, compared to the pk2, the mx980 has the best definition, resolution and refinement.
the pk2 is not as refined as the mx980.
include there the clarity, well the mx980 wins, hands down.
no questions asked.
here, i hear a very very refined and detailed earbuds ever.
bar none.
even the ue700 was beaten in the resolution. this has more refinement than the ue700.
the highs helped a lot in making the sound more detailed....its like the ue700 can make 3 layers of details at the same time but the mx980, the mx980 can do it 5x more! a very impressive one indeed!
the echo is present in my track, and its there, and its there naturally.
the guitar, is great here as well.
tried playing some acoustic track, LOVE MOVES IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS, by NINA, there is a soul in the music. the surrounding is captured nicely. the audience's claps are defined very very well depending on their location.
if this is a camera, i can consider this the NIKON D3S...a hi end SLR.
it is fast, it is accurate and it capture very very well...at its best!
that is one of the many reasons why you will buy this earbud.
DETAILS.
RESOLUTION.
CLARITY.
HIGHS.
ECHO.
USING THE FOAM:
true to its nature, when foam is used the sound changes dramatically.
from bright it becomes a bit veiled but not muddy and not bad at all, a bit warm in overall sound.
OTHERS:
theres so much energy in this earbud.
it is like a powerful version of my ue700, with the muscles in it. it can perform very very well on any tracks, and can compete or much better than the resolution overall of my panasonic hje900.
you knew well that the panny is one heck of an iem when it comes to details.
well, this is much better, trust me.
and its not dreamy at all.
actually, this is my kind of signature.
if its either bright, it is warm that i want.
and that is depending on my taste and mood.
i cannot recommend this during sleep. it wont make you sleepy in any sense.
it will wake the blood in you, and make you curse the night you wore this!
ha!
but for some serious listening and detail peeping, well, its a better choice.
this will provide you good results... good definition to your music.
and looking back, i have totally forgotten that it is an earbud im using, not an iem...
and not at all a headphone!
what a joy to own this earbud.
this doesnt beat the pk2, in my opinion.
i respect pk2's own strength.
PK2 COMPARISON:
the pk2 sounds a bit more enjoyable overall. and considering the price, cheap!
here, all you hear is details, full definition in every angle.
it is a lot smoother than any of my iems.
pk2 is good enough but it cant compete to the definition of the mx980...it is miles away.
however, what i do like in pk2 is the sweet sound of the mids, of the warmth.
the deep bass that is ultimately artificially but enjoyable.
here, i call it a critical listening.
the mx980 is like the SON GOKU SUPER SAIYAN. while the pk2 is like the natural GOKU.
sometimes, i like the look of GOKU's hair when its black.
but want to go SUPER SAIYAN? well, its more when you want something more.
is it worth an upgrade?
well, honestly it depends to the user.
the pk2 can provide you already the so called "FUN" and "ENJOYMENT" but why settle for more?
well for those who want something more, like BA DETAIL, or the PANNY HJE900 DETAIL, well this is the final goal of that earbud.
this earbud is so boring in a way. it has no specific signature.
and my ears cant taste this yet due to the fact that this earbud hasnt gave me mental burn in yet.
but, very nice overall...
did you know that this time:
yeah, this time, its 1:14PM at 95% of remaining battery of my macbook pro, this earbud is the SINGLE BEST SOUNDING EARBUD/IEM I EVER HAD?
that is the power of this ultimate earbud.
FINAL CONCLUSION:
finally to make this a so called beautiful review, it has to have a right ending...
how do you want me to end this?
its new yeah...
but i dont want to prove here that its worth it.
its just me, it just beats all of my gears overall, even the panny hje, my previous winner in details...here, the details is breathing naturally.
its like its created to by a genius, and created to be supreme to everything of my gears.
the sound is not particularly enjoyable, yep, but it is beautiful in his own ways.
the firs thing to notice is the highs, then the details, the clarity, and you forgot its bit weakness - the bass.
well, naturally, i never would imagine something so small would sound so good as a headphone...much better in pk2 in many ways.
but it all comes with a price.
those who enjoy their pk2, stay there...search no more.
you already got something in your ears that you will enjoy in the rest of your life.
for those who want to spend more, and reach the darkest of your nightmare, or for those who want their dreams to come true...well all will be realized upon hearing the ultimate mx980.
i call it ultimate coz i beats all of my gears sound sig.
it has no particular signature, just like what i said...
and it wont make you feel fatigue with its beautiful highs.
i can sell all my gears now that i have the mx980.
im sure, i wont miss any of it.
hmmm...
miles davis is waiting for me.
where are you miles???
enjoy reading!
rock on!!!
pics:
the review:
sennheiser mx980 is the top of the line in the mx series.
all released this year including the mx880, a downgrade series for $79, an earbud considered to have a good bass.
i love earbuds.
it doesnt make my ears itch in hours of use. and i hear everything around me.
unlike in iems, it blocks all the noise, and sometimes makes my ears itch.
hearing it all doesnt make me feel like stupid.
i enjoy my music, and i can still hear everything around me.
or its just me.
this review is base only on the first impression or first use.
please be reminded that i didnt have the mental burn in yet...so consider this is a BETA.
BUILD:
the mx980 is built with metal, stainless steel.
the tip that holds the wire and the phones is an angled steel to make the wires stay off.
the end plug can be straightened or angled depending on your choice of style.
everything seems new here, compared to the ordinary and plastic pk2.
the mx980 seems to be a winner in build department.
it is well thought product.
with materials that you can count on.
what i do hate in this earbud is the volume control.
it is useless in a sense wherein it is a sliding style volume control...
anytime you might accidentally brush it and its either you lose the overall volume or it changes to max that might make the earbud scream at your ears...
well, its bad.
no microphonic on the wires, nice one!
overall: a well built earbud with an ugly and useless (SLIDING)volume control.
SOUND QUALITY:
this is the most important part.
from a 10minute audition and first listen, i think it is totally a very different upgrade to the pk2.
the highs, the most popular signature of this earbud is closer/tending to be sibilant.
but not at all sibilant. almost. or i can say it reaches to the peak of its spark/brilliancy but not ear-fatiguing at all.
it is very good on the highs...if you love the highs like me.
most of my gears has sparkling highs.
among them the ue700. and it has it.
the mids, is so clear.
its like nothing is veiled. the mids is crystal clear. a clarity that i didnt find in my pk2.
it is making the music closer to you. it can be compared to my ue700...
it is so clear.
not warm at all.
bright signature, i call it.
the lows, well...
its there but not as low and not as defined as others may say.
it hits, but not as hard as an iem.
its only a natural bass that hits simply, down.
tried playing MJ's (Michael Jackson's) tracks....and i hear no deep bass.
it has bass but not deep.
INSTRUMENT SEPARATION:
it is not as far as everyone would think.
its not as mind blowing, or im just lets say expecting too much on this earbud?
hmmm... its nice. its fine. and nothing worth mentioning.
not bad at all. just good. and not the best.
DEFINITION/ RESOLUTION:
where the mx980 trumps in all earbud brand you can give.
i think, compared to the pk2, the mx980 has the best definition, resolution and refinement.
the pk2 is not as refined as the mx980.
include there the clarity, well the mx980 wins, hands down.
no questions asked.
here, i hear a very very refined and detailed earbuds ever.
bar none.
even the ue700 was beaten in the resolution. this has more refinement than the ue700.
the highs helped a lot in making the sound more detailed....its like the ue700 can make 3 layers of details at the same time but the mx980, the mx980 can do it 5x more! a very impressive one indeed!
the echo is present in my track, and its there, and its there naturally.
the guitar, is great here as well.
tried playing some acoustic track, LOVE MOVES IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS, by NINA, there is a soul in the music. the surrounding is captured nicely. the audience's claps are defined very very well depending on their location.
if this is a camera, i can consider this the NIKON D3S...a hi end SLR.
it is fast, it is accurate and it capture very very well...at its best!
that is one of the many reasons why you will buy this earbud.
DETAILS.
RESOLUTION.
CLARITY.
HIGHS.
ECHO.
USING THE FOAM:
true to its nature, when foam is used the sound changes dramatically.
from bright it becomes a bit veiled but not muddy and not bad at all, a bit warm in overall sound.
OTHERS:
theres so much energy in this earbud.
it is like a powerful version of my ue700, with the muscles in it. it can perform very very well on any tracks, and can compete or much better than the resolution overall of my panasonic hje900.
you knew well that the panny is one heck of an iem when it comes to details.
well, this is much better, trust me.
and its not dreamy at all.
actually, this is my kind of signature.
if its either bright, it is warm that i want.
and that is depending on my taste and mood.
i cannot recommend this during sleep. it wont make you sleepy in any sense.
it will wake the blood in you, and make you curse the night you wore this!
ha!
but for some serious listening and detail peeping, well, its a better choice.
this will provide you good results... good definition to your music.
and looking back, i have totally forgotten that it is an earbud im using, not an iem...
and not at all a headphone!
what a joy to own this earbud.
this doesnt beat the pk2, in my opinion.
i respect pk2's own strength.
PK2 COMPARISON:
the pk2 sounds a bit more enjoyable overall. and considering the price, cheap!
here, all you hear is details, full definition in every angle.
it is a lot smoother than any of my iems.
pk2 is good enough but it cant compete to the definition of the mx980...it is miles away.
however, what i do like in pk2 is the sweet sound of the mids, of the warmth.
the deep bass that is ultimately artificially but enjoyable.
here, i call it a critical listening.
the mx980 is like the SON GOKU SUPER SAIYAN. while the pk2 is like the natural GOKU.
sometimes, i like the look of GOKU's hair when its black.
but want to go SUPER SAIYAN? well, its more when you want something more.
is it worth an upgrade?
well, honestly it depends to the user.
the pk2 can provide you already the so called "FUN" and "ENJOYMENT" but why settle for more?
well for those who want something more, like BA DETAIL, or the PANNY HJE900 DETAIL, well this is the final goal of that earbud.
this earbud is so boring in a way. it has no specific signature.
and my ears cant taste this yet due to the fact that this earbud hasnt gave me mental burn in yet.
but, very nice overall...
did you know that this time:
yeah, this time, its 1:14PM at 95% of remaining battery of my macbook pro, this earbud is the SINGLE BEST SOUNDING EARBUD/IEM I EVER HAD?
that is the power of this ultimate earbud.
FINAL CONCLUSION:
finally to make this a so called beautiful review, it has to have a right ending...
how do you want me to end this?
its new yeah...
but i dont want to prove here that its worth it.
its just me, it just beats all of my gears overall, even the panny hje, my previous winner in details...here, the details is breathing naturally.
its like its created to by a genius, and created to be supreme to everything of my gears.
the sound is not particularly enjoyable, yep, but it is beautiful in his own ways.
the firs thing to notice is the highs, then the details, the clarity, and you forgot its bit weakness - the bass.
well, naturally, i never would imagine something so small would sound so good as a headphone...much better in pk2 in many ways.
but it all comes with a price.
those who enjoy their pk2, stay there...search no more.
you already got something in your ears that you will enjoy in the rest of your life.
for those who want to spend more, and reach the darkest of your nightmare, or for those who want their dreams to come true...well all will be realized upon hearing the ultimate mx980.
i call it ultimate coz i beats all of my gears sound sig.
it has no particular signature, just like what i said...
and it wont make you feel fatigue with its beautiful highs.
i can sell all my gears now that i have the mx980.
im sure, i wont miss any of it.
hmmm...
miles davis is waiting for me.
where are you miles???