[youngjun]

Hi, first time posting in many many years.  I am looking for some IEMs for my Iphone 4.  For headphones, I currently own the Sennheiser HD580, the Koss PortaPro, and the Klipsch S4i.  I like a little extra bass, so I went with the S4i recently, partly because it seems to be more robust/reliable than some of its competition such as the Sennheiser MM 50 iP and has a better high end than the Shure SE115m+.
 
Surprisingly, the S4i's may have a little too much bass for my tastes.  Granted, they aren't quite broken in, which many posters seem to believe they need a lot of.  But as of right now, after about 15 hours of use, I feel like the bass is overwhelming the other frequencies.
 
The MM 50's seem to get panned at Amazon and the Apple Store for their quality.  But I look at the frequency response at Headroom of the MM 50's and they seem pretty close in signature to the HD600 - at least they have a family resemblance.  Just the other day, I came across the MM 70 iP at the Apple Store.  I look on the web everywhere looking for some review from someone, anyone.  Nothing.  It seems like the Apple Store and maybe one other obscure store are the only ones in the whole world that sells them, and there are no reviews.  I am intrigued because on the Apple Store website it says "Robust, dynamic drivers and specially reinforced cables provide the final word in comfort, durability and sound quality".  Specially reinforced cables?!?!
 
Does anyone know anything about these?  Do they sound like the MM 50 iP?  Do they really have an increased reliability over the MM 50 iP?  Any help/guidance you can provide would be much appreciated.

 

[amraam]

Bump for an old thread.  Any thoughts on these?

 

[avsfan]

Frustrating to find anything on these buds isn't it?!
 
I went ahead and picked up the MM70ip's last week - I really quite enjoy them and think they are a significant enough improvement over the MM50's to warrant the minimal cost upgrade. Build quality is better, as is the sound. I don't find them nearly as muddy in the low end.
 
As for reviews, I've only seen a couple references to them compared to the S4i's, one on Apple.com and the other here:
http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-955868.html
 
Both seem to favor the Senns though I'll have to admit - I'm very curious to hear for myself so I'm planning to pickup the Klipsch tomorrow to give them a go.
 
Regarding my background, I'm far from an audiophile but certainly more particular than the average listener. My main headphones are Sennheiser HD280's, mostly played through my UA-101 connected to a Mac.

 

[avsfan]

Picked up the S4i's today - it took me all of about 10 min to validate that the MM70ip's were clearly the better choice. A few quick points...
 
Build quality:
I now see what others have been saying about the S4i's build quality - can see those cables coming off the earpieces rather easily. Contrast to the MM70's which appear to be much better secured.
 
Comfort:
The S4i's were not comfortable at all - I had to use the large size ear tips just to get the right seal for the bass, even then I found them to get uncomfortable rather quickly. The MM70's fit like a glove with the default medium size
 
Sound:
The S4i's do sound good - no disputing that. However, I found them to be a bit too bright - in particular "S" sounds I found rather harsh. Bass was good though. The MM70's are not quite as bright - they have a softer tone which I much prefer; bass is a bit heaver but not by too much and certainly more balanced than the MM50's that I had tried about a month back. The MM70's also don't require nearly as much volume output. The other difference that I found - the MM70's just seem to have a more immersive sound overall - something that needs to be experienced.
 
That's it - nothing comprehensive, just my quick $.02 for those looking for some answers which don't appear to be out there. I think you'll see these new Senns quickly jump to the top of many recommended lists in this price range.

 

[amraam]

Thanks very much for that, really helpful!



Makes me wonder though - do I need to spend nigh on £200 on the x10i or should I just get the MM70ip? Is there enough difference in SQ to warrant the hefty price tag of the x10i?

 

[avsfan]

No problem, glad to be of help.
 
As for your decision, the x10i is in a different league altogether - at least in price. Whether in sonic capability as well I can't comment though you may want to check out some links from this nice collection of iPhone IEM reviews:
http://artoftheiphone.com/2010/02/10/top-20-iphone-headphones-best-of-iphone/
 
The MM70's are fantastic - my gut tells me they are the CX300-II under the hood, as would be the MM50's being the CX300. Looking at the various CX300 vs. CX300-II reviews, I'd say my assessment of the MM50's vs. MM70's was about right. You mention however, that you think the bass on the S4i's is a bit much - you won't escape that with the MM70's as they are similar in that respect. I think it really comes down to what is really important to you - different people have different tastes and maybe a more neutral set is up your alley; for me, I love neutral but the fact I use these 99% of the time on trains/subways where bass forgets to board along with you (I took this from another poster relating to airlines; classic), I'm ok with the added low end.
 
It might be worth looking into the new Sennheiser CX880i's which are supposed to be more neutral.
http://www.macworld.com/article/154258/2010/09/sennheiser_apple_remote_headphones.html
 
I can't find them anywhere (nor any reviews - sound familiar?!) and needed something now so I didn't pursue - plus I'm not looking to spend much more over $100 on any commuting headphones. I'm more than pleased with what I have for the money.

 

[amraam]

Thanks again.  I do like bass, but not overwhelming bass.  Accuracy and SQ is much more important than having my head blown off by SPL lol.
 
I really like the look of the X10i but I doubt I need to spend all that money, especially since I will only be using them a handful of times a week.
 
Might just see if Santa will bring me the MM70ip

 

[DigDub]

you can try the the hippo shroom with mic version. detailed sound with a moderate amount of bass.

 

[arbalest05]

Hi guys,
 
I was planning to buy the Sennheiser MM 70 iP but I am really doubtful of the cable.
When I use wired earphone, I always put it round my neck (behind). Will this be a problem for this model? With the default Apple earphone that comes with my iphone4, I had to always rearrange it, otherwise I couldn't turn my head freely (either left or right)
 
Thanks
 
Regards,
R

 

[avsfan]

These headphones are the asymmetrical design, requiring the right earpiece to wrap behind the neck - sounds like this is what you're looking for. Seems to be a love it or hate it design - works well for me if I need to take them out briefly as they just rest on my shoulders.
 
On another note, after about 15hrs with these, they have become even better from when I first bought them. The bass has settled down significantly to a point where they are near perfect for my needs. I'd recommend these to anyone.

 

[wbulldogs]

Totally agree with avsfan ... I own both s4i and mm70ip ... same pricing in Australia.
 
The s4i buds are very uncomfortable. I ended up modding it to use ones of the MM70ip.
 
But I like the s4i remote control.
 
Sound quality ... they are both very good. They produce quite exciting tunes.
 
I also have
 
the Sony EX35 - nowhere as good as the above.
 
CX300 II  - sounds good but a bit boomy for my liking - I wonder if the speakers are as the mm70ip's. but the mm70ip sound alot more balanced.
 
 
Quote:

Picked up the S4i's today - it took me all of about 10 min to validate that the MM70ip's were clearly the better choice. A few quick points...
 
Build quality:
I now see what others have been saying about the S4i's build quality - can see those cables coming off the earpieces rather easily. Contrast to the MM70's which appear to be much better secured.
 
Comfort:
The S4i's were not comfortable at all - I had to use the large size ear tips just to get the right seal for the bass, even then I found them to get uncomfortable rather quickly. The MM70's fit like a glove with the default medium size
 
Sound:
The S4i's do sound good - no disputing that. However, I found them to be a bit too bright - in particular "S" sounds I found rather harsh. Bass was good though. The MM70's are not quite as bright - they have a softer tone which I much prefer; bass is a bit heaver but not by too much and certainly more balanced than the MM50's that I had tried about a month back. The MM70's also don't require nearly as much volume output. The other difference that I found - the MM70's just seem to have a more immersive sound overall - something that needs to be experienced.
 
That's it - nothing comprehensive, just my quick $.02 for those looking for some answers which don't appear to be out there. I think you'll see these new Senns quickly jump to the top of many recommended lists in this price range.

 

[amraam]

Hey all, old thread I know.  Just thought I'd chime in with my experience of the MM70ips.  I bought them in February for £69. 
 
So far I'm impressed.  Good sound, nicely balanced, but perhaps they could be a little more bassier.  I wouldn't say mine are fully burnt in yet, but I'm guessing I've got about 40 hours through them (pure guestimate tbh).  I also find that when I crank to volume on my iPhone 4 (Rock EQ) past about 60%, they tend to slightly deteriorate in SQ, in particularly around the snare drum frequency range.  I generally use .m4a and .mp3, ripped from my CD collection at 320kbps, stereo. One thing I really dislike about them , is the microphonics.  I can hear my breathing and footsteps really loud through them, and any rustling through the cables is really amplified too.  Not so much of a problem once the music on though. Symbals, and other treble notes sound great.  I love listening to the hi-hat solos through them
 
Generally though, I really like them, and they are so much better than Apple's standard buds (no shock there!).  I agree fully with what avsfan said about them.  On the apple buds, I'd need about 70% volume.  Granted these are IEMs so generally better and blocking outside noise anyway, but I only need about 45% volume on these
 
Despite my negative sounding review (I can only point out what I'm not keen on, I'm not up with the music lingo to give them a full review lol) I would recommend them for definite!  I would still one day love the X10is, but they're 3x the price of these MM70ips!
 
Next question Is it worth amping them?