swbf2cheater
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Aug 14, 2009
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I posted my thoughts about the MX980 in a comparison thread between Yuins PK series and Sennheisers MX Series. I've been hounded for a detailed review on the MX980, so I figured why not just give it its own thread. The user Kenta also posted his thoughts of the 980s in his own thread, you may also want to check his topic out as well.
The Sennheiser MX-980s are the most expensive in the MX series. It's relatively new right now ( current stardate May 22, 2010 ) and still expensive. I purchased mine from B&H photo for $180.00
It boasts an impressive frequency response of 16-23hz with a pressure level of 120db. The cable is 1.2 meters long. I personally wish it were a few inches shorter, it's got some slack that can get a bit annoying. The size of the drivers and its housing are much bigger than its little brothers the MX580 and 880. ( as well as the yuin series ). Some people may not enjoy this, i do tend to get annoyed after a little while and reposition them often. The volume knob is of poor quality, its incredibly light weight, made of plastic. Its much lighter than the Mx580 and 880s knob, and also smaller. It feels very cheap. But after a while I began to realize this is needed to reduce the weight and pull on your ears. The crooked design of the buds themselves are intended to keep the wires out of your face. I really enjoy it. Its great to not have to brush them away or behind my neck or ears or something.
The box is pretty awesome. I love the flames and print, overall feel of the box. It opens up like a door would in star trek, from both sides, revealing the innards. Everything is well protected and encased in cardboard boxes. I am not at all impressed with the case though, I do not wish to roll up the cord slack around that rectangular box, I prefer a large box where I can just lay the set inside and not roll things up and risk glitching later on. The case has a cover that is pleather and has a magnetic lock, its very nice.
First Impressions are staggering in the bass department. I never expected this much bass response in a non-inner ear set. They can rumble pretty good and have impressive bass power and kick. Much more than the Yuin PK1 without a doubt.
I feel the Mx980s to have an equally wide and tall presence. It's very airy and spacious and does a great job of mimicking the sound of larger full size headphones just like the Yuin PK1s do. After sufficient burn in, the soundstage is noticeably larger than the PK1. More dynamic when properly amped, but it does sparkle less.
They are not a warm set, they are very forward in sound and I will try to compare them to the Shure 840s, as they are the only set ive come across that have a similar sound signature in terms of neutrality.
The full sized shure 840s are known for their neutral sound that doesnt exaggerate anything, but still plays everything clearly and to most users liking. I found the MX980s to be very similar to the 840s in that respect. I had some family and friends confirm this for me, just to make sure I am not crazy and I am hearing things correctly. They sound noticeably smaller and less clear, but not by much at all. The 980s are also more forward and in your face than the 840s. Of course the 840s have way more bass power, but still...comparing one of the best full sized cans for under $200 to a set of buds of equal price is damned impressive. The elegance factor in the 840 and the 980s are very similar is what I am trying to get at. Both are not trying to exaggerate things, but keep a hint of warmness while maintaining silkiness in their sound reproduction.
The Mx980s have smooth mids and amazing highs, much higher than the Pk1, much more clear and even piercing at times depending on the song and volume. Santanas Europa track has one part where the guitar is left screaming on an immensely high note, it can be too much to bear when a high volume is used, but I still love the hell out of it when it comes to that part. This set has a powerful bass experience. Check the track Dirty Diana by Michael Jackson, where right at the start there is an immensely powerful bass going on, head shaking with the 840s and bass heavy cans. During that intro the Mx980s perform remarkably well. There is a nice rumble going on, a deep richness that is absent from the PK1 and similar buds.
Edit: On a side note, the earpads are required. No exceptions. I think that without them on, the mx980s sound very very very different and not to my liking.
The 980s don't require an immensely powerful amp to get achieve their max potential. Via an unamped sansa fuze, they sound great so long as its flac music. They are boarder lined dynamic, have decent kick but of course they still sound flat and lack that luster and shine all good amps will force into headphones.
I think a D3 python is overkill, but is needed if you use a Fuze. The problem here is that the Fuze is so powerful, the only option you have for a portable amp is a cheaper Ibasso like the D3 that is now discontinued, and its still overkill. But it does make it sound much warmer, and noticeably more sparkly.
When using a not so powerful mp3 player with something like the fiio e5, or a weaker amp, they sound better than with the unamped fuze. For this reason, sadly, You do need a good amp if you are using the Sansa Fuze. Even though it sounds great without an amp, to bring out its full potential you need to invest much more into an amp than if you are using a weaker mp3 player with a cheaper amp. It makes sense if you've experience with the Fuze. It's so powerful, none of the cheaper amps will even make a difference and may even make it sound worse. But you are only left with the option of the pricey Ibasso or cmoy.
Overall, this set is an absolute god send to me. My favorite soundtrack is the Superman the movie soundtrack which is notorious for having terrible quality tracks. We superman fans have suffered since CDs were invented and the original score was transferred to cd from record. The people who did the transfer did not clean up the audio and there is a MASSIVE HISSSSSSSSSSS on every track. Every single headphone Ive ever owned including the expensive sets put more emphasis on that hiss. If you can demo some of the tracks on amazon, do so and you will hear that hiss on every track.
This hiss is dramatically reduced via the MX980s. I am not sure why. But I love the hell out of it. The hiss is found in the high frequency range, but the elegance and neutrality of the Mx980s almost wipes that hiss out of existence while still maintaining the luster and sound of the original track. I cant explain this, but again I asked a few friends to listen via the 980s and other headphones, everyone said the same thing. "that hiss is less noticeable on the 980s"
I've waited 20 years for this to occur. None of my grados, not even my other sennheisers or Shures decreased that hiss without decreasing the sound quality or awesomeness, kick factor or bass. Not a single one. the Mx980 stands alone.
My Hd650, 600, Grado 225i, 325i, MS1, Ultrasone Edition 8 ( yep, this too ) Shure 840, Yuin PK1, everything I own emphases that hiss.
I also want to point out that the entire MX series plays a specific style of jazz better than ANYTHING ive ever heard before. It's as if it were tailored for it. I am a big Django Reinhardt fan, Gypsy Jazz that is composed of Acoustic guitars and a bass. I listen to a lot of Stochelo Rosenberg and Bireli Lagrene. The mx980s play this style of music far better than anything I've ever used before. If you get the chance to demo, please test Bireli Lagrenes Acoustic Moments. You will be shocked at the clarity and overall amazing audio experience
Bireli + mx980 = epic win on a scale never before heard
To me, its audio bliss and something I've waited years for. I am beyond happy.
The Sennheiser MX-980s are the most expensive in the MX series. It's relatively new right now ( current stardate May 22, 2010 ) and still expensive. I purchased mine from B&H photo for $180.00
It boasts an impressive frequency response of 16-23hz with a pressure level of 120db. The cable is 1.2 meters long. I personally wish it were a few inches shorter, it's got some slack that can get a bit annoying. The size of the drivers and its housing are much bigger than its little brothers the MX580 and 880. ( as well as the yuin series ). Some people may not enjoy this, i do tend to get annoyed after a little while and reposition them often. The volume knob is of poor quality, its incredibly light weight, made of plastic. Its much lighter than the Mx580 and 880s knob, and also smaller. It feels very cheap. But after a while I began to realize this is needed to reduce the weight and pull on your ears. The crooked design of the buds themselves are intended to keep the wires out of your face. I really enjoy it. Its great to not have to brush them away or behind my neck or ears or something.
The box is pretty awesome. I love the flames and print, overall feel of the box. It opens up like a door would in star trek, from both sides, revealing the innards. Everything is well protected and encased in cardboard boxes. I am not at all impressed with the case though, I do not wish to roll up the cord slack around that rectangular box, I prefer a large box where I can just lay the set inside and not roll things up and risk glitching later on. The case has a cover that is pleather and has a magnetic lock, its very nice.
First Impressions are staggering in the bass department. I never expected this much bass response in a non-inner ear set. They can rumble pretty good and have impressive bass power and kick. Much more than the Yuin PK1 without a doubt.
I feel the Mx980s to have an equally wide and tall presence. It's very airy and spacious and does a great job of mimicking the sound of larger full size headphones just like the Yuin PK1s do. After sufficient burn in, the soundstage is noticeably larger than the PK1. More dynamic when properly amped, but it does sparkle less.
They are not a warm set, they are very forward in sound and I will try to compare them to the Shure 840s, as they are the only set ive come across that have a similar sound signature in terms of neutrality.
The full sized shure 840s are known for their neutral sound that doesnt exaggerate anything, but still plays everything clearly and to most users liking. I found the MX980s to be very similar to the 840s in that respect. I had some family and friends confirm this for me, just to make sure I am not crazy and I am hearing things correctly. They sound noticeably smaller and less clear, but not by much at all. The 980s are also more forward and in your face than the 840s. Of course the 840s have way more bass power, but still...comparing one of the best full sized cans for under $200 to a set of buds of equal price is damned impressive. The elegance factor in the 840 and the 980s are very similar is what I am trying to get at. Both are not trying to exaggerate things, but keep a hint of warmness while maintaining silkiness in their sound reproduction.
The Mx980s have smooth mids and amazing highs, much higher than the Pk1, much more clear and even piercing at times depending on the song and volume. Santanas Europa track has one part where the guitar is left screaming on an immensely high note, it can be too much to bear when a high volume is used, but I still love the hell out of it when it comes to that part. This set has a powerful bass experience. Check the track Dirty Diana by Michael Jackson, where right at the start there is an immensely powerful bass going on, head shaking with the 840s and bass heavy cans. During that intro the Mx980s perform remarkably well. There is a nice rumble going on, a deep richness that is absent from the PK1 and similar buds.
Edit: On a side note, the earpads are required. No exceptions. I think that without them on, the mx980s sound very very very different and not to my liking.
The 980s don't require an immensely powerful amp to get achieve their max potential. Via an unamped sansa fuze, they sound great so long as its flac music. They are boarder lined dynamic, have decent kick but of course they still sound flat and lack that luster and shine all good amps will force into headphones.
I think a D3 python is overkill, but is needed if you use a Fuze. The problem here is that the Fuze is so powerful, the only option you have for a portable amp is a cheaper Ibasso like the D3 that is now discontinued, and its still overkill. But it does make it sound much warmer, and noticeably more sparkly.
When using a not so powerful mp3 player with something like the fiio e5, or a weaker amp, they sound better than with the unamped fuze. For this reason, sadly, You do need a good amp if you are using the Sansa Fuze. Even though it sounds great without an amp, to bring out its full potential you need to invest much more into an amp than if you are using a weaker mp3 player with a cheaper amp. It makes sense if you've experience with the Fuze. It's so powerful, none of the cheaper amps will even make a difference and may even make it sound worse. But you are only left with the option of the pricey Ibasso or cmoy.
Overall, this set is an absolute god send to me. My favorite soundtrack is the Superman the movie soundtrack which is notorious for having terrible quality tracks. We superman fans have suffered since CDs were invented and the original score was transferred to cd from record. The people who did the transfer did not clean up the audio and there is a MASSIVE HISSSSSSSSSSS on every track. Every single headphone Ive ever owned including the expensive sets put more emphasis on that hiss. If you can demo some of the tracks on amazon, do so and you will hear that hiss on every track.
This hiss is dramatically reduced via the MX980s. I am not sure why. But I love the hell out of it. The hiss is found in the high frequency range, but the elegance and neutrality of the Mx980s almost wipes that hiss out of existence while still maintaining the luster and sound of the original track. I cant explain this, but again I asked a few friends to listen via the 980s and other headphones, everyone said the same thing. "that hiss is less noticeable on the 980s"
I've waited 20 years for this to occur. None of my grados, not even my other sennheisers or Shures decreased that hiss without decreasing the sound quality or awesomeness, kick factor or bass. Not a single one. the Mx980 stands alone.
My Hd650, 600, Grado 225i, 325i, MS1, Ultrasone Edition 8 ( yep, this too ) Shure 840, Yuin PK1, everything I own emphases that hiss.
I also want to point out that the entire MX series plays a specific style of jazz better than ANYTHING ive ever heard before. It's as if it were tailored for it. I am a big Django Reinhardt fan, Gypsy Jazz that is composed of Acoustic guitars and a bass. I listen to a lot of Stochelo Rosenberg and Bireli Lagrene. The mx980s play this style of music far better than anything I've ever used before. If you get the chance to demo, please test Bireli Lagrenes Acoustic Moments. You will be shocked at the clarity and overall amazing audio experience
Bireli + mx980 = epic win on a scale never before heard
To me, its audio bliss and something I've waited years for. I am beyond happy.
