[CyberGhost]

I own MX500s and I'm happy with them! they sound great!

but I just found out Senn released MX550,

I was wondering if they are better than MX500s?

I'd give my MX500s to my little bro and get myself MX550!

 

[smith]

Stick with the 500, i found the 550 way to bright & the plug is stright instead
of at right angle like the 500

 

[breadnbutter]

I have used the MX 500 for quite some time and recently got the MX 550. Using the Echo Indigo as source I was initially quite disapointed by the MX 550. They sounded much to bright and the treble hurt my ears. Bass was seriously lacking and not extended at all.
However, after some burn in (like 20 hours or so) I actually do like the MX 550 quite a lot. They now sound much more forward than the MX 500. I also remember that when I first heard the MX 500 I thought that they where too laid back and distant. So this may be another reason why the MX 550 sounded so harsh at first.
One problem I have with the MX 550 is that they emit much more sound than the MX 500 (which are very quiet), so I do not use them in my shared bureau .

Please note that I am quite new in Head-Fi, so don't take my opinion too serious

P.S. The plug is actually pretty small, so it does not really extend much more than the old one.

 

[Hell_Gopher]

I've had the Mx500 for over a year, and recently got the MX 550. Disappointing. Unlike some other people, I found the bass to be a lot boomier and more prominent. Treble was shrill, slightly distorted and yes, a little painful. The MX500 has the character of the HD580, 600 etc. Not sure what to compare the 550 to, but it sure isn't the usual warm, rich senn sound.

 

[fr4c]

mx500 and mx550 has 2 very different sound signature IMO. mx500 seems to focus more on the warmer low end while the mx550 focuses more on the clearer and more detailed highs. it all comes down to your musical preference. but i find that using the mx550 with a portable amp makes it a much better choice between the two.

also, what i dont like about the newer mx550 is its build quality. the cords are much thinner and the attachment of plugs and earbuds makes it look and feel very nimble.

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smith Stick with the 500, i found the 550 way to bright & the plug is stright instead of at right angle like the 500

on the sennheiser.com site, it says that the 550 is right angled and the 450 has the straight plug.

 

[fr4c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apnk on the sennheiser.com site, it says that the 550 is right angled and the 450 has the straight plug.

no, the 550 is straight.

 

[Andrea]

Quite simply, if you find the 500 bright and crisp, don't think of the 450/550.
Otherwise, you'd want to try them. I did

, (MX450) without expecting too much, but I was very pleased with what I heard (break-in considered).

 

[Earwax]

Is the diameter of the MX500 and the MX450/550 different? The 500s do not stay in my ears well, I think I read that the 550s were different, can anyone actually measure the diameter of the two?

And are the right and left cord lengths the same or different on the 450 and 550? (I hate the uneven "neck-chain" style.)

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earwax Is the diameter of the MX500 and the MX450/550 different? The 500s do not stay in my ears well, I think I read that the 550s were different, can anyone actually measure the diameter of the two? And are the right and left cord lengths the same or different on the 450 and 550? (I hate the uneven "neck-chain" style.)

Sorry to have answered without objective information, but I can tell that the MX450-550s have a different shape to them, which makes them much more 'wearable' (to me and my ears).
I couldn't find a good fit with the previous MXs either -- too bad I bought all those pairs...

.
Both the 450 and 550 have a 'symmetric' cord, more or less of the same length as the x00s. Whereas the 350 has the 'asymmetric' cord (longer on the right side).

 

[sethk]

The asymetric cords are meant to go behind your head from the short end (usually left) to the right ear. This actually reduces microphonics in addition to looking cooler (?) rather than having a dangling chain in the front. Of course if you had the asymmetric cord hanging from the front that would look twice as dorky as regular headphones anyways. I guess headphones just can't be made to look fashionable - the closest you can come is having them hidden from view.

 

[PTheD]

Am I correct in my understanding that the MX550s have an efficiency rating of 123 dB @ 1mW?

 

[wiseone]

There must be a mistake in the sensitivity statement either on the Sennheiser site or on the box of the MX450, since the latter says 113 dB (which sounds like the more realistic anyway).

 

[PTheD]

I'll e-mail sennheiser about it and see what they say.

 

[Dygital]

I have both the mx500 and the mx450, and find the 450 more suitable than the 500 for portable use, which is all that I use them for. The mx400/500 are 32 ohm and the 450/550 are 16 ohm, so you can probably expect better battery life from the 450/550. On my Creative Muvo2 I have to turn the volume all the way up to around 22 vol. (24 is max) just to get the 500's to sound as loud as the 450's do at around 15 vol. As far as sound goes.. I really couldn't tell that big of a difference.. if anything, I think I prefer the sound of the 450's.. they seem a bit more aggressive than the 400/500's.

edit: I'd just like to add that I do NOT like the volume control slider switch on the mx500's (also present on the 550s). I've never found it to be useful, and there are times when I've accidently rubbed the switch against something.. usually when I'm working out, and the volume will go down.. and you don't always realize that it was the slider switch that caused the decrease in volume until you get a chance to fumble around with it once you put the weight down.