I don’t see much online about the Sony MH410c earbud, so I suppose this is as good a place as any for this post.
Tyll Hertsens wrote back in 2011 that “pretty much all earbuds suck.” As a group, they consistently have the most anemic bass and the worst distortion. Measurements of earbuds back this up.
Tyll’s 2011 article actually concluded that the original Apple earbuds were the best of a bad lot.
Things have changed since 2011, but maybe only a little bit. The Earpods came out in 2012, and despite all the vitriol from the haters, it actually has some sophisticated acoustic engineering behind its design. It sucks much less than the category average.
To some degree, I think the same can be said about the unremarkable Sony MH410c, provided that you supply your own earbud foam covers. Speakerphone published
detailed measurements of the MH410c over at Clarityfidelity. In short, it has no bass, and lots of distortion—i.e., yucky just like other earbuds. The page has other interesting tidbits, like screenshots of a Walkman app for the Sony Xperia Z3, with preset EQ settings for the MH1c, MH750, and MH410. There's even a measurement of the MH410c frequency response with this app's EQ.
What wasn’t measured is the effect of earbud foam covers. It makes sense. The pair I ordered from Amazon didn’t come with them either. The sound was indeed thin. But an earbud foam cover does two things: 1) It helps earbuds get into a better position closer to the ear canal’s opening. This coupling increases the response in the bass. 2) Earbud foam can act as an acoustic damper. Often, it reduces the severity of resonant peaks in the treble.
I used an attachment that came with my couplers to make the next measurement. It’s not a pinna simulator, so the result isn’t directly comparable to the ones at Clarityfidelity. The result, however, matches what I’m hearing from the MH410c.
Sony MH410c frequency response with earbud foam covers. Measurement repeated after reseat for each channel.
Light gray: VE Monk Plus frequency response.
I suppose it’s not too bad for an earbud. To my ears, it sounds much better than the hyped VE Monk Plus, but that’s not really saying much. I’ve read that the original Monk was way better. My three pairs of Monk Plus all have a very prominent peak at 2 kHz. It’s too tall and it's in the wrong place. It makes vocals sound too much in your face. It obscures the other parts of the mix and makes the presentation sound even more bass-light than it already is.
The Sony isn’t as bad. The frequency response is closer to textbook. Vocals have better tone, and they play nicer with the rest of the mix. The earbud foam seems to have reduced the level of the 6 kHz peak, compared to Speakerphone’s measurement. Comparing the earbuds with speakers and a pair of HD600 made it clear that the Monk Plus is the one that is off. The MH410c sounded much more similar, with a frequency balance in the same ballpark. Switching to it from my speakers or my other headphones isn’t too jarring. But maybe that’s just me and my peculiar way of hearing things. YMMV.
So there you have it. Earbuds suck. Earbud foam makes them suck less. Even less so on these Sony MH410c.
Sony MH410c and VE Monk Plus
About the microphone: When I recorded my voice using the MH410c, the result didn’t sound noticeably worse than with the Earpods, which have good mics.
About the cable: Yes, it's a J cable like on the MH750. It's not as short as the one on the MH755.
