[DigDub]

This came with the Sony Ericsson bluetooth MW600 headset which I purchased recently. The HPM-78 headset which came with it was surprisingly decent, so I decided to do a small review on it. I've been listening it to 3 days now plugged into my Samsung Galaxy S.
 

 
Build: The wires are the standard consumer fare - pretty thin but doesn't seem to entangle easily. It is meant to be used with a bluetooth headset or an extension cord, so the cable is quite short, about 35cm. It is a J-cord, not the Y-cord type. The housing is made up of plastic and the nozzles are angled with cloth mesh covering them. There is a hole above the Sony Ericsson logo which serves as a vent for the 9.2mm dynamic drivers inside. It uses normal Sony silicon sleeves.
 
Highs: The highs are present, but not as analytical like the Etys nor the RE0. They do not stand out, it just maintains its highs presence in the background and blends into the music very well.
 
Mids: Excellent mids. The mids come across as extremely natural. There is little, if any, sibilance. Nothing comes across as jarring in the mids. There are no nasal or 'boxy' vocals either. Its as if the singer is singing live and you can make out the singer's faces simply by listening to their voices.
 
Bass: Very low amount of mid-bass, which makes the earphones sound less "boxy" than other bass-oriented earphones. The sub bass is very strong and smooth, but can be a tad overpowering at times.
 
Speed: Not extremely fast nor sluggish. Probably the copious amount of low bass makes them sounds a tad sluggish.
 
Soundstage: Average. Decently left-right wide, but not much front and back sense of space.
 
Overall a very fun pair of earphones to listen to. The mids are excellent and realistic, the bass feels as if there is a nice smooth subwoofer attached to the earphones. I believe the Sony Ericsson MH-710 are using the exact some buds as well, just that the cord is longer and has a built-in mic for answering calls.

 

[oyster]

are they the same ones that come along with Sony ericsson Aino?
i've heard those & yes they are certainly good & sound alike brainwavz m2 but with deeper/tighter bass.

 

[DigDub]

Yes I think they are the same ones that comes with the aino.

 

[iaudio]

I had the HPM 70s long back, they were sluggish and boomy bass, recessed mids and very little hfe. Good to know that the newer ones are improving. 

 

[doctorx]

I just bought this headset (Sony Ericsson MW600 Bluetooth Headset) recently, and it works pretty good for what it costs. A bluetooth adapter with OLED display and FM Radio, with included headphones for $50~ it's a pretty good deal. I'm in the process to test these Sony Ericsson HPM-78 headphones against my Bose MIE2i. So far, the Bose have slightly better highs... but that's about it. Actually, the HPM-78 are WAY better at isolating noise than the MIE2i. I'll test them further and post back later.

 

[Duncan]

Oddly, these actually match up with the SGS2 very well
 
Had the MW600 for a few weeks now, quite disappointed with that compared to one of the earlier (and cheaper) bluetooth adapters (breaks up quite badly, even on not so loud volume via BT, but the radio works fine at any volume?!)...
 
I have to say that I like these more than the MTPC, and the Sony EX1000 when it comes to pairing with the Samsung...  Synergy I'm sure, rather than the next audio nirvana - but, with these being 'throw away' IEMs, I'm a happy camper

 

[labrat]

Deleted.

 

[jant71]

 
Quote:

Oddly, these actually match up with the SGS2 very well
 
Had the MW600 for a few weeks now, quite disappointed with that compared to one of the earlier (and cheaper) bluetooth adapters (breaks up quite badly, even on not so loud volume via BT, but the radio works fine at any volume?!)...
 
I have to say that I like these more than the MTPC, and the Sony EX1000 when it comes to pairing with the Samsung...  Synergy I'm sure, rather than the next audio nirvana - but, with these being 'throw away' IEMs, I'm a happy camper

 

I have been using these recently. You need to burn them in a bit and find a good pair of tips for them but not sure about synergy. They seem to work well with all my sources. I use them most with my iriver E300(VIVID EQ setting) and my Sony S639. Have to say they have better mids than the GR07 and reach lower into the sub-bass. Only my ASG-1 beats them and it isn't by that much actually. They have a small, more intimate and close up presentation so not the biggest stage size. They will get boomy if you try to get the absolute best seal and isolation out of them. They are short cord an J-cord which few like. They are pretty cheaply made materials-wise though the fit/finish is fine and they don't seem like they will fall apart. They need a bit more volume than other earphones as well. Other than those issues, they are very comfy and easily the best sounding stock phone I have heard. Silliness that(possibly with source) they are preferred over the GR07, EX1000, MTPC, or  D2000 but so be it. I'm not complaining
 
BTW, I love the WM600. I use it as wireless for workouts and shooting hoops in the mornings. I don't use it with bluetooth but as an FM receiver. It gets 3 more hours battery, no break-ups and better SQ with FM. I have both a Philips and i.sound FM transmitters. Works much better than a Clip+ or something like that just clipped on. My iriver E300 has much better SQ and my all-time favorite Pedometer built into the firmware. Plus the WM600 is much lighter than a Clip+ if you want to wear it as a pendant and it has better FM reception/ FM SQ. I actually don't use the HPM-78 with the WM600 as they are too hard to drive and I don't get enough volume with them. The WM600 VC is a bit dodgy being a slidey touch bar thingy. Maybe with more practice I'll get the hang of it though I don't need to volume change much.

 

[DigDub]

I bought another mw600 just for the hpm-78. I think it will be out of production soon as sony ericsson has been bought over by sony. keep coming back to these despite having bought many other earphones.

 

[jant71]

I got my WM600 for $40 on Amazon . A good deal esp. now that the sports stations here in NY are getting FM frequencies. The HPM-78 was just a bonus. The phones are worth the $40 for their sound.
 
I was thinking of that person Brian who charges $30 to install Westone sockets. An HPM-78 with a detachable and better cable is an interesting idea. Though it may be able to be improved it may also lose some of it's magic. A bit similar to a UM3X with it's small stage and smooth treble, black background, and great separation and imaging. People have gotten a bigger stage and better sound when throwing a better cable on their UM3X. Yet when I throw a better cable on my ASG-1 it, gets technically better but is just less fun and enjoyable. You have two now, maybe you'll try it on one of them
 
Another one to try may the PSP Vita in-ears which are under $20 and getting very good reviews...http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Vita-In-ear-Headset/dp/B006PP3ZK6

 

[wilzc]

what have ya'll been smoking up?

 

[DigDub]

I got my WM600 for $40 on Amazon . A good deal esp. now that the sports stations here in NY are getting FM frequencies. The HPM-78 was just a bonus. The phones are worth the $40 for their sound.

I was thinking of that person Brian who charges $30 to install Westone sockets. An HPM-78 with a detachable and better cable is an interesting idea. Though it may be able to be improved it may also lose some of it's magic. A bit similar to a UM3X with it's small stage and smooth treble, black background, and great separation and imaging. People have gotten a bigger stage and better sound when throwing a better cable on their UM3X. Yet when I throw a better cable on my ASG-1 it, gets technically better but is just less fun and enjoyable. You have two now, maybe you'll try it on one of them

Another one to try may the PSP Vita in-ears which are under $20 and getting very good reviews...http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Vita-In-ear-Headset/dp/B006PP3ZK6

just got a pair of the ps vita headset as well. bass impact on the vita is stronger, treble is more prominent and sounds overall more aggressive than the hpm-78. hpm-78 has a more balanced and less aggressive sound signature. the vita sounds good for the price.

 

[jant71]

Cool, keep us up to date. Maybe they won't be as aggressive after a bunch of hours. Though, I myself, like aggressive esp. with guitars and lively treble. Using UE clear style tip on the HPM-78, I find the treble upped a bit and it is fairly prominent vs. other phones and pretty quick and lively. it helps them not get bogged down and handle complex passages quite well. The HPM always seems to surprise in how quick it can be yet still also be quite lush sounding.

 

[DigDub]

well I have to say I don't like the ps vita headset that much. it still sounds pretty aggressive.

the sony mh-650c headset that comes with the xperia s phone sounds pretty good too.

 

[r6680jc]

I have two pairs of hpm-78.
I think MH-710 isn't the same as hpm-78, if we look closely, they are physically different