16.

On the Graph and To the Ear

We used a "homemade" coupling system to take our measurements. In general, this type of earphone can't achieve perfect coupling with the ear; the results you get depend a lot on your anatomy and the positioning of the earbuds. If you hold onto the two buds and vary their position or change the pressure you exert, you'll see that the sound changes significantly. For this reason, some users might love a certain model that others are indifferent to, and it won't really be a subjective judgment. They're simply not hearing the same thing!

The linearity in the most important part of the audio spectrum (the low midrange and midrange) was remarkable! The extreme highs dipped sharply and the bass was attenuated, but some fairly simple corrections can improve the reproduction.

The MX500's impedance was typical of earphones for portable audio players.

Logically, we noted very linear reproduction of the midrange and low midrange, in conformity with our measurements. Timbres were perfectly reproduced, which is obviously the essential thing for music lovers! The bass was quite good for earphones of this type, though it can't rival what other systems can deliver - there was a certain amount of attenuation. If your audio player has an equalizer, boosting the bass band a little will help. A little boost to the extreme high end can also do some good.

This model is capable of delivering high volume levels, but with an audio player the volume values were just reasonable, yet sufficient.

If you're looking for a very small, lightweight set of earbuds at a very affordable price, the MX500 is for you. Of course it's not comparable to more ambitious models, but for what it is, it's very good. This is undoubtedly the best set of phones in its category.