On The Graph And To The Ear
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: 8, audio, player, earphones
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Isolation: Good Or Bad?
- 3. Testing And Evaluation Methods
- 4. Testing And Evaluation Methods, Continued
- 5. AKG K26P: Bass! But Too Much?
- 6. On The Graph And To The Ear
- 7. Koss PortaPro: Gramps Kicks Up A Fuss
- 8. On The Graph And To The Ear
- 9. Koss The Plug: Direct Injection
- 10. On The Graph And To The Ear
- 11. Sennheiser PX200: Quality You Can Count On
- 12. On The Graph And To The Ear
- 13. Sennheiser PXC250: Higher Quality, Lower Noise
- 14. On The Graph And To The Ear
- 15. Sennheiser MX500: Earbuds That Don't Hurt
- 16.
- 17. Sennheiser MX550: More Of The Same?
- 18. On The Graph And To The Ear
- 19. Sony MDR-EX71SL: Ow!
- 20. On The Graph And To The Ear
- 21. In Conclusion
18. On The Graph And To The Ear
Obviously we made our tests under same conditions as for the MX500, and the same remarks apply. The main technical difference between the two models is the impedance; with the MX550, the nominal value is only 16 ohms.
The MX550's response profile was similar to that of the MX500, but slightly worse, with more irregularities. The same "plateau" showed up in the essential part of the spectrum. Attenuation was fairly significant in the very high frequencies.
The impedance is perfectly in line with the value specified by the manufacturer - approximately 16 ohms.
The listening experience was very close to that of the MX500. That's not surprising, since the response profile was exactly the same. In fact, due to the slightly different shape of the earbuds, the acoustic coupling with your ear may be better with the MX500, resulting in better perceived sound even if, in absolute terms, the earlier model's response is more linear. It's impossible to say exactly how a set of buds will fit a specific person's ears, so if possible try before you buy. No set of phones can fit everybody's ear!
Note that the possible volume level with an amplifier was very high. With an audio player, the volume level will be more than sufficient for listening.
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Hi .. here is a belated 2007 comment on the Sennheiser PX 200. It arrives now as I just received a non-returnable pair for Xmas to use with my iPod Touch.
I have never used headphones much.. but .. your review seems to me to be dead on. I know that there are better phones (e.g. the Grado SR 60/80 at al). However, as I "check the sliders" on the iPod EQ -- they seem to fill the mid-range hole that you have reported.
On close, they are pretty good -- but their closed design just cuts the kind of live ambience that you can get with a non-closed design like the Grado's.
The bass PUNCHES too -- just listen to The Eagles - Hotel California.