Headfile

First on Headfile—an earphone review. The Sennheiser MX 400s are cheap replacements earbuds for your iPod or other portable media players. How cheap? Some go as low as $8.99.

Sennheiser is a popular and respectable brand so we figured, why not give one of their uber mass-produced consumer products a listen.

First things first, if you’re used to the stock earphones of your iPod, the MX400s will almost certainly come out on top. If you are used to more expensive headphones, you’re going a step backward. But how big of a step backward is what we want to know.

There is also an MX500 model which is $5 more expensive by the way, but we only got our hands on the MX 400. Besides, we could not fathom what a $5 price difference would do in terms of sound quality. All we know is that the MX 500 has an inline volume control.

Compared to the Apple earbuds

Probably the most noticeable difference compared to the iPod’s stock earphones is the bass. After you’ve changed to the MX400, you’ll instantly notice the new lows that the stock earbuds simply did not reach. Great if you listen to a lot of R&B and Hip Hop tracks, but it also makes band music—bass guitas, kick drums sound fuller. Overall, it gives a good flatter response to what you would’ve probably considered harsh sounding before.

The mids are there and better, but the discerning ear might consider it as something that lacks definition. The higher mids to the highs are somehow overthrown by the low mids to the bass frequencies, and as for the highs, it can reach the full spectrum but again, to a lack of definition.

(We feel funny criticizing a $10 earphone already.)

The cord is only 3-feet long so it either works for you or you like the opposite. The case is neat, as in it fits small bags and poches easily and you eliminate cord clutter. The buds are smaller than the iPod’s so these might save you some earache if you find the iPod’s too big for your ears. The foam ends, we found a little loose.

If you don’t like Sennheisers, you can consider the AKG K12P and K14p.

Overall

These earbuds fullfill its purpose of being an “upgrade” to otherwise mediocre stock earphones of media players. Add the $10 price tag, and these become a steal.

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