Sennheiser MX 500 Earbud Product Review
By Joseph Pescatello

I had intended to just use the Sennheisers only until I found a better set. But after using them for a couple of weeks I am extremely pleased and I don't plan on giving them up. In fact, they're so affordable that it's easy to justify few more sets for home, office, etc.

Comfort
The very first thing that I noticed when I put these in my ears was how much more more comfortable they are than my Shure E2 earbuds. These have standard earbud-style drivers with foam pads that sit lightly in the outer ear. The Shure's are inserted into the ear canal and I found them very uncomfortable. These Sennheisers are far more comfortable.

Sound
These phones sound great! I am still knocked out by them. They blow the Shures away in all respects. The high end is clear, bright and a little breathy like a set of well-tuned studio monitors. The mid range is full and well defined. And the bass is great - better than the Shure's which are renowned for their bass response. These are as loud as the Shures are, as well. In case you can't tell, I am supremely happy with the Sennheiser's sound.

Isolation This is the one area where the Shure's win out. The Sennheisers do not seal you off from external noises the way the Shure's do. If that isn't a concern for you, it won't matter. But if you want to hear less of the world around you, and you want the world to hear less of whatever you're listening to, the Shures are a better pick.

Minor Annoyances

Nothing is perfect and these phones would be even better if they had the following:

1) A longer cord. You'll probably need an extension.

2) Better foam pads. The supplied pads are cheap and fall off easily.

3) How about a volume control on the cord? It's a lot easier to turn up the tunes with an on-cord control rather than fumbling for the volume on an MP3 player.

Bottom Line

Absolutely the best earbuds I've owned.

Disclaimer After reading this, I realized it sounds like an advertisement. I just want to assure you that I have no affiliation with Sennheiser and no axe to grind with Shure. These are just my opinions.

Joe Pescatello is an author, a guitar player and commercial software developer. Visit http://UncleBobsAttic.com for a sample of his work.

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