Sennheiser MM 60 iP Headset review

By Torbjorn Kamblad, Sweden
for www.touchgen.com

Published: December 4, 2009

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The Sennheiser MM 60 iP Headset is based on the vastly popular open headphone the Sennheiser PX 100. Just like the PX 100 the MM 60 iP has got a great foldable design that is comfortable and portable. What sets them apart is the microphone located 10 centimeters beneath the point the left and right headphones cords intersect. The microphone is detachable at this point, and you can actually remove the microphone cord to use it with any other headphones you like. I tried using the microphone with the Sennheiser HD 212Pro, and it worked really well. Still it is better to use the microphone cord with the MM 60 iP as the cord becomes really long when paired with a headphone with it’s won 2 meter cord.

The MM 60 iP looks quite generic to me, and that also equals cheap. Flimsy plastic sprocket details on the ear cups, and foam extending outside the ear cups all lower the overall impression of the MM 60 iP. The headband with leather worn against the head looks good, alongside the actual metal headband with the Sennheiser name printed on it showcase the brand and actual price range. The microphone located at chest height is hardly noticeable, and extremely streamlined to follow the cord.
Folded up the MM 60 iP turns into a small heap with good protection. I would still not try to put them in a pocket, as the protection is more against impact and less against strain. And by strain I mean sitting down with them in a front pant pocket, and force them to bend alongside my chiseled masculine leg. Putting them folded into a jacket works well though. The MM 60 iP comes with a travel case, and thankfully it has an illustration showing how to fold the headset.

Having had a pair of Sennheiser PX 200 based on the same design I know how durable the MM 60 iP is. My PX 200 was used for 2 years in the gym without any tear. Finally they broke due to a cord incident. My experience with the PX 200 is also that the design is good for intense exercise such as running and pumping iron. Worn around the neck the MM 60 iP is not intrusive for longer sessions of talk to people in your surroundings time.
Worn the MM 60 iP is really comfortable, and it is easy to forget that you actually have them on. At only 60 grams they don’t put any weight on your head at all. The foam pads combined with a design that doesn’t force the headphones to your head by pressure makes the MM 60 iP suitable for hours of use. As the microphone button controls the play/pause for iTunes when connected to my iMac it really caters for computer use alongside iPhone usage.

The microphone comes with a clip that lets you wear it closer to the mouth, and it works really well. The clip itself is simple, and usually you see those on pens. The cord has a medium tendency to tangle due to high level of friction. This is not too common though as the cord is quite short. 1.1 meters is 20 centimeters shorter than usual but I found this really good when using the MM 60 iP with the iPhone. When used with the computer I prefer an extension cord as 1.1 meters is short when your headphone input is found behind the computer. I hate turning around, and having to fight with the cord.
The sound quality of the MM 60 iP is really good with an overall nice representation of all recorded sources. I get a general light and bright feeling from the sound. It doesn’t boost any aspect of the sound, and there is no spread or placement of different sounds. This means that the MM 60 iP is suited for everyday use, but not for the audiophile looking for depth in Vivaldi or Mozart.

For gaming the MM 60 iP is quite good as all sounds come out quite good. Especially titles with coherence between sound effects and music such as Ravensword and Real Racing work well with the MM 60 iP. If you use own music alongside game sound effects the sound effects seem to be somewhat merged with the music. In some cases this is rather neat, but at times it becomes annoying if you need to have clear audio cues in the game, and those get lost in the music.
Noise isolation is a real problem for the MM 60 iP as there is none. Open headsets all share this problem, and you can kind of tell by the word open. To some extent you can battle this by pumping up the volume. This on the other hand leads to a lot of leakage from the open headphones, and you become a part of the noise problem. If you are looking for headphones to use in a noisy environment the MM 60 iP is not suitable for the task. Traffic, conversations and ambient noise all disturb the experience. I don’t really understand why Sennheiser based the MM 60 iP on the PX 100 instead of the closed PX 200 that has got quite good noise isolation at the same size.

Final rating

3pt5-stars
The Sennheiser MM 60 iP is a comfortable open headphone with a good microphone, sound quality and durable design. The fact that it has got zero noise isolation makes the intended locations of usage your primary concern. I can recommend the MM 60 iP, and so far I have managed to use them even around traffic without giving up to the noise. If you are looking for a headset with microphone that isn’t in-ear the MM 60 iP is one of the few available choices, and thankfully it is really good.

Sennheiser MM 60 iP Headset at the US Applestore $129.95

Sennheiser MM60 iP Headset at Sennheiser

Review disclosure: Any games reviewed on this page may have been provided to us by the developer for the purposes of this review. Note: the resulting review score is never impeded by this fact, all opinions are that of the TouchGen reviewer and not the developer. This is in keeping with our O.A.T.S oath. Read more about O.A.T.S here

One Comment on "Sennheiser MM 60 iP Headset review"

Nigel Wood, UK on Fri, 4th Dec 2009 10:34 am

PX100’s are awesome headphones. Use mine when reviewing games.

Sennheiser MM 60 iP Headset review

Final rating

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