I guess that Sennheiser is the brand that I have most experience with. From studio headphones to sporty headsets the quality has always been good. For some reason they have never stood out as anything but good quality engineering. If someone ask me about a Sennheiser product I can always answer that yes it is good. But awesome? No, not yet. That was until my ears got to experience the MM80.
The MM80 for iPhone focuses on high quality reproduction of the source material. If you listen to bass heavy music you will get bass heavy sound. It doesn’t add bass that isn’t there. The sound is clean, full and warm. So far I have not found any genre that doesn’t sound good in these hi-fi earphones.
The earbuds look a bit strange, and that is because they are basically upside down. Proper insertion means that the entire earbuds rests inside the ear. The cord then exits upwards, and continues around the ear. There are ear hooks included to make sure that the cord remains around the ear. I have used the MM80 while running without any tendency to fall out. That is without trying out the different sizes of ear sleeves included. The fit is also comfortable due to the earbuds being rather shallow, and not intrusive to the ear canal. It is a combination of the short earbuds and contact between them and the outer ear that make them sit still. To me these are on par with the HiDefDrum from Atomic Floyd when it comes to being comfortable.
The cord is quite rigid making it less prone to tangle. On the other hand it can be in the way as it doesn’t just fall, but rather bend around the phone. A minor problem really. A great thing about the cord is the fact that it doesn’t transfer any noise from bouncing against clothes. At 1.3 meters it is perfect for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but less ideal for a computer or other solid installations.
The microphone is the same as that found on the MM60 that I reviewed back in December of 2009. It is still a good microphone, and I have not had any complaints from the recipients. It is placed quite far from the mouth, but as it comes with a handy pen clip it can be placed on any type of fabric closer to the head. It is detachable which is a strange feature useful only if you want to exchange the cord. It takes quite a lot of force to detach it, and thus mishaps are not common. I still feel somewhat uncertain about it when I am holding a call waiting for my turn. What if the cord detaches when I clip it on my shirt? It hasn’t detached yet, but the thought is still there.
The MM80 is a great product, and I hope that Sennheiser use it as a platform to develop new headsets with improved microphones with volume controls. The MM80 has been around the block for a while, and if you find it at a discount price definitely go for it. It combines the durability and great sound of Sennheiser products with an awesome fit and beautiful design.
Final Rating
