Sennheiser MXW1 Wireless Earphone System review

I try to keep myself wellinformed about the products I am about to review. Reading up on the specs, and looking at online manuals as soon as I get notification that a sample has been shipped. With the Sennheiser MXW1 I missed completely in my preparations due to a lot of incoming iPad cases. Once the MXW1 arrived I made a couple of serious errors in handling them. First of all I assumed they where Bluetooth compatible as I have previously tried the MM400 headset from Sennheiser. I walked to work trying to pair my iPhone to the two earphones to no avail. The MXW1 transmits a 2.4Ghz digital signal that goes between the included transmitter, and the earphones.

My next error happened when I had charged the transmitter, and the carry case with the earphones inserted. I assumed this also charged the earphones, but no. To charge the earphones you have to either charge them by inserting the charge cable into them, or by pushing the charge button on the carry case/charger. This time I walked to work certain that I had fully functional earphones, but alas they were out of power. After charging them properly I tried a third time to get some sound into my ears. Fully charged earphones, transmitter inserted into my iPhone headphone jack, but still no sound. Remember that I tried to pair the earphones to my phone by means of Bluetooth? Well I managed to unpair them to the transmitter by pressing the button on them for too long. Now I had to do what I usually never do after I get a product: read the manual. With some pairing done I finally got to listen to the earphones.

The MXW1 are comfortable, and easy to twist into the ears. It uses a twist to fit system that I have enjoyed for other Sennheiser earphones in the past. It means that I don’t have to insert something into my ear canal while at the same time get a sturdy fit. The earphones are surprisingly light weight at 42 grams each despite the bulky look. They do look quite strange though, and some people think that they resemble some kind of hearing aid. Using only one looks like a mono headset. The MXW1 lacks a bit in noise isolation, and most ambient noises flow freely and disturbs the audio you are listening to.

The sound quality is clear, and the earphones give a good representation of the recorded source material. It is really quite impressive given that the sound is wireless. Of course there has to be some sacrifices made, and this is definitely at the low end. Bass is quite weak, but definitely acceptable when you get 10 hours of wireless sound. That trade-off is better in my opinion than having powerful bass, and only 3-4 hours operating time.

When on the move you can charge the earphones fully three times using the carry case that doubles as a charger. Strangely enough this won’t let you charge the transmitter that also has about 10 hours of operating time. Furthermore the carry case hasn’t got room for the transmitter, and I find it really easy to loose it in a bag or large pocket. Sennheiser gives you a lot of extras with the MXW1 such as multi country ac-adapter, extra ear pads and twist to fit rings and extra straps. Still it feels like some design decisions where made independently, and the carry case is an example of that. Why make a cool leather case to carry in your belt if you can’t have the entire product in the same case?

My experience with the MXW1 is divided. For the iPhone it is a poor fit as the edge/3G signal disturbs the signal of the MXW1. It starts to crackle, and the digital interference is apparent. Furthermore it is hard to place the transmitter in a good spot. Using the phone without a case or with a case lacking front flap is not a good option at all. The transmitter needs to be fastened to a front flap or other surface to avoid it slapping about. The fabric strap is quite rigid, and started to make my leather case buckle when left on over night. As a solution for wireless audio for the iPhone I really can’t recommend the MXW1. My experience is much the same using the earphones with the iPad. There is no place to put the transmitter, and it keeps bouncing against the back of the iPad when playing games for example. If you always keep your iPad on its back it is an ok solution, but who does?

When using the MXW1 with either a fixed device or a concealed device it is absolutely brilliant. When it rains in Sweden it truly rains, but thankfully I could use the earphones with my iPad or iPhone with them protected in a bag. Using the MXW1 in this way is great, although I would like to have volume controls, and play/pause to make it perfect. Using it with a television or computer at home it shines the most. Walking around at home without thinking about cords is marvellous. Listening to music while using the computer, playing the Wii or listening to podcasts while cooking is a pleasure without wires.

I find it hard to give the MXW1 a final rating as your experience will depend so much on how you intend to use them. For a colleague who wants to listen to his car stereo while in his caravan it is the best solution available. For me who wants to be able to use it for my iPhone the interference, and dangling transmitter makes it more of an annoyance than pleasure. I can’t deny though that the sound transmitted wirelessly is impressive for the extended usage offered. Don’t let my final rating decide whether this might be an interesting product for you, but instead look at your needs, and preferred usage.