SENNHEISER MX 550 AND PHILIPS HP 200 REVIEWS

Like I announced in my last post, my MX550 gave up the spirit. SO I was forced to find a replacement for it pronto since I need my music dose, like absolutely! I had narrowed down my search to the Philips SHP 5400 after reading reviews about it on the net. The reason was that I cannot afford a Shure headphone right now, which would set me back by at least 10000 bucks or 250$. Another reason was that it is supposed to deliver a huge bang for a decent price; around 1800 rs.

So me being who I am( read an impatient man who's too quick to the trigger, or wallet if you'd like) I went out to get a look at this headphone. But sadly the first store I went to had the SHP2500 and the SHP 8900, but not the model I was looking for. So I called up my good friend Ato and went headphone hunting to Connaught Place, only to find that the shops were downing their shutters, It was around 9pm already. Dejected we headed back and promptly drowned our sorrow in some good chinese food.

The next day I got up early and headed to another market place to give it another shot. Sadly here too the desired model was not to be found. On inquiring I learned that it has not been launched in the Indian market yet. Sucked totally! Finally I decided to get something with which I could make do for the moment and later, when I have money to spare, get a high end Sennheiser or Shure instead. Thus I ended up buying the Philips HP200 for a decent price, around 850rs or 20$.

I intended to introduce you to my newest purchase but after much thought I have decided to give you a short review about my last earphone and the current one. Let me start with the Sennheise MX 550.

SENNEHISER MX 550
The Sennehiser MX 550 is an in ear model. It has pretty much the regular look, though I found the buds larger than the normal ones; people with small ears would perhaps like to give it a try before buying one. It's supposed to have a bass wind technology that increases the bass response. It comes with a pair of ear cushions, which incidentally improves sound, but tends to wear out within a few months too. So getting an extra pair, if possible, would be a sound idea. It comes with a wind up case that keeps the phones dust free and safe when not in use. The wire seemed to be a bit too short for my liking. The phones also has a volume control thingy on the wire length itself, quite helpful with IPods and MP3 players that are tucked away into your pants or bags.

Coming to the sound, it punches well above it's weight! Like most other audio speakers it needs to be given some time to break in. This means that at first it may disappoint, but after about a week of usage the sound improves dramatically. The bass is pretty good for an earphone, though for the real bass and lows it cannot touch a full sized headphone. The highs are also pretty well balanced. The best thing about it though was the excellent mid reproduction- something that many fuller sized headphones cannot claim. As a result the vocal in both music and movies are very defined and well balanced. The level of detailing was also very impressive with smaller details such as small percussions that you cannot even hear in other earphones, being re produced very efficiently. Over all the word I'd use to sum the listening experience is well balanced and involving.

Now to the negatives. I discovered that after the ear pads wore out the highs became too shrill! As a result prolonged usage began to hurt my ears. The bass too is not at par with higher end phones. But then at this price range you cannot nit pick. The volume control on the wire has to be used sparingly otherwise it tends to develop faults later. As regards the durability, I used it for around a year and a half, so definitely not fragile. And believe me I am not the most gentle guy around with stuffs! If you are looking for a very decent upgrade from your Ipod supplied ones this is a hell of an investment. The sound will improve dramatically I can assure you.

PHILIPS HP 200
I have used these only for a few days and so I am not taking into account the break in factor, but I am guessing that the sound will not change radically even if it does. These are full sized headphones that are made of plastic; thankfully not very cheap looking though. The cans came with a 2 M lenth of wire that are thick and seem to be sturdy. Not many extras, but you wouldn't be expecting them anyway at this price. It came with an extra jack though for larger sized 6.3 mm using players, though I suspect that it's aimed at the amateur sound technicians and DJs. The cans swivel 180 degree, another one for the wannabe DJ I presume.

Coming to the sound, it's OKish in certain areas, very good in others and disappointing in some. The most prominent feature is the huge bass response. Like you'd expect from a full sized headphone it does a good job with the bass department, but surprisingly enough it even seems to do a good job with the lows; and here I don't mean the booms that many people associate with bass. I am instead referring to the extreme lows that you can hear in Orchestral music, provided your speakers are good. So that was a positive surprise, The highs also are pretty well delivered though there is a lack of finesse in this department. Kinda like how an Ipod and a chinese Mp3 player both do the same job, but one has more punch to it. Thats the good bit, now for the bad...

The mids are extremely disappointing, and considering that the mid range is where all the detailing usually is I am not a fan at all! As a result vocal reproduction is bland and lacks class in both music and movies. Things that are essentials where the listening experience is concerned for me. Not the headphones I'd recommend for people who are looking for a real audiophile experience, but as a filler for the time you are waiting for those high end phones I'd say it's an Ok buy. As for me I guess I'll have to lower my audio standards for some time and tolerate this can for a few months. Sigh!

Well, thats all about my headphone hunting experience. I'll keep you posted if there is any miraculous improvement in the quality of the sound. But I wouldn't bet on it if I were you!LOL. Take care Y'all and if you are into Violin listen to Paganini's 24Caprices. Lovely!