Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic

Design

There once was a time where black was the omnipresent coloration for in-ear headphones. Nowadays, however, white is everywhere. Regardless, we consider both headphones to be about on the same level of bland, aesthetically speaking. Apples’ headphones do look a bit cleaner overall, but their design aesthetics is pretty well-worn at this point. If you disagree with us, chalk up a win for Apple. If not, this section ends in a tie.

Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic	Sennheiser MM50 iP

Frequency Response

These two headphones actually have similar frequency responses. The MM 50 iPs win this one though, for given the high end slightly more emphasis before their plunge.

Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic	Sennheiser MM50 iP

Distortion

This one is also a victory for Sennheiser, which has lower distortion overall and no noise.

Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic	Sennheiser MM50 iP

Tracking

Apple wins this one, with their headphones’ impeccable tracking. The MM 50 iPs didn’t do poorly on this test, but the Apple In-ears did exceedingly well.

Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic	Sennheiser MM50 iP

Isolation

The Apple In-ears actually isolate better than the MM 50 iPs on the high end, but not over the middle frequencies. Overall, the Apple In-ears blocked out more noise.

Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic	Sennheiser MM50 iP

Comfort

The MM 50 iPs win on the comfort test. While it’s very important you try on both sets of headphones to figure out which one you think is the most comfortable, this seems to be a clear-cut victory. The Sennheisers virtually never fell out o four ears, while the Apples came loose once every minute or two.

Verdict

This is actually a closer match-up than we would have thought. In terms of sher audio quality, the MM 50 iPs win. Comfort is a bit subjective, but we thought the Apples lost there as well. While the MM 50 iPs seem like the better set of headphones, the differences aren’t so stark as to obviate the Apples from your decision-making process.