Sennheiser MM50 iP

Frequency Response (5.04)

The Sennheiser MM50 iP headphones didn’t have a bad frequency response. First of all, many bass enthusiasts will love these headphones: the low end is very loud. Towards the mid-range frequencies, the lines both dip ever-so-slightly below our bottom limit. Though they will sound quieter than the bass, they won’t sound overly quiet. Towards the high end, there’s a bit of a spike around 7 kHz. This is the pitch of spoken sibilance, and the initial impact sound of some drums (known as the attack). After that point, however, the graph drops down fairly quickly. This isn’t unusual: typically headphones underemphasize the really high pitches. Here the MM50 iPs go a bit overboard, but not by much. If your song has a lot of really high-pitched sounds, they might have some issues with erratic emphasis.

Overall: great bass and a good overall frequency response, although the high end might sound like it fades in and out randomly.

Well, the MM50 iPs get beat out by the V-MODA Vibe Duos for the boomiest bass, but otherwise perform well. The high end isn’t any more or less erratic than any of the headphones pictured here. They performed about as well as the Apple iPod in-ears, but with much better bass. If you’re a purist, and therefore want the least artificial emphasis, then the ER6is are your best bet. Typical users will be fine with the MM50 iPs, however.

Headphones	Score	Frequency Response
Sennheiser MM50 iP	5.04
V-MODA Vibe Duo	4.31
Denon AH-C351	2.8
Apple iPod In-ear Headphones	5.1
Etymotic Research ER6i	6.7

Distortion (12.60)

The Sennheiser MM50 iP headphones have hardly any distortion at all. Your playback will sound just like the original source file. If you’re an audiophile looking for distortion-free in-ears, the MM50 iPs will be happy to meet your needs.

Well, based on numbers alone it’s pretty obvious that the MM50 wins this round. The headphones that came the closest were the Bose QuietComfort 3s, but you can clearly see how there’s a bit of distortion in the low end. All the other graphs have noticeable peaks in them and, somewhat less noticeably, tend to hover around the 1% distortion level throughout.

Headphones	Score	Distortion
Sennheiser MM50 iP	12.6
V-MODA Vibe Duo	1.99
Denon AH-C351	5.52
Apple iPod In-ear Headphones	1.9
Etymotic Research ER6i	4.31

Tracking (8.20)

The MM50 iP headphones actually performed pretty well on this test. The line stays within a 2 decibel range of neutral, which is virtually inaudible. Towards the high end there’s a dramatic shift, but headphones usually have troubles with frequencies that high. Plus, the shift is rather minor, just eight decibels.

On the tracking graph, it’s usually quite apparent why a pair of headphones got the score they did. The one thing to keep in mind: we don’t score the extreme high or low end. In this case, a straight line dead across center is ideal. Knowing this criteria, it’s easy to see why the 6isolators have the best score. The Denons managed to just barely beat the MM50 iPs because the MM50 iPs tend to wander around a bit more. The other headphones have obvious deviations from the ideal flat line.

Headphones	Score	Tracking
Sennheiser MM50 iP	8.2
V-MODA Vibe Duo	5.81
Denon AH-C351	8.26
Apple iPod In-ear Headphones	7.04
Etymotic Research ER6i	9.52

Maximum Usable Volume (10.00)

The Sennheiser MM50 iP headphones were capable of outputting 121.80 decibels, which was enough to reach our perfect score cut-off point. Really, any louder than 120 decibels isn’t going to do much by worsen your hearing. This decibel level is about what’s output by an airplane engine. There are myriad reasons why you shouldn’t insert an airplane engine into your ear, and one of them is a dangerously high decibel level. If you like it loud, however, the MM50 iP headphones are more than happy to oblige.

Isolation (6.60)

The Sennheiser MM50 iP headphones did a pretty good job of blocking out ambient noise. Like most in-ear headphones, it performed well in the middle range, which is where most noise-cancelling headphones have a lot of trouble. The MM50 iPs didn’t block out a ton of lower frequency noise, however, so low rumblings aren’t a particular strong suit. On a commute via bus — and especially by train, since there’s often a lot of metal-on-metal squeals — the MM50 iPs should hold their own.

Compared to other in-ear headphones, the MM50 iPs were just about average. The 6isolators performed the best, but they also came with triple-flange sleeves: the bane of high-pitched frequencies. Though the MM50 iPs aren’t the best isolators out there, they will out-perform the typical in-ear headphones and noise-cancelling on-ear or over-ear.

Headphones	Score	Isolation
Sennheiser MM50 iP	6.6
V-MODA Vibe Duo	7.79
Denon AH-C351	5.43
Apple iPod In-ear Headphones	6.42
Etymotic Research ER6i	10.01

Leakage (9.47)

The Sennheiser MM50 iP headphones won’t leak your playback very far. Realistically you should have nothing to worry about. The only scenario we can fathom where an outsider would overhear the MM50 iPs’ playback is if you were listening at max volume and someone was sitting next to you in a library. In this case, turn down your music because it’s a quiet room. Seriously, turn it down: I read on the Internet that loud iPods can make you deaf!