Sennheiser MX-500 headphones review

The MX-500 might be aimed at the iPod market, but are they worth replacing for? We plug in and find out

11 January 2006 0:00 GMT / By Ian Hughes

Sennheiser: the very word screams quality. Since 1945, this German company have produced some of the finest audio equipment available. Until the early-1990s, in the UK at least, they were only widely known of in audiophile circles, but these days you can find stockists almost anywhere.

The MX-500 are aimed at the iPod market (yes, they're white) and as a replacement for the ones shipped with Apple's world-conquering gadget they are a very affordable option. At around £20 they are leaps and bounds better and more robust than the ones in the box from Cupertino, CA.

They're slightly on the large side for earbuds headphones, but I was surprised at how comfortable they were. The sound was impressive too, but this wasn't much of a shock, as I've not yet heard a bad pair of Sennheisers. Not much sound leaked out either, making these a good choice for commuters and those heeding recent US research that suggests that cheap in-ear headphones can permanently damage your hearing.

Verdict

Prolonged periods of skull splitting musical bombardment is never a good idea, so investing in a decent set of headphones has never been more important. All we at Pocket-Lint would like to say is: be sensible with that volume control. Oh, and no Girls Aloud, obviously.

So for 20 quid, the MX-500s, with modern styling, neat stowage spool and an in-line volume control make for a stylish way to keep deafness at bay.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Sennheiser
Price as reviewed: £19.99
The good: Good sound, cheap
The bad: In-ear headphones can damage your hearing
Quick verdict: Small (ish), stylish and punching above their weight in the sound department. A good budget choice for improving your iPod experience
Score