The Sennheiser MM 450-X Wireless are compact on-ear headphones that sound surprisingly great. They reproduce vocals and instruments well and provide enough isolation for moderately loud environments. Unfortunately, the very small on-ear cups are uncomfortable and the headband does not feel sturdy or durable.
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- Lightweight, compact design.
- Great audio reproduction.
- Uncomfortably small ear cups.
- Weak, flimsy build.
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The Sennheiser MM 450-X are compact but flimsy headphones. They are lightweight but uncomfortable and feel susceptible to breaking, especially at the joints. On the upside, the control options provided are relatively easy to use and efficient.
The MM 450X are small, flimsy-looking headphones. They are fragile, and their understated design is a little unexciting compared to other on-ear models. The black color scheme is given a bit more flare with silver highlights from the metal frame, the headband, and the Sennheiser branding. They do stick out a lot laterally when on the head, which conflicts with their compact, understated aesthetic.
Clamping Force
:
0.72 lbs
The on-ear design of the MM 450-X is not comfortable for everyone. They are lightweight, flexible, and the earcups swivel, providing a little more comfort. However, the lack of padding on the headband and the ear cups feels a little uncomfortable and fatiguing after long listening sessions. The headband exerts a noticeable amount of tension on the head in an attempt to keep the headphones stable but also causes discomfort over time.
Noise Canceling Control
:
Yes
Button layout and functionality is decent but cramped. The controls can be found on the right ear cup and include noise cancelling, Bluetooth, volume, call/music and track skipping. The cramped layout, however, is disappointing, as it becomes bothersome to use if you have larger fingers. The tactile feedback could also be improved.
The MM 450-X are decently stable headphones. They stay in place during casual listening sessions. They're compact and lightweight, which prevents them from swaying too much during moderate physical activity. However, they're not designed for sports and will slip off your ears while running or doing high-intensity activities.
The MM-450-X are more compact than typical on ear headphones. They are very portable and fold up into a smaller format to transport easily. They will comfortably fit in jacket pockets, purses and backpacks without taking too much space. They maybe a little too wide for regular pant pockets but they won't be too cumbersome to carry on your person.
Volume
:
93.62 Cu. Inches
Comes with a soft case that will protect the headphones from scratches and minor falls. However, the soft fabric and won't shield the headphones from heavy physical stress or water damage. The case also adds quite a bit of bulk to the headphones which is slightly dissapointing.
Build quality is sub-par. The compact, small design does not feel sturdy or durable, and the many joints are susceptible weak points. On the upside, the metal frame through the headband is relatively flexible and can handle a fair amount of stress.
Avg.Temp.Difference
:
1.9 C
Comes with a 1/8" TRS-TRS with no in-line controls.
Low-Frequency Extension
:
28.49 Hz
9.1
Total Harmonic Distortion
Weighted THD @ 90
:
0.032
Weighted THD @ 100
:
0.599
The Sennheiser MM 450-X have moderately good noise isolation. The small on-ear cups provide a surprisingly decent seal that doesn't leak much sound and adds some passive isolation. Their active noise cancellation does a good enough job blocking the ambient noise of an office-like environment but might not be efficient enough to cancel the noise of an international flight.
Overall Attenuation
:
-15.97 dB
Decent overall results. The passive isolation is quite impressive, considering these are on-ear headphones. The active cancellation is decent too, achieving average results in the bass and mid regions.
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
:
33.13 dB
Very good performance. These headphones leak little sound, as is expected from on-ear headphones.
The MM 450-x have a relatively short battery life at 7 hours of continuous play time, but they have a few power saving features that allow, them to last a bit longer when used casually. They also support aptX, which combined with their already pretty fast wireless connection, makes them latency-free when streaming audio and only slightly laggy watching videos. They also have a fairly decent wireless range. Unfortunately, they do not support Sennheiser's great downloadable app unlike the more recent models of the brand.
Line of Sight Range
:
96 ft
The Sennheiser MM 450-X have a decent line-sight range but deliver a surprisingly stable connection up to 40ft when the Bluetooth source was placed in another room. This makes them good wireless headphones to walk around your house or a moderately sized office without necessarily carrying your Bluetooth source on you. They won't be the farthest reaching outdoors in direct line of sight but this is not a significant issue for most listeners. Unfortunately, their hold to pair procedure and lack of NFC makes them a little tedious to switch between devices.
Battery Type
:
Rechargable
Audio while charging
:
Yes
The MM 450-x have better battery life than the MM 550-x but take a bit longer to charge. They won't be the best headphones to take on long road trips or lengthy flights, but you get about 7 hours of use when all the features are enabled and at regular volumes. Unfortunately, their auto-off feature is a bit slow at 60 minutes so don't forget to turn them off to save power.
In the box
- Sennheiser MM 450-X Headphones
- Audio cable
- Carrying case
- USB cable
- (EU) power adapter
- (UK) power adapter
- (AU) power adapter
- (US) power adapter
- Airline Adapter
- 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
- Manual
The MM 450-X are compact noise cancelling headphones ideally for traveling and commuting. Sadly, lacking a strong isolation performance they are best used as everyday casual headphones.
Average-at-best for critical listening. They have a decent sound but a poor soundstage. They won't reproduce high-res audio with the clarity and detail of an open back design.
Mediocre for commuting. They're compact and easy to carry around but don't block much noise.
Not ideal for sports, They're lightweight compact and wireless. However, they're a little unstable for high-intensity exercises.
Decent for office use. They will only reduce a little bit of office chatter but on the upside, they don't leak much.
Average for home theater use. They have a better sound than the MM 550X, and a r3elatively low latency performance with aptX enabled. however, they will still have a noticeable delay, and they're not the most comfortable headphones to wear for long movies.
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