This is a Review of Sennheiser MM 30G in-ear headphones with Android controls. Sennheiser MM 30G - In-Ear Headset for Samsung Galaxy devices - Stereo Sound, good noise attenuation
I have been talking about Sennheiser MM 30G headphones since their introduction at CES a few months ago. Now, I finally received my review sample and able to test it out. The "G" in 30G stands for "Galaxy" thus being designed for Samsung Galaxy S3/S4/S5/N2/N3, but I have a feeling these will be able to support other Android phones as well. All the headphones with in-line remote I tested in the past had multi-function button able to operate without problems on my Note 2 or other android phones/tablets. The issue was usually with a volume control where iPhone specific remotes are not compatible with Android phones. Sennheiser decided to solve this problem with introduction of MM 30G. Let's take a closer look at what I found.
MM 30G arrived in a nice little package with a clear display showing headphones and a compact in-line remote. It also listed a lot of information about features, accessories, and detailed controls. Again, the word "Galaxy" is blasted everywhere, but these are just typical Android controls, so don't get discouraged. I have a feeling these might work with Sony, LG, and HTC, but need to verify that (with Moto X volume control didn't work). The only included accessories were 3 sets of silicone eartips. After taking headphones out of the box, you can't help but notice how super lightweight these are. And if you take a closer look, you will see that MM 30G looks almost identical to a classic version of another very popular Sennheiser in-ear model, CX300. The design of headphones is very compact and fits comfortably inside of your ear to the point where you can fall asleep wearing these without even noticing it. I actually wouldn't blame anybody falling asleep wearing MM 30G considering high level of passive noise isolation with a right eartip size selection. The headphone cable appear to be tangle free and has a nice rubberized texture. 3.5mm connector is gold plated and angled with a good strain relief. The same with headphones itself, they have a decent strain relief, and I also think y-splitter connector looks really cool with it's own small strain relief.
But the star of these headphones is the in-line remote with a mic. It's very compact, with dimensions of about 1" in length and 1/3" in width. Typically I would find such a small in-line remote to be a problem since it would be hard to push the buttons, but not in this case. Here, Sennheiser cleverly designed volume +/- to be slightly edge angled so you can distinguish between all 3 buttons just by feeling it. Still, for those with a sausage fingers it might not be as easy. I was very pleased to see a volume adjustment response by pushing volume buttons up/down - it worked perfectly on my Note 2. Also, I tested the middle multifunction button to work flawlessly with my Note 2, Play/Pause/Call with a single push, double-click to skip a track, and long press to start Google NOW. Call quality was exceptionally good due to a very clever microphone placement. Typically all in-line remotes have mic placed on the back where it could be rubbing against your cloth or pointing the opposite way, etc. In this case, Senns placed the mic pointing straight up to your face at the top edge of the remote, and the mic itself has a generous opening covered with a metal mesh. Also, the remote itself was placed in a perfect position along the wire, not too low for a mic to pick up noise and not too high for a user to be able reach in-line controls easily.
Of course, how can you talk about Sennheiser headphones without mentioning about sound quality. Though these are not designed to be audiophile headphones, they actually offer a very nice warm v-shaped sound. Mids are recessed in a typical v-shape fashion, but bass is enhanced down to sub-low level. As a matter of fact, Sennheiser noted that in their spec where instead of typical 20-20kHz frequency response they specified it as 17-20kHz to show lower end extension. Though recessed, mids and upper mids were still clear and detailed enough to enjoy vocals. Highs had a nice sparkle to it, clear without being too bright, no sibilance, easy on your ears for extended listening period. Soundstage is below the average which is typical for these type of headphones. Also, there was no microphonics effect from cables rubbing against your cloth. Since I did mention about resembles with CX300, I actually compared a sound to a pair of those and found MM 30G to sound more detailed and brighter.
Overall, I was very pleased to see a recognized brand name company to release an official alternative to bundled Samsung headphones. MM 30G tested to deliver seamless integration of their in-line remote control with my Note 2. The build quality was good, and you get a peace of mind with 2 year warranty. Though sound quality is not audiophile caliber, it's actually pretty good for $59 price tag.
Here are the pictures.
I have been talking about Sennheiser MM 30G headphones since their introduction at CES a few months ago. Now, I finally received my review sample and able to test it out. The "G" in 30G stands for "Galaxy" thus being designed for Samsung Galaxy S3/S4/S5/N2/N3, but I have a feeling these will be able to support other Android phones as well. All the headphones with in-line remote I tested in the past had multi-function button able to operate without problems on my Note 2 or other android phones/tablets. The issue was usually with a volume control where iPhone specific remotes are not compatible with Android phones. Sennheiser decided to solve this problem with introduction of MM 30G. Let's take a closer look at what I found.
MM 30G arrived in a nice little package with a clear display showing headphones and a compact in-line remote. It also listed a lot of information about features, accessories, and detailed controls. Again, the word "Galaxy" is blasted everywhere, but these are just typical Android controls, so don't get discouraged. I have a feeling these might work with Sony, LG, and HTC, but need to verify that (with Moto X volume control didn't work). The only included accessories were 3 sets of silicone eartips. After taking headphones out of the box, you can't help but notice how super lightweight these are. And if you take a closer look, you will see that MM 30G looks almost identical to a classic version of another very popular Sennheiser in-ear model, CX300. The design of headphones is very compact and fits comfortably inside of your ear to the point where you can fall asleep wearing these without even noticing it. I actually wouldn't blame anybody falling asleep wearing MM 30G considering high level of passive noise isolation with a right eartip size selection. The headphone cable appear to be tangle free and has a nice rubberized texture. 3.5mm connector is gold plated and angled with a good strain relief. The same with headphones itself, they have a decent strain relief, and I also think y-splitter connector looks really cool with it's own small strain relief.
But the star of these headphones is the in-line remote with a mic. It's very compact, with dimensions of about 1" in length and 1/3" in width. Typically I would find such a small in-line remote to be a problem since it would be hard to push the buttons, but not in this case. Here, Sennheiser cleverly designed volume +/- to be slightly edge angled so you can distinguish between all 3 buttons just by feeling it. Still, for those with a sausage fingers it might not be as easy. I was very pleased to see a volume adjustment response by pushing volume buttons up/down - it worked perfectly on my Note 2. Also, I tested the middle multifunction button to work flawlessly with my Note 2, Play/Pause/Call with a single push, double-click to skip a track, and long press to start Google NOW. Call quality was exceptionally good due to a very clever microphone placement. Typically all in-line remotes have mic placed on the back where it could be rubbing against your cloth or pointing the opposite way, etc. In this case, Senns placed the mic pointing straight up to your face at the top edge of the remote, and the mic itself has a generous opening covered with a metal mesh. Also, the remote itself was placed in a perfect position along the wire, not too low for a mic to pick up noise and not too high for a user to be able reach in-line controls easily.
Of course, how can you talk about Sennheiser headphones without mentioning about sound quality. Though these are not designed to be audiophile headphones, they actually offer a very nice warm v-shaped sound. Mids are recessed in a typical v-shape fashion, but bass is enhanced down to sub-low level. As a matter of fact, Sennheiser noted that in their spec where instead of typical 20-20kHz frequency response they specified it as 17-20kHz to show lower end extension. Though recessed, mids and upper mids were still clear and detailed enough to enjoy vocals. Highs had a nice sparkle to it, clear without being too bright, no sibilance, easy on your ears for extended listening period. Soundstage is below the average which is typical for these type of headphones. Also, there was no microphonics effect from cables rubbing against your cloth. Since I did mention about resembles with CX300, I actually compared a sound to a pair of those and found MM 30G to sound more detailed and brighter.
Overall, I was very pleased to see a recognized brand name company to release an official alternative to bundled Samsung headphones. MM 30G tested to deliver seamless integration of their in-line remote control with my Note 2. The build quality was good, and you get a peace of mind with 2 year warranty. Though sound quality is not audiophile caliber, it's actually pretty good for $59 price tag.
Here are the pictures.
