learn from ExtremeMac: There are more
than two sizes of ears in the human race,
and ExtremeMac provides no fewer than
six different earplugs: two foam sets and
four silicone. We found a foam set that
rendered the FS1 buds very comfortable
and blocked nearly all the environmental
noise (aside from our fingers tapping on
the keyboard), but they sure didn’t help
these bass monsters sound any better.SennheiSer MX
55 VC Street
Even after finding a good fit, many people
have trouble with earbuds inexorably slid-
ing out of their ear canal. Sennheiser thinks
it has the solution—it’s called Twist-to-Fit—
but we found this invention to be far worse
than the problem.
The MX 55 VC Street’s are an in-ear
design, just like the other earbuds here,but the ginormous drivers are so big that
your ear canal would have to be the size of
Carlsbad Cavern for them to fit. The Twist-
to-Fit design, meanwhile, wouldn’t pass
muster under the Geneva Conventions. It
consists of a rubber-covered stem rising
above the speaker. You place the earbud in
your ear and twist to jam the stem into the
fold in your ear.
If you can endure the pain, the MX
55’s sound pretty damned good. They
deliver solid bass response without losing
touch with mids and highs. That’s quite
an accomplishment considering their low
price tag. And we welcome the in-line
volume control on the cable. But we’re
convinced that if Sennheiser were to
apply its earbud-fit concept to the design
of a hammer, it would have you nail the
hammer to your hand so it won’t slip out
and hurt someone.reviews Tes Ted. Reviewed.
92 MAXIMUMPC october 2006 XXXXXXX 2006 MAXIMUMPC 00
extremeMac’s FS1 high Definition ear-
phones come with pretty packaging and
a price tag that impresses for all the
wrong reasons.Sennheiser makes some great head-
phones, but we wouldn’t wish the pain-
inflicting MX 55 VC Street earbuds on our
worst enemy.$40, http://www.sennheiserusa.comsennheiser mx 55 vc streetear CanDy
In-line volume control—
great idea!ear inFeCtion^4
Twist-to-Fit—horrible idea!$150, http://www.extrememac.comextrememac fs1ear Canal
Diverse collection of plugs;
cool carrying case.loVe Canal^6
Passive-aggressive
bass response.Frequency response Impedance number oF ear FIttIngs extras
Creative Zen 20Hz-20kHz 42 Ohms 6: 2 sets of 3 sizes Hardshell case;
aurvana (silicone) airline adapter
etymotiC er-6 50Hz-16kHz 48 Ohms 2: 1 foam; 1 silicone Shirt clip; earwax
isolator filter
extrememaC F s1 20Hz-20kHz 32 Ohms 6: 2 foam; 4 silicone Hardshell case
sennheiser mx 55 17Hz-21kHz 64 Ohms 3: 1 foam; 2 silicone In-line volume
vC street control; soft casespecifications