Quite pricey for this Senns as you should be able to get it at around HK$200.
In conclusion, if you use for walkman or players with skimppy power output
walkman, then I think Senns MX series is the way to go. If you plan to listen to the system via the main set, then go for larger headphone
Grado. In addition, my recommendation has some caveat and please read below reasoning before you make your decision.
Fit: For earbud, fit is probably the most important factor for sound quality. I couldn't get Sony E888 to quite fit in my ear well and partly the reason of thin and muddy sound. If I push earbud a bit deeper particularly toward the back part of the ear bud, it sounds much better and warmer as this seems to make it fit more snuggly to my ear. However, there is no way that I can hold the earbud in that position all the time I listen so it sounds worse to me, I guess. However, I have no problem with E828 which is much cheaper and look very similar to E888 which a much worse material and built. Also, the free in the box earbud MDR-J010 which comes with my Sony D-EJ100 walkman also sounds decent.
I have been wondering for a long time if you search the answer on the web, you'll see lots of different opinion on a certain model of earbud. I guess it's the fit that makes them say thing totally different, almost poles apart for each model.
If you could, try it before you really buy. The problem is that all of ear bud are considered cheap product so they come in plastic package that you couldn't listen before you really buy it. There is no such problem in the US as you could always return merchandise during a certain period of time, mostly 1 week, without any question ask. However, in this part of the world, I'm not sure whether Sony agent will provide a test model for all of its product range. In a way, this make the regular earphone
Grado has some advantage as they don't have problem with different physique though some are more comfortable to wear than others.
Size DOES matter: First stop, regular headphone will have a much bigger sound that earbud. It's difficult to get away with law of physic as drive of any regular headphone is much larger than earbud.
I don't have MX550 but use MX400. The sound is rather on the transparent side though bass is a bit thin even vs. other earbuds
Sony MDR-888 and MDR828. And you may not
it but I'm Ok with that. However, I felt the most comfortable with MX400, following by MDR828. The famous MDR-888 is the most uncomfortable to me which could be due to its shape. Also, MDR888 sounds rather muddy and I even prefer the cheaper 828. If I have to pick among all three, I choose Senns. Actually, all senns are famous for its transparence and comfort.
I haven't heard the entry level Grado SR40 but I use the world famous SR60. It sounds good but rather fall short of my expectation. The tonal balance is rather dark and it helps calm down all those bright and thin sound of bad recording, mostly on pop music such as Barenaked Ladies' Stunt, making it sound much better. However, if your player has low output
all walkman, then you may have problem with Grado. You need to turn on the volume so high to hear the detail. However, at that level, bass seemed to stick out
a sore thumb and making listening to SR60 a real pain in your ear. At minimum, you should plug it to the CD player or amplifier and avoid walkman. My CD walkman is Sony D-EJ100. For bass lover, I suggest SR60. Actually, SR125 sounds much better and more open and transparent than SR60 but I wonder whether you could direct plug into headphone jack without any headphone amp.
