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03 May 2011
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While not bringing quite the same level of brilliance in sound that the MM550's brought, the OMX 680i's more than make up for it in their comfortable design, great looks, and superb build quality. But don't get me wrong; These sound great too.
I'm sure a lot of you will remember my previous review about the amazing MM550's, and today we've got another product from the same people who brought us them. Sennheiser and Adidas collaborated to bring the OMX 680i's, a brilliant mix of high quality sound and a rugged sport-proof design. First off I'm going to talk about the design; It includes a Kevlar (that's right, Kevlar) reinforced anti-tangle cable, and curved ear-hooks to keep it stable when you're out running. These ear-hooks (for lack of a better word) are reshapable, so you can adjust them to fit your own ears perfectly. Once you've got the fit right, you'll barely even notice that they're on, due to their extremely light weight. They don't fit snugly into your ear canal like some earbuds, the reason being you're more likely to be using these when you're out running, and it would be unsafe to not be able to hear the traffic coming. The downside to that is that there is no noise cancelling or isolating of any kind with these, so you can hear each and every sound in your immediate area. Like I said though, it wouldn't be safe to have noise cancelling on sports headphones. Another problem you may encounter with these is the ear pieces getting tangled, because of their curved design, but it's not a major issue.
The ear piece cables come together below your chin in the Apple remote and mic, but instead of the clicky buttons you may be used to, there's a rubberised replacement. It's much more responsive than the clicky buttons, and feels better too. Not much more to comment on here, although I should probably mention that there is an included clip that connects to the cable to clip it to your T-shirt, to stop the cable from swinging everywhere.
The yellow and black looks great, and the overall design works a treat
While I'm mentioning things that come with it, I may as well list the accessories included - It comes with rubber ear pieces of different sizes, and a set of foam covers that make the headphones much more comfortable. You can store all of those different things as well as the headphones in the included carry bag.
Something these earbuds boast is their resistance to rain, and I had to put that to the test myself. Conveniently, the day they arrived it was absolutely pouring, so I shoved them on and went for a run. And when I say pouring, I mean pouring. Half an hour I get back completely soaked, and the earbuds were fine. Wet, yes, but still operating just as well as when they were dry. I was a little worried that perhaps they'd rub against my ears when they were wet, but there was none of that either. Very impressive overall, and they more than live up to their claims of water resistance.
As far as comfort goes, these are great. As I said, they're really lightweight, and you could very well forget you're wearing them if you don't have music playing. The adjustability means a perfect fit for everyone, so no matter who you are, these will feel great.
But sound quality is what you're really interested in, isn't it? These perform well, although they aren't the best earbuds I've ever used. I was a bit dissapointed with the bass, it's more of a bash than a beat. They perform great in the mid to upper range, but they do fizzle a bit in the lower areas. Still though, despite that slight weakness, everything comes through very clear, and they still sound great. They're more than good enough for anyone wanting some great music, but if your a real sound buff, you might be a bit let down. The Sennheiser OMX 680i retails for around $162 in NZ.
Conclusion time; The OMX 680i's combine the brilliant sound quality we're used to from Sennheiser with the rugged sportiness Adidas is known for. Despite the few small issues with bass and the like, they are fantastic quality, and if you're serious about both sport and music, then these are definitely worth considering. Again, Sennheiser supplied me with these to review free of charge, and they were brilliant to work with, so I'd like to thank them again for that.
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