Sony’s Greatest Accident: the MH755

Introduction

The Sony MH755 is probably the most obscure “popular earphone” that I’ve seen. I’ve never heard of it beyond some bare whispers in some dark corner of the internet, and yet it generates enough buzz and respectability to the point where it has its own booming market of fakes (watch out!). It is an unassuming little thing; it looks like something I’d find at the bottom of the bargain bin at a dubious electronics shop in Chinatown and feels like it’ll snap in half if you just look at it in the wrong way. I probably wouldn’t have paid it any attention either, until someone handed me one to try out.

The bad

The overall signature is pretty close to the Harman target, though I’d personally describe as somewhat V-shaped. The upper midrange can get intense and forward for my ears, taking focus away from bowed strings and male vocals and shifting it towards plucked instruments and female vocals. This emphasis in upper mids and suppression in lower mids results in a shouty and rather lean signature, which can be a deadly combination for many ears. Imaging is little closed in though still what I’d consider within the realm of “average”; completely expected for an IEM.

The MH755 also seems to struggle a little with extension in the highest registers, which can kill a bit of air in your listening experience. Cymbals aren’t exactly the most natural sounding instrument in its arsenal and can sound a little blunted depending on the track.

The good

Taking into account all the things I’ve tried and owned over the years, the MH755 is… very good. The resolution is solidly in the upper echelon of things, the notes are clean, the attack is nice and sharp, the decay is naturally “DD” and the bass is focused towards the lower sub-frequencies which strays clear from midbass bloom and bleed. It won’t make me throw away my kilobuck customs, but I’ll be more than happy to have them as my daily drivers for months on end if I have to. I can’t even say that for most IEMs I’ve tried.

I know I should be writing more than this but that’s really all there is to it. There is very little I can nitpick on; the MH755 is a U-shaped, dynamic driver IEM that performs at a high level and doesn’t do anything particularly wrong. And given my standards, that is rather surprising to write down.

Conclusion

Realise that not once have I mentioned the price. At this point it is completely irrelevant. Everything I’ve just said was in the complete absence of price points; it could be $3 or $300 for all I care.

Usually at this point, I’ll drop a letter grade that serves as a comparison point for where I believe the IEM performs in. In this case, I shall exercise my right to not do that. Well, not publicly at least. I believe in telling the truth whenever possible, though sometimes the truth can be so outlandish to the point where it may be better not to speak of it at all.

At the very least, you can take my words at face value. The MH755 is an IEM that serves as a challenge to my preconceptions on what a budget IEM is truly capable of. It is truly an accident in the most positive sense of the word, and I yearn for the day that another rises to challenge me once again.

19/6/19 edit: Now that enough time has passed and the hype train has long since left the station, I guess it’s fine to have the MH755’s rank now fully public.