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What we think
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Updated April 10, 2024·
The Sennheiser HD 400S offers better overall sound quality, comfort, and microphone quality, making it suitable for calls, meetings, gaming, and TV. However, they are bulkier and less portable than the Sony MDREX15AP earbuds. The Sony earbuds will be more comfortable for exercise and travel due to their smaller size and better noise isolation. If budget is a concern and you need something compact, the Sony model may be preferable, but for an immersive listening experience and higher durability at a higher cost, the Sennheiser headphones would be the better choice. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Sennheiser HD 400S
- Very good for phone calls
- Very good for gaming
- Good for air travel
- Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sony MDREX15AP
- Very good for music
- Excellent for TV and video
Key differences
Music
7.1
8.3
The Sony MDREX15AP is very good for music, while the Sennheiser HD 400S is good.
Gaming
8.6
6.7
The Sennheiser HD 400S is very good for gaming, while the Sony MDREX15AP is only fair.
Phone Calls
8.2
3.5
The Sennheiser HD 400S is very good for phone calls, while the Sony MDREX15AP is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.6
5.4
The Sennheiser HD 400S is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sony MDREX15AP is poor.
TV and Video
7.6
9.3
The Sony MDREX15AP is excellent for TV and video, while the Sennheiser HD 400S is good.
Noise Reduction
5.3
7.0
The Sony MDREX15AP is good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser HD 400S is poor.
Cost
$50
$20
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The Sennheiser HD 400S has a price of $50 and the Sony MDREX15AP costs $20.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
8.5
8.0
The Sennheiser HD 400S and Sony MDREX15AP both have very good build quality.
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How the Sennheiser HD 400S and the Sony MDREX15AP compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Sennheiser HD 400S | Sony MDREX15AP |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$50 | $20 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Sennheiser | Sony | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2019 | March 1, 2014 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wired | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 7.2/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 8.2/10 | 3.5/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 8.7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 7.7/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 4.2/10 | 4.6/10 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 5.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | N/A | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 8.5/10 | N/A | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 8.4/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | N/A | Small | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 213 Grams | 3.1 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | N/A | |
Shopping
Sennheiser HD 400S
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Dungeon
Jim | August 2022
"Sennheiser has done it again. The HD 400S performs well beyond its price range and is one of the better budget model headphones I’ve tried. It has very few bells and whistles and offers a simple means of listening that still delivers amazing clarity and quality. If you need a good first pair of headphones or need something that you can take out of the house, then the HD 400S is definitely for you."
Sony MDREX15AP
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Make It Sound Great
Pete Anthony | June 2022
"At the ultra budget $10 price-point (and we’ve seen the no-mic version go for as cheap as $7), I’d say these are a decent option if you’re looking for a passable pair of earbuds for basic use that’s as cheap as possible. I wouldn’t say they feel or sound as good as some of the ultra-budget alternatives out there – of which there are a few at this point – but some might disagree. I will say though that the cable is a little bit nicer than those of that same competition."
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About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
About Sony
Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.
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