CLUB BEATS ON THE MOVE
Pioneer SE-MX7
CONCLUSION The SE-MX7 is designed for the club lifestyle in mind. How much you like it depends on whether you fit into that group.
Pioneer’s sE-MX7s are a pair of on-ear (supra-aural) headphones that feature two 40mm drivers per ear cup (one each for bass and midrange) and advanced Bass Level Control, which basically means you can adjust the amount of bass the headphones give you via a dial on the left ear cup.
the finish feels like durable high-quality rubber on the outside, with light, soft leather type cushion on the inside. Personally, the cushioning was a little on the stiff, which meant having to take short breaks in between listening periods. However, the cushioning provided very effective passive noise isolation, as surrounding noises were noticeably dampened once the sE-MX7s were put on.
We do like the locking design on the plug of cables – you have to twist the plug to unlock, before pulling it out of the audio jack. this prevents you accidentally yanking the cable out of the headphones.
With a frequency response that goes all the way down to 6Hz and two drivers per side for midrange and bass, it goes without saying that deep rumbling bass is a bit of a specialty for the sE-MX7. We’d say the sonic signature of this set of headphones is bass heavy and exciting, but lacking a little in finesse.
there’s a palpable thump in the low notes even when the bass adjustment is toned down to the minimum. and when you turn it to maximum? the sE-MX7s positively resonate, which is probably the best way to say that Pioneer has delivered on its promise to “fully recreate the club sound experience”.
For example, tiesto’s Elements of Life was where the headphones really shone, as it matched the relentless bass line effortlessly, delivering thumping bass to match this fast-paced song.
the enhanced bass comes at a price though, as the trebles and upper mids seemed to get a little lost at times. By putting focus on volume and presence, vocal details expectedly got muddled amid the strong wash of bass. We’d recommend leaving the bass adjustment set below the lower half of the scale if you’re just doing general listening with vocal tracks or pieces that feature instrumental parts heavily.
Overall, the sE-MX7s has a limited audience appeal; a decent choice if you’re a bass head, but for $299, there are more balanced headphones out there for everyday use.