Help with authentication of a Sony MH-755

[aatoma]

Dear Community,

maybe some of you remember that a few years ago the Sony MH-755 made themself a reputation for being a 5$ giant killer IEM.
It was a commodity in-ear offered as a bonus with some Bluetooth audio receiver clips from Sony.
Every audio addicted was raving about how good and what a bang for the bucks they were.
They were praised by Crinacle, scored well on www.rtings.com and www.head-fi.org has a popular thread about them.
That sort of hype also caused a fake/counterfeit problem, and it became hard to get the real product from Sony, since fakes and clones were all over the place.
I happen to have some samples I got from a reputable japanese seller in 2019 (kanoya on ebay, I see he is no longer active) known to have a large stock of real Sony items, and they do sound good to me, so I offered one for testing to @amirm to see if and how much substance there is to all the hype.
But for this to be of some value we both agreed to first make sure that the sample I have is the real Sony MH-755, and this is where I need your help: are you aware of a way to determine, at least with a reasonable amount of certainty, if the item is the original Sony product, based on visual inspection (see below for some pictures) of the item itself, serial numbers and labels?
There are suggestions on the internet to tear the headphones apart for ultimate confirmation, and I wouldn't go that far, but if you need more snapshots of some particular detail, let me know and I will post more pictures.

Thanks in advance
Antonio

 

[sharock]

@GaryH probably knows.

 

[Jimbob54]

Whilst it would be interesting to see a legit pair tested, I would question the value of that for the masses. These are unobtanium.

I think the real beneficiaries would be the knock off sellers if they measured well given the inevitable rush to acquire.

PS having read the extensive thread on headfi about authenticating, iirc popping them open and looking for the 2 solder blobs was the definitive way.

 

[GaryH]

Rtings provides info on how to identify MH755 authenticity here:

Finding and Verifying the Real Deal

Can you offer any advice on how to find a real pair of MH755? Or simply how rtings found theirs.

www.rtings.com

Looks like your pair OP checks all those boxes. And of course actually measuring their frequency response (and distortion) will confirm authenticity anyway, as we know from several sources how they should measure, and how fakes compare:

Sony MH755 (Fake) Review

This is a review of a counterfeit product. We have tested the real version of these headphones, and you can check out our review here. The Sony MH755 (Fake) are...

www.rtings.com

 

[aatoma]

I decided to break into one of the samples, the one I actually used on the go for some time, and post more pictures.
The inner of the earpiece looks very similar to this picture in the head-fi thread, apart from a large spot of red paint covering one of the 'eyelets'.
Also the cable length matches what's reported in the Wired test of the MH-755 review on www.rtings.com.


My problem is now that I see @Jimbob54's point about the actual value of reviewing an almost vintage and niche IEM and would really prefer not to waste @amirm's time.
What would be your next step?

 

[Jimbob54]

I decided to break into one of the samples, the one I actually used on the go for some time, and post more pictures.
The inner of the earpiece looks very similar to this picture in the head-fi thread, apart from a large spot of red paint covering one of the 'eyelets'.View attachment 301794
Also the cable length matches what's reported in the Wired test of the MH-755 review on www.rtings.com.
View attachment 301796View attachment 301798
View attachment 301797View attachment 301795
My problem is now that I see @Jimbob54's point about the actual value of reviewing an almost vintage and niche IEM and would really prefer not to waste @amirm's time.
What would be your next step?

I'd leave it up to @amirm to decide whether to test. He just tested a pair of old cheap panasonic freeby types so there is precedent. I just wouldnt want readers of a good review (we know legit ones measure pretty well) rushing out and thinking they were getting a steal from a $10 fake pair from one of many many sources. For me the review would need that caveat perhaps more than any other.

 

[GaryH]

My problem is now that I see @Jimbob54's point about the actual value of reviewing an almost vintage and niche IEM and would really prefer not to waste @amirm's time.
What would be your next step?

Genuine pairs can still be had by buying Sony's cheap portable Bluetooth receivers which they come bundled with anyway, so you can safely ignore those falsely saying they're unobtainable and send them in for measurement.

 

[markanini]

Genuine pairs can still be had by buying Sony's cheap portable Bluetooth receivers which they come bundled with anyway, so you can safely ignore those falsely saying they're unobtainable and send them in for measurement.

Kind of a e-waste nightmare if you have no use for a BT receiver. On top of that the nozzle filters eventually clog, more importantly they are not user replaceable.

 

[GaryH]

Owning a small Bluetooth receiver is a very convenient option to have, turning any IEM or (reasonably sensitive) headphone you own into a semi-wireless pair. If you know you'll absolutely never use it you can sell it on eBay or give it as a gift to someone who will. I've had my MH755 for years and they haven't 'clogged' at all. You must just have particularly waxy ear canals.

 

[markanini]

Owning a small Bluetooth receiver is a very convenient option to have

I already own a Fiio BTR1. No use for an additional BT receiver of unknown specs, and no AptX support.

I've had my MH755 for years and they haven't 'clogged' at all.

Maybe because you hardly use yours.

 

[Jimbob54]

Genuine pairs can still be had by buying Sony's cheap portable Bluetooth receivers which they come bundled with anyway, so you can safely ignore those falsely saying they're unobtainable and send them in for measurement.

The ones with the bt receivers have the horrid very short uneven length cable that is a janky nightmare. I would not recommend anyone spend around $30 - 40 on a bt receiver just to get a legit pair of those.

If sony were to reissue the standalone units there would be plenty of merit. Or test them as a complete pair with the BT receiver as well.

 

[GaryH]

I already own a Fiio BTR1.

We're not talking about you though are we? Many others may not currently own a Bluetooth receiver.

no AptX support

That might not be a bad thing.

Maybe because you hardly use yours.

Nah I use them pretty much daily.

Oh and of course a cheap cable extension nullifies the criticism of the MH755's cable length to allow it to be used with sources other than a Bluetooth receiver clipped to your shirt. Then there's the MH750 which is similar but with a longer cable already attached.

 

[Jimbob54]

The ones with the bt receivers have the horrid very short uneven length cable that is a janky nightmare. I would not recommend anyone spend around $30 - 40 on a bt receiver just to get a legit pair of those.

If sony were to reissue the standalone units there would be plenty of merit. Or test them as a complete pair with the BT receiver as well.

Yeah, the set that come with a clip on BT receiver are only really of use with a clip on BT receiver. Not at all equivalent to the ones @aatoma has (correct me if I am wrong pls) which have a more appropriate cable for connecting to phones in pockets or desktop devices.

So I will stand by unobtanium for the full length cable versions unless you have a trusted reliable source on ebay or wherever.

 

[markanini]

That might not be a bad thing.

I would hope this would be an occasion to share useful info about audio codecs, and real world issues like latency, and incidental re-encoding. After all I've been a member of Hydrogenud.io before joining ASR and stayed on top of personal and collaborative blind tests. Sadly this thread probably will die rather soon, and you seem more driven by being argumentative than acquiring knowledge. Why else would you bother making an ad hominem about my vax production, BTW a feature of healthy ears.

 

[Jimbob54]

Oh and of course a cheap cable extension nullifies the criticism of the MH755's cable length to allow it to be used with sources other than a Bluetooth receiver clipped to your shirt. Then there's the MH750 which is similar but with a longer cable already attached.

Where can I obtain a genuine pair of mh750 please Gary?

Or, alternatively, why are the short cabled 755 worth buying a BT receiver and an extension cable just to be sure of getting the genuine article?

Your attachment to these buds is fine, they represent great value and a good FR (easy to eq) and low distortion. They may even stay in other users' ears (I can't get them to work) But why do you seemingly bring them up as a superior option to almost any iem discussed on this site? If I could go out and spend $15 and get a legit set with a decent cable, OK. But I can't. It just feeds the seemingly infinite knock off market.

 

[aatoma]

Yeah, the set that come with a clip on BT receiver are only really of use with a clip on BT receiver. Not at all equivalent to the ones @aatoma has (correct me if I am wrong pls) which have a more appropriate cable for connecting to phones in pockets or desktop devices.

So I will stand by unobtanium for the full length cable versions unless you have a trusted reliable source on ebay or wherever.

The MH-755 I have are of the 'short/micless/asymmetrical' type for use with a clip on bluetooth adapter (I understand that the 'long/symmetrycal/mic' type is the one marketed as MH-750) and I use them paired with two Fiio bluetooth receivers I have: uBTR (with native clip) and BTR5 (with clip cover).