Sennheiser Flex 5000 – Hardware Review
A few weeks ago we had the pleasure to take a closer look at Sennheiser’s HD 450BT, which proved to be a great wireless headset for day-to-day usage. We were impressed with the device’s comfort, its sound quality, the deep bass, and the sleek and elegant design. We were less wowed by the app that helps you control things, but this is of course only a tiny smudge on an otherwise perfect picture. We are not putting away our HD 450BT yet, as it actually proves invaluable in trying out the Flex 5000. The nifty gadget enhances the sound quality of normal TV viewing, albeit by using earphones or a headset, and also has the possibility to enhance the clarity of the spoken dialogues. We eagerly unpacked the transmitter and receiver, to see what it had in store for us. The following product is also directed towards people with moderate loss of hearing.
Design
When unpacking the box, we were greeted by a long remote-like transmitter, that looks quite elegant. The overall device is black, with the Sennheiser logo in white, as well as the brand name. The buttons are coated in a glossy type of plastic, with proper markings that indicate their functions. Other than that, there are a few LEDs present that mark the battery life of the small receiver.
The small receiver is also quite elegant and sleek, with a few indentations to mark the subtle button-design. The device can only increase or decrease the volume, or switch between the different audio profiles.
Comfort
Truth be told, there is not much to discuss when it comes to the comfort factor of this device. The transmitter speaks for itself and has the necessary functions. The only thing that might be considered as a comfort feature is the clip on the receiver, which you can then use to have it fitted to your outfit of the day, when needing the device.
Specs
- Swappable wall plus for EU, UK, US and AUS
- MX 475 earphones included
- Docking station
- Clip-on receiver
- Range up to 30 meters
- 12 hours battery life
Overview
As odd as the device may seem at first glance, it’s very much a plug and play experience. You either connect the transmitter to a standard 3.5mm port, or you can choose the optical port. Both cables are included in the box, as well as a pair of MX 475 earphones. The latter immediately making sure you can start using the Flex 5000. The receiver just has a standard 3.5mm socket, allowing you to then easily plug in earphones or a headset. Keep in mind, there’s a difference between connecting this to a PC or a TV, or another device. Some devices may not have simultaneous playback, thus having you choose completely for the Flex 5000, rather than have one playing through the earphones or headset, and the device’s speakers as well.
As you can basically use every headset or pair of earphones you have lying around now, you determine the sound quality of your experience. If you use a budget-bin device, then, of course, this will differ from having an expensive audio device. You can of course swap the different profiles freely. If you rather enjoy an explosive action movie with deep bass, that is perfectly possible. But if you wish to tone down the gunshots and other loud action to focus on crystal clear voices, that is also well within the capabilities of the device. This is actually the entire ‘shtick’ of the Flex 5000, where you cater the audio experience to your needs and wants.
Truth be told, we were quite wowed with the functions and settings of the device, as you can tweak a lot of things to your liking. You can change the volume settings for your left and right ears separately, while also setting up a plethora of different smaller functions. It would become a guide if we were to list all of them, but with several pages dedicated to this in the manual, you will probably find something to tinker with. Of course, messing up may occur, and it also includes instructions to reset the device.
Sennheiser is clearly concerned for its clients, as the transmitter also comes with swappable wall plugs. This means you can take the Flex 5000 with you on any vacation and still enjoy crisp audio quality when relaxing at the hotel. This is certainly the ideal inclusion for those with loss of hearing.
In the end, it’s also a lot about freedom of movement. For those with hearing loss, it can become a burden having to scoot next to the TV when visiting people, or having to produce excess noise for the neighbors by having to turn up the volume too much. In this scenario, you can either have the audio that matters to you give direct feedback through the earphones or headset, while others can enjoy it via the regular speakers. As the transmitter also works up to 30 meters, you don’t have to overly turn up the volume when i.e. getting something from the kitchen and not wanting to pause it.
Conclusion
Even though the device is ideal for people with partial hearing loss, this is also a nice device for movie buffs who live in an apartment or like to watch some late-night movies when everyone is asleep. The Flex 5000 will grant mobility for wired headsets, by making them semi-wireless. We were impressed with the quality and the overall functionality of the device, but it took us a bit of time to figure out all the functions it had to offer. That being said, this is certainly a device worth looking into for the aforementioned reasons.
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[…] been a while since we tried Sennheiser’s Flex 5000, which was a great piece of hardware to help people suffering from partial hearing loss enjoy their […]
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