Sennheiser PX 100 Lightweight Collapsible Headphones
by Sennheiser
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser PX 100 Lightweight Collapsible Headphones
Customer Review: Sennheiser PX100s vs AKG K26P
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a musician that already owns high-end Sennheiser headphones for use in my studio. However, I needed some inexpensive headphones for use with my iPod. After much research I found the best reviews for the AKG K26Ps and the Sennheiser PX100s. I couldn't decide so I bought both knowing that my wife needed a new pair of headphones too. Using my iPod and listening to the same songs through both headphones I compared a variety of music styles. The PX100s are promoted as having "natural sound" and I would say that is exactly what they have. They have amazing clarity and you can hear every note. Despite sounding incredible, I did notice that the sound seemed a little "distant". They have an air to them that somewhat mimics surround sound and makes for a very pleasant listening experience. The earpieces have open backs so people sitting close by will probably be enjoying the same music. These headphones are incredibly light; the earpieces are very comfortable, and I could definitely see wearing these for hours at a time. The way that they fold up is ingenious but takes some practice and they come in a sturdy plastic case that protects the headphones and allows you to wind the cable up very neatly. The K26Ps are quite different. Like the PX100s they have surprising clarity for such inexpensive headphones. Every time I plugged them in after having listened through the PX100s and I had to turn the volume down quite a bit because they are so much louder. Where the PX100 present a distant sound, the acoustics of the K26Ps are up front and right at your ear. This is the sound that I prefer. At the right volume the K26P sound just blew me away. Being a musician I'm picky about being able to hear everything, and while both provide that, the K26Ps are my top choice for audio quality. The K26Ps are little heavier than the PX100s; the earpieces have a vinyl-like covering over the foam and, while comfortable, tend to push on the ears a little harder than the PX100s. One of the biggest complaints I read about the K26Ps is that the headband is quite tight and I have to agree. While I could imagine this getting tiring on my ears, I also don't plan to wear these for extended periods so for me it doesn't matter much. However, I also found the headband to be less comfortable. Where the PX100s have some nice covered foam the length of the headband that comes in contact with the top of your head, the K26Ps have no cover at all. In fact, the glide adapters that allow for the adjustment of the headbands actually annoy me a bit if I have them too tight on my head. The K26Ps also have a wonderful method for folding up but they come with a light material bag as their case and you just have to wind the chord around the phones. Not as graceful and well executed as the PX100s, but still convenient. They both provide a two year warranty. Despite the PX100s being more comfortable, the audio quality lead me to chose the K26Ps for my use and I gave the PX100s to my wife (which she actually like better any way). In my opinion you can't go wrong with either of them and I can't imagine there being better headphones available for the money.Customer Review: Portability, Comfort, and Sound Quality for Cheap
Summary: 5 Stars
I am comparing these headphones to other products people may be interested in.
Shure SE110
Apple Ear Buds
Seinnheiser HD280s
Sony EX71
Skullcandy Ink'd
Pros:
More comfortable than ear buds or closed headsets
Extremely portable
Inexpensive
Excellent sound quality (recessed mids but excellent balance and richness for the most part)
Can hear the outside world
Cons:
Can hear the outside world, and they can hear you
Really need to be broken in for the sound quality to go from amazing to exquisite
On their own, the PX 100 headphones are extremely comfortable, fit well, collapse for portability, and sound amazing. They are relatively inexpensive and have a beautiful warm, boomy sound that was absolutely shocking when I first put them on. They are the best sounding headphones I have that I can wear comfortably.
These headphones have very similar sound quality to the HD280s but tend to make music more enjoyable. While the 280s are more analytical and balanced, the px 100s are more colorful and have more bass. They also do not highlight the highs so much that poor quality audio files are impossible to listen to. These headphones have half the impedance of the 280s which means you are getting richer sound in a more portable package for half the cost- with increased battery life on portables.
SE110s are slightly clearer and allow individual instrumentation to be heard better, but their sound quality does not create a balance (favoring the highs) that makes music enjoyable. They are also not comfortable. Both are good for classical music but I think the PX 100s are better because of their warm sound and deep lows, which really brings crescendos to a climactic finish where SE110s always leave the listener feeling cheated out of the final hit.
These have the same depth of bass response as the Sony 71s, but are more clear and are not as muddy in the mids and highs.
They are about as clear in the highs as apple ear buds (they are better than most people want to think) but also allow for clear bass and do not sound tinny and like someone pushed the right side of an equalizer to max.
The Ink'd ear buds are the closest in terms of overall sound to these and cost only a third of what the the PX 100s cost, but are less comfortable, do not stay in your ear, translate the sound of the cord, and only sometimes sound right (you have to have a perfect fit, which is nigh impossible)
These are my favorite pair and I only put them away when I *must* be isolated from my environment. They have an amazingly rich, warm sound which adequately plays any music I can throw at it. The clarity in the upper range with older music can lend to the bass overpowering some music. It isn't as noticeable as it is when my Klipsch 2.1 system plays the same song.
These are a no-brainer and I liked them more than the KSC75s, portapros, and bose triports I tried.
Customer Review: Comparing headphones: Sennheiser PX 100; Sony MDR-023; Radio Shack 33-1162; various earbuds
Summary: 5 Stars
So you know where I'm coming from: I listen to jazz, classical, and some pop, but pop to me means Sinatra and Streisand, not Michael Jackson. I never listen to rock, hip-hop, rap, or the sounds of train wrecks. "Good bass" to me means tight, deep, well-articulated bass, not boomy, toneless mud. I "play around" with piano, bass, and acoustic guitar. I have measurable high-end hearing roll-off, but I don't seem to notice it when it comes to headphones.
I've been using the Radio Shack 33-1162 headphones at my office for several years. I'm not sure you can still buy them. Main attraction for me was comfort and a 16-foot (5-meter) cord with a volume control. The bass is okay, the clarity is okay, they've served me well for years. I'll continue to use them at work because of the long cord.
Then I got a pair of Sony MDR-023 headphones. Considerable sound improvement over the Radio Shack 33-1162 headphones. Much better bass response, although perhaps a tad muddy by comparison, but still better. Clearer, cleaner highs. Also a very comfortable headphone. Short cord, though, barely over 3-feet (1 meter). I'll use these at home with my laptop, where I don't need a long cord.
Saw rave reviews for the Sennheiser PX 100 headphones and wondered what I was missing, so I tried a pair. Considerable sound improvement again over the Sony MDR-023 headphones. Clearer, tighter bass. Clearer, cleaner highs. Also very comfortable headphone. Cord is a little longer than the Sony MDR-023 phones, about 4-feet (1.25 meters) which does make a difference. Also, unlike the Sonys, these fold up into a hard plastic case. This looked like it was going to be a hassle, but it's not. A very common-sense fold and the cord wraps around quickly; case closes easily. Easily done in half a minute--much easier than folding a road map. I'll carry these in my laptop case, which goes everywhere I go, and I'll use them at home on occasions where I've just got to have the best sound.
Overall impression: For me, any headphone sounds great if it's better than what I'm currently used to. The Sennheisers sounded better than the Sonys, which sounded better than the Radio Shacks. (That is the descending order of price, too, of course.) All three of these headphones cost me $[...]. All three are much superior to any of the Sony, Sennheiser, or Koss ear buds I've tried, which either were uncomfortable plugs with good sound (Koss) or comfortable hanging buds that wouldn't stay aimed at my ear canal well (Sony, Sennheiser). But also, when you're not A-B comparing them, the difference fades away a lot. (Ever notice that after a few plays you get into a football game as much on a 19-inch TV set as on a 60-inch? Same principle.)
I can't give you much of a review as to sturdiness because I'm not hard on headphones. I've always been conscious that headphones are pretty delicate items, so I don't toss them around. No kids and my dog doesn't chew. Gotta go.
Customer Review: Wow...VERY IMPRESSED
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered these after reading all the glowing reviews (and when they went on sale for $33). Obviously I was expecting the great sound others had raved about. In other words, my expectations were pretty high.
Let me say, these deliver. First off, the packaging. Nice, pretty simple. Something that everyone can appreciate is the packaging is very easy to open. I hate having to take a knife some plastic casing just to get to my goods. This had a cool little rubber piece where the casin just separated (you know, the little hole where they normally hang it from) and the plastic hinged open. Very nice little touch.
I had read that the case was of nice quality, but I was still surprised by it. The plastic is easily 2-3mm thick, not flimsy at all. I took the phones out, and the build quality is very good. All the pieces fit together perfectly, and it looks good. They are pretty light, and don't FEEL like they could take much abuse. However, I think with the metal headband, they could take much more than I'd be willing to submit them to. So an A for build quality.
The design is pretty minimal, but it looks good. The earpieces themselves are big compared to the headband, but it looks quite nice. Kind of a functional yet futuristic look that I would not mind wearing at all in public. A for style.
Putting them on, the fit is nice and comfortable. I could honestly wear them overnight and not have ANY ear fatigue. They are light and the ear pads do not press uncomfortably. The headband pads really do help, and the metal headband has plenty of spring, while still keeping the phones securely on my head. Getting a snug fit is vital, because if the headband pads do not rest on your head, the headphones are very unstable and will not stay on. My head is pretty normal size, and it seems like they can go quite a bit bigger, so A+ for comfort.
Now for the real test, plugging them in...nice. The sound is really open, clear, and full. I may have been expecting a bit more, but only because of the hype (and these have not been 'burned in', so the quality will get better). The bass is nice and punchy, and the mids and highs are sweet. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but these sound amazing for the size. However, comparing them to my Sennheiser HD497s, they are put to shame in the openness and clarity. The 497s are more balanced (leaning more towards highs), while the PX100s seem to have fuller, richer sound (leaning towards the low-end). Don't get me wrong though, the PX100s are amazing for the size and are also much more stylish than the 497s. They won't disappoint in this category. A-
Summary time...these headphones really pack a ton of quality into great value. Stylish, nice and portable (though not quite pocketable), and great sound. An awesome buy for around $30!
Customer Review: Light-weight, comfortable, natural sound at great price
Summary: 5 Stars
I cannot get earbuds to stay in my ears, and models with the form factor of the Sony MDR-W24V Sony MDR-W24V Vertical In-The-Ear Headphones give good sound and are light weight but soon hurt my ears. So I have looked for comfort and sound quality in over-the-head style headphones for several years. I own and enjoy noise canceling phone by Bose and Sennheiser (both with external sound processing units/battery holders), and standard phones by Bose as well. All give admirable sound, but are relatively heavy and I don't like wearing them for long periods. (I do appreciate the ear surrounding Bose models for winter walks, however.) I recently bought and tried out a number of less expensive phones. I have found two that produce well-balanced, natural sound and are also light and comfortable for extended wear, and which I highly recommend.
The Sennheiser PX 100 (63 grams) Sennheiser PX 100 Collapsible Headphones Is the more expensive of the two, but it is also the most comfortable and produces the most "natural" sound. One of the reasons for its comfort is that it has two pads that cushion the headband against the scalp. The sound units are also attached to the head band through ball joints, so that they adjust to the angle of the user's ears. The Sennheiser is a folding model and comes with a nice storage case, though one may often not want to take the time to fold the phones, insert them into the case and wind up the cord. The plug is straight, rather than being bent at a right angle as I prefer. Overall, this is an ideal set of phones for use with an iPhone, iPod, or other MP3 player in a quiet to moderate environment.
But one can also come very close to the comfort and sound quality of the Sennheiser PX100 for less money with the Sony MDR410LP (62 grams) Sony MDR410LP Foldable Open-air Stereo Headphones. The Sony is also a folding model, and with right angle plug but no case. The sound is also "natural" with perhaps a slightly heavier bass. The Sony is more "plasticy" than the Sennheiser, and the sound units are rigidly attached to the headband, and thus do not adjust to the angle of the user's ears. Overall then, the Sony **** comes very close to the Sennheiser at less than half the cost.
Both the Sennheiser and the Sony earphones show that users can achieve quality sound and long-term comfort at a very reasonable price in comparison with the cost of high-end, audiophile headphones.