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: Superb sound, rugged, portable, decent looking too
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned the PX100s for two years now, and these are my main open air headphones. Over the years, I've owned Sennheiser HD 580s, Grado SR60s, Dennon C551k in ear monitors, Yuin PK3s, a FIIO portable headphone amp, and a Total Bithead portable amp from [...] + shoddy stock headphones
SOUND:
So, I'd like to think I have a reasonable grasp on what decent sound quality is. The Sennheiser PX 100s give a fairly sweet, rich sound with a nice amount of bass. These are easily driven by portable players, and that's a big plus because you can get enough clarity and volume out of them. These cans are excellent for computer use, movie sound effects simply pop out and each detail is distinguishable. The PX100s are not the best headphones for highs, but it's definitely good enough. I don't why some people say the mids are recessed, but they are there. Perhaps it's not as pronounced as the Grados, but vocals come through strong. Overall, sound quality is a very strong point on the PX100s.
Design:
Style is a matter of individual taste, but the consensus is that these headphones are bland ( but not ugly) at worst, and fairly stylish at best. These are extremely light, the addition of a padding on the headband makes this very comfortable to wear. The earpads are sufficient, my only issue is once they get worn thin, your ears start squeezing against the hard plastic, and replacements will be needed throughout the life of the headphone. This is a minor gripe, earpads are a few dollars, unlike the grado ones.
These things can fold away, and the earcups can swivel fully flat, which allows easy storage in a bag, or a large pocket. The carrying case is a hassle.
I have used this headphones in the toughest conditions, but I still have an issue with the wiring near the headphone jack connector, some of the insulation came off there and I had to put electrical tape. Fortunately there was no signal problem, and it's held for months. I bought another pair in case it fails.
So, if you are considering a headphone for home listening consider that the PX100 is versatile enough for home and portable use. Read below.
Sennheiser PX100 vs. Grado SR60
I know the Grado SR60s have the same 32 ohm impedance, but on my portables the PX100s were much clearer and more easily driven than the Grados. This is an open air headphone, it won't isolate you from the outside world, but the sound leakage is manageable if you minimize your volume enough. Unfortunately, everybody around you can hear exactly what you are listening to if you wear Grados.
If you like pretty laid back sound that's not in your face, solid design, the PX100s are worth your money.
Customer Review: The best!
Summary: 5 Stars
These are by far the BEST portable headphones on the market today. After spending several days deciding between these and the Portapros, I decided to choose the Sennheisers. I couldn't be any happier. While the Portapros are very good headphones, I thought the bass was a little too overpowering (not to mention it looked a little too goofy for my tastes). The PX100's, on the other hand, have tighter bass and allows me to hear the rest of the song instead of a constant "THUMP THUMP THUMP" through a bass-intensive song.
Granted upon first listening to these, the bass was kind of weak and the entire range sounded very flat. After burning in my headphones over two nights, these have really opened up! I was blown away by what these little things can do! They sound like headphones twice the size and cost. The bass is in my opinion perfect. Even when its hitting hard, I can hear subtle background instruments that i've never heard before. Of course, those of you who like more or less bass can adjust accordingly with equalizers. Personally, I like the Rock setting on my iPod mini.
Senn also included a trick hardshell case that looks like a glasses holder. The headphones fold up like a pair of glasses and fit perfectly inside, with the cord wrapping around the base. The case looks very sturdy and your investment feels very secure once inside. Some reviewers complain about how tricky it is to fold it up. Personally I think if you can't get it right after a few tries, you should probably to back to kindergarden and play with legos some more. Senn even included instructions on the backside of the case too.
Keep in mind that these are open-air headphones, so sounds will come in and your music will be heard by those around you. This is perfect for me at work because I need to know if the phone rings or someone is trying to talk to me from behind. If you want total isolation, then go with a closed headphone, such as something in Senn's HD line (the HD280 sounds amazing), or an in-ear like apple's in ear, Sony's EX71SL, or something from Shure or Etymonic.
Pros:
Sound will blow you away
Very comfortable
Ultra portable
Trick case
Cons:
Styling not for some
Jack is not gold plated
Bottom Line:
The best portable open-air headphones on the market. Period.
If you're tired of earbuds medicore quality and want a pair of tried and true headphones, these are the best ones you can get for your money. If you want to experience your music instead of merely listen to it, these headphones are the closest you'll get short of a live performance. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: Iss Nice!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, I would like to point out I am listening to music AS i write this with these headphones.
The sound quality on these is amazing. I've used most BOSE headphones, own iPod buds and a pair of Koss PortaPro Headphones with Case. Most new nice headphone sets are going to be nicer than the factory buds given, so disregard those, but compared to any BOSE or the Koss PortaPro these Sennheisers sound just as good (Koss is rated #1 headphone on CNET reviews, BOSE Quitecomfort 3 coming in 3rd). The bass is very well defined as well as the treble and middle ranges. With my bass turned up all the way, treble and middle down, there is no "rattling" or distortion of sound. As other reviews have said, they are a bit "soft" but hey, I want to be able to hear when I'm 80. If you disagree and want to rock out with ear killer sound, I would not recommend these. For any metal, rock, classic, country, jazz, pretty much anything that doesn't scream at you constantly, these headphones will be perfect.
The design of the headphones is ingenious. They fold very nicely and can fit into your shirt/pants pocket very nicely (unless you wear REALLY tight pants, than most anything can't fit in your pocket anyways) of course this is without the case though, which I rarely use. I only use the case if they need to be stored for say a trip or if they're in a larger bag with other stuff with it. Otherwise it does take about 30 - 45 seconds to put up, but without the case I can fold them up in about 5 - 10 seconds, not rushing. Also, They have very nice pads on the inside that make them extremely comfortable to wear, unlike the Koss. I used to have trouble with my hair getting caught where the size adjuster is (where you see the metal band) on other headphones (Koss included) but with these I have yet to run into that problem and I have been using them very often for about a month now. Only thing these things don't have are the noise cancellation, which would be nice, and if you have them on very loud you can still hear them from a couple yards away.
To sum up:
-Pros
Great sound quality
Great bass
Ingenious design
Ultra-Portable
Sturdy
Amazing price! (why pay $200 for the same quality??)
-Cons
No noise cancellation
Loud for public
Case works well, but could have been made smaller (in my opinion)
Overall, great! Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for portable budget headphones with great sound quality.
Customer Review: These phones really stand out!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned these headphones for over a year now and I must say that they are superb - easily as good as my larger and more expensive Sennheisers.
I don't typically write reviews but I recently decided to upgrade my Zune phones and decided to compare a pair of Philips SHS8200 (behind-the-neck) and some Sony MDR-21LPs (both in the $15-$20 range). Once I received them, I decided to test them both against my Sennheiser PX100s which are faithfully connected to my PC. It was no surprise when the PX100s won the competition but here are the notes I took during the test:
First, I tested all 3 with an original recording of the Eagle's Hotel California. It has a nice bass guitar line and that ol' familiar 'twangy' guitar at the front plus a nice powerful 'bump...bump' before the vocals kick in. The Sonys had extremely nice highs but the bass line was not very clear and they easily bottomed out (with distortion) on the bump...bump. To my surprise, the Philips were much better and performed fairly well against the PX100s although the PX100s had a much fuller mix of sound and the bass line was much more realistic and well defined.
Secondly, I tested the 3 sets with Evanescence's Bring Me to Life as it has some nice piano, some almost subaural sound effects at the beginning as well as some fat-n-juicy distorted guitar which doesn't sound good in all phones. Needless to say, the tiny Sonys did not handle the distored guitar line very well nor did they know what to do with those strange subaural sound effects. The Philips however did better but the guitar line was still a bit overbearing until I tweaked my EQ a bit. The PX100s handled the subaural bits the best as well as the guitar lines although I still had to tweak the bass down a bit on the EQ.
Lastly, I tested the 3 phones with Madonna's Hung Up for its nice bass line and disco beat. The Sonys performed OK but the bass beat was distorted. Again to my surprise, the Philips and Sennheisers performed very similarly although I still prefer the more well-balanced mix on the PX100s. The Philips still accentuated the treble more than the Sennheisers.
In the end, I was left with a renewed appreciation of the PX100s for their extremely well-balanced and realistic mix of sound. Nothing is really "boosted" or "suppressed" - just a nice accurate representation of the music.
P.S. The PX100s were the most comfortable of the 3 pairs as well but then again, I'm used to wearing them for hours and hours on end as I happily blast through my favorite FPS or watch endless re-runs of Lost on the internet in hopes of finally being able to follow the storyline. ;)
Customer Review: Two and a half years on, still going strong
Summary: 5 Stars
- Very comfortable heaphones: I often wear them for hours on end with zero discomfort (and I'm extremely picky about these things).
- Great sound quality: warm tones, clear highs and abundant bass.
- Sound does leak in and out, which is either good or bad depending on your intended use. They're great if you need to hear what's going on around you, bad if you're trying to block outside noise or prevent others from hearing a bit of your music.
- Durable: I've had mine since October 2003 (two and a half years) and can attest they've proven very sturdy.
I don't think I beat on my equipment, but I don't baby things either. My PX100s get used almost every day, mostly just around the house, plugged into a portable cd or mp3 player stuck in my pocket, cord dangling.... Can't tell you the number of times I've snagged that cord on something and half yanked the 'phones off my head or had the plug come out of my player. Absolutely no problems despite this, no loose connections or shorts or crackles or anything. Guess that's because of the Kevlar in the cord?
- On two occasions I've had issues with a rattling, buzzing sound on deep bass notes, both times it's turned out to be a tiny hair that had worked its way through the foam earpad and into the headphone innards. I pulled the hair(s) out and the problem was solved. Phew!
- Because the earpads were getting grungy (accumulated dead skin - yuck - can't be helped though) I bought replacements from Sennheiser's online store. Ordered on a Thursday & they arrived the following Monday. Nice! Cost less than $7 total, half the price was for shipping. They were very easy to put on.
If it weren't for the grunge issue I wouldn't have bothered since the foam itself was still in great shape. My previous headphones were a pair of cheaper Sony's and their foam wore right through to the plastic underneath.
I absolutely love these headphones. Bought a second pair a couple months after the first as "insurance" so that if disaster struck I wouldn't have to be without them even for a few days (the horror!) while a new pair shipped. That second set has rarely seen the light of day, my originals getting 95% of the use.
Also purchased the mega-expensive Sennheiser HD650s about a year ago, thinking if the PX100s were so great, those must be awesome - and they are (especially if you use them with an amp) - BUT, I still almost always use my itty bitty PX100s. That's how convenient, comfortable and good sounding they are.