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: Two years of very strong performance
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had the same set of these headphones for two years now. I have used them for probably at least half of those days, have turned the volume way up when I feel like it, and have gotten the cord pinched in the case many times when trying to pull the headphones out of it. Yet despite the amount of use and abuse these headphones have taken from me, they are still in great shape and show no signs at all of physical wear except for some little notches in the cord from when I have pinched it (none of which broke the cord's casing, though). I don't find the headphones to be remotely hard to fold up into the case; I just occasionally somehow get the cord pinched when I open the case. I have experienced no loss of sound in the right channel, as some people have pointed out, and even with my occasional loud volumes, I have also not experienced any distortion in the sound from the strain.
The sound quality in my opinion is fantastic. It is clear and I find it all to be balanced just the way I like it. The headphones can really make you feel like you are right in the middle of everything on the right songs, and I have found myself on many occasions noticing instrumental parts that I had never noticed before. Yet with these headphones on, I could suddenly hear them. Note that they are obviously not noise-canceling headphones, but I also find that I don't have to turn them up very loud to block out background noise.
The only complaint I have about the headphones is that after a while they start to feel a little uncomfortable. I find that after two or three hours sitting at my desk with them on I'll have to take them off for a few minutes just to let my ears relax and adjust again. However, that is reasonable and acceptable.
The bottom line is that for the price these headphones are hard to beat. They have gone up (I think I paid ~$35 with shipping), but for a "cheap" set of headphones, these are remarkably high-quality and recommended.
*EDIT* About two weeks or so after I posted this review, the right channel went out. I can jiggle the cord to make it come back, but these headphones are pretty much finished now. No abuse or anything leading up to it. They simply worked one day, I packed them up, and the next day the right channel was out.
Customer Review: PX 100 is the Way to Go
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're looking to buy quality headphones at a cheaper price- look no further, these little babies are certainly worth it. I bought mine two and a half years ago, and they are still lasting perfectly fine- just one single pair lasting more than TWO YEARS! That has to say something about the higher quality of Sennheiser. I know one of the reviews says that they went through 3 pairs in 18 months- must have had a run of really bad luck with defective pairs (or handled them carelessly).
I am an extremely heavy music listener. I have my headphones on A LOT. I take them everywhere with me- on road trips, on long walks, for watching movies on the computer, on the way to and from work and school, and these PX 100s have NEVER failed me. I use to go through 2 to 3 pairs a year, but not anymore. You have to use common sense and treat them well, they are only going to last as long as you take care of them. They come with a storage case, use it and they should perform fine for a long time as they have for me.
If you have never heard better sound quality in headphones and have been sticking with the cheaper $20 and less pairs, you will be in for quite a treat. And you will most likely never want to listen to the cheaper headphones again (I sure don't). I know they are not the $500 pair of studio headphones, but they are a HUGE step up from the cheapos you see people everywhere using- people who have no idea just how valuable good sound is.
I listen to a very wide range of music- from opera to metal, ethnic fusion to movie soundtracks, and R&B to even a tiny bit of country, and these headphones really improve each song I listen to- it's like they let these songs breathe much freer. I can hear aspects of songs I never even knew were there (because of listening through cheap headphones).
Don't go back to the $20 headphones, these Sennheisers are worth every penny. I'm actually very surprised that they are sold for this cheap. Once these finally stop working (I'm starting to wonder just how far into the future that will be), I will certainly come back to Sennheiser, maybe even buy another pair of PX 100s, but Sennheiser is IT.
Customer Review: Incredible headphones for the price.
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased these headphones second hand, for a small fraction of the list price. However, after having used these headphones for a few days, I've decided that I would gladly pay full price for these, if not more. Hands down, they are the best of anything I've tried in their price range. The closest comparison I could make to these, would be the Sennheiser PXC 250 Active Noise Canceling Headphones, which is pretty much the noise-canceling variant. I chose these, simply because I wanted something lightweight, and didn't want the external bodypack. I have a set of Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones, if I need noise-canceling. Personally, I've almost gotten to the point where I prefer headphones without the noise-canceling circuitry.
These are going to be my new carry-around headphones. Previously, I had used a pair of Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones - Headphones ( ear-bud ) - black for portable use, with my iPod. I think the increase in sound quality is worth the small amount of extra weight to carry around. The sound is so much more "separated," when compared to a pair of earbuds. Listening to a recording from the London Philharmonic, you can easily pick out the different sections. There is a surprising amount of bass, from such small headphones, but it keeps from being too overpowering. The treble is bright, without being overly harsh. Overall, everything blends well, without being muddy at all.
I wouldn't call them studio-reference quality, but if you have a bad recording, it will definitely stand out when using these headphones. If a track has been mixed with too much bass, I've found that it distorts slightly - this is not at all a fault with these headphones.
I really can't find anything bad to say about these headphones. They're small, comfortable, and sound incredible both for their size, and their price. I would highly recommend these to anyone who wants a good, lightweight pair of headphones.
Customer Review: Buying a new laptop/iPod/MP3 player? Invest in a pair of PX 100's!
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up a pair of PX 100's for a backpacking trip to Scotland last year. I had originally planned on using a pair of earbuds but found early on that I couldn't stand having the things in my ears at all. Plus the sound quality on the few pairs I tried out left much to be desired.
After much deliberation I went ahead and sank $50.00 into these headphones. Surely they would at least last me through the trip and, if they were lost or stolen or met an unfortunate end somewhere on the journey, I could live without them. Once the headphones arrived, I immediately set to learning the folding and cord wrapping sequence till I could get them put away in under 30 seconds. The diagram sticker on the bottom of the durable case set me in the right direction, but I found that once you get the folding down pat you can toss the sticker.
I really didn't use the PX 100's until we were on the plane to London, but I was immediately impressed by their clarity and range. The trebles were crisp and clear and the bass was solid and not distorted in the least. I really couldn't make out much in the midranges with the drone in the background but I was definitely intrigued.
Needless to say, I took extra care not to lose the headphones and, over the course of our trip, I found that this little pair was as good as if not better than the old-school Koss pair that my husband used at home. They made my little Shuffle sound like I had plugged them into a full home stereo setup. Plus, since my iBook has terrible sound quality using the built in speakers, I found that they were a wonderful compliment to my laptop bag and continue to primarily use them in this regard.
All in all, I would definitely recommend the PX 100's to anyone looking for a lightweight, portable replacement to bulky closed cup models. One note though, the PX 100 does sacrifice some midrange clarity for the sake of the open cell foam cups that allow such clear bass response. If you are a classical, vocal or operatic fan, consider picking up the closed cup model, the PX 200. Either way, you get great quality in a durable, portable package.
Customer Review: Best portable phones I know of
Summary: 5 Stars
We own three sets of PX-100 (2 black and 1 white). Believe me, there is an audible difference between the black and white models. Maybe the white is different plastic, with a different resonance character. This is just professional conjecture. All I know is something must account for the difference, because I'm sure the drivers are the same.
Anyhow, the black ones definitely sound MUCH better than the white ones. I don't know if that has anything to do with the difference in price, but if you don't just HAVE to have white (for fashion sake or whatever), and if sound is the primary consideration, please do yourself a favor and get the black ones.
I have Sennheiser HD-600's in my studio, and of course they sound better (several hundred dollars does make a difference), but the black PX-100 has about 75-80% of the sound quality of the 600's! They are just a little "warm" in character, but for portable players that can be good thing. In fact, I rip my library to high bitrate .wma rather than mp3 (the mp3 codec tends to be warm itself), and the sonic character of the Zen player with these phones is amazing! But they sound great with portable CD players and laptops too.
I'm buying another black one since my oldest one (which I use every day) developed a short, and one channel doesn't play - but that's due to extremely heavy use over several years!
There's no accounting for taste, I suppose, and some people have some strange ideas of what sounds good. As an audio engineer, I prefer sonic neutrality. To my ears, when the black PX-100 is used with a typical portable audio device (in the typical playback environment), the combination is practically perfect. Considering the price, the light weight and the folding design (which I have no trouble getting right), these are primo phones.
They do let in outside noise and they are audible to others in your space, so if you need noise suppression or quiet phones, go with a sealed or in-ear type. If you just want something easy to use and great-sounding, and don't care about those things, these would be the way to go.