12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
A Solid Headset, with Solid Sound, for a Solid Price
Date of Review: Jun 27, 2003
The Bottom Line: If your looking for a well priced, extremely solid and portable headset with top notch sound quality, then stop looking, you've found it.
Note, if you've already read my review of the PX200's, this review is virtually identical since the two pairs of headphones are virtually identical. I suggest you check out paragraph 3 of the intro, and the first and last paragraphs of the sound quality section to see the primary differences between the two. Also look at the second paragraph of the Aesthetic section.
I need to start with a small preface, I love sound, I'm obsessed with it, and I listen to sound all day and all night on all different speakers and TV's and car systems. Due to my audiophile nature it is very possible there are things that would bother me in a set of speakers that most people wouldn't notice, or care about.
The Headphones that are included when you buy a CD player usually cost the manufacturer about $2.50, and generally suck pretty badly. Considering you just paid between $30-$150 for a portable CD player, you should defiantly get some headphones that will do justice to the sound it produces. The Sennheiser PX100 is a perfect example of a headphone that combines a great price, good sound quality, and good versatility for travel in a comfortable open headphone.
There are two key areas to consider when purchasing a set of headphones.
Sound Quality
To most people, this is the most important element for obvious reasons. The Sennheiser PX100's surprised the hell out of me with their sound quality. For something that is this portable and in this price range the bass is usually so-so, the highs good, and the mids where most of the power is. I should have realized, I suppose, that these are not simply headphones, but they are Sennheiser headphones, one of the top names in the business.
The bass is the real shock value of these headphones. The bass sounds like it belongs on headset that is twice as big thanks to the, "twin damping" system that Sennheiser has mastered.
The mid range notes are very strong, but this isn't very surprising. At this price, in fact at a significantly lower price, the consumer should expect and demand strong mid range sound.
If highs are also fairly accurate and high quality, they don't whine like many cheaper headphones have a tendency to do in portable headphones at the their higher ranges.
They are an open pair of headphone, meaning they are more suited to outdoor use and other places where it doesn't matter if some sound leaks out to the world, and some of the worlds sound leaks into your ears.
Aesthetic
In a portable headphone, such as these are designed to be, the aesthetic can be almost as important as the sound. I can say flat out that in terms of non-earplug transportation there is no way to make it easier then these headphones. They fold down and lock with a simply flick of the wrist, and come with their own small, compact carrying case into which they fit perfectly, and which will fit perfectly in your pocket. They are as transportable as any full band headphone I have ever seen.
In terms of comfort there isn't much to say, they're a nice, lightweight, fairly comfortable open pair of headphones. They're as comfortable as can be expected considering the necessary size limitations, and the average person could wear then for several hours without discomfort.
They also have a pretty cool design on the headphone itself that is a nice added touch.
Bottom Line
Price:A
Sound Quality:A
Portability:A
Comfort:B
Overall:A
if your looking for a similar headphone, but closed, I suggest you take a look at the PX200's, identical sound quality and style, but in a closed headphone.
