 Impressive sound |
| Review Date: May 30, 2006 |
| Reviewer: J. Sayer, NC, USA |
| I bought these when the left earbud on my Sony MDR-EX51LP's stopped working. I was initially upset because I (thought I) liked the Sony's and planned on just getting another pair of them. However, I saw a favorable review of these in PC Magazine and decided to give them a try. I'm really glad I did! The sound is much richer and the bass is much deeper than with the Sony's and it is giving me a better appreciation of the music. Now, I don't miss an opportunity to pull out my ipod to fill the time. These also seem to be louder which allows me to listen to the ipod on a lower volume and get a little extra battery life out of it. On the plane, they also do a better job of supressing the sound of the engines. All around, I'm very pleased. They cost twice as much as my old Sony's, but in my opinion they are well worth it. |
Audio Engineering Excellence
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| Review Date: February 20, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Scrutinizing Consumer, Los Angeles, CA |
| I recently listened to music with these for 5 hours straight and got to know them well. These babies are awesome. The highs are bright, the mid-range is excellent and the low-end/bass is very good. I'm amazed they can produce sound of this quality in such a small device. Bose and Klipsch have nothing on these things. And it bares repeating, the bass is VERY GOOD - almost THX quality. Taking further into account the price of these things and we're talking BEST BUY. |
Excellent ear buds for the money !!!!
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| Review Date: February 8, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Tim, CT |
After trying several ear buds out and I have finially found a winner that didn't cost an arm and a leg. I have tried Etomic and Shure that cost $180 and yes they sounded great, but they cost a lot!!! Plus I always found something about them I didn't like. For that kind of money you better love them.
The Sennheiser CX 300 are very similar to the Sony MDR-EX51. They have the same type of fit and come with 3 sizes of ear buds. They produce very good bass with nice highs also. The sound with the volume level all the way up with an ipod is clear. Also very loud!!! Comfort is good. They are very simple to put in. They block out a lot of external noise, but not completely like the Shure do. Personally I like this better. I can pause the music and still talk to someone without removing them.
The only thing I don't like is the asymmetrical cable. I see no purpose in having one cable longer than the other. The cable going to the right bud is very long and hangs down. I tied the excess to the main cable to keep it from flopping around. Just personal preference I guess!
I would recommend these if you are looking for an affordable upgrade without breaking the bank. I'm not going to say they are as good as Shure e3c's (which I tried) but for the savings they are!!! They also have a 2 year warrenty.
I would buy them very soon if you want them. The manufacture was listing them for $50 when I first saw them. Now they are at $80 msrp. I bought them at J&R on a pre buy for $35. They have already raised there price to $50 plus shipping. Amazon still says $40 shipped free. This won't last long!
Good luck and enjoy, I am!!!
Tim |
A high quality alternative to Sony
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| Review Date: June 22, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Kevin Conville, Simi Valley, CA United States |
I ordered these CX300s after my second pair of Sonys died. I loved the fit of the EX51 and EX71 Sonys and put up with their adequate sound for the isolation and comfort they offer. What I couldn't put up with any more is their fragility. I received maybe 1 year's service out of 2 pair of Sony phones and I refused to give them any more of my money.
When I saw these Sennheisers with a similar design as the Sonys I was excited as I have two other sets of Sennheiser (over the ear) phones which are excellent. Well, I'm not disapointed. These are more accurate and articulate than the Sonys and have much better bass without getting muddy. They fit as well as the Sonys and have a symmetrical cord*, which I prefer and believe will improve their durability as compared to the Sonys which always fail on the left (short cord) side.
I can't speak to the durability of these phones as I've had them only a few days but they COULD NOT be worse than Sonys that are certain to fail quickly.
I've seen a few posts that criticize these phones for their poor bass response. I suspect these people have not tried fitting the different rubber gaskets to attain a proper fit. I did this and the sound quality difference is amazing.
These phones also seem more efficient than the Sonys as they are louder at a lower setting. My point of reference here has (obviously) been the Sony EX51s and EX71s as they are of similar (in ear) design that I find very welcome when out on the street for their abilty to isolate one from ambient noise. These are not IMO, replacements for a good set of over the ear phones when in a quiet environment. That's not a knock on these specific phones as I don't believe any "in ear" design can compare with good over the ear phones.
Highly recommended!
Update: subsequent to my writing this I've come to learn that I purchased (through an Amazon associate vendor) the generic version of these earphones. They have the same drivers and gaskets, but a different cord* and no Sennheiser logo. After this was thoroughly explained to me, I'm fine with it as this version of "Sennheiser CX300Bs" have a Y cord and not the asymmetrical cord which so many of us have come to dislike. |
Great headphones with some tweaking
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| Review Date: October 22, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Brett Wheat-simms, |
The two minor problems with these inner-ear monitors is the noise of the cord and the shape of the cord. Each issue is easily fixed:
1. The simplest way to fix the cord noise is to put a cheap cord clip (like from a cell phone headset) on the cord and attach it to the left shoulder. This seems to ground the cord and reduces noise to a minimum even when running.
2. The shape of the cord is not so strange when used correctly. Just by chance I put in the left plug and wrapped the right around the back of my neck and put the right plug in my ear from behind. Not only did this reduce noise from the cord swaying, it also made it very convenient when you take the plugs out when you need to hear outside noise. The phones, the left hanging on your left shoulder and the right hanging around the back of the neck and down the right shoulder, rest comfortably and make it convenient to grab and replace in the ear.
Honestly, I believe these are the best iem for the money. I have tried the shure e3c, e2, sony 51, 71, koss buds, apple in-ear and standard, and several others. As for fit, ease of placement, listening longevity, sound, and price, these are the best for me.
I am thoroughly impressed and the Senn cx300's are my new EDC phones.
B |
Excelent music device
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| Review Date: May 26, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Roberto Anaya, Austin, TX United States |
This is my first experience with the IEM technology. I got them to replace the "earbuds" that came with my IAudio G3 which I found to be very unconfortable and actually very painful to wear. After quite a bit of research on various headphone forums and of music hardware reviews I decided to take a chance on the Senn CX300's. I have had them for a few weeks now and they are the greatest little devices since flash MP3 players themselves.
Through my research I discovered that the ear tips were interchangeable with IEMs from other manufacturers such as Sony, Shure, and Ultimate Ears (ear tips are sold separately by various vendors including the just mentioned manufacturers). Although they sound and fit great right out of the box, experimentation with different ear tips will provide you with the ideal fit, comfort, and sound response -- since everyone has unique ear shapes, sensitivity, and tastes for sound frequency response. I think they fit and sound best for me with shapable foam tips although I'm still experimenting with various tips. Some people complain that the CX300's have too much bass or not enough bass ... I have learned that all IEMs require you take the time to fit them into your ear canal just right in order to get the frequency response that these devices are capable of. Another often cited complaint is the "J" style cord ... the left side is half as short as the right before they merge together. I think the purpose of this style is to wear the cord behind your ears and around the back of your neck in order to minimize the "stethoscope" noise characteristic of all IEMs where the cord may rub against your clothes and tranfer a low rumble noise to your ears. I have not found this to be a big problem fo me unless there is a silent pause from my IEMs while I'm also moving around a lot. I have read that some are able to further minimize this rumble by using a clip like those used for IEM/microphones that come with cell phones.
The price appears to vary here on Amazon anywhere from just under $40 to just under $60 ... so make your purchase accordingly. Regardless, I would value them over $80 since they provided me with exactly what I was looking for. They are very light weight and compact, they are very comfortable, they do a good job of isolating outside noise from getting in and an even better job of keeping music from leaking out, and they sound awsome, -- which works great for my bus commute to and from the office. From what I have read on various forums, there is a significant diminishing return when purchasing more expensive IEMs and have read posts from people that have made actual comparisons that the CX300's have a surperior sound response to the more expensive Shure E2c and the Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 3 IEMs. I would highly recomend the CX300 IEMs. Just make sure to take the time to fit them correctly into your ears before making a final evaluation. |
Fantastic headphones at this price!!!!
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| Review Date: May 13, 2006 |
| Reviewer: W. Bates, Provo, UT |
Do not believe the negative reviews. The only way these buds don't deliver great sound is if you do not know how to put them on. You have to achieve a sealing effect to get the bass, but once you get them on correctly...wow! I guess it is possible that people have weird ears in which these buds won't fit...but it comes with three sizes that should work for 99% of the population. For the price, these things deliver sound like you spent $100. Great bargain! The sound is clear, and the bass is strong, but not overbearing. Overall very pleasant sound to these headphones.
At first I was not a big fan of the asymetrical cord until I realized the right cord is made to go around the back of your head. Now I am a fan because you do not have to go traveling about with a big cord dangling in front of you. The wrap around the back of your head cord stays out of your way.
The cord is microphonic, meaning that you can hear when something rubs up against the cord. This is just something that happens with virtually all ear canal headphones. With that being said, the microphonic effect on this set is minimal.
Again, fantastic quality and sound for the price! The negative reviews are from folks that don't know how to put them on, or have weird shaped ears that don't accomodate in ear phones. |
Compared to the Etymotic Research ER-4Ps...
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| Review Date: July 27, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Neal Stangis, Colorado |
I've had Etymotic Research's ER-4Ps for about five years now, and absolutely love love love them. Terrific product. I sent them out to www.fixup.net (back when that site did this swap) to swap out the cable to something not as bad microphonically, and after that the ER-4Ps haven't gone more than three or four days without use in the course of those five years.
Well, excepting once. When the right transducer experienced a fatigue failure while in my ear canal. Was rather embarassing for me to ask my then-girlfriend to take a set of tweezers and remove the darn thing, but she did a fine job. And despite the fact that they were about six months out of warranty, the Etymotic folks did a better-than-fine job of replacing/repairing (I couldn't tell which) the broken unit for only the price of shipping. And that excellent service included direct email communication with the technician who actually carried out the servicing. Top-notch service, and enough to make me a vocal Etymotic supporter.
However, now the left-bud is exhibiting some very serious attenuation, and I can see another mailing off to Illinois is in order. But based on my last experience, I can't live without having something in the interim, and so a quick Amazon Prime-prompted purchase of the CX 300Bs was in order. While I only expected them to carry me through a brief black-out period while my ER-4Ps are being serviced, I have the feeling that they're going to be seeing some fairly regular usage. Believe me, no one is more surprised by that than me.
The ER-4Ps have top-notch sound. But where they lack is in the convenience factor. I use the foam ear-tips (that expand in the ear-canal) which are somewhat of a PITA to put in and take out. The Sennheiser buds, on the other hand, go in and out with the greatest of ease. If I'm in an environment where I may need to pause the music, the CX 300Bs are going to be my first choice.
Where the ER-4Ps still excel are environments where outside noise is an issue (think air travel), or where cable microphonics may be an issue (exercising). The CX 300Bs are the choice if I'm to be resting in bed (P. Kowalsky's wiki article at the bottom of the page is spot-on), if they may have to go in-and-out of the ears with any regularity (I'm listening at home with my wife and/or daughter around, or I'm at work), or if I need to be cognizant of say the telephone (work, again).
Clearly the ER-4Ps provide a truer response than the CX 300Bs, but the CX 300Bs do not make me cringe or otherwise distort the output to any bothersome degree. Honestly, depending on the music you're listening to, the low-frequency boost may be a welcome change after listening to the flat response of a more precision transducer.
An unqualified recommendation for the CX 300Bs. And FWIW I do not give out unqualified recommendations for those (I always have to warn potential buyers of the PITA involved with fitting them in your ears, and basically shutting off your sense of sound to the world around you once they're in). |
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