Sennheiser CX 550 Style II – Premium Metal-crafted Ear-canal Phones For Natural, Balanced Sound and High Noise Isolation
Posted by Notcot on May 5, 2010 in Portable Sound & Vision |
5 CommentsReply |
MenuLatest GadetsRecent Reviews
Archives
|
These are almost identical to the (discontinued) CX95. They are great phones. I upgraded from CX300. These are dramatically better at the high end; hi-hats and cymbal crashes are well defined and if you listen to rock music it makes a world of difference. These headphones are not quite so “bass heavy” as the CX300, which means that for some electronic music I actually prefer the cheaper phones. But on balance these are a great upgrade.
Rating: 5 / 5
I bought these phones after extensive research about a month ago as an upgrade from iPod own set. Used them to fly travel and the noise isolation is very good. As I write this I’m listening to the new Pearl Jam album on CD (not MP3 or ACC) and the sound is very good. Its all there, the highs, Vedder’s voice, the bass (not extreme bass), all is crystal clear without being obtrusive. Sometimes I notice some annoying humming noise, but that is never there for long. I thought that my pair was defective but since it only happens very sporadically I can live with it. For a regular guy like me that always enjoys gadgets these are the best phones I ever had by far. They are the most expensive too.. but these are worth all the money. The cable is a bit flimsy, my pair of much inferior CX200, that I bought at Tesco on a rush (bad choice) seem to have a more sturdy cable, but apart from that they feel solid and look good too. I recommend these to anyone looking for an affordable, high quality set of earphones but does not have the money or the will to spend what the like of shure and others ask for their “triple driver” “all fancy” earphones.
Rating: 5 / 5
I’m a big fan of the Sennheiser brand, so it pains me to write a negative review, but my experience with these headphones has been a major disappointment. The sound quality is basically great and the construction quality seems good, but the headphones are not suitable for the purpose for which I bought them and, presumably, for which they’re intended. The reason: they just will not stay in my ears while on the move.
I’ve tried them for two days and, on each occasion that I’ve used them, one or both of the earpieces has fallen out of my ear within *seconds* of starting to walk. I changed the medium size cups for the larger ones, with no noticeable difference. I don’t think my ear canals are particularly large or unusual and I have few problems with cheaper headphones that have fabric “socks” over the earpieces, so I can only put this down to bad design. The cable extension cord seems a poorly thought-out feature – why not just make the cable of a suitable length to start with? As one or two others have commented, the cable is too short for any credible purpose without it and, with it, it’s much heavier because of the extra socket, making the earpieces more prone to pull out of the wearer’s ears.
These headphones may be ok for use on public transport, but only if you sit completely still. I’ve noticed that, even when seated, the slightest head movement affects the seal between the headphone and the ear, causing a disconcerting fluctuation in the bass. Next time I’m on a plane or train I’ll give the headphones another try but, for now, I’m afraid they’re going to spend their time sitting in a cupboard, unused.
Rating: 2 / 5
First off, I know this item hasn’t been as reviewed as its shure/bose/beats competitors. Sennheiser are a great company that consistenly make great products, to the point that I am now claiming absolute loyalty to them. The CX550, the next generation of the CX 95 are great headphones.
I haven’t tried the CX 95, however I know some people who have, who actually care about the sound and don’t regard price as a major issue. They’ve tried my cx 550 and compared them with beats by dre, bose in ear headphones and a standard set of ipod phones. I managed to convert 4 unbelievers who thought ipod headphones were good enough to consider splashing out on some serious head gear.
I played a few pure tones ranging from 30 hz to 18khz( that’s the max I can hear). It’s quite a linear frequency response, with a little more treble than most phones, which means cymbals, high pitched instruments and female voices are so clear. Not too much bass, but if you’ve got and a media player EQ and time, its not a problem to change that.
Also, if you don’t like in ear phones that cancel noise, then don’t get these and diss them just because they don’t fit. My sister can only use over ear phones were as they make my ears uncomfortably hot. I’m not going to diss the quality of sound because I couldn’t fit them properly. These only sound good if you can fit both into your ears properly, else it WILL sound airy, tinny, and unclear(though that should be obvious. I’ve seem reviews were people diss these style of phones for this exact reasons).
Finally, sound is a subjective concept, meaning you’ve got to experience it. But my experience with the CX 550 and other in their price range tell me that if you like vocals and high pitched instruments(jazz, bepop, classical), these are ideal. They’ll do other stuff, but you’ll appreciate those genres more.
Hope this review helps anyone looking for a first time upgrade, or for a change of pace.
Rating: 5 / 5
I decided to splash abit more cash on a decent pair of earphones because I must of gone though about 6 cheep pairs this year, I ordered the earphones last night and I received them early this morning I was amazed at the time it took and was generally impressed.
The earphones themselves are really strong and really would seem much harder to break, the sound quality is brilliant for the size of the earphones. Although you can’t expect them to be as good as proper headphones like my Sennheiser PC350’s.
Sound – 8
Comfort – 8
Style – 10
Accessories – 9
Overall I am really happy with the product.
Rating: 5 / 5