Sennheiser CX 400 II Precision Noise Isolating Ear-canal Phones with Integrated Volume Control – Black
Posted by Notcot on Mar 27, 2010 in Portable Sound & Vision |
- High-end dynamic speaker systems with Neodymium magnets tuned for a natural sound reproduction
- Superior fit in the ear canals offering highest attenuation of ambient noise (extended ear adapter set included)
- Integrated volume control
- Various accessories included: cable clip cable winder and carrying pouch
- Optimised for MP3 iPod iPhone CD players and portable gaming systems
Well, it is if you’re passionate about music and want to listen to it as nature intended. Some people (like my parents) can listen to Dionne Warwick through dodgy headphones with no defintion or clarity and be completely happy. I want to hear everything, i want to be in the studio with the Artist(s) when the song’s being recorded!
These ‘Cans’ are the closest i’ve got so far. I bought a pair of Sennheiser’s last year (can’t remember the type) and wasn’t all that impressed with the sound. Plus, after 6 months, the left one went completely dead. As you can imagine, when i stumped up 50 of the queen’s finest in HMV (That’s how much they cost in the real world folks!) for the CX 400 II’s, it was was with a feeling of rising trepidation.
I needn’t have worried. The leakage out of these is minimal, so not only will you be popular on public transport but practically everything goes straight to your brain! That means extra bass. Now i’m not a teenager and i don’t solely listen to cheesey dance music but i still like a strong bass resonance in my music. With these, I get it. Plus the clarity of all your other frequencies is equally as clear. I guess this is the closest i’ve got to having my ears sealed by a pair of headphones, that truly helps cut down the background noise. Take nothing away from the quality though, the sound on it’s own is truly impressive.
Minor gripes. These go pretty loud (110db i think, most go to 104db) and when you do attempt to ‘Go to 11′ the clarity does disappear. No distortion, but high hats and cymbals don’t come through quite as well. That said, unless you fancy wearing a hearing-aid for thr remainder of your life i doubt you’ll want to take them up that high anyway. Also, the lead has a rubber coating (i think it’s rubber, rubberish anyway) which may provide protection (haven’t had them long enough to testify to that yet) but does mean they get tangled quite easily.
Comes with Volume control on the lead, plus 3 or 4 different size pairs of ear piece fittings for custom ear canal tightness. One of the major advantages of these is the noise isolation so this is an important aspect.
I have scoured the pages of Amazon looking for headphones in the past. It is a minefield out there, but i stake my reputation on these. As far as sound quality goes, they are quite simply the best pair of headphones i’ve ever had!
Update: 04/12/09 – No problems with headphones deteriorating, they are as good as when first purchased!
Rating: 5 / 5
If you prefer a summary, please skip the below and see the end of my review.
Since purchasing my SE W995 I have been looking for a decent pair of canal phones to pair it with. In the past I’ve always just used the standard stuff you get out of the box. They did the job but they all had one factor in common: lack of bass. Using the various supplied rubber ear peices didn’t make a difference.
Already owning a pair of Sennheiser headphones and reading all the positive reviews here, I thought I’d give the CX 400 II’s a chance.
After connecting them for the first time, my joy turned to despair. The bass I had been expecting still wasn’t there. I started testing out the various rubber ear peices and eventually found the type that fitted snugly inside my ear and FINALLY I have the results I have been looking for!
Now tracks from Prodigy/Pendulum REALLY come to life. But it wasn’t all about bass as my music collection is vast including many genres like classical, funky house, Swing, etc. Everything sounded clean, and crisp.
I’ve used the CX 400’s almost everyday for a good few weeks now and I am extremely impressed. All my music just sounds rejuvenated, the earpiece feels comfortable even after prolonged periods, and the leakage is absolutely minimal. The volume control is an excellent feature, the pouch and cable clip winder is very useful, and the generous amounts of rubber ear peices mean that the right fit is guaranteed. Also included in this package is a 2 year warranty. I have to admit that although I’m grateful for all the accessories and warranty, I can’t help but think that they should of thrown in a TV as part of the deal!!
SUMMARY: Final word? Disappointed about the lack of a free TV, but these canal phones are superb and of an excellent quality. Highly recommended.
*UPDATE on 24/03/10* 6 months of solid use later and these canal phones still are in great shape and performing superbly. I understand some people have had problems with them (break soon after purchase, wires breaking, etc). I’ll level the playing field by stating I have not had any of these problems whatsoever, so I expect they are just isolated incidents.
Rating: 5 / 5
Have a pair black Sennheiser Eco phones and quite impressed, but music a little sharp, so bought these ‘400’s’. Very impressive, you certainly feel that not only are you at the recording, but almost in the microphone ! Certainly the best I have used.
Minor gripe : Volume control smooth at low settings but all or nothing at top end. But such things are unimportant, nothing can detract from the quality of sound these little beauties produce. Thank you Sennheiser !
Rating: 5 / 5
I have many sets of earphones and have some that I prefer over others. When I bought an iPhone as a replacement to my antiquated iPod I struggled to get and decent warmth and bass in the sound from any of my sets, whilst at the same time keeping tight mids and crisp highs.
Then I discovered the CX400 IIs. They are an excellent set for the money and work very well with the iPhone, allowing excellent sound reproduction without having to resort to the dubious preset EQ options available in the iPhone software. Fit is good, as is the variety of different earbuds – finding the right match for you is very important – and overall aesthetics are very pleasing.
The CX300II is a good set of earphones but the 400CXII beats it in terms or warmth and bass response. If you are interested in Classical or Jazz I would not recommend these, but for all other types of music they are perfect, especailly at this price.
Rating: 5 / 5
I have had Sennheiser headphones for several years and have gradually moved up the ‘scale’. I’ve been keeping an eye on the 400 series but they had been too costly until now.
They are quite different too my previous pairs of CX300. The cable is thicker, the connector is bigger nad it has the volume slider on the cable. The sound reproduction does sound better. They also fit very well into my ears. I have not had a problem with the brand before but these are even better.
So – are they worth it? I’d say ‘yes’. A very nice improvement. With the great Amazon price I’d certainly recommend them.
Rating: 5 / 5