30 out of 30 people found this review helpful.
A Better Headphone - But Not Necessarily Great Ones
Date of Review: Jan 17, 2006
The Bottom Line: If you're willing to spend more money but not necessarily $150 , these are a good, compact pair of headphones.
This Xmas, I got a few nice gifts from my parents - including a new set of headphones for my iPod/PC/stereo. I was looking for a decent pair that didn't cost an arm and a leg, and had picked up a pair of Sony MDR-Q22LP headphones to replace the failing earbuds from my iPod. I was happy with these, although I realized they weren't fantastic, and had put a more expensive pair on my Amazon.com wish list - which I received: the
Sennheiser PX 200 headphones.
[ why SENNHEISER ] When I started looking around, I did a Google search for the best iPod headphones, and one name kept coming up - Sennheiser. However, most of the recommended models were in the $250+ range - a little more than I wanted to spend on headphones for my iPod, since the iPod itself cost just a little more. But the reputation of the brand got me looking - and the Sennheiser PX200 were in the price range I wanted to spend (about $50 or so).
[ getting the BETTER SOUND ] I had already enjoyed my Sony headphones for a while, when I received the upgraded headphones as a Christmas gift. While these headphones did not have the over-the-ear style that I liked, they did offer some other positive things in place of that feature. These are the standard headphone configuration - with one major change: they fold-and-collapse into a compact form that makes them easy to transport. Even aside from that, the headphones are fairly compact, and therefore are comfortable to wear without being too large to have in the office.
The earpads are small and compact, and the padding provide a good amount of sound reduction - good enough to block out panting dogs and background conversations. The sound from the headphones is good, too, although I do notice a subdued response from the high end (the range ends at 21kHz) but depending on your music, that might not be as noticeable in your case. I do also hear more noise from my PC when I use these earphones than when I use my earbuds, but I believe that to be more of a function of my PC's frontal jack than the headphones - the sound on the iPod is great.
They are pretty comfortable, too, cushioned on the ears and large enough to fit snugly but comfortably around the head. The cord is a little short, however - 100cm shorter than my Sony iPod phones. This might not sound like much, but the 1.4m amounts to 4.3 feet - which can prove just a bit too short when you're sitting at a computer. A longer cord would be helpful, but it's not a huge problem.
The key feature of these phones - other than the improved sound and the fact that they don't fall out of my ears - is that they fold to fit into a much smaller space than normal. The construction is such that these phones will definitely last for a while, too - heavy construction belies the light feel of these phones when you're wearing them. The earphones themselves fold flat, and then the whole headphones collapse into a size not much larger than a set of sunglasses. Even better, Sennheiser provides a hard case for the phones that helps protect and transport them. The case is pretty stylish and a nice touch on top of the phones.
If there is one problem with the headphones, it is the fact that because they fold, it can be easy to get the cords caught in the folding parts. I have done this twice already, and I'm concerned that one of these times I'm actually going to crimp them to the point where I actually cut through the cord. I'm more careful now, but it does prove to be a slight problem that you might want to consider.
[ tech SPECS ] Type: Folding, travel headphones with foam ear pieces
Style: Collapsable over-the-head
Color: Black
Impedence: 32 ohm at 1kHz
Sensitivity: 115 dB/mW
Frequency Response: 10 - 21,000 Hz
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.1%
Cord: 1.4m neck chain style
Plug: 3.5mm stereo mini plug
Weight: ?
Warranty: 2-year Limited
[ coda ] I really like these headphones - they're not as flexible as the Sonys and they are a bit more expensive, but they do have good sound. The unique feature - and a very good one at that - is the fact that they fold into a compact case for transport - and you get a free case at that. They're comfortable and they provide some good sound, with a bit of sound-dampening effect. The cord is a little short in some situations and can get caught in the folding action, but other than that, I've been very happy with these headphones.
[ related REVIEWS ] Sony MDR-Q22LP headphones iPod 4G 20GB iPod Video 60GB -
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