Sennheiser CX300 Phones = Awesome

Tommy B

Tommy B

Tommy B

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A few people asked if I could get back to them when these arrived.

They really are awesome. The sound quality is fantastic, and there is a thumping bass too. They look really slick, and they don't have that horrible jack-split extension thing featured on the Sony MDR-EX71s. They are J-shaped, which means one chord goes round the back of your neck - keeping them tidy. Well worth £35, although they can be picked up for much less!

Superior to the EX71s in all respects.
 
m3csl2004 said:
do the cables look like they will last?
Click to expand...

I was actually wondering the same thing. The cable on my EX71 recently began to unravel and expose the copper, so I'm looking for some decent in ear phones to replace them. I actually thought they were good headphones but a lot of people seem to have the same problem with the cables breaking.
 
Aidoscuz said:
I was actually wondering the same thing. The cable on my EX71 recently began to unravel and expose the copper, so I'm looking for some decent in ear phones to replace them. I actually thought they were good headphones but a lot of people seem to have the same problem with the cables breaking.
Click to expand...

correct, ive had 2 sets of jvc fx-55's and they have both basically stripped the wire over time
 
Just got some CX300's myself. Very impressed with the sound quality. Clarity and detail across mids/highs is excellent for this price, nearly matching the Grado SR80s I used to have. Bass is a touch boomy/strong, although this varies depending on how deep in the canal the phones are. I'm actually using my players EQ to reduce the bass a little to get the sound how I think it should be. Soundstage is very good, nice and wide, surprisingly so for earphones.

Certainly miles better than EX71 or MX500. Very enjoyable to listen to.

On the wire - feels similar to the EX71 cable to me. It's got that same matt finish and it's very thin. Your fingers don't slide over it smoothly. Doesn't mean it'll have the same problem as the EX71 though.

Cable is the same length as MX500 btw, although because it's not symetrical it does work out a little longer in reality. What I'm saying is - with MX500 and my MP3 player in my pocket, the wire would tug at my ears, which doesn't happen with the CX300.

Superb sound quality for £30 and I'd recommend them.
 
yea got a set my self, really great set of headphones, i think the wire is better than the sony and will last better
 
I've got these Creative Labs phones
http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?art=2252

Superb sound, but there is a lot of echo 'feedback' as the cable rubs up against my shirt or if you tap the cable with your fingers for example. Not sure how to describe it, but you hear a echo sound in your earlobes as a result. They're a massive irritation to use on the move.

I guess its because of the way in the ear phones are designed. I don't use my CL phones anymore as a result - only when I'm watching films on my laptop at home.

Do these CX300's suffer from the same problem?

Edit: Ignore. Seems they do suffer from the same problem looking at Amazon's Reviews
 
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Acutally, I've got to ammend my opinions of the CX300. There's no doubting their sound quality, but they are hamstrung by being canal phones. When out walking or jogging, you can hear your own footfalls, and you can hear every time the wire moves (which also happens every step). This forms a rather noisy dull accompaniment to your music and even turning the headphones way up doesn't totally drown it out.

So I'd say while they're ok for when you're sat still, like on the bus/train/plane, they're actually fairly useless for walking and jogging IMO. They're not even that great for in the house, because you have to sit perfectly still, and even then you can sometimes hear your own heartbeat over quiet sections of the music.

Don't suppose it's possible to fix them with some foam pads? If not i'm gonna give these to my brother and switch back to my MX500s :(
 
Haha, that is my problem with IEMs.. very limited place for use:

- At home: Grado and AKG.
- In the gym: KSC-75.
- On long bus/train/plane journey: UM2.

That's why for me, they were not such great value. Having heard them though, I probably wouldn't want to downgrade them now either. Ah well :D

Edit: Umm, that wasn't much help was it? I'll see if some other IEM users can provide good word of advice :)
 
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So those KSC-75s, do they stay in place well enough to walk and jog in them? How do they sound compared to something like MX500?

I don't suppose those Porta Pro would be too bad for out and about either. They're both cheap enough too :)

edit: I also wonder if you could use the UM2 foam tips or sleeves with the CX300 and whether it would improve the problems I mentioned above.

http://www.pjbox.co.uk/Westone-UM2.htm
 
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Changing tips might affect seal/sound, but I wouldn't think it would affect other sound conducted through your body.

I think I've made enough posts about the Koss to make me seem like a Koss salesman :D

Let's see now.. The Porta Pro is what made to make subsequent headphone upgrade. They showed me that there are such things as significantly better than earbuds (I was mainly on Sonys back then, but I have tried the MX500 too - and I do think that if you don't need something inside your ear as a requirement, then the Koss best them). I consider them the "reference" of the ones I'll mention next. Good bass slam, fairly bright, they have been refered to as "Baby Grados". The main reason I bought the KSC-75 were mostly aesthetic (hair).. and the headband has a bad tendency of catching onto the hair when you take them off.

The KSC-75 sound similar enough to the Porta Pro. They definitely stay in place well enough for me to walk, and jogging is fine too for me. However, they don't hold onto your ears tightly and you lose some of the bass compared to the Porta Pro, although it ensures that they are pretty confortable (I have no problem wearing them for hours). Once you press them against your ear, they'll sound more even Porta Pro like (stronger bass). I believe there are ways to bend the clips in such a way that they clip on a tighter. And the Krammer mod (basically making holes to the pad) should improve the KSC-75 further.

The KSC-35 need to be imported I think. A lot of people seem to consider them less confortable to the KSC-75, although the bass is more present because they clip on tighter. There is some debate as to which one is better, I think the concensus is that the KSC-35 sound better at the cost of the confort because it is a tighter clip.

The KSC-50 isn't mentioned much, even though it probably wouln't sound largely different.

The SportaPro is considered the most bassy of this series.

Well, I won't comment much on the last three since I've not heard them. But I am pretty sure they either share the drivers, or use similar ones, so you might want to decide the "format" you want (headband? Porta Pro, clip ons? KSC series, neckband? SportaPro).

There is also a Grado "Streetstyle" in the making. Not much is known about them though.
 
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Cheers, just ordered the KSC-75s. Before you start worrying that I've bought them just on your recommendation, I did of course check out some reviews and the customer comments on amazon :) They get a ringing endorsement (as did the porta pros but they were just a bit too conspicuous for outdoor use).
 
Blimey, you didn't say they were this good :eek: They shame the EX71s/CX300/MX500s and even my old Sennheiser HD433s, and they get pretty close to my old Grado SR80s. They're so clear and the soundstage is pretty wide, so there's really good seperation between music elements.

Extremely comfy and tugging at them (not by the wire of course) they feel pretty secure. Will have to try them walking/jogging, but I'm pretty confident they'll stay put.

Bass is spot on too, more would be too much for my tastes.

Can't believe these are only £15 :D Thanks for the recommendation :)
 
They're US made, and all their phones actually come with a lifetime warranty - you can send your headphones back to Koss and they'll fix them.

I've never tried any of their higher end stuff. I'm an AKG man myself for high end phones. :)
 
The company is american. And the KSC-75 can be had for $10-15 there :eek: Still, even at several times the cost I paid for them (over £20), they were worth every penny :D

Glad you like them too, I didn't want to hype them too much since you have heard higher end headphones.. But I don't think anyone I've recommended those have been disappointed so far :)

I've not tried their other cans, they are closed, and not considered very high end (they are £70 here, but in the US you can get the 4AAT for $70 I believe).. and haven't received the praise of the Porta/Sporta/KSC series.
 
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