Sennheiser CX 300 II Precision Noise Isolating Ear-canal Phones, Black

Product Information

The Sennheiser CX 300-II features asymmetrical cables (a cable style that you might have seen in our review of the Sony MH1 Livesound) to reduce cable cluttering and have a rubberized finish to reduce tangling issues. So Sennheiser faced a difficult task when it came to updating the CX300s. The price had to be low enough to tempt people away from the freebies, and sound quality had to be good enough to improve on the first-generation model, but not so good that they cannibalised the higher-end earphones that Sennheiser sells at higher prices. They seem to have got the balancing act just about right.

Like most in-ears, the CX 300-IIs don't have an issue with leakage. This is partially because they create a good seal with the ear and partially because they're small and right next to your ear drum, so they don't have to be very loud. You won't have to worry about subjecting people on the bus to your techno remixes of Simon & Garfunkel's greatest hits. The Sennheiser CX 300-II have bright highs and are able to resolve some mild detail. Piercing highs are not present but sibilance could be recurrently and strongly heard. Really, there's not a lot to dislike about these headphones. They fit well, have good sound quality, seem durable, and cost less than they should. An EQ makes their highs very noticeably brighter, some extra detail is also resolved but not by a huge amount. Piercing highs still remain under control but sibiliance becomes stronger. A different approach can be taken regarding their high’s equalization, if you prefer you can aim your EQ to reduce sibilance instead of enhancing brightness and the Sennheiser CX 300-II will respond greatly with a very clear reduction of their sibilant vocals without taking out too much of their high’s brightness; if you want the ” EQ recipe”, just dial down frequencies near the 7 kHz and fine tune the nearby ones.The SE420s have a somewhat weaker bass, but have a much more even kiel to their response curve. The SE420s also have a weaker high end. The winner here will be decided by personal preference. Distortion The Sennheiser CX 300-IIs are solid headphones for their price. They haven't been released in the US yet, but if their price remains consistent, we foresee a few new adopters.

Accessories-wise, the CX 300S might seem a little light. Included with the earphones, you’ll find four pairs of silicon eartips and a soft carrying pouch. The CX 300-IIs had a good frequency response – it wans't amazing, but it was solidly above average. They had good bass, which is something all good in-ears have to struggle for (bass requires moving a lot of air around, so the smaller the ear bud, the harder this is to do). The curve drops off a bit towards the mid-section, at which point the curve becomes slightly erratic, but manages to stay within the lines. After that the curve drops off a bit. Typically frequencies above 10,000 are used to add 'brilliance,' 'luster,' and a handful of other rather intangible qualities to sound. If you notice the loss at all, it'll likely manifest itself as softer vocal sibilance.In-ears typically don't give users great access to their inner workings. The CX 300-IIs are in this boat. The only thing you can do to clean or maintain the headphones is to remove the sleeves for cleaning. Some in-ears come with cleaning tools, but the CX 300-IIs trust that you can provide such things. The only one of the comparison headphone sthat ended up coming close was the CX 95s, also by Sennheiser. Though the Turbines have a better aesthetic design, they do look a bit drab compared to the CX 300-IIs. The CX 300-IIs also have a more durable design. Compare the ear buds and plugs of the two headphones. The CX 300-II has better cord guards at the ear buds and a significantly better guard at the plug. Also, the plug is bent, which helps protect the internal wires better than a straight plug. Frequency Response

Originally released in late 2008, Sennheiser's CX 300 II Precision earphones are some of the oldest models on the market from the CX Line, but continue to deliver in almost every aspect. For those looking for a high-performance pair of earphones within budget, these are certainly worth considering. Features & Sound Applying an EQ, lower vocals clear up and mid-bass bleed is reduced but if the overall EQ is overdone their vocals can risk to get a bit ecoish (if done correctly there will not be any issues). Higher mids can get a bit harshy if pushed too much. Sennheiser is an ultra famous headphone and earphones company that you most probably already know and might have heard from. The one comfort issue we ran into with the Apples was they kept falling out. This is annoying. Otherwise, both headphones were about as comfortable to wear. Featuring a fairly run-of-the-mill earbud design, the housings feature a slight angle, allowing for an ergonomic and comfortable fit. Honestly, I could wear these all day without feeling a thing, and the sound definitely merits that consideration.The Sennheiser CX 300-II are a very popular budget model from Sennheiser that has an incredibly small size and that Sennheiser markets as an earbud with “powerful”“big bass response”; we will determine this after running our Sennheiser CX 300-II soundtests. The Sennheiser CX 300-II bass is punchy and deep with a fun style that provides energy, strong mid-bass and good sub-bass to any type of genre. Mid-bass could feel a bit too strong if you were expecting a more classic/balanced sound style from Sennheiser but if you enjoy vigorous bass these in-ear headphones will most probably make you happy.

The CX 300-IIs, again, find themselves as the sportier, more festive option with slightly more durability thanks to their cord guards. Frequency ResponseWe thought the CX 300-IIs were slightly more comfortable. The CX 95s' 'bent' design caused the cord to fall straight down, when it should naturally fall down and away. This led to the ear buds pulling out more easily.