Customer Reviews

Sennheiser CX 300-II Precision - Headphones ( in-ear ear-bud ) - black

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I've used Sennheiser earphones for many years now, mainly because of the great quality of their products. That's also why I turned to these CX 300 MK-II, when my Apple in-ear phones decided to call it a life after some 5 months of use. These are half the price of the Apple ones, and the sound quality is better by no small margin. They are very comfortable to wear, even after hours of use. They come with a selection of small, medium, and large interchangeable fittings, allowing one to find the ones best fitting your ear size. They also come with a small satchel in which you can carry them. This little bag, however, is nothing to shout about. I never use it, finding it nigh on useless.

Highly recommendable. Very good sound for a small asking price.

This is my first pair of in-ear headphones. I also own the Sennheiser PX100 and Sennheiser HD280 headphones. I have to say, for $70, the Sennheiser CX 300-II in-ears have rather great audio quality. Bass thumps and the highs are clear. The mids could be a bit better but boosting the proper frequencies with your audio player's equalizer can improve the sound. Using the small sized adapters, I get a good seal, and after a little while I don't even really notice them in my ears. I can't comment much on durability, since I've only owned them for two weeks now, but they seem sturdy enough so far. Overall, I can't imagine finding better quality canal headphones for this price. Definitely a good buy, whether you're on a budget or not.

The cliff's notes: I gave these 3 stars because they are very much all-or-nothing in my mind. What I mean is that they are great headphones (4-5 stars) unless you are using them to run (1 star). I use them for running -- making them useless -- but they'd be great for others. And now I will elaborate for those that care.

For runners -- terrible. As most active people know, we have a tendency to sweat. After 1/2-3/4 of a mile, the earbuds become wet (I assume) and sound deteriorates to a horrendous level. The audio level will go from crystal clear to crackly and broken in no time. Furthermore, the asymmetrical cord is a horrendous idea. It sounds great up until a point where you're running against even a slight headwind. This forces the cord to constantly blow over your shoulder, often ripping out your earbud. And while on the topic, the "tacky" rubber that the cord is made of tends to get wound up and twisted onto itself which can be downright infuriating at times -- especially a few miles into a nice run.

For everyone else -- when they are working, they sound superb. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a higher quality product for the price. The mids are great, highs are clear, and bass in punchy. These restored my faith in earbud technology; that you could get enough drive out of something so small (I'm a bit of an audiophile). The different sized ear tips are a huge plus and, when you use the correct size, they are extremely comfortable. Also, they can reduce environmental noise by a huge margin.

So there you have it. If you want to run with these -- ever -- skip them. If you are looking for a new set for the train, plane, or walking about town, these are great. Simple as that.

The seller Closeouts Master sold me fake sennheiser cx300 II earphones. I was cautious about ordering these earphones because of the large number of fakes circulating, but I believed that a "fulfilled by Amazon" purchase can be trusted. I was wrong. The moment I received the package I knew that it was a cheap counterfeit. I have owned a genuine pair of cx300s for over an year and I know their packaging, build and sound quality too well. The packaging I received from closeouts master was awful/shabby to say the least with numerous little paper bits/dust and multiple huge scratches on the "inside" of the plastic casing. I wanted to return the product right away...but I first wanted to try the earphones anyway...after all I had waited for these for 2 weeks since placing my order. The quality of these fake earphones was pathetic across all dimensions...the flimsy earbuds, the fake sound driver casing, the uneven mesh/grill, the artificially enhanced bass output, you name it!...

I just returned this product...I guess I will have to buy from an Authorized Sennheiser Dealer next even if it means that I will have to pay the full retail price and not the Amazon discounted price...well worth it imo considering that it'll be a genuine sennheiser product that I will be buying.

I will start with saying that I love headphone/earbuds, and I am on a life-long quest to find great sound. Actualy, sometimes I feel it is more like an addiction (like buying a new set of cans at 2:30 in the morning because I cant sleep). It is not realistic to say that these little buds are the Be all End all of pristine and perfect sound quality that people spend beacoup bucks trying to find. Not everyone is crazy like me and willing to spend $400-$800 on a set of buds or cans that will bring ever so slightly supperior sound quality. So unless you are me and have a need to stick anything that claims to be high quality in or on your ears, and you are just looking for a fantastic sound at an unbelieveable price - GET THESE!!! (But a strong word of caution - buy only from authorized retailers. I suggest chooseing ships and sold from Amazon as they are an authorized retailer and honor the 2 YEAR warranty!)

A little backround on my references of comparison: As far as earbuds are concerned, I own the Monster Turbines Pro (gold), Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10s, Monster Jamz, Maximo iMetal w/ mic, Etymotic Research MC5, and of course the Klipsch Image S4. I'm not going to bother with much comparison of the Turbine Golds or the Ultimate Ears, suffice it to say they are slightly better sound, better Isolation, better asthetics, better accessories and hundreds of dollars more. Lets also toss out (litteraly) the Maximos, they are terrible but have a good mic. I gave them to my wife who could care less about sound quality but loves the cloth wrap on the cable. This leaves us with the Monster Jamz, the Etymotic MC5, and the darlings of cnet and therfore the internet - the mighty Klipsch S4. In this case we are really just nit picking here because all of thease buds are great for the price (or the street price). I found that if isolation is what you are looking for the Monster Jams and thier solid metal construction provide the best, but the lows are flat and the buds themselves are heavy. I have also heard that they are prone to cord breakage and other issues, but they do have a 3 year warranty. I wouldnt know as I use them sparingly. The Etys are a great set of buds and offer great sound quality for the buck, but have a very odd look to them and also leave the low end of the spectrum a little flat and in the background. As for the Kipsch S4, this is a very good set as well, but I am a little amazed at how highly regarded the are. They are good, dont get me wrong, but are they the best earbud under $100? No, no they are not. They do try very hard to be dynamic and emphisize bass and trebble but this also comes at the cost of the midrange falling into the background a bit. This emphisizes the frills of a song, but leaves the meat of it a little left behind. They also take forever to burn in, for me it took over 70 hours to get the best sound. My biggest issue with the S4 is that because the dynamic driver pushes an emphasis on the highs they can sound tinney, metalic, or unnatural at times - Try Amy Winehouse's Back to Black at a reasonably loud level and you will hear what I am talking about. And I do not mean to pick on the S4, but if all your are going by is the Cnet or Amazon reviews then they will push you toward this set and you may be missing out on hidden gems for less money. The Sennheiser CX300 MX II are incredable for the price here. They have do have a dymanic frequncy responce curve that favors the higs and the lows, but less exagerated and the dip in the mids is not nearly as pronounced as the S4. The Senns still have supprisingly punchy bass and clear highs and all the while are virtually distortion free. It certainly is a matter of oppinion, but the majority of listeners will bennifit from the Senns flatter frequency curve while still enjoying a good-excelent bass responce.

All this being said, the Senns are about half the price as their lowest competitor. I highly recomend starting with this set of buds due to their price tag, and if their sound leaves you wanting more you can always go up fromt there (Beware this can get addictive). But, I believe that over 99% of casual music listeners will LOVE these. And even for someone like myself, thease have become my most frequently used buds because the sound is fantastic, and if something were to happen to them I know I can pick them up again without breaking the bank.

Here is my rankings:

1) Senheiser CX300 MX II ($25-30)
2) Etymotic Research MC5 ($55-85)
3) Klipsch Image S4 ($79)
4) Monster Jams ($40-120)

*Note: This is ranking sound quality and overall value, if you are looking for superior isolation look at the Monster Jams, or the Etymotic.

Pros:
-INCREDIBLE BASS. It literally sounds like you in a room with a sub.
-The highs are crisp and responsive as well.
-The 90 degree plug is awesome
-Earbuds fit comfortably, but firmly in ear. Makes them great for running
-They're $26, i mean really


Cons:
-Mids sound a little muddy and washed out. Messing with the EQ with alleviate some of that
-The asymmetrical cable can get in the way if you're like me, and prefer to put your MP3 player in your right pocket
-The asymmetrical cable also makes it awkward to wind them up.


Conclusion:
For $26, I dare you to find a better pair of earbuds. You definitely won't get as good sound as an over-ear design, but Sennheiser makes one of the best efforts that I've seen to bring top-quality sound to earbuds. The muddy mids are a little disappointing, but won't subtract from the enjoyment of your music. I really wish Sennheiser made these with a more traditional Y-cable design, but the cable is long enough that it isn't too big of a problem. But with all that said, you will not find a better pair of earbuds for less than $30

these were my first pair of higher quality headphones ever. I bought them about 4 years ago. I paid $50 for them. After hearing how awesome the sound was, I thought to myself "if these were only $50, I wonder how great the sound would be if I spent $150 or $300." And so I did....I bought the Sennheiser 595's (GREAT cans), I got the Monster Turbines, I got the Shur SLC2, I got the Sennheiser PX200's, and I got two other kinds of sennheiser earbuds which I ended up giving away to my girlfriend and brother. Don't get me wrong, all of these new headphones I experimented with were great. But I can honestly say that these are STILL my favorite all-around headphones. Matter of fact I am bumping some Radiohead in them right now. They are awesome for all kinds of music - incredibly balanced bass, superior sound quality, awesome noise reduction, everything you could possibly want. hip hop, classic rock, soul, jazz, blues, electronic are the styles of music I listen to most - great for all.

I will say that you may want an alternative pair for the gym, as they are not perfect for running cuz of the cord. Other than that tho, I have used and abused the hell out of these things. I have stuffed them into so many pockets, duffle bags, computer bags, drawers, leave them in the car in the summer. You named it, I've done it with them and they are still perfect. hopefully you will all be as lucky as me and get a pair that lasts for a very long time.

I just wanted to come on here and share that thought, as it just dawned on me while I was listening to some music how much I really do love these things, and how I still somehow always grab for these 7 times out of 10, even when I have an entire collection of great headphones to choose from. It could also be a comfort thing I suppose....they are easily the best fitting headphones I own.

that is all.

I had a pair of these for about a year and because of my misuse(yanked on it while it was still attached to my laptop) the wiring broke near the connection. Of course it was still under warrantly and they just sent me a completely new pair for free.

Maybe it's just my ears but I have yet to use a pair of headphones that are more comfortable than these. The way the right ear piece is longer than the left makes these headphones great for working out and the way the ear buds are designed they will not fall out unless yanked on.

The sound on these are amazing of course, It is Sennheiser after all.

During the time I had sent the Sennheisers for repair I decided I wanted to try another pair of headphones. Did some research and looked up some reviews and came across Klipsch IMAGE S4 In-Ear Enhanced Bass Noise-Isolating Headphones. I ordered a pair from amazon and the first day of use I already hated them. No matter what ear piece I used it just wouldn't fit right. They kept slipping out during physical activity. The sound was rather muffled compared to the Sennheisers and this is definitely just me but the feel of the wiring just wasn't satisfactory.

Anyways my new CX300 II are back and that is what I'm using atm. I'm going to sell the s4 headphones to one of my buddies for half the price. OH don't forget the CX300 II are cheaper than the S4s as well! By like $20-30!

I LOVE THESE HEADPHONES I HOPE YOU DO AS WELL!

These Sennheiser CX300B MK II earbuds are the winner in my 3-way comparison detailed below, and they cost far less than one of the well-reviewed and popular competitors.

To start I will give a little context to my amateur audiophile review. I ordered the three sets of buds below after a fair amount of research of online reviews on multiple sites. Each set received 80-100 hours of burn-in with a combination of pink noise and dynamic music selection prior to being auditioned. Considering the price point of these 3 phones (all sub-$70), I reviewed them using a device to match what buds of this price would normally be used with. In this case, I used my Samsung Galaxy S2 with PowerAMP Music Player App playing Lossless Flac Files of the following selection: Miles Davis-Kind of Blue, Jurassic 5-Power in Numbers, Pearl Jam-Ten (remastered), Norah Jones-Come Away With Me, Johnny Cash-American IV, and the Minnesota Orchestra-Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances on Reference Recordings. It is also important to note that all musical gear reviews are subjective to a large degree and earbuds in particular due to fitting differently in each person's unique ear structure.

Sennheiser CX 300B MK II: Musical and natural and the most pleasurable to listen to across the majority of genres. Bass extention was deep and firm. Vocal articulation and midrange was clear, neutral and accurate without being analytical. The high frequencies were where the Sennheiser's closed the deal. Crystal-clear but silky smooth with no etchy, fatigue-inducing treble that plagues so many budget audio-gear. The only weaknesses that I can say is that the pair I got had unequal wire lengths (the right line was twice as long as the left) which I can only assume to be a rare abberation as I have not read that elsewhere. Also the buds did not fit my ears quite as comfortably as others I have tried. At about $21 shipped, these are an AMAZING deal. 5 stars

JVC Xtreme Xplosives In Ear: Very good fit in my ear, and provided the best wind-noise isolation of the 3. As you may expect, the Xplosives shine in the Bass dept. The buds go slightly lower than the Sennheiser's (subjectively) and have a more forward bass presentation. There were tracks, however, that led me to the opinion that this bass was a bit unnatural and inflated. My goal in listening is to hear what the artist intended, and if something is added or missing, that is a flaw in the reproduction. The vocals and overall midrange were very good and enjoyable to listen to with no fatigue. The highs were presented a bit back and did not render the level of detail that the Sennheiser's were capable of and also had moments of sounding etched. However, these are a solid choice for earphones and are a great deal at around $20 shipped. 4 stars

Klipsch Image S4: These are a very well reviewed and popular ear bud. At $55-$80 shipped, they are also much costlier than the other 2 sets in this review. I found bass to be better than any earbuds that come stock with devices (ipods, phones, etc.). However, their bass pales in comparison to both the Sennheiser's and JVC's. The relatively lackluster lower end bleeds into the lower midrange and vocals, which create a much less involving and satisfying musical experience. The vocals and midrange overall was reasonable. The treble was fairly smooth and detailed, and had no major flaws that would detract from the listening session. Overall, an improvement from what you get with your typical device, but there are much better options for less than half the price. 3 stars.

Bottom-Line: You can't go wrong with the Sennheiser CX300 Ear-Bud Headphones.

Strangely enough--I should the word be unfortunate?--the iPad does not ship with ear-buds. The 3.5mm ear plug is there, but the ear-buds are missing! So, soon after purchase my iPad I started casting about for a decent set of head phones. Standard sized headphones just would not do; too pigs and bulking and certainly not portable enough. Ear-buds were the most viable alternative. I of course wanted Bose, but the entry point into anything Bose is steep, too steep as it turns out; who wants to pay close to $100.00 for a set of ear-buds?

During my search I ran across the Sennheiser CX-300 Ear-Bud Headphones for a reasonable price ($24.95 at Amazon.com). They received reasonably good reviews on the site--and here at Epinions--so I decided to purchase them. The CX-300 Ear-Bud Headphones are designed for use with Hi-Fi audio, portable MP3 players, or laptop computer.

The black Sennheiser CX300 are non-ported in-ear German-mad ear-bud type headphones. They ship a handy case and (3) sets of removable silicone ear pads: small, medium--installed on the ear-buds--and large to of course fit different ear canal sizes.

The Sennheiser CX300 have a frequency response of 18Hz-21,000Hz (human hearing is 20Hz - 20,000Hz), with some 16 Ohms of impedance. The ear-buds use a stand 3.5mm plug with a 2.79 ft. Y-type black cord. Note: the right hand (Y connection) cord is longer that the left as is standard practice.

Performance

I have used other ear-buds in the past and none have delivered the sound quality and comfort the Sennheiser CX300 deliver. I was pleasantly surprised by the bass, mid-range, and treble (high end) sound reproduction from these small headphones.

I listen to a lot of contemporary jazz and classical music and so far the Sennheiser CX300 Ear-Bud Headphones have been able to faithfully render the various instruments with starling clarity. In other words, these babies deliver the sound quality, range, and clarity one would normally associate with much pricier and over-the-ear headphones.
The base response is deep, thick and enjoyable, while vocal reproduction is high, crisp and enjoyable without being too tinny.

The only downside to the ear-buds that I can see is getting them in the small case they shipped with the cords, like all ear-buds, as unwieldy and difficult to fold and or wrap, but this is minor concern. The good thing is, once in the small case the CX300 Ear-Bud Headphones are ready for travel.

Conclusion

I like my new Sennheiser CX300 Ear-Bud Headphones, so much so that I thinking about purchasing a set for my laptop--the ear-buds that shipped with are horrible! I was looking for a decent pair of reasonably priced ear-buds, what I got was above-par reasonably-priced pair of ear-buds I am very pleased with. You can't go wrong with the Sennheiser CX300 Ear-Bud Headphones.