Customer Reviews

Sennheiser PMX 70 Sport Earbud Line Stereo Neckband Headphone

5 star:		(213)
4 star:		(133)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(35)
1 star:		(52)

 

 

I have learned through numerous headphone purchases (mostly wasted) that buy headphones with your activity in mind. No headphone design is good for all body movement patterns, sound requirements, and weight profile. Sometimes you just have to but em and try em to see if they fit your activity listening requirements.

I bought these headphones for running. Just for running, not for exercise or more broadly sports. I use other headphones for those other categories. I already use the Nike HJ020 Flight Sport headphones for running. I use other styles for other types of activities. In general, the behind the neck in-ear design (Nike and Senn.) are a good choice for running since they stay secure while being lightweight and have a low profile. However, the design is not functional for lifting weights or seated listening. The neck band pushes against the bench/chair and comes out while hurting your ears. Also, I do not find the design comfortable on my ears for general listening. I much prefer using the various Sony earbud styles for general listening.

The Sennheiser PMX70 is very similar in design to the Nike headphones. Here are the differences:

- the cord comes out the neckband on the Nike and the left front side on the Senn. Coming out the neck is less intrusive to your face but puts a little weight on the neckband. Nike +

- the neckband comes over the ears for the Senn. and straight to the neck for the Nike. For the Senn., the earband puts pressure on the outside of the ear unless you push it behing the ear. Either way, it a little snug on the ear. Nike +

- The Senn. are a little heavier then the Nike. Nike +

- The Senn. behind the ear design and stiffer neckband make the headphone a more secure albeit snug fit. Senn. +

- The Senn. is more stylish but a more visible profile (depends on what you want others to see)

- The Senn. sound is superior, but not detectable during running. Senn+

For me, I am sticking with my Nike headphones for running. I am always on the lookout for new, better headphones. For running, The Sennheiser PMX70 is new but not better.

These headphones do what they set out to do, be a good sport headphone. You can't expect perfect sound from sport headphnes, that is not their primary objective. What these headphones do well is stay in your ears while being physically active. Their sound is nowhere near as complete or rich as Sony's phonotopia headphones, but unlike Sony's earbuds, they actually stay in your ears. This is achieved by way of a single cord to the left earphone instead of cords to each ear (which can get caught on just about anything), and a horizontal head piece.

The only fault I have found with these headphones is with the wrap-around type head piece. It is too big and not adjustable. I guess the manufacturer was trying to make a universal size, but it is big. I must angle the head-piece up towards the top of my head to make it fit well, which seems to work without degrading the sound too much.

The headphones work well with sunglasses and sound pretty good. But, do not expect the same quality of sound that good earbuds will give you. The earpieces on these headphones are not adjustable and therefore cannot be fit to your ears. But, as I said, this is not the reason you are buying sport headphones.

What these headphones were made to do (stay in your ears during physical activity), they do well. But don't expect perfect sound quality or complete blockage of ambient noise.

After someone stole my Bang & Olufsen A8s, I read many reviews, and bought these PMX70s. They sound surprisingly good, are trivial to put on, and stay securely in place. In-ear models sound better, but one doesn't want all the other bodily noises that are audible when exersizing with in-ear phones.

The single cord is an advantage, and they're ideal for running, good for biking. My daughter likes them, too, no mean feat.

My only complaint: the pressure that keeps them secure also means wearing them for more than an hour becomes painful. So they don't really replace the A8s, and I'll also need to get a pair of the Sennheiser OMX70s for walking around. [Added a week later] A minor annoyance for biking, when traveling downhill fast, there is a lot of wind noise, perhaps due to the sticking-out design.

[3/2009 - the plastic outside the cable is finally starting to crack, at 3 yrs not so surprising, and they were left in the sun from time to time.]

[6/2009 - the cracked cable bothered me, so I bought another pair, which remain my high-school daughter's favorites.]

[5/2010 - she broke another pair, they are stuffed into a purse without ceremony. The new state of the art seems to be the Sennheiser-made Adidas earphones, PMX 680, which are at least as good, although they cost more.]

The Sennheiser PMX70 had excellent sound quality and volume compared with others I'd used recently. I had high hopes on first listen. However, these semi-in ear headphones were moderately uncomfortable after only about 20 minutes. I later took them on a 40 minute run. The design is such that in any position I adjusted them, the speakers tilted slightly upward in my ear. Once I started perspiring, my sweat poured right into the little speakers. I had to stop every few minutes to shake the collected sweat out of the earpieces. The right speaker was filled with sweat and non-functional pretty much the entire run. Who designed these? Consider these headphones only if you 1) never plan to exercise while using them and 2) will be keeping them on for 20 minutes or less.

I am training for a marathon and while I love the single cord design, the headset is not adjustble and after 30 minutes of running, the ear pieces have become unbearably painful. I have a relatively normal sized head for a man and have tried stretching the headpiece, but I have gotten to the point where i am going to have to try another set.

I tried all the new sport lines from Sennheiser. These are comfortable and have excellent range of sound from the highs to the lows. One cord = less tangles and "fooling" to adjust single earpieces as you walk or run. When not using at work, they fit nicely around your neck. With single buds, they dangle or get cord tangled up. Thesework well with my sunglasses also. Light, no pain in ears at all even after 2-3 hours straight wear. The "twist to fit" are clumsy to try and fit. Trust they will move out of position when you walk or move your head thus losing all bass. The clip on versions are a joke. Hard fit, no bass..barely rest on your canal. I am a big fan of the Sony Fontopias for the "in ear sound" (that drowns out noise...for when I study). These Sennheiser behind the necks are my second pair. You can still hear ambient sound. Recommended if you are active or like the idea of one cord and one piece set up.. Best to not wear a collared shirt with these but rather a tshirt. The back of the brace will keep bumping the collar when you move your head up or down or sideways and is annoying. Tshirt has best clearance. Unless you stare at the ceiling all day.

I have gone through several other sports headphones (Philips / Nike being my previous favorite). These are now my favorite.

Pros:
1) These have the best sound for working out.
2) The bass response on these is very strong, even a bit boomey in the lower frequencies. If you like this then you will love these.
3) They stay in position perfectly in any upright sports activity (running, riding, walking, etc).
4) The cord seems to be quality material. We will see how long it lasts.

Cons:
1) Be sure you are comfortable with headphones which go behind the neck. If you are doing weights where you are lying on your back, they will get bumped out of your ears.
2) I don't use them for travel due to the bass response and them getting bumped when you lean back in a chair. The bass annoys me after a couple hours. That is when I break out my Sony in-the-ear headphones which have much more accurate sound reproduction without the boomeyness and neck loop.
3) This is the most I've paid for sports headphones.
4) Lime green may not be your color.

These headphones are the best ones that I've owned to date! Great sound and perfect chord length (for those who have purchased really short or really long chords, this will be appreciated) Being a runner, I'm constantly struggling with phones which don't stay put and fall off. I want to keep the smaller profile look and feel, and still maintain a solid headphone and not sacrifice brilliant sound. Well BINGO..they have arrived!

My only complaints are small:
1. They only come in the neon green....personal preference
2.They don't budge at all...so no putting your head down or up against something...

Other than that, great find and buy! Hope this helps! :)

I've had these headphones for about 1 month. I recommend reading all the other reviews for this product before making a decision.

I use them exclusively in the gym while using the cardio equipment to relieve the mind-numbing boredom. I've never used them while jogging outside, I don't get bored while outdoors.

I am a heavy sweater so that was one of my primary concerns about choosing this headset. I didn't want any foam to get all cruddy, and I also didn't like the ear-bud type. I was looking specifically for behind the neck. I also considered the Sony folding sport type (I forget the model number) but two many reviewers said they broke easily.

The Sennheisers aren't the most comfortable phones and I can understand why they could be very uncomfortable depending on the size of your ear opening. My head size is larger than average and I don't find the phones too tight.

I looked around at the various big box stores (Best Buy, Walmart, Circuit Silly, etc.) but I was not able to find this particular model of Sennheiser. It would have been nice to try them out for fit before purchase, but I couldn't find them locally.

Sound quality is on par for a sports headphone. Its nothing like a real headphone, so don't buy it just for listening to music at home. I've had other Sennheiser headphones for home use and I really like them because of their lightweight, open-air design.

One thing that is not mentioned about the product, is that the cord is loosely coiled, sort of like a telephone cord, but very loose. This feature causes the cord to bounce somewhat.

They are more efficient than my original mp3 (creative) player headphones, so I get more sound at a lower volume control setting.

I rated them 3 stars for 2 reasons. I took off one star because I think they are way overpriced. If the comfort level had been supreme, I would have rated them 4 stars. But the comfort is just average, hence my average rating of 3 stars.

I have searched high and low for ear buds that would stay put while running on the treadmill or pavement. I purchased these headphones based on reviews I read in Runners World Magazine. They are outstanding! They have a comfortable fit, stay put no matter how hard or fast I run, and produce great sound. You can't beat the price either (especially if you are like me and have purchased several pairs of ear buds that are just sitting in a drawer now).