Customer Reviews

Sennheiser PMX 70 Sport Earbud Line Stereo Neckband Headphone

5 star:		(213)
4 star:		(134)
3 star:		(40)
2 star:		(38)
1 star:		(58)

 

 

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.

After going through multiple Sony sport headphones - which seemed to have a 3 week half life - I decided to move up to Sennheiser sport headphones. This set has been rugged and reliable. The sound quality is more than adequate for exercise, with surprisingly solid bass response. Additionally, while the Sony sport phones would loose output from heavy sweating, this pair has never missed a note.

For someone who is not comfortable with ear bud headphones or other in-ear models I recommend this model without reservation.

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.

I do like these headphones a lot, they are not perfect, I doubt there is a perfect pair. I use them for running, stationary cycling, and gym workouts. They are the best headphones I have used for these purposes.
Other headphones I have tried include:
-Sony sport head band (over the top) with forward facing buds like this model
-Sony sport over the ear - ear buds
-Philips neckband headphones rests on the ear (no bud, just a padded speaker)
-Philips over the ear - ear buds
-Apple iPod ear buds with and without the foam covers

I always have a problem with buds falling out, so I need a headband or neck band to keep things more stable. The Sony with a headband never felt comfortable and often slipped out anyway. The Philips were simply too heavy and were uncomfortable after a short period of time.

Pros of the Sennheiser PMX70:
-Comfortable neckband that holds on the head near the ears (I have a smaller head, this may be uncomfortable if you have a larger head)
-Good sound quality. I use these at the gym where there is a lot of noise, so it is good enough. I'm not really listening anyway.
-Stays in my ears where I can hear them all the time.
-Can be use running, cycling, or with weights (benches, free weights, machines) with out any problems.
-Rinse them off in the sink after a sweaty workout.

Cons of the Sennheiser PMX70:
-Not adjustable - my ears are slightly different shapes, so it sits differently in my left ear and does not sound as loud.
-Sweat runs off my head, down to the ear bud and in my ear. At this point it sounds like I'm in a swimming pool. I use a towel or my shirt, dry the bud and my ear off, and continue with my workout. This happens maybe 1 out of 4 workouts, and is a problem I have will all ear buds.

Overall, this is the best solution I have found for decent sound, comfortable fit and few problems with a set of headphones for working out.

Awesome for running. They stay in, have great sound quality, no foam padding to soak up sweat, and the cord isn't a hassle to deal with. Weird thing is, I wore them for 30 minutes around the house yesterday and they kind of hurt b/c of how snug they were in the ears...Then I did an 8-mile run with them today and they didn't bug me at all. So I'd say that these are the perfect headphones for running, but you might want a more comfortable pair for just lounging around listening to tunes.

Also, lots of people complain about the color...doesn't bother me one bit. They'd go better with the lime green ipod but I care more about the functionality.