Customer Reviews

Sennheiser PMX80 ECO In-Ear Eco Friendly Sport Headphone (Grey/orange)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a newer model of the PMX80 which has 10 reviews elsewhere on this site. Based on those reviews and reviews of several similarly priced items, all of which were extremely helpful, and the fact that this was a newer model, I selected this item. I am very pleased with it. I have tried several different kinds of headphones during cardio and other workouts all of which were dismal failures. They fell out on their own, or my hands would catch the cord and yank them out, or the seal was so weak that I had to pump the iPod volume up to max to get the music to a level that I could hear during a workout. These headphones suffer none of those problems. They stay in during both cardio and weightlifting workouts. They seal very well and block out other noise decently so that I could have a more appropriate volume.

If you are interested in sport headphones, you may be also interested in exercise clothing that facilitates wearing them and I recommend the Scottevest Tshirts which have a zippered shoulder pocket that held my iPod and enabled me to keep the headphones cord short so that it did not get caught by any arm movements. These two items in combination eliminated a number of workout-related nuisances and boosted my enjoyment considerably.

UPDATE as of Dec 14: Since I posted the above review in July as a 5 star review, I encountered the same failure that others who have given the product 2 stars in their reviews encountered, namely that one side has failed. The company appears to give a 6 month warranty so I will be mailing it to them for repair or other remedies.

UPDATE as of Jan 24: I experienced difficulty getting a response on my warranty claim and was eventually rejected. The mfr's website has a form to be filled out and sent in via email - but the email address was not a valid one. I eventually reached them using the "contact us" page on their website, whereupon I was told that they would not honor my warranty claim because it was not sold by an authorized dealer - although purchased through Amazon. They referred me to a page on their website that lists the authorized and unauthorized dealers. As a result of this experience, I cannot recommend this product. Potential buyers through Amazon should beware of this experience. I am now using Koss Clippers for exercise and so far, knock on wood, have been pleased.

I love the headphones. But beware. Amazon comments popped up when I was researching this and indicated that the "eco friendly" version sold by Blueproton was a newer model. So I popped for an extra $15 plus more shipping thinking it was a new release from the maker. Wrong. It's the same as the other PMX80 II headphones that sold for less. Plus, it did not come in the pictured eco friendly packaging. It came in a giant clam shell plastic bubble.

It's a great product. Durable, comfortable, and sounds decent. I use them for running. I would highly recommend you buy these, but would recommend you shop for the best price and ignore Amazon's suggestion of the eco friendly as being somehow different. Go with the cheapest.

I always use headphones when I go work out, which I do about 5 times a week, and I have been through a lot of headphones. With that in mind, I am willing to spend on quality to prevent another future purchase, so I don't quite have the same complaint about price that others do.

My first use of these headphones was great. They fit well and the sound quality was great. My only complaint was that the in-ear pieces don't sit perfectly in my ears to project the sound properly. It might be a fault of my genetics, but it is only a small problem. What I do feel is important to note is that within a week of use, the connector piece has started to go a little haywire. It is one of those frustrating things where you have to hit the "sweet spot" to make sure the headphones are working. This wouldn't be too much of a problem, if I used the headphones in casual settings. However, I use these all the time during my runs and workouts where the connection often gets shaken and moves, which subsequently causes the sound to go in-and-out.

This may have been caused by a fault of my own, either throw constant use (through a week?) or my rough nature (I'm at the gym...). Either way, I bought these headphones thinking that these were "Sport Headphones", making those problems moot. I guess I was wrong.

These are the same headphones as Sennheiser PMX80 Sport Series II Behind the Head Ear Phones For Sports and Sennheiser PMX80 In-Ear Sport Series II Behind the Head Earphones.

This review is from: Sennheiser PMX80 Sport Series II Behind the Head Ear Phones For Sports
The first few times I wore these, they were awesome. They are the perfect design for wearing while running. After only a few uses, however, one side has quit working ... unless you hold the jack in the plug constantly. The casing where the jack plugs into the MP3 player is flexible and seems to lead to the break-down of the connection inside, causing it to cut in and out with the movement of running. Not cool. I will be emailing Amazon next to get my refund!

Update: I was too late for a free return, so I'll just throw them out. We looked inside the casing and the connections were all broken. Very disappointed as these headphones were SO GOOD at the beginning. IF YOU BUY THESE, TRY REINFORCING THE AUDIO JACK END WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE OR SOMETHING TO PROTECT THE CONNECTION!

The search for the perfect running headphones continues ...

Update Aug 22, 2011.
Buy these headphones instead Sennheiser PMX 680 Sports Earbud Headphone with Volume control & Neckband. Same as these orange ones, but much more durable. Read my review there.

I discovered these headphones a few years ago at (the now out of business) Circuit City. I bought them on a whim and spent $60. They are great headphones and the sound quality is unmatched. Brilliant mids and highs with deep rich bass. They also fit well. Since that first pair, I bought the next few from Amazon at a significant savings. They last me about 6 months and then need replacing. (I use them all the time for running and sweat a lot) This most recent pair that I bought didn't fit quite right and only lasted a month. I will probably buy another pair regardless because they are just that good and I am assuming that I got the one lemon in the bunch. I still strongly recommend these headphones.

I bought the PMX80's last January and used them frequently both at the gym and running. Overall, I was happy with them until August when audio jack became loose from the housing enclosing it. This caused the wires to become exposed and short out. They were a decent pair of headphones but previous pair from Sony lasted over 3 yrs. Since these only lasted 8 months and were three times the price I cannot rate them very high.

I was really disappointed by this orange pair of Sennheiser sport headphones. The older green model I had, was perfect and got a lot of use... until it was misplaced. This new one, I wish I had never bought. Can't seem to bend the coil to make it wider, as it keeps its original shape too well.

Broke after just a couple of months of (admittedly heavy) use. The cable broke off from the plug.
Aside from durability it's great, very comfortable and good sound quality.

I bought this exact pair from another vendor (off Amazon). I wanted something that wouldn't keep falling out of my ears, much like the ones that came with my Ipod.

Well, they don't fall out, but they are not very comfortable. The part going over the top of the ear is pretty hard. I have to lift them over my ears to get them on correctly.The wire is too long and kept getting caught up in the gym equipment when I was sitting down. Eventually, one section of the wire loosened enough from the ear loop so I heard most music in mono.Overall, sound quality was okay when working in stereo.

Considering that I only used them in the gym three times a week for one hour at a time, they did not last very long.

The only thing "eco" about this product is the packaging(supposedly).

I normally don't write reviews, but I feel the need to break this down. I have a pair of studio monitor headphones by Sennheiser (HD280PRO) that are great and the frequency range is a good value for those recording/producing. I bought the PMX80 as I was training for a half-marathon and most of the reviews indicated that it worked well even for those that sweat a lot.

1. Comfort - It's very tight and I would think so for even someone with a small head. I started wearing a headband to help eliminate sweat getting into my ears but also to provide comfort for the headphones. Without the headband, sweat would get into my ears and the sound would break.

2. Sound quality - I think I got mine for around $30 so I wasn't expecting much, but the sound quality was worse than a pair of similar style Sony headphones I found in my closet that was at least 5+ years old. Don't expect much from these even from a reputable headphone company.

3. Quality - These starting breaking down within about a month of use. Initially it was just a small issue where the jack would need to be moved into a certain position and you'd be fine. About a week before my 1/2 marathon, the headphones completely died on me. I made sure by trying to plug into other audio sources and also using my Sony headphones on my iPod shuffle. I know it took a decent amount of abuse, but if you're selling "Sport" headphones, I would expect some durability.

I wouldn't waste your money on these.