Sennheiser CX-300-II review - 5 stars...???

[landzw]

I purchased the CX95 and felt the same way but have a lot of running in now they blow the hell out of my old headphones ,

For the next couple of days charge your ipod / mp3 up and leave running with the volume around 75% , If your using ipod up convert you'r music from 128kbps to 256kbps and make sure the headphones fit in your ears with the correct bud

 

[the record spot]

Bit rate varies little I find - there's a lot of urban myths around what makes for a decent listening experience and what supposedly doesn't. Currently I've gone through a bunch of different rates and settings. Most recently tonight WAV files and the "Elton John" album from 1970 on a first release DJM CD was stellar. Likewise a US/Japan Atco first edition of "A Trick of the Tail" by Genesis - which is one of my reference discs - was as jaw dropping as it is on the Marantz player.

The Nano has a mix and they all sound excellent - 192kbps and Apple Lossless in the main. I really need to sit down and do an A-B with the different music files one day, but doubt that'll be for a while.

One thing further though, it's been an eye-opener to see how well the little Sansui AU-217 amp has done, currently deputising for the main AU-717 whilst it's being serviced (properly this time...); performs way above it's level with the iTunes source.

 

[the record spot]

ESP2009:
Would that be about 10hrs in?

To be honest, I sincerely believe that it really does vary from one item to the next how long it takes for it to hit its stride. It may be that you just came across a particularly stubborn pair.

I will be giving my pair a good workout when I go on holiday.

I think I was just surprised how brittle they were given that the others I've had were good pretty much from the off - I think the Samsungs were excellent for freebies in a phone package - while there's a bit of a brightness to the Sennies that might not work for everyone, but they're fine for me.

And it was about 8.5 hours. More or less.

 

[FunkyMonkey]

Shock horror, What Hi Fi gets a review wrong. Shock horror 2 - they give a 5* award loosely.

 

[ESP2009]

FunkyMonkey:Shock horror, What Hi Fi gets a review wrong. Shock horror 2 - they give a 5* award loosely.

Not so - you need to read the thread in more detail.

 

[Anonymous]

Slightly OT

RS - Where are you getting the 717 serviced?

 

[the record spot]

A local place near me. Do you have something needing serviced (as it were, ooer missus!)?

 

[Anonymous]

Not at the moment but conscious that a 34 year old amp might need attention at some point

 

[the record spot]

Which part of the country are you in Daskeg?

 

[Anonymous]

Manchester

 

[the record spot]

Maybe worth having a chat with some independent retailers in the area to see who they go to if there's nothing obvious from your phone book. Might be the local guys will take some used kit for a spruce up...?

 

[Sonic Dreamer]

the record spot:Just bought a pair of these on the strength of the review. To give some background I had been using some Sony earphones which had cost £8 and were good, very good in fact, but they didn't fit my left ear too well. My wife had a pair of in-ear phones which were supplied with a Samsung mobile she had which she didn't use for the phone. They were superb, the drawback being the cable which was far too short and meant the only way I could easily use the iPod nano I have was to put it in top pocket of my outdoor coat which I wear in to work. After that, it's pretty difficult to use, given it's barely 8 or 9 inches long! So, I got some of these Sennies from John Lewis - good write-up, excellent in fact. Sounds good, clear treble, nice mids and a good bass. My kind of thing. Plugged them in, popped the phones in my ear - nice and snug, good so far. Hit play. Oh dear.

5 star review, "Against? - Nothing of note", good write up and the rest all went flying out the window. Harsh to start off with, I gave them a bit of run-in time. After half an hour they lost their sharpness, and I adjusted their position in my ears to ensure they were sitting right, but the end result is an set of phones that has no business taking the kind of review given, and definitely not a 5 star gong. What on earth happened here? The treble is painful - no apology for the hyperbole. Way to high, far too bright - cymbals and strings just sound harsh. There's a "tizz" and a bad dose of sibilance and the music is ruined. At times, it's okay, but I just need to switch back to the Samsungs to know how the music should sound, or even my Sony phones. Money wasted. It's annoying if I make the mistake myself, but when I look to the magazine to provide a reliable review - especially for products like this where you can't try before you buy for obvious reasons. Very disappointed with this; out of pocket and highly unimpressed.

I'm with you all the way on this, the first time I have encountered a What Hi-Fi 5 Star review where I have tried the product and found it to be truly appalling. Like you the first thing that hit home was the treble, intensely excruiciating, borderline unlistenable. I used them once and not since.

SonicD

 

[the record spot]

Well, I have now stated that I've run them in and they're more in line with the reports I'd read (albeit on the bright side of neutral) although the other thing is I put a lot of store in the WHF 5 star gongs.

Purchased on the back of said full monty awards were:-

Mission 751
Aiwa ADF850 tape deck
Marantz CD52-II CDP
Mission 733i (the review was bang on)
Mission 752
Samsung DVD-950H DVD/SACD/DVD-A player

...hence I'm glad the trend has (finally) continued!

 

[manicm]

Glad they're improving, but I still disagree that they're bright - I just think others might be dull - like my Shure SE110's - one of the worst things I bought - and these are both WHF fivers!

 

[the record spot]

Semantics in the end manicm - the Samsungs to my ears are well toned across the board for my ears, the Sennies are good, but their sharper top end (a feature amongst many an audio component today) makes them stand out more. Perhaps not shrill, but they could be less bright and become an even better product as a result.

I should add, incidentally, that being partly deaf in my left ear would lend one to think the Sennheiser is the preferred product, when the reality is the Samsung product is the more preferable to my ears.

 

[John Duncan]

the record spot:albeit on the bright side of neutral

I have found that a couple of years' worth of earwax takes the edge off them.

 

[the record spot]

JohnDuncan:the record spot:albeit on the bright side of neutral

I have found that a couple of years' worth of earwax takes the edge off them.

 

[ESP2009]

JohnDuncan:the record spot:albeit on the bright side of neutral I have found that a couple of years' worth of earwax takes the edge off them.

Have you been to Frank Harvey testing earphones recently by any chance?

 

[DistortedVision]

I really like the Sennheiser CX-300s. I've just bought the CX300-II and they are even better than the original ones. I'm surprised so many people didn't get on with them. I've found them to be alot better than ones costings several times more.

 

[Anonymous]

I also bought these to play using my ZUNE 80, All i would say is 7 out of 10, The Original earbuds that came with my ZUNE were just as good if not better sounding.

that's my review . make of it what you will.

 

[John Duncan]

ESP2009:
JohnDuncan:the record spot:albeit on the bright side of neutral I have found that a couple of years' worth of earwax takes the edge off them.

Have you been to Frank Harvey testing earphones recently by any chance?

No, but I did try some at Bristol:

 

[unconvinced]

After I burned them in, jiggled them wiggled them wet them, changed tips and every thing elsed them.

They are britlle and hard in the treble, too recessed in the mid and nondescript in the bass.

Unlistenable and before you jump to their defence check out Amazon reviews they are a real mixed bag.

This suggests that quality control is a major issue or a vast number of listeners have ears that are inured to hard trebles.

Judging by my experiments with IEM's both scenarios are likely.

Before this set I tried another IEM senheisser and returned them for the same reason.

p.s I have recorded and mixed my own music for decades and I almost cried when I heard it mangled by this rubbish set of phones.

 

[Frank Harvey]

JohnDuncan:the record spot: albeit on the bright side of neutral

I have found that a couple of years' worth of earwax takes the edge off them.

Have you been to Frank Harvey testing earphones recently by any chance?

Not sure what this is referring too, particularly as there are no in ear headphones available for demo...hey ho.

Anyway, I had a pair of CX300s for quite a number of years. I changed them about two years ago for some in ear headphones at the £150 mark (and tried a few more out too), and the difference is vast. I always thought the CX300s were good, and yes, they are better than bundled headphones and fine for their price point, but as you'd expect, they're far from the 'be all and end all'. This was proven when I went back to the CX300s (which I still have), and they sounded harsh and sibilant. But as with all things, it's down to expectations, requirements, and preferences.

 

[cannibal_ox77]

Having recently been gifted a pair of CX890i's, I know where TRS is coming from - it's taken me a while to get used to such a bright sounding headphone. There's good bass and decent clarity but the treble can be so bright it can be painful, and there's little weight in the midrange. Not bad overall, but considering the relatively cheap plasticky finish I think they are poor vfm at over £100, having previously owned many in ear headphones including cx300's, Soundmagic e10s and Bose. I actually like the latest bundled apple earbuds, but as I listen to mostly podcasts when I'm out & about, it's more about comfort and I find the apples moulded one piece design very comfy. Also not having to worry as much about them getting damaged and not having to feel the need to pack them away in a carry case, they seem to be very resilient compared to pricier models - something that Bose in particular from experience are poor at. To be fair to Bose I found their after sales service to be second to none and had 2 pairs replaced. I'm not confident these CX890 will last and certainly wouldn't have been my choice if I was picking them myself. Not bad sounding though, just a different presentation than I've been used to. For music on the move I'll stick to the B&W P5.