Sennheiser PX 200-Iii User Review

MSRP: $ 150.00

Description:

Unique fold and flip design
Superb Sennheiser stereo sound
Smart in-line remote control with microphone
Rugged and robust – steel-reinforced headband

1 Reviews 0 Quick Ratings 4.00 of 5

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Reviewer: dalethorn
Review Date: March 9, 2011
Overall Rating

4 of 5
Value Rating

4 of 5

The sound of the Sennheiser PX-200-II is quite different from the sound of the PX-100-II, and where I would normally expect a closed earcup (PX-200-II) to produce better bass than an open earcup (PX-100-II), the opposite is true with these two headphones.

Bass with the PX-200-II is down about 5 to 6 db overall compared to the PX-100-II, but is up about 3 to 4 db compared to the Beyer DT-48E version 2010, which is known for very light bass response. Unlike the DT-48E however, the PX-200-II offers a modest level of visceral bass impact, and while that would not satisfy a person who finds the PX-100-II to be “about right”, it does give a sense of real bass – even deep bass below 50 hz. Bass detail with the PX-200-II is excellent, much like the detail I hear with the PX-100-II.

The midrange of the PX-200-II is clear and clean, but seems to be boosted slightly in the 2 to 3 khz range, imparting an “EEEEEEEEE” (in English) to the sound, but not enough to make a significant coloration in my opinion. I noted that when the in-line volume control of the PX-200-II is turned down from a given listening level, and the source device’s volume is turned up to equal the original volume, the midrange acquires a more nasal or “honky” quality, which suggests to me to keep the PX-200-II’s in-line volume control at maximum.

The PX-200-II’s highs are smooth, but rolled off quite a bit at 10 khz and above when connected to the headphone jack of my iPod Touch (2010 version). When connected to my Cute Beyond headphone amp via the iPod’s dock connector (line out) with low gain enabled, the highs improve significantly. I did not experience problems with sibilants in either case.

I didn’t get a chance to compare the PX-200-II to the PX-100-II, but I have a PX-100 with 12 cm wide holes cut out of the center of the earpads, and that headphone still sounds quite dull compared to the PX-200-II. Compared to the Sennheiser HD-800, the PX-200-II’s midrange has that “EEEEEEEEE” quality to a significant degree, which could also be described as nasal. Still, listened to on its own with a wide variety of tracks, I wasn’t bothered by midrange colorations.

In my test for isolation, I placed the iPod Touch on a table 3 feet away, playing a Musicbox app through the built-in speaker at 80 percent volume. With nothing on my head I could hear the musicbox loud and clear with full quality of tone, and with the PX-200-II on my head the sound was dulled quite a bit, but still audible at almost the same volume.

The following are some of the music tracks I tested with, and the main features I listened for with those tracks:

Blues Project – Caress Me Baby (piercing guitar sound, handled well).
Cocteau Twins – Carolyn’s Fingers (guitar string detail and quality, excellent).
Commodores – Night Shift (bass detail, excellent).
Germs – Forming (raw garage sound, good).
Lick The Tins – Can’t Help Falling In Love (tin whistle, very clear and clean).
Lou Reed – Walk On The Wild Side (bass impact, fair).
REM – Radio Free Europe (drum impact, good).
Rolling Stones – She’s So Cold (bass impact and guitar sound, fair).
U2 – With Or Without You (bass boom/high-pitched instruments/sibilants, handled well).
Van Morrison – Into The Mystic (bass, weak).
Who – Bargain (voice trailing off: “best I ever had”, good vocal harmonics).