Sennheiser PX100 Headphones Review - My Ears are Alive, with the Sound of Sennheisers...
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For testing the sound on these puppies I used every source I had available to me. For the most part, they were all the same results. I tested these with the following sources:
MP3
CD
Internet Radio
Toshiba DVD player connected to a Kenwood stereo receiver w/ dolby 5.1
XM Radio, using the same Kenwood receiver
a television headphone jack
a portable MP3 player
and (finally!) a portable CD player.
Those last two I listed separately because the first MP3 and CD I listed were through my computer, which has a SoundBlaster Live 5.1 audio card. I am basing my judgements on sound by comparing sound from the PX100's with a pair of Sony MDR-CD60's, a pair of "back-of-neck" style Creative headphones that came with my Nomad Jukebox MP3 Player, and a pair of Koss real-o-cheap-o.
For the MP3 test, I listened to Trapt's Headstrong for the rock/metal end of things, some Chopin for the classical/easy-listening group, and some relaxation thunderstorm recordings I listen to at bedtime. I even pulled out some bass-laden rap of which I can't recall the name of right now. (Something along the lines of Spice1, I think.) Everything was great except for the heaviest bass parts which, although there was no discernable distortion, caused the phones to literally shake on my head due to their lightness. A good pair of phones will make rain (thunderstorms in my case) sound as if you were standing in the middle of it. Being that these were MP3s, there was a tad bit of distortion that was audible when turned way up but it wasn't caused by the headphones - it was just audible because of their high quality.
As for CDs, I knew I had to use some of my Nine Inch Nails, so I dug out my copy of the Perfect Drug (no NIN fan should be without Halo 11). Trent Reznor is a genius when it comes to mixing and re-mixing his music. (An IQ of 165 helps, I’m sure). Honestly listening to this CD alone was enough for me, as it covers mids, highs, and lows, not to mention the use of spatialization. These headphones, as light as they are, allow you to immerse yourself so completely in the music that you begin to feel as though you are in the music - or rather, that the music is in you, playing so clearly that it may be coming from your own mind. Alas, I'm sure one CD wouldn't be enough for some of you, so I also dropped in Marilyn Manson's version of Sweet Dreams for some heavier stuff and a classical CD with Bach and Beethoven. Likewise, they both sounded better than I had ever imagined that they could.
For the DVD part I put in The Mummy: Special Edition as well as Shrek. Since the cord is only about one meter (three feet) in length, I was forced to sit pretty much directly in front of the television. It didn't really bother me all that much because the sound coming from these bad boys put me as near to a theater experience as I care to get without stepping on gum and shushing the people behind me. (And yes, I do shush people in the theater; If they wanted to talk, they should have stayed on your couch, damn it!) Once again the explosions and gunfire in the movies shook the headphones, but I did have them turned up pretty high. It doesn't take away from the sound quality, but it reminds you that you’re wearing headphones, which can be distracting at times.
The last test I'll talk about is the portables: my Nomad Jukebox and Aiwa CD player. The CD player is aged like not-so-fine wine (c.1999), but it plays, and the music sounded phenomenal! The MP3 player also sounded fantastic, and with both of these players, the battery life lasted about the same as with the Creative headphones I mentioned earlier. It's obvious that Sennheiser was aiming at the crowd using portable audio players with this headset, which makes these last few factors of the utmost importance.
Next: The Joy of Duofol in the PX100s >>
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