Sennheiser CX300-B

We knew you couldn’t keep a company like Sennheiser out of the in-ear headphone sweepstakes forever and the German headphone giant finally makes their long-awaited grand entrance into the ear-canal earphone (ECH) category with the CX-300 model. This earphone could almost be considered a hybrid design somewhere between a shallow-fit earbud and the deeper insertion of a true ECH. The CX-300 sound quality is certainly WAY better than barely tolerable earbuds but probably not quite up to par with entry-level ear-canal headphones like the Shure SE210, Jays D-Jays, or Etymotic ER-6i… but still quite close at friendlier price. The isolation factor certainly won't match that of an ECH either, but the CX300 still provides decent external noise attenuation at least as good as most "passive" sealed-back [closed] headphones. The CX-300's mids & highs are quite clear-sounding, but not particularly well-detailed in the uppermost highs which sound slightly rolled-off to our ears. The bass response seems to be very much affected by the user's choice of eartip and, of course, the overall tightness of the earpiece's fit inside the ear; with the right tip/ fit, expect a punchy, full-sounding bottom end. The CX-300 occupies a unique niche between earbud & ear-canal headphones and is a very nice initial step by Sennheiser into an intensely competitive in-ear headphone marketplace.

The CX-300 comes with three black silicon-rubber eartip sleeves that are sized in small, medium and large. The inconspicuous matte-black color scheme resists showing dirt and looks slick to boot. Highly efficient operation and a low 16-ohm impedance rating ensures plenty of output from any mobile audio source like Mp3 / DVD players, laptops, and portable gamers. The asymmetrical "J" cable style minimizes cord slack on the move when hooked up to a portable player on your belt. The 40" cable is terminated to a mini-plug 1/8" (3.5mm) termination. A 2-year product warranty remains standard on all Sennheiser products.

Take advantage of Sennheiser’s limited time promotion: Send your old headphones to Sennheiser and receive credit toward your new Senn’s! Click here for details.