Sennheiser CX 500 sound-isolating earphones user reviews
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User reviews9
Craig Thornton 11 April 2011
Good: bassy full sound, totally blocks out other noise!
Bad: no in line controls (skip play etc)
Comment: now a very cheap but accomplished pair of headphones that won't dissapoint!
Max Kesik 1 April 2011
Good: everything
Bad: cable and it comes out of your ear sometimes
Comment: they should put a remote in there as well
Max Kesik 11 March 2011
Good: Price and everything
Bad: The cable and bad design
Comment: It doesn't fit in to your ear probably. It comes out in when you jumping around or just moving. But overall its a very good headphones.
Raj Dhami 9 December 2010
Good: good midrange, excellent low end bass
Bad: too many fakes please be careful
Comment: if you end up buying original cx500s then i guarantee that you will not be disappointed, being an audiophile i have been through hundreds of headphones to pair up with my mp3 players and ipods, i had the original cx300s and they were brilliant until after two years they fell apart, on the plus side they were used everyday. then i bought the cx300 version 2's after and the sound was absolutely amazing although the bass was not as deep the treble was in another league of its own , the cx500 combine the bass of the original 300s with an extra oomphh, believe me the bass is skull shaking, and have improved on the treble which was already fantastic in the cx300 version 2s. I picked the original cx500's from play.com for £15 (bargain) considering thier quality of sound
Hourglass 17 March 2010
Good: Sennheiser quality, selectable ear piece size, noise isolation (both ways!)
Bad: irregular frequency response (bass too strong, murky mid, constrained highs)
Comment: I've been a Sennheiser man for over two decades now and have never been able to fault their professional studio headphone series. I am a part-time audio engineer and have found Sennhesier to be up there as having the best sound reproduction on the market (Audio Technica are on a par). Sennheiser are renowned for their crisp and accurate top-end, a very accurate mid yet with a restrained and honest low-end. There's nothing worse than having a boomy loose bass when trying to master a recording.
So when upgrading my iPod plugs, I didn't have much trouble in deciding on Sennheiser. (Was always going to avoid the overrated Shure and Bose). Yet for these, I was extremely disappointed and shocked to begin with, but I perservered and found a new EQ setting on the iPod and the right ear inserts to fit me. They're good, but not as good as I was expecting. The typical Sennheiser brightness and crispness to the top end is lacking, the bass is too strong and the mid-range has a very un-Sennheiser murkiness.
As someone who has actually looked after their ears (confirmed in regular audiometry tests!), my top end hearing is still very good so Im disappointed that I'm not getting the colour of the upper-mid and high end with these.
I have found that over time Sennheiser phones have needed a bit of a running period to really get the mid-range going a bit, but wouldn't think in-ear plugs would need the same period. Im actually hoping they do!
Whereas other makers often struggle at high volumes, in typical Sennhesier fashion, their best performance is actually with a fair bit of volume. Of course the in-ear plugs will never get close to the studio 'cans' insofar as sound quality is concerned, but I was expecting much better from these.
The cable is not shielded (typical of portable headphones), so on low volume any contact with the cable by hand or table or shirt will reverberate up the cable as a rumble. Admittedly this is a symptom of most in-ear plugs.
Overall, a 6. They'll do me for the time being (will be handy when flying, because as we all know the bass always fails to board the flight!), but I might have to go and test-drive something else in a year or two.
If you're a first time Sennheiser user and upgrading from your standard iPod plugs especially, you'll probably be happy with these. If you're used to the excellent studio 'cans' of Sennheiser, you'll probably be disappointed.
Greeny 27 January 2010
Good: Great Bass and Sound isolation from small light Earphones.
Bad: Bass could be overpowering for some forms of Music
Comment: Before I bought these I used ipod standard white headphones. The difference these make is, to me, absolutely incredible. My music tastes range from Jazz to drum and bass, from electro to prog rock, and for all genres, these headphones are infinitely better than any phones I have tried for under £80 and match up very well to much more expensive ones such as sonys MDR-EX500LPs. They are also about as good as sennheisers cx95s, but are much more portable and comfortable to wear. Their weight is perfect for running or gym work, and the sound isolation is good enough to walk down the side of a busy main road and have not much detraction from music at standard volume, where with ipod headphones you had to turn the volume up to full to hear the songs.
Admittedly, the music is very bass heavy, and this is obviously bad if you don't like that, or listen to classical or piano based music a lot. However, if you are looking at upgrading from standard headphones, or are looking to buy new headphones having tried competitors, I cannot advise these enough. They can be bought new on ebay for about £10 - £15 on ebay, and for that price, are an absolute bargain.
GadgetsRme 3 August 2008
Good: They look nice and fit nicely in the ear
Bad: Terrible sound. Not as noice cancelling as you would expect.
Comment: Shockingly BAD and distorted sound - that is the essence of these earphones.
I am surprised that Cnet has praised these (very disappointing really, please test them again - it was the review here that encouraged me to buy them).
They are very comfortable to wear, UNTIL YOU START PLAYING YOUR MUSIC!!
I tried using them with my laptop, my iPod and a stereo and nothing could possibly make the Sennheiser CX 500 earphones sound good!
Whatever your budget might be, I suggest that you spend the extra £££ and buy a proper pair - anything and at any price-range from Shure will do (from about £40) or stick to whatever you have (even the earphones supplied from Apple with the iPod are better and have a clearer sound).
There is only one thing worse than no sound and that is BAD sound!!
Good luck with your purchase - it is a bit of a jungle to find good earphones, but obviously price is (unfortunately) a good indication of the quality...
anthony_samson 5 April 2008
Good: Good sound isolation and v.good sound quality (alot of earbuds)
Bad: Not much really!
Comment: I would like to congratulate Sennheiser on producing a mid-ranged sound isolation headphone that stands out from the crowd. Well I mean this quite indefinetly because the sound quality is very good and the sound isolation is just perfect for noisy commuter journeys. However there is something missing as is always the case with lower end headphones but I'm looking for perfection in a perfectly affordable package. If you want an excellent pair of headphones you will have to spend some hard earnt cash but every penny will be well spent if you decide to part with your cash on these beauties. Also comes with a nice selection of earbuds. Nice!
C K 25 February 2008
Good: Comfy fitting, strong bass.
Bad: Like the official review says, bass not connected to the mid and high.
Comment: I got this pair of CX-500 dirt cheap, as a matter of fact, much much cheaper than the normal street price. As for the performance, I am actually quite surprised with what it can do. I am a user of the higher end Sennheiser 'headphones' such as the HD-600 and 590s. I did not expect to hear such a deep and low bass from the small in-ear CX500. It was as if I was listening to a whole different album because of the missing low-end when I use the other earphones and headphones!
The mid and high are clear, not excessive at all at a comfortable level. I have had some Japanese earphones which emphasis the highs too much which actually hurts my ears! But I agree with the CNET review, the bass is somehow too strong that it just doesn't connect with the mid and high for certain type of musics.
The package includes a whole collections of silicon ear plugs for the best fitting. With the correct plugs, its sound isolation is very good. I have used it on several long haul flights and found it to be very effective. Although you just can't compare it with the active sound isolation phones. The wires are thick and robust, but I do not find the volume switch very useful anyway.
All in all, with the money that I paid for the CX-500, it is definitely worth every penny. If you can get it cheaper than 30quids in the UK, it is probably one of the best within this price range.