Sennheiser PX 100 Collapsible Headphones

Be forwarned that no 1/4" adapter is included. Apparently Sennheiser wants consumers to view these as strictly low-end phones suitable only for connection to a portable CD player. Nonsense. My only real disappointment thus far is the awkwardness of folding and fitting the headphones back into their hard case. If I can get this down to 60 seconds or under, I'll probably revise my rating upward.


Great comfort, sound, and portability at an attractive price   February 26, 2005
James Takahashi (Beavertown, OR, USA)
158 out of 161 found this review helpful

Since receiving a 40GB iPod last Christmas, I've been looking to replace its stock earbuds with something a lot more comfortable, a little less tinny-sounding, yet comparable in portability. The local Costco recently was demo-ing several Sennheiser headphones, and since I happened to have my iPod in my pocket, I had a chance to listen to it paired with the PX100s.

Putting them on, I immediately noticed that I'd be able to wear these for hours with no discomfort. They are light (65 grams), which is comparable in weight to a comfortable, El Cheapo headphone that typically comes bundled with Walkmen/MP3 players. Pads at the top of the metal band help to keep even more weight off of your tender ears. They are the open-air style where you only have sponge pads pressed against your ears (as opposed to having them enclosed within full, heat-retaining ear cups), and the spring pressure holding them against my ears was not excessive, yet there's no sensation of them wanting to fall off. In summary, 'A+' for comfort.

That's where the El Cheapo comparisons ended, however. Listening to the sonics, I was immediately impressed by the low end response. Bass this good usually needs either an in-the-ear design, or a larger speaker mounted inside an enclosed ear cup design. Dialing up King Crimson's bass heavy "Easy Money" on the iPod, I noticed how clean the bass sounded. Lesser speakers/headphones tend to turn the low end of that tune into a muddy, boomy mess, but the PX100s handled it flawlessly -- the individual bass notes were distinct, and still retained their "plucked string" character. Impressive. The high end sounded crisp, and the midrange felt very airy and open. Perhaps even a little too airy. Despite this latter suspicion, I'll give the PX100s an 'A-' for sonics.

I'd originally only been considering ear buds since I wanted something that is easy to carry around with my iPod (and since I'd erroneously assumed only ear buds would have acceptable bass response). The PX100s pushed their way into my candidates list due to a clever fold up design that squeezes them into an eyeglass-sized case (145 x 75 x 27 mm). This is still a bit larger than what I'd hoped to find (especially compared to ear buds), but acceptable. You have to spend 30 seconds folding it, and winding up its cord, but I'll give the PX100s a 'B' in portability.

OK, so now I'm tempted. Scanning for the price tag, I'm thinking I might be willing to go as high as $80ish. It turns out they only cost $39.99! 'A+' for price.

Sold! :-)

Addendum: After getting these home, I compared them to my home headphones: AKG K240DF Monitors. When I first got the K240s about twenty years ago, they were considered high end from a sonics perspective. By today's standards, however, they are middle of the road performers. The fact that they're still in production, and still command a market (as opposed to MSRP) price of $100ish means they probably make a good benchmark for mid-priced headphone comparisons.

As studio monitors, the K240s strive for "flat" response. Comparing them to the PX100s, I see my comment about the midrange being "too airy" is probably justified... the PX100s emphasize those frequencies beyond flat response. At the low end, I'd say the PX100s slightly outperform the K240s -- the PX100s make individual bass notes a little more distinct (i.e., low frequency response seems a bit faster). At the high end, the two headphones sound about the same, at least with my iPod. With a better sound source (MP3s ripped from a CD lose some of the high frequencies), high end differences might be more evident.

From a price-performance perspective, the PX100s are a big winner in my book. The comment about overly-airy midrange should be taken with a grain of salt. When it comes to sonics, personal preference is the ultimate gold standard, and I personally don't find the PX100s midrange emphasis to be distracting or tiring. You'll need to listen to them yourself, and decide for yourself whether you agree. These are not audiophile caliber headphones, but for my iPod, they are more than good enough.


Wow!   July 23, 2004
W. French (Carnation, WA USA)
111 out of 137 found this review helpful

I bought these to go with my new iPod, and all I can say is "wow". I can't believe these headphones cost under $50. The folding action is very convenient, and the case that comes with it is top-notch. These sound warm and full, amazing for a lightweight set of headphones. They are the perfect complement for the iPod or any other portable device. Not quite as comfy as my Sony cirumaurals, but they fold up into a neat little case.


Great sound at a cheap price isn't necessarily cheap   November 26, 2005
C. Hannum (Blacksburg, VA USA)
97 out of 117 found this review helpful

If I were only reviewing the sound quality of these headphones I'd give them 5 stars. If I were only reviewing the comfort of these headphone I'd give them 5 stars. After all, I've bought three sets of them I liked the sound and comfort so much. The problem is, that it was three sets in less than 18 months...

All of them failed in the same way: the right channel just crapped out from a cheap cord design. The first set I chalked it up to me not treating them right. The second set I was a bit angry about but I decided to try the warranty replacement. Unfortunately, I was dumb enough to buy a 3rd pair while waiting on the very slow warranty service, which wound up replacing them with a completely different model of headphone to add insult to the whole process.

Well, yesterday, in spite of my gentlest treatment yet, set #3 crapped out in the right channel after only 4 months. That's it, I'm not wasting any more money on these headphones and I recommend the same to everyone else.


Excellent portable headphones for the money.   November 4, 2004
Trevor C. Cook (Winter Park, FL)
50 out of 52 found this review helpful

The Sennheiser PX100s are the entry end of Senn's PX line (which includes the open-aire PX100, the closed PX200, and the noise-cancelling PX250). They retail for $39.99.

The PX100s are small, unobstrusive phones. They're suited to portable music players (portable CD and MP3 players), as they are relatively efficient and drive well for the most part. They are small and thin, so you won't look like a complete geek or goofball wearing them in public, and they fold up cleanly and could easily fit in a shirt or pant pocket. They also include a carrying case. The build feels flimsy, but they are actually far more durable than one would imagine. The cord is thin, so beware snagging it too sharply, and short (these are not for use with a home system). They are also extremely comfortable, with a large "sweet spot" and light weight.

Out of the box, the PX100s sound extremely "sweet." They're remarkably soft and smooth sounding, and this will initially sound somewhat disappointing, unless you listen exclusively to jazz. Never fear, however. After about one week of normal use, the highs and lows open and sharpen up, and the headphones become well suited to more aggressive, harsher sounding music (such as metal, hip-hop and hard rock) as well as natural and smooth melodies. Overall, there is a slight emphasis on the low-end; there is pronouced bass without any "bass boost" or EQ needed. However, the highs and mids are never drowned out, so the PX100s never sound muddy. The midrange is strong, and while the highs come in weakest of the three, they still sound better than any other phones I've heard in this price/weight class (the Koss PortaPros, the PX200s, the Bose TriPorts).

It should be noted that the PX100s are open-aire headphones, meaning they offer close to zero isolation. What this means is that they block out very little outside sound, and at high volumes in a quiet area (such as a library) your music will most likely be audible to those in your immediate vicinity. If you MUST have closed phones, the PX200s are the best choice, though it should be noted that they are very finicky in terms of their "sweet spot." It's occassionally hard to get the PX200s in exactly the right spot of ear and can result in disappointing sound, one of the reasons I ended up choosing the PX100s over the PX200s (as the 100s feature a much broader sweet spot on the ear).

I highly recommend the PX100s to those looking for alternatives to the "stock" phones that come with most MP3 and CD players. For those seeking high-quality sound performance on the go, and don't wish to carry monstruous DJ-style headphones (or "sound support systems" as my father refers to them), the PX100s are an excellent choice. They sound great, they don't look bad, and perform well without the need for any external amplification. They might drain the battery a bit more than the stock ear buds, but the difference is negligable and definitely worth it when you hear the difference in sound.