My Review of the Sennheiser PX200.
Forgive me if my standards are high, but going from the HD650 to the PX200 has an effect on my judgement. So don't take this review too seriously, i can't guarantee total lack of bias.
First i'll go on my first impressions.
The build is fairly solid and the quality seems good, although i believe the joints where the drivers meat the headband could be improved, looks a little flimy if you ask me. Besides that, the thing looks like it can really last. Plus the 3 dots for you to feel you way to putting on the headphones are a welcome edition.
Next on is comfort.
I have sensitive ears and skin, that's all i can say, and the likes of Sony, Koss and such have been thrown out the window due to this constraint. I don't enjoy audio when my skin flakes and bleeds, so SQ comes a close second. Putting them on, the pressure i guess is just right, seriously, i swear i love it. And the pads are soft without that tingly feeling i get when i put Grados such as the SR60 or any foam pads on my ears, plus it doesn't annoy as much. And i recall complaining about the flimsy joins, but their flexibility is welcome since it contours well with my fat head.
Tighthening it up, it still didn't feel as bad as i expected, i guess its those soft pads on top of the headband lending some cushioning, and really it serves dual purposes, the headphones get a better grip on my noggin and it somewhat cushions movement noise. I shake tested the thing (head bobbing and daily movements simulated) and the headphone passes admirably. But there is catch, the cables aren't reinforced like the HD650s, so there is perceivable cable noise (noise caused by the cable scraping and hitting my body) during fast movement.
Isolation
First up is sound isolation i guess, and being supra-aural they do well attenuating outside noise and muffling it pretty well.
My jury rigged test setup comprised of my PC, yes, my awesome 58dB dust buster vaccum cleaner of a rig which is out fitted with 3 12CM fans (9 watters), a 12CM blower and 2 8CM fans. Opening the side (which is soundmat insulated) reveal my rigs monstrous noise in all it's glory, massive wind noise with minimal bearing whine. Put the PX200s on and give or take i get a good attenuation of 7-10dB by my estimate and eliminates the bearing whine. Not too bad since these aren't PXCs.
Sound Quality
All tests are done on a 3G ipod to simulate working conditions.
- Amp = Mikechai's Mini-EPH (Battery Gobbler)
- Songs = Orchestral/OST (FLAC)
- John Williams - March 1941 (Bass, Lower Midrange, Horns)
- John Williams - Saving Private Ryan, Hymn to the Fallen (Percussion, Treble, Mids and Highs, voice and seperation)
- John Williams - Empire23 strikes back, Imperial March (Bass, more Bass and even More Bass and some Horns too
)
- Songs = Pop
- Moriyama Naotaro - Sakura (Vocals, mids)
- REM - The Great Beyond (Mids, Highs)
- Fatty-tan sings about Moot and Snacks (4chan crap) totally /b/ random stuff
I guess you guy have been waiting for this. A word of caution, these babies sound much better amped, i don't know why, maybe it's some Sennheiser fetish, but they all sound better with amps. But we'll leave that till later.
First off, first impression i get, pretty nasal (stuffy, thick and unfluid) when i need the dynamic range, but the bass is excellent i guess (typical Senns), but somewhat at the expense of the other ranges, but i found a quick cure, push the drivers abit back and leave a small port or opening (expose a small part of your ears) and that lets the excess sound out improving the other ranges but at the expense of isolation.
Second impression i get, feck, teh Bass is tight, fluid and generally very good. No it isn't the fengtau bass you and i have come to hate, but it's refined and by my count is excellent for something so small, very punchy and hits home all the time, the Imperial March was satisfying and made me feel Darth Vaderish and Evil, which is a good effect
Mids, Good but it ain't excellent, vocals are clear, soft and warm, nothing to shout about when i'm jamming metallica, but certainly good when i listen to the likes of REM, Moriyama Naotaro or the soft vocals of the London Voices. Laid back and sweet, the imagining is good, but soundstage feels enclosed. And no it isn't punchy, the PX200 punches like 8 year old School Girl, it's more slow than hard hitting. If i were to rate it, i'll say 85 out of 100. Minor flaws don't get in it's way, and it suits the music i love.
Higs, hmmm, let's just say, it ain't that pretty, and seperation goes down to Whitechapel for a date with Jack the Ripper. The xylophone in John Williams Hymn to the fallen doesn't have the hit it has with the HD650 and totally loses it's seperation in this end of the spectrum, sounds like someone crapped on the instrument and it became all sticky plus the rolls off at the middle of the high end (or so i perceive). Veli baaaaad. 20 out of 100 for the highs.
Remember when i talked about amping? Yes, for some reason, the mids max out magically for me and the highs become tolerable, and the bass seems to be on steriods but doesn't lose it's delicate touch. If you ask me if it needs amping, in my opinion if you need that extra 15 percent in quality with a 50 percent increase in weight, yes, go for it. But what it improves most is the highs, gives it seperation that's worth a damn, cleans it up and gives it a crisper tinge and makes it more listenable, no, doesn't make it first class, but it makes it merely bearable.
After amping i would say i'd give the highs a 30-35 percent out of 100 score. Amping certainly ain't no magical panacea, but it sure as hell helps.
So that's it for today, do post comments if you find anything wrong or wish to discuss this review.
Jun 16 2006, 03:06 PM
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