Sennheiser PMX80 In-Ear Sport Series II Behind the Head Earphones
by Sennheiser
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser PMX80 In-Ear Sport Series II Behind the Head Earphones
Customer Review: PMX80 - A Tragic Love Story
Summary: 2 Stars
I'll review the headphones themselves and then tell my tale of woe regarding the longevity of this product. (long story short - buy from an authorized retailer!! [...]
There is a lot of good about the PMX80s, and they are nearly the perfect pair of active headphones. I found them quite comfortable, and they fit snugly in my ears. Due to their lightness and pleasant fit, I could easily forget that I was wearing them. Also, through all sorts of running and leaping and bounding, they stayed in place where a lesser pair of sport headphones might have been thrown airborne.
Furthermore, the long cord is a great feature. I am fairly tall, but I can put my iPhone in my pocket while working out and the cord will easily stretch to my head, with room to spare. There is no worry of the cord limiting range of motion while active.
To round out the features that make these a great pair of workout headphones is the sweat resistance. My head region puts out a mean flop sweat while working out, but that never had even the slightest effect on the PMX80s. They dry out and are ready for the next round, working as well as ever.
The only minor annoyance is that when sweat got in my ear, it would sometimes form a seal between my ear canal and the earpiece which would muffle the sound. But this would happen only occasionally, and it wasn't a dealbreaker.
So the PMX80s and I lived happily ever after, right? WRONG!
After about a month, the left earpiece stopped working. When I fiddled with the aux connector, sometimes that would get it working for a brief moment, but never consistently.
"But, no problem," I thought, "Tis but a minor annoyance. I shall send it in to Sennheiser, and being a reputable company, surely they will send me a replacement."
So I sent the headphones in for a warranty repair, and a week later, I received a shipment from Sennheiser. I tore into the package with great anticipation and thoughts of tune-filled workouts, only to find that my headphones were returned unfixed, still with a faulty left earpiece, along with a note saying that because I had not purchased them from an authorized retailer that they would not honor the warranty.
However, being one that enjoys music while working out, I continued to use my faulty headphones anyways, with my left ear feeling left out (no pun intended) of the party that was going on in my right ear. Several weeks later the rubber covering over the right speaker starting to fall off frequently, leaving the right speaker exposed and dangling from its wire. Putting the cover back on returns the headphones to their previous half-working condition. But, needless to say, this is a major annoyance and my stopgap repair will cease to be effective once, inevitably, the covering falls off and is unable to be found.
To be fair, it is likely that my pair of headphones are just a bad apple. If they were covered by Sennheiser's warranty, I would have received a new, functioning set of PMX80s and be a happy customer. But as it stands I am simply an annoyed customer that wishes he had ensured he had bought from an authorized retailer (but really, who does anyone actually do that??).
I purchased the headphones through Amazon from Electronica Direct. I suppose it is my own fault for not verifying the level of authorized-ness of the Amazon store from which I was buying. But if you are purchasing these headphones, don't make the same mistake. Buy from Amazon or find another authorized retailer here: [...]
Customer Review: A fantastic headset, for any use
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sennheiser "In Ear Sports Series II Behind the Head Earphones" are hands down the best head set that I've purchased for any application. They're ultra light, very sturdily built, with sound quality and volume that are unbelievably good for being so small and light. And best of all, the price is very reasonable for such a great product!
I've worn these while biking and had it plugged into the my Droid so I could listen to my tunes while riding and get feedback from my weight training app which used my Zephyr XHM (see my other review on the Zephyr XHM heart rate monitor for Droid and Iphones.) I've worn them while running on the beach, at the gym, while walking my dog, or even just sitting around the house and working on my computer so I wouldn't bother my wife's tv show. I've worn them outside while it was misting, raining, ice cold, blustering windy and when it was so hot and muggy that you would break out in a sweat just stepping foot outside. Through it all, this earphone set has worked incredibly well and has provided superior sound quality in all conditions. Even while pedaling furiously through opposing wind, the design of these ear pieces are such that I couldn't even hear the howl of the wind blowing past my ears.
While they are water resistant, they are not water proof, or at least, I wouldn't want to test just have resistant they are. I've worn them when a light foggy mist turned into a down pour, and they were ok, but I took them off just as soon as I could get to some cover, so they weren't in the rain for very long. Sweat did not bother them nor did it alter the quality or volume of the music either.
Cleaning these ear pieces was a breeze too! I just dip a q-tip in rubbing alcohol and then wiped the actual ear pieces down, and let air dry after every use. Once a month I wipe the whole head piece down with a damb cloth in addition to the alcohol cleaning on the ear pieces.
The cable is just long enough that I can feed it through an opening on the top of my "camel bag" water pack, which has pockets and pouches for keys, cell phones, ID, etc., then snake it up through the back of my shirt and up my neck. There's even plenty of length after this that I can turn and look over my shoulders, or turn my entire torso 90 degrees, and still have enough slack to more my head up and down! If you're using these at a gym or are using an arm holster, you're going to want to twist-tie up the extra length on the wire though, otherwise you'll end up catching the wire on some equipment or tree branches, and end up ripping them off your head (Which I've done twice already, much to my embarassment.)
The only draw back to these ear pieces is that since design of the ear pieces blocks out the majority of the outside world, and that the sound quality is so good and so loud, I had to turn down the volume of my music so much, just so that I could actually hear the traffic coming up behind me while biking. While it was a bit a nuisance to have to turn down the volume so much, failing to do so would have been extremely dangerous. If you're not used to your streets and neighborhood, and don't have a feel for the traffic patterns, or if you don't have a fair amount of shoulder to ride on, I don't recommend wearing these ear pieces while biking.
That being said, I cannot reommend these ear pieces enough, particularly if you a sports(wo)man or looking for a pair of comfortable, high quality ear pieces that will last you a very, very long time.
Customer Review: Overall, The Best Workout Headphones Available IMHO...
Summary: 3 Stars
I've owned two pairs of the PMX80 headphones & one set of the PMX70's (the older model) over the course of the last couple of years & there are both advantages & disadvantages that I will share from my personal experiences.
Pro's: The sound quality for both models is pretty good, with the PMX80's sounding slightly better. Keep in mind that these are "workout headphones." I also own a pair of Bose QC15's & they sound great but are not for gym use. The "single cord - behind the neck" design is one of the main reasons I like these headphones. Yes they will shift sometimes if you are doing "bench-presses" or something similar sometimes but to me this is a minor issue compared to the ability to keep them in your ears during an entire workout without worrying about jerking them out of your ears by accident like what occurs with most earbuds. The cord on the PMX80's is somewhat "stickier" than the one on the PMX70's because of the material it is made of, but I usually run my cord under the neckline & then out arm part of my shirt down to my sport-armband on my forearm (my armband is made for the bicep but my arms are larger so I use it on my forearm). I tuck the excess length of cord under my armband. The cord is fairly long, which I like because if you need to place your iPod/etc. on a piece of cardio equipment while working out there will be no problem with the cord reaching. The cord is also long enough to go under your shirt & all the way down into your pants/shorts pocket with no problem although I don't recommend because of product durability issues that I'll discuss later. These headphones also come with a shirt clip for those who utilize this accessory. Finally, they handle sweat well & I consider myself a "Heavy" sweater! My shirt is usually soaked after an hour of cardio!
Con's: Probably my biggest gripe about these headphones are their durability. Now I must admit that I'm pretty rough on headsets which may be part of the problem, so I just wanted to throw that out there. I've had one of the two microphones on all three of my headsets (The two pairs of PMX80's & one pair of PMX70's) go out on me at some point, some sooner than others. With that said I bought my girlfriend a pair of PMX70's several months after I bought my PMX70's & hers are still going strong with no issues at all. I've purchased two sets of PMX80's since & hers are still working with no issues. Bottom line is this, be careful how you handle these headphones!! I wouldn't advise putting them in your gym bag with water bottles, etc. or even putting them down inside your pants/shorts pockets while working out (I did this recently because I didn't have an armband). Invest in an armband & try to keep the cord & headset portion away from anything that might damage them because these headphones might have issues if not handled with care. Furthermore, the rubber piece covering the ear-bud part eventually works itself off at some point. Hopefully you can catch this & slide it back on. It could probably be glued to stay in place but I'm kinda skeptical on using krazy-glue on something going into my ears... Just saying. Also the sound will get muffled during heavy sweating but this happens only once in awhile.
Summary: Although these headphones aren't perfect, they are probably one of the best options available for the workout enthusiast. I plan on buying another pair because I don't see any better options out there. If you decide to get them too my main advice is to "Handle With Care!"...
Customer Review: Decent headphones, but far from great
Summary: 3 Stars
1. as with many products, there is no one perfect headphone. utlimately it comes down to for what one purpose one is going to use it.
2. with the above being said, i have several thoughts in re: these headphones compared to my other sennheiser compact headphones (PX 100 and PX200).
3. Pros:
* Nice quality design and craftsmanship.
* Very light.
* As advertised, these actually do fit well and are secure. i've tried numerous earbuds, in the ear "monitors" and they all either don't fit and fall out or are so secure that you can hear the headphone cords rubbing against your clothes etc... since these headphones are designed for those who do sports, it does succeed on it's primary goal. and thus, if you're main purpose is to have a decent pair of headphones for running, then these are a good choice for you.
4. Cons:
* sound quality. yes, in regards to sound quality, these heads really are lacking. if do not do a side by side comparison, the headphones will probably sound ok to you. however, if you know a thing or two about sound and are familiar with how your favorite music should sound, you'll realize after listening via these headphones for 20-30 minutes, that your favorite tunes just don't have the overall depth that you're accustomed to. i had a feeling that this was the case and thus i did a simple side by side comparison with my PX 100 and PX 200 and a pair of some sony wireless headphones. bottomline: these PMX 80 headphones had the "worst sound"--> ie the least amount of overall depth, the least amount of bass, and the treble was crisp but i would classify it as being a bit harsh. thus with extended listening and at higher volumes, things get uncomfortable.
* comfort: even though these headphones do fit well and thus succeed in not falling out of one's ears. the problem is that with extended use (ie 30 + minutes) one will become "aware" of the headphones; ie akin to having hotspots when wearing ill fitting shoes. if one tries to move the headphones a bit out of the ear, that'll help some, but then the sound suffers.
5. bottomline: as noted in the initial observation, whether or not you'll like these headphones will depend on what's important to you. if you're into high sports activities and can't tolerate wearing ear buds, this is a solid choice. if you need general portable headphones and value sound, then definitely skip these and consider the less stylish but superior sounding PX 100. if you're need headphones for active pursuits but also values sound--> then like me, you'll end up owning several different headphones, for different purposes.
Customer Review: Incredibly Uncomfortable
Summary: 1 Stars
I had high hopes for these headphones after reading the reviews and doing much research. I really wanted these to work for me and am frustrated that I am forced to leave such a poor review. Sennheiser makes quality products, and that is not my issue here. The problem is that these headphones are hands down the most uncomfortable units I have ever poked into my ears. I thought it was just me, so I passed these around the house to my wife and kids, with an unsolicited "hey try out my cool new headphones". Every one of them came back the same ... "ouch, yikes, geeze". 0 for 6.
The neckband places tremendous pressure inward on the ears, and the grape sized "buds" are so big they are nearly impossible to position correctly. I read one review where the user said the base sound was terrible. I see what he is talking about. They actually have very good base, but only if they are positioned just right, which is hard depending on the shape of your ear. Once I get them positioned for good base, they feel horrible.
I'm just your average guy. I listen to my ipod in the gym, maybe working on the lawn, and sometimes on the plane ride. I was looking for a better sounding alternative to cruddy ipod buds that would stay in my ears. I wanted a headband set so could take them out and rest them on my neck for breaks and conversations, and I so I didn't have to untangle the darn bud cords. Honestly, these babies would stay on in the ring with Mike Tyson. So if you are looking to go the distance with the Champ, try these. I understand that these are "sport" headphones so I was willing to make a few concessions, but I cant wear these for more than a couple of Def Leppard songs, so they just wont work for me. To be fair, if they fit you, they are high quality good sounding units. But then my stock ipod buds sound pretty good too when I jam them into my ear canals with a benchvise.
A few more things to note. Everyone around you can hear your music loud and clear. I found that out when I sat on the couch testing these and saw my wife across the room dancing to Beat-it along with me. In the gym, maybe this isn't a problem, but anywhere else you will seriously annoy your neighbor. And the neckband over-ear fit prevents me from wearing these with my snowboard helmet, or lying back on the flight to Maui.
If you have the same problem as me, consider a set of Klipsch image s2 or s4 ear buds. My son has a set and they sound far better, and are very comfortable. I tried them out. They are ear buds, so I don't think they will stay in as well as these, but for the average guy, they work well and don't make my ears bleed.
Good luck.