Sennheiser PXC 250 Active Noise Canceling Headphones
by Sennheiser
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Our Price: $214.46 Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Buy Used: from $45.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sennheiser PXC 250 Active Noise Canceling Headphones
Customer Review: Sennheiser knows headphones!
Summary: 5 Stars
I travel 4 hours on a plane every week for work, so regular headphones just don't cut it - the noise canceling feature is a must. My 3 main criteria when shopping for noise-reducing phones were sound quality, price, and comfort. Like many reviewers, I tried the familiar Bose and Sony brand models initially, but was not pleased with the price of the Bose or the quality/comfort of the Sony (Sony's models were very awkward and emitted a high-pitched ring in my ears - I've seen that in many reviews).
I became aware of the Sennheiser 250's through various websites, and although I REALLY wanted headphones that covered my entire ears, these seemed to receive the best customer reviews and provide the best value for the money. Alas, when I was shopping one day and noticed a pair of Sennheiser 250's, I tried them out and immediately agreed with the hype. They were quiet, comfortable and padded in all the right places, and produced a sound far superior to the iPod headphones I'd been using. The bass was incredible! At $150, they were WELL worth half the cost of the Bose, and even though they didn't cover my entire ears, the sound reduction seemed comparable to any active + passive noise canceling headphones I'd sampled.
Since owning these headphones, I've taken them on 10-hour flights to and from Hawaii without having to replace the battery. The noise reduction on the plane is incredible (I spent the first 5 minutes flicking the switch on and off because I was so impressed), and I've even slept with them on without experiencing any discomfort (I've read reviews of full-coverage headphones where the additional ear pressure grew uncomfortable after long usage). They fold up neatly and are light enough to fit into a purse or small bag - another benefit vs. the larger Bose/Sony models! The trade-offs are very few (external battery holder, cords can get tangled, no mute button), so all in all I don't think there is currently a better value for noise-canceling headphones on the market.
Customer Review: It works!! Now if the circuitry can just be hidden...
Summary: 4 Stars
This is my second pair of noise cancelling headphones, the first being a pair of Aiwa HP-CN5 for $50. So i wanted to see if these more expensive headphones are worth it.
First of all is the comfort. These headphones fit my largish ears easily, not what I expected since they looked so small. They were easily comfortable for the 3+ hours I used them on my last flight, with soft padding located in key areas. In comparison, the Aiwa sits ON the ears and get uncomfortable after a while.
The noise cancelling also works well, cuting down all noise around you. This is one of the differences I noticed between these headphones and the Aiwa. With the Aiwa, you can still easily have conversations since they feedback phase shifted noise to drown out the humming droning type noises. Voice tends to get through without a problem. With the Sennheiser, the cupping of the ears, and generation of a noise cancelling signal means that even voices are muted so that you need to remove them to be able to hear what is being said. I liked the enhancement of voices achieved the Aiwa way, but don't really miss it with these headphones.
Sound quality seems very good. I am not an audiophile, but I can appreciate a good pair of headphones. For the average person, these will do just fine. The sound output of the Aiwa was also very good. I have not had a chance to really audition these back to back on any of my normal listening items as the Aiwa seems to be malfunctioning in one ear at this time (~3yrs old) with the foam around the ears deteriorating as well.
The only reason for the 4 stars instead of five is the design. The headphones themselves are great and fold up neatly, but that little battery compartment and circuitry holder is about the size of a fat pen. It is awkward and not shown in any pictures of the product, so be aware of that. It does have a clip which can rotate and be positioned anywhere, but the Aiwa had none.
Customer Review: Excellent headphones for noise reduction
Summary: 4 Stars
4.5/5.0 I'm VERY happy that I purchased these for a recent international airplane trip. I found these headphones to be very comfortable, highly effective and they provided very good sound quality. I'm no audiophile, so I can't say anything other than the sound quality was fine for me. As far as comfort, they were significantly more comfortable than the standard iPod headphones. I have never tried the in-ear style of buds and haven't worn a pair of over-the-ear headphones in about 20 years. Comes with a nifty carrying case, folds up into a tiny package that's great for traveling.
They really should call these noise reducing headphones. When I hear noise canceling, I always think noise eliminating. But they don't eliminate the ambient noise, they just reduce it. However, they reduce it significantly, or at least they did for me. When the active noise canceling feature is turned off, it's very difficult for me to hear all the sounds (either on my music player or on the airplane sound system). But flipping the switch instantly mutes most of the engine and air roar and allows me to listen easily without blasting my eardrums with max volume to compensate. I did try these out at home before my trip to see how they worked against the noise of my furnace. They did an excellent job against the furnace noise as well, but in quieter environments, you can here some added white noise. This was just with the noise canceling on and no music playing.
The only issues I had were headphone placement over the ears was crucial for maximum noise canceling benefit, but I'd imagine this is common to any on-ear headphones. Also, it took a little getting used to having the battery pack/controller on the cord and just finding a good place to put it (if you have a shirt pocket, that's ideal). Not sure how long the battery ultimately lasts for, but I made it through around 36 hours of on-time and didn't have to change them.
Customer Review: Awesome headphone for our noisy world - air plane
Summary: 5 Stars
Sennheiser PXC 250 Active Noise Canceling Headphones
I flight a lot, in my pass year I flight 12+ times. Once I have saw a guy next to me have a huge Sony headphone with him all way long, thus I am curios how this help my trip. After long study, I figured out a good noice cancelling headphone for me requires those:
1. Lightweight and fold-able.
2. Not expensive.
3. Good quality of sound
4. Work with or without battery
5. Open or close type, earplug type is out of my list because after 15+ hours flight you will feel really painful.
On my list there are only few left:
* Bose Quiet and Comfort 3
* Sennheiser PXC250
I have physically visit BOSE store to try both QC2 and QC3. If you have enough money, QC3 is far better than QC2. IMHO, the QC2 is just showing people how good QC3 is thus it existent.
Although BOSE QC3 beats PXC250 in the noise cancelling capacity and sound quality, QC3 have it's own down side:
* Too expensive, you can't find it under USD. 300.
* Won't work without power and not using AAA battery. That means you need extra adaptor again. If you flights a lot, you already learn to have everything power by USB or AA/AAA battery.
* Huge in your backpack. It can easily take half space of my backpack.
I have bought this headphone twice, after my wife destroy my first one in a accident, I miss it A LOT. Believe me, if your ear is not picky, this noise cancelling head phone is for you guys flight a lot. Especially you could find regular cut-throat sales on Amazon for this head phone.
It's not cheap but worth for the money, you will be really appreciated after a 10+ hours flight with it wear all the trip. You will really enjoy the movie because it really get rid of a lot of the air plane engine noise.
Customer Review: Nice sound quality, two small problems
Summary: 4 Stars
First off, the sound quality is excellent and there is a marked difference between these headphones versus similar headphones without noise cancellation. My opinion is the quality concern can be put to rest for those of us who don't work in recording studios 40 hours a week. I can use these in coffee shops or at work and hear the music in what I (as a layman) consider to be "deep and rich tones" without the background, so that much is not a problem for me.
One unexpected problem I have is that I get shocked in the ear from time to time from these headphones. It's minor and definitely nothing to be concerned about from a safety standpoint, but it is annoying. I don't know if that "feature" is unique to the particular set that I purchased or if that has anything to do with the audio jack that I am connecting these headphones too. In all fairness, I only remember that happening so far when connected to the audio jack on a particular set of speakers. This only happens about 2-3 times a day and I listen to these almost the entire time I am working.
The other problem I have is the length of the wire leads coming off of the headphones. This configuration is fine for portable, wearable units such as iPods, however they will severely limit your mobility if you are connecting the unit to a desktop or laptop as I often use them for. The battery unit is in between the audio jack and the headphones almost equidistant from each. I often get a yank from turning my head and finding out that I have pulled the battery pack off the table from turning my head. This kind of problem is forgivable for the first week but this problem has worn my enamorment with these headphones a little thin over time. All in all I think these are very nice in both sound quality and attractiveness, but if I had it to do over I might take a look at noise cancellation ear buds instead purely from a practical perspective.