Sennheiser PXC250 Headphones

 

 

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Having done some research on various models of noise-cancelling headphones, I bought the PXC250's at the duty free at Bangkok airport. I used them on the 12 hour flight back to London and was very impressed with both sound quality and noise reduction. As an example, I was able to use the inflight entertainment system on the lowest volume setting and still hear clearly the movie I was watching.
Using the supplied 'phones required a much higher volume setting and lacked the clarity and sound quality.
I bought these having read a comparative review between these and the Bose QuietComfort 2's. The review found little difference in sound/noise reduction while the PXC250's were much cheaper and much smaller.
The battery pack is a little on the large side, but when sitting on a train or aircraft (where these phones are mainly designed to be used), this isn't a problem.

I bought these (well, the white version) in June 2006 for a flight from LGW to the Caribbean.

I tried the noise reduction at home by a noisy boiler, and then a vacuum cleaner, and thought they were fairly good (but no more).

But when I turned them on on the aircraft, I was astounded. I can definitely believe that they cut out 80% of background (low frequency) noise.

Put it this way - my girlfriend had her TV (seat-back TV) on almost the maximum volume. I had mine on almost the lowest. The difference is that great. (Yet at home, she is always complaining that I have the TV on too loud).

Moreover, you can hear so much more of the soundtrack - as it is not competing with the low frequency hum of the aircraft. This explains why my girlfriend had her TV so loud - if it is not that loud, you cannot make out the soundtrack.

I now realise why, for as long as I remember, I have started watching in-flight movies but never finished them. The reason is that you have to crank up the volume to discern the soundtrack from the background noise - leaving your brain to filter out the latter. This is tiring, so much so that I never (used to) make it to the end of a one-and-a-half hour film. This time, I watched two films on each flight.

You can use these headphones without music, solely for their noise-reduction properties - e.g. to get some sleep on an aircraft.

Battery life: I took a stack of spare batteries with me, but never used them - the original alkaline ones lasted me the whole flight out (8 hours, probably using them for 60% of that time), plus the 2-week holiday, plus the flight back. They are still going strong.

I let someone else try the headphones - when I clicked the noise reduction on, she simply exclaimed 'Wow!'. Which was precisely what I said the first time I tried them on the aircraft.

Since returning, I have used them on the train - the noise reduction comes up trumps again, again as it makes the soundtrack so clear.

The headphones come with two adaptors - a large one for plugging into a hi-fi, and a two-pin adaptor as used on most aircraft. The adaptors zip away into their own side pocket in the bag provided - very neat. I suggest that you never leave the adaptor in the aircraft armrest when unplugging the headphones - I imagine that it would be very easy to forget it.

I actually bought the white version - I prefer it.

This is now my #1 item for travelling. I would hate to fly without them. I do not normally write reviews but I am so impressed by these headphones that I feel compelled to write one.

*** Update *** : 2 years later and I have 3 comments:

These are superb for flying. If you use them as your standard headphones elsewhere, please be aware:

1. The battery pack can be very iritating. Other people have discussed this - if you do not clip the battery pack onto something, it has a habit of falling off whatever you rest it on (e.g. a desk) and yanking the headphones. On a flight I personally do not find it a problem as the battery pack has a clip like a pen, and I clip it onto my top. It is irritating elsewhere when I have nothing to clip it onto.

2. I used the headphones with my iPod and the maximum sound was poor. I thought that the problem was the iPod until I tried out some non-noise cancelling Sennheiser headphones which were much louder.

It seems that the noise cancelling electronics reduce the maximum volume (it is not surprising - basic physics. The electronics must have a resistance, and resistance reduces current which reduces volume).

This may be a problem with all noise-cancelling headphones. It is not a problem on an aircraft at all - it is only a problem with portable electronics that have maximum volume limiters (because the limit is not great, and you'll get even less than that).

In short, if you want volume: i) compare this with other noise-cancelling headphones - they may be louder; ii) when away from a noisy environment, use other headphones.

3. Over-the-ear headphones are likely to be better at noise cancellation because they physically block out more external noise (the PXC250 sits on the ear, not over it). When I bought my PXC250, the only over-the-ear alternatives were Bose which were more bulky, did not fold, were expensive and had the disadvantage that they could only be used with the battery power on (you can turn the batteries off on the PXC250 and use them as ordinary headphones). My point - by the time you read this, there may be a better alternative.

* Summary *: Whatever you do, buy some noise cancelling headphones - I would hate to fly without them. The only question is which one to buy. These are not expensive and I am still happy with them.

After being introduced to Sennheiser's HD-580 and being totally blown away by the rich sound, I decided to go for the PXC250 to get something a little more lightweight and less bulky for the office or listening while on the go.

Convinced Sennheiser produce the highest quality headphones on the market, I counted the days till those little babies came in the post.

When they finally arrived, I was ecstatic. They fit superbly and even though they didn't cover my ears completely (like the much more expensive HD-580s), I found the earpieces very comfortable. They fit snuggly as to nearly block out all sound. I really like the fold up design too. I found it easy to fold up and place in the smart compact carrying case it came with (Way cool).

The noise-cancellation unit seems to boost the bass and treble when activated and music sounds WAY better with it on. I compared them very closely to the HD-580s, switching them back and forth to see which sounded better. My girlfriend agreed that without the PXC250s noise cancellation turned on, the HDs sounded much better. However, once the noise cancellation was turned on, PXC out performed the HD-580 without a doubt. Sennheiser even included plug adapters that can be used on most airplanes (two pronged, etc.) where this technology will be most welcome.

While being its strong point, the noise-cancellation technology does have some drawbacks. First, it is not really that good at blocking out background noise. You can definitely hear noises around you with the noise cancellation on. It does dampen the 'white noise' you hear, but it seems to replace it with it's own 'white noise'. I've been on helicopter rides with real noise cancellation headphones and when they are on, you hear NOTHING but what comes in on the speaker. Don't expect anything near that level of quality from the PXC or you will be sorely disappointed.

The noise cancellation also requires 2 AAA batteries (not included, of course) and they are housed in a bulky unit situated halfway along the headphone cord (Why??). I've grown to hate this thing. If you ever use the full length of the cable, you have a heavy weight dangling in the middle of the cable either pulling the phones off your head or the pulling the plug out of the stereo. Okay, it never pulled the plug from the stereo, but it's pretty annoying. Even if you lay down on the couch to listen to some tunes, you have to figure out where this thing is going to lie otherwise it's hanging off of your head pulling the headphones. My HD 580s have a very long cable and I can walk around freely with no problem. Couldn't this have been placed somewhere else?

Also, once the batteries die, you don't get that nice sound I described before. You essentially have the cheaper version of the headphones you can get for over 50% off which don't require batteries.

One night, the noise-cancellation got accidentally switched on when I placed the phones in their case. When I used them the next day, the batteries were dead. Really bugged me.

Because of these drawbacks, I find myself using the HD 580s more often. It's just a little bit easier to deal with them. I ask myself, "If I'm not using the PX-C250s, are they worth the 75 pounds? Am I getting the value from the product?" Probably not.

Summary, Great sound, great speakers, great headset. But with the batteries, and bulky noise cancellation unit you may not get all the enjoyment you deserve for your hard earned dosh.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Many years of trouble-free use
I've had a pair of PXC 250s since January 2007. In the 5 years since I've had no trouble with them at all. I've always been really pleased with my purchase. Read more

Published 3 months ago by S. Robinson

3.0 out of 5 stars Expensive for what you get
I've had these phones for over a year and the build quality is superb as often is for Sennheiser products. Read more

Published on 21 May 2009 by Calum Grant

3.0 out of 5 stars OK noise cancelling. On/Off switch not too good
I've had these for a year. The noise cancelling is OK, but the on/off switch has broken meaning I have to remove the batteries when I've finished with them; so I have to mark them... Read more

Published on 22 Oct 2008 by K. Iles

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic headphones but not sure about customer service
I've had these headphones for the best part of 12 months and they are without doubt superb - especially at this price. Bass and clarity is excellent as is the noise isolation. Read more

Published on 3 May 2007 by Mr. S. N. Manton

5.0 out of 5 stars PXC250 Headphones in the Air
I have just tried these headphones on a return air journey from London to Toronto. The noise suppression exceeded my expectations even after reading a number of positive reviews... Read more

Published on 31 Mar 2007 by Amazon Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Do the Job....
First off I must say that unlike some of my others reviewers, I am no techno geek, who knows all about highs and lows, mid range sound etc. Read more

Published on 6 Jan 2006 by Derrick Johnson

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth it.
Not as good as a set of Bose noise-cancelling headphones.
But then again they're NOWHERE near as expensive! Read more

Published on 29 Dec 2005 by Doctor_Nev

4.0 out of 5 stars PXC250
Very nice headphone. Noise canceling is very good for the lower tones. The higher tones are not canceled as good but as the headphone is designed to cancel nois in planes I guess... Read more

Published on 10 Jun 2005

4.0 out of 5 stars Reduces background noise, but not perfect
They pretty much do as they say, they reduce the background noise and make listening enjoyable in areas with a lot of background noise such as an office or an aircraft cabin... Read more

Published on 3 Jun 2005 by steve_a_h

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for noise reduction
I find the bass a bit lacking on these with the noise reduction turned off. When turned on, the noise reduction works really well with a constant noise and quite well with... Read more

Published on 5 Oct 2004 by Tom

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