Sennheiser PXC 310 BT Closed Mini Headphones (NoiseGard 2.0 Technology,Talk Through Function,Bluetooth 2.1 Wireless Transmission)

I wouldn't normally review audio equipment as opinions are subjective - you don't know me & I don't know you. For me, I wanted Apt-X technology as I think it finally makes bluetooth worthwhile, you'll have to make up your own minds. Younger, trendier types will probably form a disorderly queue for something like JayBird Bluetooth Sportsband 2 Headphones Colour ORANGE CRUSH but, as a grey-haired conservative, I'll stick with these thanks.

However, I think it's worth pointing out that some reviews, both professional & consumer, complain about the bright LED light. This almost stopped me buying these as, on an aircraft, you'd be guilty of either distracting fellow passengers or, if you choose a window seat on the right, shining unauthorised signals from the aircraft. Here's the good news, for those who bother reading the pdf manual (bit tricky on Vista, admittedly, as didn't auto-open from CD-ROM - had to open Acrobat 1st, then navigate to CD), the LED CAN be turned on & off. With headphones off, press & hold main (centre) button until flashes red then blue - vol. down to turn LED off - vol. up to turn back on - simples!

Couple of other points:

Volume - Not blisteringly loud but reaches volumes that would a) give you hearing damage if used for long periods, and b) annoy the hell out of those around you. Again, make sure you've read those manuals - volume control on the PMP can be adjusted independently of the headphones & you need to make sure that your PMP doesn't have any volume limiter set.

Battery life - Battery is needed to use bluetooth and/or noise cancelling. Some might complain that the 8 hrs life on combined BT/NC is too short. I disagree - if you're lucky (or unlucky?) enough to regularly travel long-haul, you'll probably spend much of the time with these plugged into the aircraft's entertainment system, using the supplied leads/adapters, & use the battery for noise-cancelling only, in which case you get a creditable 20 hrs life. Most people will probably exceed their tolerance for wearing headphones way before the battery gives out

Finally, make sure you've got an Apt-X dongle to get the best out of these. I've got the Sennheiser dongle & the Gear4 and I CAN tell the difference - promise!

I've had these headphones for several months now, using them via BT on my phone and via the wire on my laptop, and I'm extremely happy with them.

Pros: excellent sound, noise cancelling works well, being able to plug them in via wire, comfortable on my ears.

Cons: not as much volume or bass as my PortaPros, BT delay not great for watching videos, sometimes there is an odd pressure when using noise cancellation.

Niggles: No play/pause/forward/back functionality when wired, buttons don't always respond on the first press, shipped with a battery cover that wasn't properly attached.

These points in more detail:

Sound - As I said the sound coming out of these is excellent. I hear sounds in songs I've never heard before, and the overall tonal balance is very good. As I also mentioned, though, they are not bass heavy and I do miss that from the PortaPros, but tbh the tones from the 310s are more balanced and allows me to hear more. I think I actually prefer hearing more of the music over hearing heavy bass.

Sound Volume - They could be louder, but again like with the bass, I don't actually mind and now that I've gotten used to it I think I prefer not blowing out my ears. No need for me to bring on premature hearing loss. :)

Noise Cancellation - This works quite decently, I've used it to muffle out street noise or in the office when I wanted some quiet time. It doesn't cancel out noise 100%, of course, but it certainly makes a difference. They do, however, sometimes have strange artifacting that feels like extra pressure on the eardrum, it usually doesn't bother me but in a few rare environments it's been amplified enough for me to turn off the noise cancellation.

Fit - My ears are usually pretty sensitive to headphones, both in-ear and over-ear, and I've always had troubles finding headphones that fit comfortably. I loved my PortaPros but they would usually start to hurt after an hour. Although the 310s initially caused a little discomfort when I first got them, this went away after a few days and I can now wear them for hours without a problem. Whatever foam they use in there works great.

BT Reception - Bluetooth isn't perfect and I have on occasion experienced cut-outs when I've stuck my hand into my pocket covering up my phone. But this isn't entirely unexpected and the cut-outs have been so few that it hasn't bothered me. There is also a slight delay in the BT reception but again, it's not an issue if you're listening to music or playing most games. Watching video, I would imagine, could be annoying.

BT Functionality - All the buttons work with the most recent iPhone updates, forward, back, volume, play/pause, etc. Often I have to push the forward, back or the play/pause button twice to get it to register, I'm not sure if that's because of connectivity issue or some "feature" I don't understand to prevent these buttons from being hit by accident. Not a big deal, really.

Wired Functionality - I love being able to plug these in so as not to use the battery up, or to get rid of the BT delay. I do wish I could play/pause or switch songs while these are plugged into my iPhone, but that functionality is missing unfortunately.

Build Quality - I had a small problem with the USB cover not being attached properly and had to spend 15 minutes with a jeweler's screw-driver to sort it out. That aside I think the overall build quality is excellent.

All in all, I love these headphone and think they're worth the money. Sure, there are a negative points, but I can be pretty picky and they are outweighed by the positives imo. Highly recommended.

I was apprenshive about buying these having read a couple of mixed reviews.....glad i jumped in!

Simply amazing.....whilst not in the realms of more expensive, top of the range headphones.....they are so far above the usual standard dross headphones people use (im aiming that squarely at the ipod headphones...).

Exceptional low frequency pick up, good solid, but not overpowering base. Id say that none of the frequency ranges are set at silly levels so as to distort the sound, which gives a great overall experience for someone such as me that can be listening to hip hop one second, classical the next, and then a sprinkling of mr kravitz.

Bluetooth range is phenominal.....worked first time flawlessly with the iPad and my iPod touch.....an utter pain the bum to get them working with Windows 7, however this is no fault of sennheiser and is down to microsoft not including the audio codecs with their system. I google search for broadcom bluetooth headset should get you the info you require.

As far as volume goes (someone mentiond this on another site), they sould try turning them up....it does help.
THe flashing red light that was also mentioned is no longer a problem it would seem.....it isnt switched on my pair, and is only used for notification purposes...i.e. power up/down.

Comfort wise.....ive had them on for a little shy of 5 hours and they are starting to get a smidge uncomfortable....but that was expected from these types of headphones. Your ears will adjust....its not different to working in a dreaded call centre...it hurts like hell after long use at first, but quickly goes away!

All in all.......top product. Im very chuffed....will be asking for the bluetooth audio jack adaptor for xmas from santa-wife!

p.s. the noise cancelling is good, theres very litte leakage, and the talk through feature works as advertised!