PX200-II good for metal/rock? Yes! Now with 25% more review!

I have the originial px 200's. I wouldn't call them perfectly balanced, but they definitely don't seem overly skewed one way or the other. if anything the mids are pleasantly highlighted. One thing i like about them a lot is that they do not have much sibilance/shrillness - in other words, the treble is mellow at the high end, which means i can listen to music on them for hours without it being painful (seems like it would be important for metal/rock).

The bass is impactful and present, but it doesn't have big low rumble - it seems pretty responsive. Something about the sound signature makes them sound slightly analytical in the high mids / low treble region, but still doing so in warm way.

One caveat - the original px200's had really small pads that really didn't seal too well on the ears. I was able affix some slightly thicker pads over the original pads, achieving a near perfect seal. Hopefully the px200 II's had the pads redesigned for a better seal. With the good seal i have, i get pretty decent sound isolation and the soundstage is good for the price range - upfront but lacking extensive depth, but expected for a closed headphone with smaller pads/drivers (coming from a bigger set of closed headphones, you'll probably notice this difference immediately).

It looks like the px200 II's (looking at amazon pics) did in fact increase the pad size, so that should help getting a good seal. I'm assuming the sound signature is similar, just evolved. I think for if your intended use is daily portable use for easy going/fun sound signature it fits the bill. I use mine at work all the time, and I've had them for ~6 years now.

Hopefully someone will reply about the updated version for you...

First I used the HD428, now mainly the PX200 II as portable headphone. 

Detail and instrument seperation are good on the PX200 II, not AKG K240 DF-like but good enough to enjoy the nice sound stage.

The PX200 II does sound fun, not as fun JVC HA DX3 but more fun than my more neutral HD428. I play more bassy and fun music compared to my HD428. I also have the Panasonic RP-HTX7 but as intimate and moving as it can sound (amplified for me!), I much prefer the PX200 II for the Sennheiser sounds more balanced and neutral. The PX200 II certainly makes me enjoy my music more than my HD428 with almost the same level of clarity, detail and sound stage yet is so much more handy and with the better bass impact (that matters for me!) it is close to perfect for now. (Note: the bass is only boomy when the track asks for it, House and Electro for instance!)

The PX200 II sounds very enjoyable, sometimes too enjoyable for the volume rises and with my favourite Funk or Rock it sometimes becomes hard to focus on getting from A to B. Therefore I have not yet played my Slayer album on my DAP, I would get the serious urge to headbang big time... 

I hope this helps...

Do  not hurry, the PX200 II is on the pricey side for a portable headphone and Sennheiser knows how to package pricey headphones, even small ones like the PX200 II. Check out some other options. For me the bass on the PX200 II is not really bigger but more present and less light/subtle sounding. When cycling from A to B listening to music the HD428 loses on audible bass due to wind more than the PX200 II. Even the subtle bass on early James Brown tracks is there with the PX200 II. The bass is not bigger, more present which is probably also due to the better isolating ear pads on the PX200 II. 

Involving, yes but a warmer sounding portable headphone could work too. I find the PX200 II more involving than my HD428 yet still on the neutral side. If you can audition it... (For me it sounded a bit bright in the beginning.)

I paid about 65 euros for my PX200 II, lucky you... The PX200 II is worth it big time though, my opinion.

All I know is that PX100-IIs are open and PX200-IIs are closed, I guess there are obvious difference in sound signatures. Tho I'll say I love my PX100-IIs so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackSushi222 

All I know is that PX100-IIs are open and PX200-IIs are closed, I guess there are obvious difference in sound signatures. Tho I'll say I love my PX100-IIs so far.

that's the one I'm really considering so far, one thing i'm worried about though, does it really leak too much sound, say like, "grado-leak"?, I won't be listening to it at enormous volumes, but please let it not leak too much sound at moderate volumes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zmd 

Nice threadjack there. FWIR, the PX100-II is worse than the original PX100 soundwise, so not really worth the money.

That's exactly the opposite of what I heard at CanJam.  Tyll from HeadRoom ran his headphone measurements on the PX100-II and said that it is MUCH better than the original.  Many people feel that they are better by listening to them as well.

BTT

I just listened to a pair of PX200 II's and did a comparo with the HD 238, yes the PX200 II sounds a lot better than the old one, but IMO, the HD 238 sounded better on my test tracks. Tracks include some progressive rock, electronica, and alternative. The PX's sounded good but I just preferred the 238's, SQ wise, and comfort wise. That's just my opinion though. But the PX-200 II's wins in the portability section. YMMV.

In short, YES, they do sound good with metal/rock. (but I prefer something else)

How many hours do you have on the PX200 II? In the beginning it is a bit bright which might be a bit of putting.