- Joined
- Jun 20, 2001
- Posts
- 11,029
- Likes
- 6,671
Well, since Todd spilled the beans in the HeadRoom Sponsor Forum, I thought I'd provide more information on the soon-to-be-released Sennheiser headphones. I'm pressed for time right now, so I'll post any listening impressions later today/tonight.
First of all, here is a photo of all three headphones (click on the photo for a closer look):
(Clockwise from top-right: PXC-250, PX-100, PX-200)
As Todd mentioned, I believe retail on these is going to be USD$149 for the PXC-250, USD$49.95 for the PX-100, and USD$59.95 for the PX-200.
As most of you know, frequency response ratings provided by manufacturers aren't usually too useful, but I'll list them here anyway:
PX-100: 15 Hz to 27 kHz
PX-200: 10 Hz to 21 kHz
PXC-250: 10 Hz to 21 kHz
Impedance for the PX-100 and PX-200 is 32 ohms. Impedance of the PXC-250 is 300 ohms. Regarding what might be perceived as a high impedance of the PXC-250 for a portable phone, Sennheiser does mention this on their press release: Quote:
I have tried the PXC-250 with a number of portable devices sans outboard amplifiers, and they do run very well out of all but the weakest built-in outputs, to no apparent disadvantage compared to most other lower-impedance portable headphones I've tried.
The PXC-250 also provides impressive noise cancellation, and I used them all the way home from Ireland. Sennheiser calls their active noise cancellation technology NoiseGard(TM), and it can be bypassed with a switch if the user is in a quiet environment. Here are the specs for NoiseGard(TM) as implemented in the PXC-250:
Active noise compensation: Up to -15 dB for frequencies < 1000 Hz.
Isolation: -15 dB to -25 dB for frequencies > 1200 Hz.
The NoiseGard as implemented in the PXC-250 is better than any other consumer noise cancellation types I've used so far.
The PX-100 is open, the PX-200 and PXC-250 are closed. All are supra-aural, however the PX-200 and PXC-250 do have circumaural-type, leather-like surrounds to provide a better seal.
As you can see from the photos, the headphones are all quite stylish. The PX-200 and PXC-250 are rather similar in appearance, and the PX-100 has a cool turbine-like appearance (which is just barely noticeable in the above photo with the headphone in the closed position).
All of the headphones fold very compactly using a unique folding design. All have metal-reinforced joints, making even the more vulnerable-looking joints very strong in actuality. I've actually carried my PXC-250 in my back pocket from time to time with no durability issues. All seem very well built, and very durable.
They're all quite comfortable, too. Notice in the photo (particularly the enlarged photo) the leather-like headband pads.
The PX-100 and PX-200 come with a groovy carrying case, not entirely unlike a glasses case. The PXC-250, because of the addition of the noise cancellation control, comes with a compact, rectangular soft case made of what appears to be Cordura.
I'll offer up more comments on my sonic impressions later on tonight. I only listened to the PX-100 briefly, and did not get to listen to the PX-200 at all. I've now owned the PXC-250 for quite some time, and will comment mostly on my impressions of that model. I will say this about the PX-100 -- the PortaPro is in very big trouble.
First of all, here is a photo of all three headphones (click on the photo for a closer look):
(Clockwise from top-right: PXC-250, PX-100, PX-200)
As Todd mentioned, I believe retail on these is going to be USD$149 for the PXC-250, USD$49.95 for the PX-100, and USD$59.95 for the PX-200.
As most of you know, frequency response ratings provided by manufacturers aren't usually too useful, but I'll list them here anyway:
PX-100: 15 Hz to 27 kHz
PX-200: 10 Hz to 21 kHz
PXC-250: 10 Hz to 21 kHz
Impedance for the PX-100 and PX-200 is 32 ohms. Impedance of the PXC-250 is 300 ohms. Regarding what might be perceived as a high impedance of the PXC-250 for a portable phone, Sennheiser does mention this on their press release: Quote:
"....The extremely thin, ultra-lightweight voice coil is a guarantee for high efficiency and generous volume, both for low-impedance portable players and for high-impedance inflight entertainment systems...." |
I have tried the PXC-250 with a number of portable devices sans outboard amplifiers, and they do run very well out of all but the weakest built-in outputs, to no apparent disadvantage compared to most other lower-impedance portable headphones I've tried.
The PXC-250 also provides impressive noise cancellation, and I used them all the way home from Ireland. Sennheiser calls their active noise cancellation technology NoiseGard(TM), and it can be bypassed with a switch if the user is in a quiet environment. Here are the specs for NoiseGard(TM) as implemented in the PXC-250:
Active noise compensation: Up to -15 dB for frequencies < 1000 Hz.
Isolation: -15 dB to -25 dB for frequencies > 1200 Hz.
The NoiseGard as implemented in the PXC-250 is better than any other consumer noise cancellation types I've used so far.
The PX-100 is open, the PX-200 and PXC-250 are closed. All are supra-aural, however the PX-200 and PXC-250 do have circumaural-type, leather-like surrounds to provide a better seal.
As you can see from the photos, the headphones are all quite stylish. The PX-200 and PXC-250 are rather similar in appearance, and the PX-100 has a cool turbine-like appearance (which is just barely noticeable in the above photo with the headphone in the closed position).
All of the headphones fold very compactly using a unique folding design. All have metal-reinforced joints, making even the more vulnerable-looking joints very strong in actuality. I've actually carried my PXC-250 in my back pocket from time to time with no durability issues. All seem very well built, and very durable.
They're all quite comfortable, too. Notice in the photo (particularly the enlarged photo) the leather-like headband pads.
The PX-100 and PX-200 come with a groovy carrying case, not entirely unlike a glasses case. The PXC-250, because of the addition of the noise cancellation control, comes with a compact, rectangular soft case made of what appears to be Cordura.
I'll offer up more comments on my sonic impressions later on tonight. I only listened to the PX-100 briefly, and did not get to listen to the PX-200 at all. I've now owned the PXC-250 for quite some time, and will comment mostly on my impressions of that model. I will say this about the PX-100 -- the PortaPro is in very big trouble.