Sennheiser PX 100 Collapsible Headphones

I bought these because they were cheap. Yes, $60 is cheap in Korea for entry-level audiophile cans, due to horrendous import taxes. I chose the PX-100s after a good hour of A-B comparisons in-store with their rivals, principally models from Koss and Sony.
 
More than two years later, other headphones/IEMs have come and gone, but I've kept the PX-100s because they are just so damn handy, and they really do sound good for what they are. It's nice being able to fold them up into their small carry-case and toss them in a shoulder bag where they are so unobtrusive you can almost forget you're carrying them.
 
Their strengths lie in their light weight, class-leading portability and sound quality (for the price). Their negatives include the open-backed design, which lets in all sorts of horrible noises on public transport, and the fact that their lower-end warmth comes at the expense of higher-end sparkle. One "fix" for the lack of isolation would be to purchase the closed-back PX-200s. Unfortunately, their sound quality does not match the PX-100s (note that Sennheiser has recently introduced the PX-100 II and PX-200 II, which are slightly different beasts, and I have not heard those models).
 
More expensive Sennies such as my girlfriend's HD238s and my own HD25-1 IIs do have better clarity and are less coloured than the PX-100s. However, the PX-100s are better than a lot of IEMs that cost twice or three times as much. For example, in an A-B comparison with my $200 Future Sonics Atrios, the PX-100s have much smoother mids and flatter highs and offered a generally much more pleasant listening experience.
 
They're not the best cans in the world - you'll have to pay 10 times as much to get those - but for the price the PX-100s are definitely five-star winners.
 

I´ve owned these little bastards many years now, and loved every minute. They are compact in size, but huge in sound. And i mean hu-ge!
I remember when i bought these for travelling and to-go-field recording and just could not believe my ears. 
When i compared these on Grado SR60, In some areas these are better!!!
Some says that PX100 are a bit dull and doesn´t have high end sparkle, bu i say that these are remarkable flat in over all sound. Tho they are a bit
bass hevyish, but i think that in portable headphones, wich you use mainly outdoors and such noisy enviroments, it´s a good thing.
 
I have used these so much that cushions wore out and i find that new ones from sennheiser costs quite a bit. But no worries, you can buy Koss porta pro-pads and
have perfect fit and four pairs on price of one senn:s

 
The PX100 is proof that something quite cheap and simple can provide as much enjoyment for the end user as something significantly more expensive. That's not to say that they're on the same level of quality as a higher end product, you do get what you pay for. It's a mental thing. There's so much satisfaction to be had in the idea that something so light on the wallet can sound so... pleasant! 
 
The PX100 are a fantastic little portable that I was using back in 2010, before I got my own first pair of headphones, the HD448, and subsequently became interested in audio. The PX100 actually belong to my Mother, she got them with some sort of audio therapy kit she bought a few years back. Whilst she doesn't appreciate them for what they are ("They're just headphones!"), and nor did I when I was using them a few years ago, I reacquainted myself with them recently as I've become interested in having a portable set up, and have come to really like what these are about. I'm likely going to be purchasing the V-Moda M80 soon, but these things are heavyweight performers for their price, no doubt. 
 
These phones are open back supra-aural portables. They're foldable and include a plastic carrying case. The earcups are foam padded, and can swivel 90 degrees. The headband is metal with plastic rimming, has pleather covered foam padding. The headband length can be adjusted, with nice satisfying click feedback. I quite like the design of these phones, it's very compact and light, looks pretty decent and is quite comfortable. I used to find the earpads really uncomfortable, but I believe I was wearing them incorrectly and putting pressure on my upper ear. I now wear them lower down and they feel quite good. Whilst the headband padding is quite minimal, it's perfectly sufficient since the headphones are so light. Replacement padding is readily available for both the earpads and headband all over eBay. Nothing worse than headphones where padding is impossible to replace.
 
The build quality of the headphone is quite good, too. The hinges of the foldable headband feel very solid, the metal that comprises most of the headband is also great. The plastic bodying is sturdy all over, it's much more solid than you would think by looking at it. The one weakpoint of the build is the cable. It's as thin as you would expect from a headphone of this price range, though if you treat it with care it won't be a problem, and I know these particular phones have been tugged quite violently off my head on more than one occasion over the years, but they've held up perfectly. 
 
The only other design issue is that the headphones are open, which is a good thing for the sound. However, being a portable headphone, it's hardly far-fetched that these will be used in settings where some isolation would be quite welcome. Whilst I haven't used them for this, I can't see these being ideal for a plane, or possibly a particularly noisy train. With volume compensation they actually cope quite well in fast moving cars, and of course if the vehicle is only zipping around town there won't be much noise to worry about. But, nevertheless, if it's a very noisy setting you'll be using these in (like a busy city) then these might not provide the isolation you're after. You can use volume compensation to fix that, but with that comes fatigue and worse battery life. Still, I think their open nature is advantageous for being aware of your surroundings. I feel quite safe being able to partially hear cars coming when taking them on a walk.
 
As for the sound quality, it's a quite surprisingly good sounding phone. The most impressive part is the bass response. So many small, compact headphones sound really tinny and weak down low, yet the PX100 sounds amazingly full. Not to mention that it's open back, it's pretty stunning if you ask me. Whilst I haven't heard it, from other people's impressions I suspect this might be like a little baby portable HD650. But I shouldn't say things about headphones I haven't heard (too much of that on Head-Fi) *shrug*. Regardless, the sound is smooth. A nice full low end, undisturbed midrange and easygoing treble. The treble is actually the most interesting thing about these phones in my case. My two most recent headphones that I've been using primarily are the Grado sr225i and the Ultrasone DJ1, both are quite bright. After listening to the PX100 again, I gotta say, I rep the dark side of the force from now on. It's so easy going and relaxing to listen to. Granted, the PX100 is probably a little too dark to be completely ideal for my tastes, but it's a small flaw for a cheap headphone.
 
I've been running these from the Samsung Galaxy S with Voodoo Audio and Poweramp (320 and FLAC). Being used to higher end headphones, it's easy to notice a big difference in terms of clarity and definition, which may be jarring for some. Maybe my ears just aren't as spoilt as others, but I find myself being able to adjust to the sound very quickly and start enjoying myself immediately. It's cool being able to have that open, bassy, dark sound on the go. Of course, these headphones are efficient, so amping is definitely not necessary. But, out of  curiosity, I plugged them into my Little Dot 1+. The bass will gain a little more authority and the definition and instrument separation will improve slightly under such a setup. They're nice little improvements to be heard, but they're not enough to make them sound poor from portable rigs in comparison (at least not mine). 
 
All things considered, I think this is a fantastic headphone!  It's a surprisingly satisfying performer, built well, comfortable, compact. It ticks more boxes for me than I ever thought they would. If you get your hands on some, you might find yourself to be pleasantly surprised, as I was.
 
Really, the biggest warning I can give to anyone considering them is don't bother with them if you know you don't like dark sound, because they are definitely dark. But, if you do prefer dark signatures and  you want a cheap portable, these should be on your list.

The PX100s were the second decent portable headphone I bought after the KSC75s, a silky-smooth contrast to the shiny, aggressive sound of the Koss clip-ons. This particular review was written when I was very new to the world of Head-Fi but in general I stand by it.



Build Quality: Designed to be portable, the PX100s fold beautifully into a tiny package and fit into the included plastic carrying case. Despite the multi-jointed folding mechanism, they feel rather solid and sturdy. The metal headband is both tough and flexible and there’s a feel of quality to the whole construction – every motion they make feels controlled one as the joints click smoothly into place. I expected them to be quite fragile at first, but there are no creaks or rattles after two years of use.

Comfort: The rotating earcups adjust perfectly to the shape of your head, preventing uneven pressure on your ears, which can be a problem with the other supraaural phones. The foam pads are a little thicker than the stock KSC75 pads and feel slightly smoother. The padding on the headband looks miniscule but gets the job done without making your head sweat. I’ve worn these for 6-8 hour stretches on several occasions with no adverse effects.

Isolation: The PX100s are open phones. They let outside noise in and leak sound out. Though not as drastically open as, for example, Grados, they are still pretty useless as far as isolation goes.

Sound: The PX100s are dark, warm, laid back, and very, very smooth. The vocals are nowhere near as forthcoming as the KSC75s and they are missing the treble sparkle. They do, however, have bass that is tighter and better controlled than both the KSC75s and PortaPro, causing them to sound more accurate on trance and techno tracks (though they are still quite bloated compared to higher-end portables). They don’t really work as well as I would like with my preferred genres, which are rock and metal, because of laid-back nature and dark tone but to be quite honest I still reach for these very often over the KSC75s though I prefer the Koss sound signature in general.

Value. (MSRP: $59.99, Street Price: $35) The PX100s are very good headphones. I would recommend them at the $35 price point any day. It is a matter of preference, however, whether these are better than KSC75 and PortaPros, On a very tight budget, I would go with the KSC75s. However, with price out of consideration, I would probably take these even over the PortaPros as relaxed all-rounders. It should be noted that fake PX100s have popped up on ebay on occasion, so I’d be wary of anything that doesn’t come in retail packaging and with the carrying case.

Manufacturer Specs:
Frequency Response:15-27,000 Hz
Impedance:32 Ω
Sensitivity:114 dB SPL/1mW
Cord:4.6ft (1.4m); Straight Plug
Space-Saving Mechanism:Flat-folding, collapsible
 
 
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To see how the PX100s compare to the other portables in my collection, see here.

I have long used these headphones before I really got into headfi and they have served me well. Unfortunately the cable became damaged after 3 years of extensive use and broke on me. The only thing I did not like is the lower frequencies sounded colored and I did not even notice this until I heard other headphones. But for a little more money you can get better IMO like the ATH-AD700. I did like that they came with a case for carrying them around and the fact that they are small and portable is a big plus if you plan on using them on the go.