Senn CX400 vs CX500?
Feb 3, 2008 at 11:34 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 22
Koshiro

Koshiro

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Hi all, long time lurker first time poster.

I've been looking through previous threads and have been unable to find a comparison between the Sennheiser CX400 in-ear headphones and the CX500 version. I get that 500 is crisper and more balanced than the 300s, but how do the 400s compare?

Essentially if the 400s are about the same as the 500s I'd rather go for the former, due to the optionally short cable. OR is there a wildcard third option for about the same price that's better than the both of them?

Thanks.
 
Feb 3, 2008 at 12:03 PM Post #3 of 22
I tend to listen to music that's heavy on bass, but equally as much I listen to World music (ethnic stuff I guess). It will be for portable use primarily, so i wouldn't want huge cans on my head. I've never gotten on with earphones, but in-ear headphones work for me (earphones tend to fall out no matter what). Thanks!
 
Mar 19, 2008 at 6:22 AM Post #5 of 22
CX400 and CX500 sound the same. The only difference b/w them is the cable and inline volume control. If you can get them cheap, than go for it. If not, there are worthier IEM out there for those kind of money.
 
Mar 23, 2008 at 7:32 PM Post #6 of 22
Hmmm...depends what you're after. For the price I think the Senns are actually really good. Much better than what Shure or UE have on offer. More balanced and with a warmer, richer sound. UE and Shure win on clarity on the highs. But they suck at everything else in my oppinion. The Senns' weakness is the highs. But they handle the mids and bass much better. If you like the warm, smooth Senn sound then the CX400s or CX500s are for you. If you focus on highs you should go for UE or Shure. I was quite surprised when I received mine. I just needed something I could wear on public transport. Now they are my favourites. And they are really comfortable to wear.

As a final note the CX series are really comfortable. The 400s and 500s are exactly the same. I own a pair of 500 and a friend the 400s.
 
Mar 24, 2008 at 12:38 AM Post #7 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by maxjensen /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hmmm...depends what you're after. For the price I think the Senns are actually really good. Much better than what Shure or UE have on offer. More balanced and with a warmer, richer sound. UE and Shure win on clarity on the highs. But they suck at everything else in my oppinion. The Senns' weakness is the highs. But they handle the mids and bass much better. If you like the warm, smooth Senn sound then the CX400s or CX500s are for you. If you focus on highs you should go for UE or Shure. I was quite surprised when I received mine. I just needed something I could wear on public transport. Now they are my favourites. And they are really comfortable to wear.

As a final note the CX series are really comfortable. The 400s and 500s are exactly the same. I own a pair of 500 and a friend the 400s.


Most entry-level, single driver balanced armatures have pretty mediocre highs IMO, except for the Ety ER6 or Altec Lansing im616/im716. To my ears, Senn CX400s had far more enjoyable highs than my UE Super.fi 3s and the Shure e2c, E3c, and se210 that I had auditioned - the high end on the Senns was crisper and more detailed. What I didn't like about the CX400 though was the bass - it was a little too strong and bloated for my tastes.
 
Mar 31, 2008 at 3:07 AM Post #8 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What I didn't like about the CX400 though was the bass - it was a little too strong and bloated for my tastes.


I tried the CX500 and while the bass is a bit strong, that was fixed by applying Bass Reducer equalization on my 3G iPod nano.
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Mar 31, 2008 at 4:06 AM Post #9 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Most entry-level, single driver balanced armatures have pretty mediocre highs IMO, except for the Ety ER6 or Altec Lansing im616/im716. To my ears, Senn CX400s had far more enjoyable highs than my UE Super.fi 3s and the Shure e2c, E3c, and se210 that I had auditioned - the high end on the Senns was crisper and more detailed. What I didn't like about the CX400 though was the bass - it was a little too strong and bloated for my tastes.


How was the bass compared to the CX300? CX300 wouldn't be bad if it opened up some and had less bass. I think the Super.fi 3's are rather forward in mids, IMO. They can be a bit harsh.
 
Mar 31, 2008 at 4:41 AM Post #10 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Most entry-level, single driver balanced armatures have pretty mediocre highs IMO, except for the Ety ER6 or Altec Lansing im616/im716. To my ears, Senn CX400s had far more enjoyable highs than my UE Super.fi 3s and the Shure e2c, E3c, and se210 that I had auditioned - the high end on the Senns was crisper and more detailed. What I didn't like about the CX400 though was the bass - it was a little too strong and bloated for my tastes.


x2 on the highs. imo, its the biggest improvement of the cx400/cx500 over the cx300. i even enjoy its sparkle more than my atrio m5. i would say the new cx series have a laidback sound (which i prefer) since i dont want forward, in-your-face sound.

for the bass, they have less bass impact and imo are tighter, more controlled thus reducing muddiness across the range. though i would love having the atrios deep bass on them
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Oct 11, 2008 at 1:13 AM Post #13 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by jimdaily /img/forum/go_quote.gif
i have got one CX500 from ebay and one CX400 from FocalPrice.com ,the CX400 is better for CX500,i'm not sure the CX500 from ebay is fake or not


Proven to be fake my friend (at least the CX300 is from Focal). Extremely close to authentic but still fake.
 
Oct 11, 2008 at 1:22 AM Post #14 of 22
Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Proven to be fake my friend (at least the CX300 is from Focal). Extremely close to authentic but still fake.


You can't prove it by me. I have the CX300s in fake and real and the CX400s from FP are identical to the real CX300s throughout the entire package....every component and element and they sound outstanding...not as good as the SM PL-30s, but still outstanding.
 
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