[mrspis]

Hello,
I'm looking for a clip-on earphones with a good sound, that can be used everyday for running/other sport activities, and for casual activities like walking or taking a bus/train. Sound quality is the primary criteria that i am looking for, and, from what i have read, OCX 880 deliver the better sound, so they would be the obvious choice for me. But what concerns me is that they are not designed as a Sports model, like the OCX 685i, and on the Sennheiser website it does not state for them that they are Sweat and water-resistant, so i am concerned if it will be possible to use them for longer sports activities involving a lot of sweating, like running. I don't want to buy an pair of earphones that will stop working after a few runs... So my main question is: can the OCX 880 be used for sport type activities like running, and if not, do the OCX 685i deliver even a closely good sound as them? The primary things that i am looking for in sound quality is 1.Clarity, 2.Sound stage, 3.Mid range, 4.Solid, non boomy bass, 5. Precise highs. I don't like a sound that has to many peaks in the mid range-highs and boomy bass that covers the rest of the spectrum. As i listen to allot of Drum & Bass music, it is important for me that they have a good low end, so i would like them to cover that part of the spectrum as good and balanced as all other parts.
http://en-de.sennheiser.com/sport-headset-in-ear-earphones-running-jogging-workouts-ocx-685i
http://en-de.sennheiser.com/earphones-smart-mobile-phones-stereo-noise-reduction-ocx-880
From the specs i see that the OCX 880 has significantly lower THD (0.1% compared to the 0.5% from the OCX 685i), so i presume that they have much clarity to offer. I currently use HD598 model, and i am very happy with the sound that they give, but they are impractical to use outdoors, and the isolation from the outside sounds is virtually nonexistent... I doubt that OCX 880 can compare to them, being an whole other type of headphones, and i don't think that i can get as good sound stage from a closed in in ear phones, but i would like to get the best that i can for the money that i am willing to spend! Also, i would not like to get any other brand, because i love the Sennheiser signature sound, so only phones that are max 100 euros, that are clip on, in ear, and are made by Sennheiser. I didn't find any other model besides these two from Sennheiser that seemed to suit my demands. I would use them with the Sansa Clip+ player (with FLAC files) and FIIO E06 portable amp.
Thanks in advance

 

[mrspis]

Also, i had the opportunity to hear the CX 400-II Precision model and i was absolutely fascinated by its sound, but they do not meet my needs because they are not clip on and would fall out during sport activities. Can the sound of OCX 880 compare to them? I see that they are 30 euros cheaper, but the OCX 880 has other features like clip on and sophisticated volume control that i think ads up to their price. Also, for the CX 400 it states that they possess a "High-end dynamic speaker systems with Neodymium magnets", and for OCX 880 it does not state anything like that (obviously they do not posses Neodymium magnet drivers), so that for me sparks a question if they can compare to CX 400's sound. Also, i was not able to find any info on the CX400's THD levels. For OCX 880 i know that they are 0.1%.
http://en-de.sennheiser.com/earphones-headphones-sound-isolating-cx-400-ii

 

[jant71]

kjk1281 is probably the man you should talk to. He has the 598, OCX685i, and the CX880, IIRC. He told me the 685i is much clearer than the CX280/281 but of a similar signature. You can read Joker's and others reviews of the 280/281 to get a good idea of the signature. He also said the 685i were better then the CX485 he had.
 
They all should have neodymium magnets. The CX870 and CX985 have them and the CX281 I used to have had them as well. The OCX880 should sound a bit better but are they gonna hold up to sweat for very long? The cable is not really made for exercise. I had that VC on the MX880 and it had a low volume channel imbalance and was plastic/cheap feeling. Also quite big and you have to twist the dial which is not very ergonomic. Far from a sophisticated design on the volume control and they switched designs rather quick on that one.
 
Confer with Ken(kjk1281) but I'm probably gonna say the 685i is good enough and might fill your needs better than the OCX880.

 

[vocalist]

I have the OCX 85i and have had them since they came out so since the beginning of last October. I use them for running, the elliptical and at the gym and they are great for this purpose. The cord isn't heavy, they do not budge while moving and with the right tips I can't hear anything but music at the gym. Sound wise, I find them to be pretty good although at times (and I'm not completely sure if its recording dependent) I get a tiny bit of cracking but it's not all the time. Soundstage wise, I think they have more height than width and I do think the bass is pronounced though not overly so. I'm currently listening to some classical/opera on them so I can be specific as I type. I don't use lossless - takes up too much room for my tastes. I use an iPhone 4S or iPod nano 6th gen though the nano isn't the best sound quality apple has produced. Haven't tried them with my Sony funny enough.

For what they are, I think they are worth it. Are they on the level of my $200-500 IEM's? No but I was very surprised with the sound when I put them in the first time and still enjoy them to this day. Actually the opera I'm listening to sounds better than I'd expected as these are mainly only used for working out. I bought mine at Apple and they had a 14 day return policy. The remote works well and after almost 5 months of use 4-6x per week no issues.

 

[mrspis]

What bothers me with OCX685i is the negative comment of a ghy who bought them from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Adidas-Sports-In-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0094R2HZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361520430&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+ocx+685i He says that they are not exactly made for sports enviorments...

 

[kjk1281]

kjk1281 is probably the man you should talk to. He has the 598, OCX685i, and the CX880, IIRC. He told me the 685i is much clearer than the CX280/281 but of a similar signature. You can read Joker's and others reviews of the 280/281 to get a good idea of the signature. He also said the 685i were better then the CX485 he had.

They all should have neodymium magnets. The CX870 and CX985 have them and the CX281 I used to have had them as well. The OCX880 should sound a bit better but are they gonna hold up to sweat for very long? The cable is not really made for exercise. I had that VC on the MX880 and it had a low volume channel imbalance and was plastic/cheap feeling. Also quite big and you have to twist the dial which is not very ergonomic. Far from a sophisticated design on the volume control and they switched designs rather quick on that one.

Confer with Ken(kjk1281) but I'm probably gonna say the 685i is good enough and might fill your needs better than the OCX880.

You pretty much said everything I was going to say. I wouldn't recommend the OCX880 for exercise due to the clunky volume control and cable.

I have the OCX 85i and have had them since they came out so since the beginning of last October. I use them for running, the elliptical and at the gym and they are great for this purpose. The cord isn't heavy, they do not budge while moving and with the right tips I can't hear anything but music at the gym. Sound wise, I find them to be pretty good although at times (and I'm not completely sure if its recording dependent) I get a tiny bit of cracking but it's not all the time. Soundstage wise, I think they have more height than width and I do think the bass is pronounced though not overly so. I'm currently listening to some classical/opera on them so I can be specific as I type. I don't use lossless - takes up too much room for my tastes. I use an iPhone 4S or iPod nano 6th gen though the nano isn't the best sound quality apple has produced. Haven't tried them with my Sony funny enough.

For what they are, I think they are worth it. Are they on the level of my $200-500 IEM's? No but I was very surprised with the sound when I put them in the first time and still enjoy them to this day. Actually the opera I'm listening to sounds better than I'd expected as these are mainly only used for working out. I bought mine at Apple and they had a 14 day return policy. The remote works well and after almost 5 months of use 4-6x per week no issues.

Agreed here as well. The OCX685i is a pretty solid performer. It may not be the best bang for the buck, but it's more than what I expect sound-wise from a sport-minded in-ear headphone. I probably should get to writing a review of these someday, but one thing I find is that they sound better out of an iPod Shuffle than they do out of the Sansa Clip+. I wonder if they were tuned specifically for Apple products.

What bothers me with OCX685i is the negative comment of a ghy who bought them from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Adidas-Sports-In-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0094R2HZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361520430&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+ocx+685i

He says that they are not exactly made for sports enviorments...

Granted, I don't know exactly the type of environment the reviewer's OCX685i was subject to to result in the earphone's failure (as s/he doesn't specify), but I would take a look at other Sennheiser / adidas sport headphones that utilize the same iPod-compatible remote before judging the product's durability. One review just isn't enough information to make an informed decision either way. And if it does fail, I'm sure Sennheiser would replace it under warranty.

 

[ShooterMacG]

I've had the 880 ocx for about a year or more AND very sweaty ears. They've held up fine so far. The controller can get caught in cloths from time to time, but the weight isn't so bad that it pulls at the phones. The sweat does not effect them at all really and I've had them ringing with sweat.
 
I've since moved on to the Koss Porta Pros for running. I find the booming base better personally for running, and the koss are pretty low profile for on-ears.