bangraman
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2002
- Posts
- 10,305
- Likes
- 65
General
The same ingeniously tiny but sealing design as the PX200. The earcup colour seems to be different on the PXC250, a dull Unterseeboot grey. I can't help but feel that it looks cheaper than the PX200. The noise cancelling component comes in a stick with a swivelling belt clip about the size of a really fat pen, and is permanently attached to the headphone via a 1m or so cable. The cable from the noise cancelling unit to a regular 3.5mm headphone plug is about 0.75m. There's space for 2 AAA batteries, and an on/off switch. Strangely, the fit on the PXC250 seems a lot better than my previous PX series unit, the PX200. Even with my prodigiously huge head, the PXC250 sits fine with headband 'clicks' to spare. Long-term (1 hour+) continuous wear is comfortable.
Sealing
With the Noisegard off, it's a lot like the PX200. Surprising amount of sealing for a tiny headphone like this, but not anywhere like the HD280 Pro for example, which is something of a benchmark in this respect. Hit the Noisegard switch however and... Ambient rumbles and clanks fade into the background. It's VERY impressive. It won't drown out baby noise for example, but low-frequency components that are an integral part of train, bus and aircraft travel will simply go away. For aircraft/train/bus use, you don't need to have a source plugged in, you can just use it as a pair of earmuffs.
Sound
Noiseguard has a major effect on the sound. WIth it switched off, the phone sounds like the PX200 (please reference PX200 reviews but in my view it sounds too bass-heavy like the HD212). To me, the PXC250 sounds better than the PX200 with Noiseguard off (albeit still bass-heavy) because it fits me better than the PX200 did, so I get some semblance of trebles now. The only difference seems to be that the PXC250 is noticeably quieter than the PX200, with or without Noiseguard. An ear-deafening volume setting on the Eggo D22 was reduced to a below optimal setting on the PXC250. I found myself setting the volume to Max on the Sony Minidisc to get a good sound, and about 25 out of 30 on the Sharp to get a good sound level.
Turning on Noisegard has the effect of taking away a lot of the bass response of the phones, markedly changing the character of the sound. The quality of sound with Noisegard on is definitely not that from a £90 ($140) closed phone. In fact soundwise it has more in common with the Y5,500 ($40) Sony Eggo MDR-D22SL. Bass can pack a kick, given the right music and some assistance from the portable, but on the whole it's weak. Trebles are fairly well represented, and mids are somewhat lacking although perfectly discernible. But on the whole, it's a perfectly listenable sound, more so I think if your portable has EQ of some description to tailor the response with. Even Bass Boost helps to round out the somewhat thin feeling sound with Noisegard enabled.
Conclusion
The way that it can provide a calm oasis in trains, aircraft (yet to be tried but I will do so soon), etc is a major advantage. I don't know if Etys would seal out more noise, but I would imagine the PXC250 to be a lot more convenient in general use. Not great sounding, definitely not 'hi-fi' but OK for most uses out of a portable. Theyre very portable (packs into a space far smaller than an MDR-7506), provide very good noise cancelling and fair sound.
Highly recommended for frequent travellers.
The same ingeniously tiny but sealing design as the PX200. The earcup colour seems to be different on the PXC250, a dull Unterseeboot grey. I can't help but feel that it looks cheaper than the PX200. The noise cancelling component comes in a stick with a swivelling belt clip about the size of a really fat pen, and is permanently attached to the headphone via a 1m or so cable. The cable from the noise cancelling unit to a regular 3.5mm headphone plug is about 0.75m. There's space for 2 AAA batteries, and an on/off switch. Strangely, the fit on the PXC250 seems a lot better than my previous PX series unit, the PX200. Even with my prodigiously huge head, the PXC250 sits fine with headband 'clicks' to spare. Long-term (1 hour+) continuous wear is comfortable.
Sealing
With the Noisegard off, it's a lot like the PX200. Surprising amount of sealing for a tiny headphone like this, but not anywhere like the HD280 Pro for example, which is something of a benchmark in this respect. Hit the Noisegard switch however and... Ambient rumbles and clanks fade into the background. It's VERY impressive. It won't drown out baby noise for example, but low-frequency components that are an integral part of train, bus and aircraft travel will simply go away. For aircraft/train/bus use, you don't need to have a source plugged in, you can just use it as a pair of earmuffs.
Sound
Noiseguard has a major effect on the sound. WIth it switched off, the phone sounds like the PX200 (please reference PX200 reviews but in my view it sounds too bass-heavy like the HD212). To me, the PXC250 sounds better than the PX200 with Noiseguard off (albeit still bass-heavy) because it fits me better than the PX200 did, so I get some semblance of trebles now. The only difference seems to be that the PXC250 is noticeably quieter than the PX200, with or without Noiseguard. An ear-deafening volume setting on the Eggo D22 was reduced to a below optimal setting on the PXC250. I found myself setting the volume to Max on the Sony Minidisc to get a good sound, and about 25 out of 30 on the Sharp to get a good sound level.
Turning on Noisegard has the effect of taking away a lot of the bass response of the phones, markedly changing the character of the sound. The quality of sound with Noisegard on is definitely not that from a £90 ($140) closed phone. In fact soundwise it has more in common with the Y5,500 ($40) Sony Eggo MDR-D22SL. Bass can pack a kick, given the right music and some assistance from the portable, but on the whole it's weak. Trebles are fairly well represented, and mids are somewhat lacking although perfectly discernible. But on the whole, it's a perfectly listenable sound, more so I think if your portable has EQ of some description to tailor the response with. Even Bass Boost helps to round out the somewhat thin feeling sound with Noisegard enabled.
Conclusion
The way that it can provide a calm oasis in trains, aircraft (yet to be tried but I will do so soon), etc is a major advantage. I don't know if Etys would seal out more noise, but I would imagine the PXC250 to be a lot more convenient in general use. Not great sounding, definitely not 'hi-fi' but OK for most uses out of a portable. Theyre very portable (packs into a space far smaller than an MDR-7506), provide very good noise cancelling and fair sound.
Highly recommended for frequent travellers.
