CNET Editor's rating: 7.7 out of 10
Reviewed by
Steve Guttenberg
Review date: 09/21/05
The good: Very comfortable on-ear headphones; highly effective noise-canceling circuitry; lightweight design; folds for compact storage; sturdy travel pouch; two-year warranty.
The bad: Maximum volume is somewhat limited compared with other headphones.
The bottom line: Sennheiser's featherweight noise-canceling headphones are supercomfy and produce sound quality approaching that of some full-size models.
Sennheiser's PXC 300 noise-canceling headphones boast the latest refinement of the brand's NoiseGard Advance hushing technology. The travel-friendly 'phones also offer featherweight comfort, fold flat for easy storage in the supplied soft travel case, and come with batteries and airline audio adapters. The PXC 300s retail for $220, though online pricing hovers at less than $200.
At first glance, the Sennheiser PXC 300s looks like upscale Walkman-style headphones; closer examination reveals them to have an impressively durable design. The earpieces are approximately 1.75 inches in diameter, so they can't completely cover your ears, but the PXC 300s' extraplush leatherette ear cushions blocked out a significant level of noise on their own. They exerted a fair amount of pressure on our ears, but we found the headphone extremely comfortable, even in hot weather. The headphones employ Sennheiser's proprietary, spiral-embossed Duofol diaphragms and bass-tube technology for improved sound quality. The PXC 300s are backed up with a two-year warranty.
Sennheiser claims its latest NoiseGard Advance system eliminates the electronics' inherent background noise, but we heard very low-level hiss in quiet locations; in the noisy world, the hiss was inaudible. Sennheiser also claims the PXC 300s reduce susceptibility to interference from cell phones and other radio-frequency sources, and we experienced no disturbances. The PXC 300s' noise-canceling circuitry and two AAA batteries are housed in a separate 5.25-inch-long, black plastic tube fitted with a metal belt clip. Sennheiser states the batteries should provide up to 80 hours of service, though you can still enjoy music over the PXC 300s even if you don't have a spare set of AAAs on hand; you just won't get the noise-canceling capability if you have no batteries. The cable running from the headphone and the battery case is 4.5 feet long; it's fitted with a 3.5mm stereo plug compatible with virtually all portables, and you get a 6.3mm adapter for home use.
Sennheiser also offers a less expensive alternative, the PXC 150s ($130), which forgo some of the PXC 300s' design features. They won't play as loud and produce more limited bass response, but the noise-canceling abilities are identical.
We evaluated the Sennheiser PXC 300s' noise-canceling (NC) performance on New York City's subways and buses. The din reduction wasn't up to the standards set by full-size headphones that completely enclose the ears, but it's definitely in the ballpark. Engaging the NC circuitry significantly boosted the PXC 300s' volume level and accentuated the midrange frequencies, which heightened the apparent NC effect. That volume gain was also appreciated because the PXC 300 wouldn't play particularly loud with our iPod. Sound quality was above average, with good bass power and definition. The PXC 300s, like many other noise-canceling headphones, produce acoustic pressure on the eardrums. Listeners sensitive to this effect may find it mildly uncomfortable.
We compared the Sennheiser PXC 300s with one of our favorite NC models, AKG's K28 NCs ($160). The Sennheiser's sound was clearly more detailed with superior bass definition, but the AKG produced more bass and could play a lot louder than the PXC 300s. Noise-canceling abilities on both 'phones were excellent.
10 out of 10 - Perfect Best for Travel, light, great sound, blocks airplane noise
I have owned this headset for 6 months now, and 30,000 airline miles! These are by far the best ...
I have owned this headset for 6 months now, and 30,000 airline miles! These are by far the best sounding headset I have ever had, and the noise cancelling is fantastic!!! I love puting this on a friend, then asking how they sound... they are really impressed, then I flick the NC switch and watch their expression!! WOW, is all they say. I use rechargable batteries and they last for weeks. They are strong, light weight. You can't go wrong with the company that invented noise canceling technology. Sennheiser created this technology for pilots. Back to the sound quality, full range, great highs and base, what more can I say... best headphones on the planet (even off the planet when you are in an airplane). One other note, I was sitting next to a guy with his $300 Bose NC phones, I asked him if we could swap for a minute, and he didn't want to give me mine back (I couldn't wait to give his back to him). Well needless to say you can't get anything better than these. BTW, noise canceling works for dull back-gound noise, don't expect them to eliminate screaming kids. You just get clean clear sound, with no dull roar of a jet engine.
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by Michiganbta (see profile) -
December 20, 2005
14 out of 14 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Very good, not perfect
I have the 300, my son has the 250. There is not much difference, IMHO. 300 has nicer padding, hard ...
I have the 300, my son has the 250. There is not much difference, IMHO. 300 has nicer padding, hard carry case. I don't think there is any performance difference.
Sound is a bit hissy, however I think that is the case with all noise cancelling headphones.
I prefer the Sennheiser to Bose. Bose covers the entire ear and one cannot hear your wife talking in the seat next to you. (ok, this can be a benefit)
Drastically reduces noise from the airplane even without a music source. Allows one to listen to ipod or movie at modest volume. A must for the frequent traveller.
I wish that the controller which holds 2 AAA batteries was smaller.
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by sfo2 (see profile) -
March 15, 2006
12 out of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Excellent travel companion
I travel quite a bit and these headphones have been a great companion - I've been using them for ...
I travel quite a bit and these headphones have been a great companion - I've been using them for over a year now. The sound quality is excellent as you'd expect from Sennheiser. Noise cancellation (NC) is no miracle - it reduces ambient noise such as air conditioning, engines, etc. - constant humming noises. It won't dissapear with the chatting of your neighbors in the plane. But it is enough to make you forget about external noise e and concentrate on the music. With the NC unit on, the volume is hightened and there is some "loudness" effect. What is just fine for a noisy environment. Batteries last forever. The only glitch is that you can't detach the NC unit if you won't use it.
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by ajdbarros (see profile) -
February 19, 2006
6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular nice headphones, reduces some noise,
Nice headphones, but it's good not to expect too much of them. They are comfortable to wear and easy ...
Nice headphones, but it's good not to expect too much of them. They are comfortable to wear and easy to use. The build quality feels good. The sound is good quality, rich and dynamic, and easily loud enough for me - I think if anyone wants a louder sound, they probably don't need this type of product anyway, as anything louder and you'd not notice external noises anyway.
The sounds it muffles best are constant and quite smooth low frequency sounds, for example air conditioning. In my workplace, the effect is remarkable. If you want to deal with the effects of such noises, these headphones are brilliant. On trains, however, the effect is good but not great. On modern (British) rolling stock (ie air conditioned, so no open windows) they deal with maybe half the noise, the lower level machinery noises - but the constant but uneven noise caused by the wheels pressing on the rails and other noises is left as is. And, a curse on trains now - the one in two passengers using cheap 'in ear' headphones for ipods and music from phones - those high pitched percussive noises from the selfish person next to you are not filtered out.
What this means is that I can just about bear to use them on the train (as I don't like excessive volumes and no half hour listening to music is worth damaging my hearing for), but only just - and bearing in mind that is why I bought them, I suppose I'm a bit disappointed. But my expectations were too high. They certainly help, and make listening to radio or music on the train possible without deafening myself.
Not tried them on a plane yet, but they are so good at dealing with air conditioning in the office that I think they'll probably help there - the noises on planes are a bit more constant than those on trains, so I think that will be better.
If I can find a better product for the train I'll buy it. These are the only model I've ever tried, and so I've nothing to compare them with. I somehow doubt if any model will really eliminate most of the noise on trains. But they are good overall -they reduce and muffle a lot of external noise, and make it at least possible to hear music.
Something I found strange was using them in a shop. I turned them off and found out the shop was deafening, and playing horrible muzak that I hadn't realised was on. So I think I'm going to find new uses for them I hadn't imagined - just having them on without music means I can have a bit of peace and quiet when I'm out and about. But there are no worries about safey - you'll easily hear someone say something to you when you have them on.
I got mine for £92 uk pounds, online (that's 162 US$ at today's exchange rate, or 135euro). At that price, and if you realise they won't eliminate all external noise, then I would recommend them.
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by maurice987987 (see profile) -
January 30, 2006
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 out of 10 - Very good Costly and a bit problematic wiring but good sound and comfy
Good sound and pretty good aircraft noice cancellation. The Bose headphones that cover the entire ear are a bit quieter, ...
Good sound and pretty good aircraft noice cancellation. The Bose headphones that cover the entire ear are a bit quieter, I think, but are not nearly as comfortable to wear on a 10 hour flight. Two AA batteries are required to power the circuts. Consequently there is this big black cigar with wires running to and from it to the headphones. The wires tend to tangle up in the blanket. Remember to wear a shirt with buttons or one that has a pocket so that you can clip (this big cigar does have a clip built in) the battery case to your body. There is enought wire, just, to clip the case to the seat pocket in front but again the wires become problematic. These headphones fold up and come with a semi-hard zipper case and two-pronged airplane adapter. The case fits nicely into a side pocket on a laptop bag. The speakers swival and the over-the-head band is hinged (like the ear pieces on a pair of glasses. It all seems pretty flimsy to me, but I've used them on a half dozen trans-atlantic flights (and have even lent them out) without any trouble. I bought these at Schiphol one morning when I thought I couldn't take the noice any longer, so I paid the high end (219 USD). Even so, I prefer these to the older (larger) Bose and to the newer (smaller) Bose even though the Bose products do not have the power supply external to the headphone and consequently no wires. It comes down to a matter of long-haul comfort. I choose the spaghetti wire and cigar solution because they are so light weight and comfortable.
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by mssanto (see profile) -
January 18, 2007
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Very good headphones
I was very skeptical initially when looking at headphones and earlier almost went with the Bose. Now I am glad ...
I was very skeptical initially when looking at headphones and earlier almost went with the Bose. Now I am glad I went with these. I also had a pair of E4C's and sent them back. I know some people rave about canal phones, but I could not stand them sticking in my ear. I always felt I was one move away from punching out an ear drum and doing some permanent damage. Anyway, although not perfect, I am quite satisfied. They work quite well with Air Conditioning and I recently used them a lot in Puerto Rico where my in-laws have noisy units. They also work quite well on most commercial flights, but couldn't cancel out the noisy turbo props on a recent flight to the Bahamas. But probably for this, only canal phones would work. Anway, I would highly recommend these and not hesitate to purchase again.
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by sofla100 (see profile) -
July 24, 2006
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 out of 10 - Average Excellent portability, reasonable noise reduction, but weak bass
This is my third pair of noise reducing headphones, as I owned and still have one of the original "Noisebusters" ...
This is my third pair of noise reducing headphones, as I owned and still have one of the original "Noisebusters" from like 12 years ago!! I paid extra for the PXC-300 over their less expensive models expecting superior performance in all areas. I am particularly pleased with how portable the phones are -- they provide a web page to show you how to fold them, but it seemed simple after just a time or two. And the hard shelled case is very nice but still compact enough for easy travel. The wires tend to get tangled in the case -- a better way to handle those would be an improvement. The separate battery holder, with its own belt clip, has proved not as much hassle as some fear, but another foot of wire from it to the phones would have been perfect. This is an "on-ear" set, but I found the fit to be not tiring nor uncomfortable despite the fact that they feel tight from a relatively stiff band. I think i would prefer just a little softer padding were I designing the cups. The sound volume seems quite reasonable (hooked up to my Creative Zen Touch) and indeed it does work with cancellation turned on or off (but with off, significantly lower volume). The noise cancellation per se is OK, but while it eliminates almost all the low-pitched jet engine whine, it seems to do almost nothing with the higher pitched whine, which I guess I don't understand since it is so constant; I'd rate this element as about average. BUT -- the bass response is extremely weak -- i'd have to say the poorest of any set i've ever owned, which to say the least is pretty disappointing. I wish now I had opted either for their cheaper versions, or another brand to get better bass. Overall, these would be just about a 9 or 10 with excellent bass, but as is, the weak bass cancels out my satisfaction with the unit's other good characterisitics.
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by jbull1 (see profile) -
October 23, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Excellent sound, very comfortable and excellent noise reduction
Reproduction of the sound is superb. The bass is good. You can hear the very detail of the music. The ...
Reproduction of the sound is superb. The bass is good. You can hear the very detail of the music. The noise reduction is good. I am waiting for a newer model with better noise reduction power. I am sure that I will continue to support Sennheiser headphone.
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by lttpaul (see profile) -
August 21, 2006
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
4 out of 10 - Mediocre Gone through 2 now
These headphones sound great, but they may not be the best idea if you're on the go. I've ...
These headphones sound great, but they may not be the best idea if you're on the go. I've gone through 2 pairs now, both of them have broken. The headphones are designed to fold up to save space, but the folding parts are made of plastic, and it is very cheap. I was not rough with them at all, but they still cracked and broke.
The noise cancelling works well, but just putting on the headphones does not block any noise. The "nunchuck" style battery container for the noise cancelling is very large and cumbersome. It is too big to wear comfortably on your shirt or jeans, and it is too long for most pockets. It is also heavy, and it gets in the way, and it too is designed cheaply. THe cover for the battery easily opens.
If you want headphones that are great for travelling, check out the Sony NCR-11s
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by Kev50027 (see profile) -
August 1, 2006
8 out of 10 - Excellent Very good - my pair is worn out now!
I travel a lot: almost 200k miles a year. I bought a pair of these headphones a number of years ...
I travel a lot: almost 200k miles a year. I bought a pair of these headphones a number of years ago and use them monthly for 10+ hour flights. After all this use, the phones have never let me down and I have only 2 issues: 1) the earpiece padding is not as comfortable after all this use. 10 hour flights are about all I can take. 2) There is a weak point where the right and left cable enters the earpiece. Insulation has broken and the ground wire is exposed. But, the unit still works.
In summary, I plan to replace these phones with a new pair of Bose QC3 soon, but I definintely got my money's worth from the Sennheiser phones.
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by pauloregon (see profile) -
May 20, 2008
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