Sennheiser PXC 450

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 11 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  Superb Headphones!

  by ANYDrew on March 15, 2013

  Pros: + Superb packaging, build quality, noise cancelling
  + High-quality materials constructed
  + PXC-450 is superb sound

  Cons: - PXC-450 is not cheap

  Summary: I owned the Sennheiser PXC-250 on-the-ear noise cancelling headphones for many years and used them extensively on long flights. Sadly, returning from a trip to Europe recently I accidentally left ...

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  Summary: I owned the Sennheiser PXC-250 on-the-ear noise cancelling headphones for many years and used them extensively on long flights. Sadly, returning from a trip to Europe recently I accidentally left them on the plane. I can hardly imagine flying without NC headphones any more, so I started looking for a replacement. And while the PXC-250 was good, this was a great excuse for upgrading.
  
  I looked at three candidates: Audio Technica, Bose and Sennheiser. I've never owned a Bose before (I'm not a Bose fan) but I was willing to at least consider it. The Audio Technica, while getting good reviews, was too much of an unknown for me. So it was between Bose QC15 and the PXC-450, and when I got an opportunity to buy the PXC-450 for a little less than the Bose, my mind was made up.
  
  Just as well. These headphones are superb in just about every respect: packaging, build quality, noise cancelling and above all, the sound. I did get an opportunity to compare them with a friend's Bose QC15 and the PXC-450 is clearly the better solution - of course, headphones are a very subjective choice, but for me the Bose did not compare well to the Sennheiser.
  
  The headphones are beautifully constructed with high-quality materials (who new one could still buy headphones at this price with a stainless steel headband and gold plated connectors everywhere?) and they seem very sturdy. Noise cancelling is significantly better than the PXC-250, not only because of the passive cancelling afforded by the large ear cups, but the active cancelling seems to have improved dramatically as well. Of course, one has to know what to expect, and I think a fair number of negative reviews are the result of unrealistic expectations.
  
  But when the PXC-450 noise cancelling is activated, the silence is almost eerie, and without the slight hiss and ear pressure that were evident on the PXC-250. And while the Bose noise cancelling is on a par with these, the PXC-450 allows one to bypass the NC and use them as regular headphones, something the Bose cannot do. This, coupled with the very neat "talk through" feature on the PXC-450 blew the Bose out of the water.
  
  As for comfort, the PXC-450 construction makes for a very comfortable fit: these are a lot bigger than the PXC-250, for example, but very comfortable to wear. They seem to disappear once you put them on. The sturdy travel case is at least 50% larger than the PXC-250 case, but still small enough to fit into a carry-on travel case pocket.
  
  And finally, the sound of the PXC-450 is superb, with or without NC. The old cliche of hearing things in music for the first time comes to mind with these headphones: balanced across the full spectrum with excellent clarity - outstanding listening pleasure compared to the PXC-250 (good but clearly not in the same league) and the Bose (booming bass at the cost of just about everything else). I've seen some complaints about a perceived lack of bass on the PXC-450, not sure what those folks were expecting to hear but these headphones handle bass as well or better than anything I have owned before, without compromising on the rest of the audio spectrum.
  
  The PXC-450 is not cheap, but in this case you actually do get what you pay for, and for best deal of the PXC-450 I suggest you have to check at: Headphonereviewsbuy.com/buy-sennheiser-pxc-450/
  
  Very highly recommended.

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  9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  The New Gold Standard

  by lawadvisors on July 2, 2007

  Pros: Excellent Sound Quality and Noise Hushing, Comfortable

  Cons: Expensive, Larger than Other Cans

  Summary: The Bose Quiet Comfort 2 and 3 have long been considered by many as the gold standard for active noise cancelling headphones. This is because the Bose phones offer a ...

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  Summary: The Bose Quiet Comfort 2 and 3 have long been considered by many as the gold standard for active noise cancelling headphones. This is because the Bose phones offer a unique combination of good noise cancellation, comfort and sound quality.
  
  Enter German heavyweight headphone juggernaut Sennheiser. Sennheiser clearly takes aim Bose with their new PXC 450 Noise Cancelling Phones. And when the dust settled, it's wasn't even close. There is a now a new leader of the pack and that leader hails from Germany. Let's take a look and see how these cans rate!
  
  PRICE: Around $449.00 USD.
  
  DESIGN:
  
  Similar to Bose and other models, the PXC 450s have an attractive silver and black design. They are somewhat bigger than other similar noise hushing models but I like the thicker more substantial headphone cable. The cable is also replaceable in the event of failures which makes out of warranty repairs less expensive. The right earcup houses the power button, volume buttons and talk through buttons. Overall, I like the asthetical design (it's about as good as a large pair of cans can look) but the electronics buttons are a little difficut to access while wearing the headphones.
  
  FEATURES:
  
  The Senns come with a detachable cable, volume control, bypass switch and talk through control. The bypass switch is nice because it allows you to continue to enjoy your music even after the battery has died.
  With other models, your music dies when your battery does. I also like the talk through feature which mutes the music and picks up outside sounds so you do not need to remove the headphones to interact with the outside world. I'm sure you can imagine when this feature would be useful such as when interacting with the fligh attendant.
  
  OPERATION:
  
  The headphones can be used in either active or passive mode. The headphones run on one (1) AAA battery in active mode. The manufacturer estimates 16-20 hours of battery life. I really like the fact that the 450s run on regular vs. rechargeable batteries. This is because you can simply pop in a new battery if the current one craps out while traveling. With a rechargeable battery (unless you purchase a spare, which can be expensive), when the battery dies you may be enjoying the silence and I don't mean listening to track 6 of Depeche Mode's Violator.
  
  COMFORT AND CONSTRUCTION:
  
  Build quality is sold with a thick solid well put together headband. These headphones should last awhile. I also found comfort to be very good while wearing the 450s over extended periods (of more than 2 hours) although not quite as plush as the Bose Quiet Comfort 3s.
  
  PERFORMANCE
  
  This is where the Sennheisers really steal the show. On my last routine flight I compared the 450s with my wife's Quiet Comfort 3s. I found each to be about equal in hushing lower frequencies however I found the Sennheisers to be more effective with higher frequencies. In transaltion this means I simply heard less of the plane engine and ambient noise with the 450s than with the Bose. Finally, sound quality wasn't even close. I played both Shower the People and Handyman by James Taylor on my IPOD. Both songs were encoded at a 320 kps bit rate to ensure good sound quality. On the 450's, percussion sounded clean and natural, bass was well defined and deep and James Taylor sounded like he was almost singing infront of my seat. I really liked the clean midrange, treble, and sonic detail of the 450s. I could hear nunances not heard before in my music. On the other hand, I next listened to the same songs on the Quiet Comfort 3s and the songs were almost unlistenable. Although bass was stronger than the 450s and the sound was fuller, that came at a price as percussion and voices sounded muffled, almost as if James Taylor was singing with towel over his mouth. The Senns definetly had a far cleaner and more natural sounding treble and midrange which made music listening a pleasure. For $449.00 list price the Sennheisers should sound incredible and they didn't disappoint.
  
  SUMMARY
  
  The 450s are now the new noise cancellation standard against which all others will be judged. Although more expensive and larger than the competiton the proof is in the pudding as other active noise cancellation headphones cannot compete when it comes to sound quality and noise hushing ability. One point I will make is that the noise cancelling circuit on any headphones usally adds or detracts from the sound quality. In the case of the 450s, effect is negligble. I notice slightly more bass in active mode then passive mode however I notice no effect on midrange or treble openess.
  
  P.S. If using these or any high quality full sized headphones with an IPOD, MP3, or portable player, I recommend using a portable headphone AMP. Many high quality full sized headphones have imepdances that exceed 100 ohms and will hard to drive to pleasing volume levels with the puny output of your portable. The 450s are no execption with a passive 150 ohm and active 750 ohm rating. The headphone amp improves sound quality and increases sound output. For my tests, I used the inexpensive Pocket Amp Version 2. It's a great little sounding AMP that I use with all my portables and even with lower impedance headphones as I like the Amp's sound quality so much. The amp runs for many hours on AA rechargeable batteries. For more info on the amp please visit the manufactuer's website http://www.electric-avenues.com/.

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  6 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Absolutely beautiful cans

  by kartikatre on April 6, 2008

  Pros: great sound; awesome noise cancelling; comfortable

  Cons: pricey; difficult to access bypass switch

  Summary: Once in a while there comes technology which blows you away... Senn PXC450 is such a piece of tech.
  
  Its absolute fantastic and rich sound reproduction is almost as good
  
  ...

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  Summary: Once in a while there comes technology which blows you away... Senn PXC450 is such a piece of tech.
  
  Its absolute fantastic and rich sound reproduction is almost as good as my previous Shure E4c (another beauty..). Sadly, a ear infection forced me to abandon the in-ear design of the E4c and therefore...Enter the Sennheiser PXC 450. I was in the market looking for circumaural headphones. I had it narrowed down to the Senn HD280 Pro vs. this one. It was with great trepidation that I chose these over the HD 280 Pro, esp. since the 280s were a lot cheaper. However, I must say, the PXC450 is worth every penny. I have used it for a month now and I am a very very very satisfied customer.
  
  Quick review:
  
  Sound is clear and true. It has a very "open" feel in spite of being closed design phones. Trebles are crisp, midrange clear, and Bass is great without being over-powering. (If you are REALLY crazy about your Bass, these are not for you).
  
  Noise cancelling is amazing and works best when, well, when its noisy. Indoors, when it is less noisy, the circuit generates a hiss which is audible and annoying..Experts tell me this is "normal" for noise cancelling phones..but do check it out. However, unlike the overhyped Bose QCs, these cans allow you the pleasure of passive listening even if you remove the battery, with NO compromise on sound quality or level. So if you dont need the NC, switch it off and enjoy better quality sound...simple..except that the NC bypass switch is very difficult to access when actually wearing the phones. Small problem, IMHO. Oh, BTW, even if passively used, the design gives good noise isolation - enough for office scenarios

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  4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  They really are Bose Killers

  by ashparkcity1 on February 21, 2008

  Pros: Slightly Better sound then Bose, better features

  Cons: Slightly larger then Bose over ear headphones

  Summary: Bought these with the intent on trying them out vs. the Bose QC 2's, and keeping the best. I have a Bose store nearby, and brought these in for ...

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  Summary: Bought these with the intent on trying them out vs. the Bose QC 2's, and keeping the best. I have a Bose store nearby, and brought these in for a comparison using my ipod and my music tastes (rock, blues, alt). It was a small but noticible difference in the midrange clarity, as well as better features, such as the "talk through" button, and the fact that it will still work (without noise reduction) when the battery is dead, and the fact that it uses an easily available AAA battery that made my chloice clear. Even the Bose salesman in the store liked the PXC 450 better.
  
  Used them for the first time on a pair of 3 hour flights last week. Comfortable the whole time, and I didn't have to take them off when the flight attendant came by. The talk thru function works well!
  
  The guy next to me had Quiet Comfort 2's, and asked if he could try mine. He did his own A/B comparison, and said he was returning the QC 2's to Bose. 'Nuff said.

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  4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Awesome headphones - best I've tried

  by nonameisbest on August 17, 2007

  Pros: Sound quality

  Cons: Hefty price tag

  Summary: These are the third set of noise canceling headphones that I have owned. For the past year I have had Bose QuietComfort 2's.
  
  Just recently though I read about
  
  ...

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  Summary: These are the third set of noise canceling headphones that I have owned. For the past year I have had Bose QuietComfort 2's.
  
  Just recently though I read about the new Sennheiser PXC 450’s and the reviewer immediately struck a nerve when he discussed the sonic limitations and shortcomings of the Bose. I also suspect that their muddled squishy bass, slightly distorted midrange and completely missing high frequencies had really began to irritate me over the course of the year that I had owned them.
  
  Shortly thereafter I had found a buyer for my (still in great condition) QuietComfort 2’s (the Bose marketing campaign helped). Since I was able subtract the resale value of my Bose headphones from the Sennheiser’s somewhat hefty price tag I decided to order new Sennheiser PXC 450’s sight unseen.
  
  I have to say that when the new Sennheiser headphones arrived they were quite simply awesome. The reviews that I have read on these phones do not lie. Personally however I could hear a huge difference in their noise canceling capabilities over the Bose but the sound quality of the 450’s quite honestly just leaves the Bose set in the dust and if I worked in Bose sales I would be very concerned right now.
  
  One of the main cons that I have heard about the 450s’s were a slight lack of bass. While IMHO this is more than compensated for by their awesome fidelity elsewhere I have to say that this is a reasonable criticism when the noise canceling feature is engaged. What nobody had previously mentioned however is that these headphones are also amazing when used in their battery-free bypass mode. Their construction reduces ambient sound to such an extent that you soon discover that you can often use them in mildly noisy areas without the noise canceling circuit.
  
  Furthermore the 450's performance in this mode is quite reminiscent of my old Sennheiser HD580’s with their fantastic sound quality. My old Bose set did not even work without a battery!
  
  Finally, I used to think that my iPod just produced crappy sounding music. Now I am finding that those perceived limitations actually lay elsewhere.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  exceptional sound, comfort and noise canceling features

  by hzacks on December 20, 2008

  Pros: The PXC 450 is has exceptional sound, comfort, and optional noise cancellation. Its sound is better than any closed back or noise canceling headphone in the market and is every bit the match for my Grado 325 . The noise canceling are very powerful.

  Cons: They are expensive, although I found them online for $279. The noise canceling switch is located inconveniently.

  Summary: The Sennheiser 450 is a closed back, noise canceling headphone that has exceptional sound with the noise canceling feature either off or on. It has soft leathery ear pads and ...

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  Summary: The Sennheiser 450 is a closed back, noise canceling headphone that has exceptional sound with the noise canceling feature either off or on. It has soft leathery ear pads and is extremely comfortable. Its sound is far better than any closed back or noise canceling headphone in the market and is every bit the match for my Grado 325 without the discomfort. It would be worth buying just for its comfort and exceptional sound but it also has top-flight noise canceling features as well that almost entirely block out airline noise among other things.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 6 stars

  Poor quality sound... suitable for casual travel

  by Soundchaser54 on September 18, 2009

  Pros: Aesthetic design, build quality, comfortable. blocks out continuous sounds well, short cable, fairly efficient. Sound plays in passive mode.

  Cons: Muffled sound, lacking in detail and subtlety. Exaggerated low end with an uneven frequency hump at 180Hz resulting in masking of higher frequencies. Does not block out random sounds. No locking feature on mini stereo jack.

  Summary: First I should allow a disclaimer as I am a sound engineer and I was hoping to use this product for professional mix purposes-- live classical music. Thus I needed ...

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  Summary: First I should allow a disclaimer as I am a sound engineer and I was hoping to use this product for professional mix purposes-- live classical music. Thus I needed to block out the original source and mix only the recorded program.
  
  The noise reduction is good for continuous hum but, poor to non existent for random noises. The unit does have natural sound blocking abilities being a closed (circumaural) design as it seals the ears well. When used outdoors the unit is susceptible to wind noise. I don't know if all NC units have the same problem as they employ external microphones. Yes you can hear very low level hiss--reported in every NC unit on the market.
  Build quality is very good and the unit is very comfortable and looks great -- 9/10 on all three counts.
  I also like the short cable (for working) but for pro use, any unit with a mini stereo jack HAS TO HAVE A LOCKING FEATURE. This unit does not.
  I found these headphones very efficient, a surprise as that was one of the knocks against them. Perhaps I am use to inefficient pro units which require proper amplification.
  
  AUDIO QUALITY: Here is where I give this product a poor grade --C minus.
  
  First off being a circumaural design there is a natural lack of "air and spaciousness" to the sound. That much I expected. However, most disappointing is the lack of detail revealed in recordings. Sound is muffled as if a blanket were over top. All of the subtleties are missing. Part of the problem is a hump in the response around 180Hz which has a masking effect on higher frequencies. Play back on a John Mayer track, 'Your Body Is a Wonderland' the snare looses all of it's snap and sounds contained and boxy. The kick drum has a big low end thump and not the true body and texture that was originally recorded, especially on the attack--the beater hitting the skin. The vocal is closed and contained as opposed to open and breathy. Acoustic guitars have really high harmonics which are missing--again the quality of 'air' and 'space'.

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  1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 5 stars

  Everything depends on the battery

  by nocalgal on May 28, 2012

  Pros: When everything else is going right, they have great clarity of sound. Pretty good at noise cancelling without distorting the sound. Clear authentic sound is what I was looking for so they are quite good for what I needed.

  Cons: Very battery dependent and they go through batteries very quickly and won't work if the battery is a little low either. I'm having trouble with volume too which I believe is an impedance issue, so be sure to match your equipment.

  Summary: Good quality authentic sound headphones with reasonable noise cancelling, but buy rechargeable batteries and a charger.

  Summary: Good quality authentic sound headphones with reasonable noise cancelling, but buy rechargeable batteries and a charger.

• 2 stars

  Ear pads fall apart and that despite of taking care!

  by perheisselberg on March 6, 2012

  Pros: Great sound!

  Cons: Battery compartment - trouble unless you are very careful replacing battery. Ear pads NO GOOD!

  Summary: I love the sound.. BUT having had to change ear pads twice at a completely outrageous price within 6 months, since they deteriorate and fall apart faster than you can ...

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  Summary: I love the sound.. BUT having had to change ear pads twice at a completely outrageous price within 6 months, since they deteriorate and fall apart faster than you can say cheese is NO good. Yes, I live in Singapore and it's hot and humid, but as soon as I have finished my Skype calls or listening in a car/airplane - I put the earphones back in their box with a HUGE moist absorbent bag inside.. In vain.
  The plastic fall off the cloth, disentangles from the frame and are no good for nothing - and replacing - well - cost is more than USD. 50 - and that is every three months - unless you want to have black plastic pieces on your ears and dropping everywhere.. Bummer - and think I am back to Bose!

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• 6 stars

  Over-hyped

  by jptoo101 on November 17, 2011

  Pros: Good build quality, fit and finish.

  Cons: Average sound performance, and mediocre noise cancelling feature.

  Summary: There is much hype these days about noise cancelling headphones, and I must admit I had expectations in the PXC450's before I had actualy gotten my ears on a ...

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  Summary: There is much hype these days about noise cancelling headphones, and I must admit I had expectations in the PXC450's before I had actualy gotten my ears on a pair in a nearby store.
  
  But I was greatly dissapointed when I placed the headphones on my ears and flipped the "On" switch. After all, Sennheiser claims the PXC450's eliminate 90% of ambiant noise. Frankly, in the store where I was, the only sound that was eliminated was some of the background noise. I could still here very distinctivly customer voices, tv's, phones, and other chit chat. In fact, this caused my ears to focus even more on these noises than before since they were not so much submerged with other background noises.
  
  If you are travelling by car, plane, train, or by any other means, these headphones will not eliminate background noise to your liking: I suggest you try earplugs instead. They are much cheaper too!
  
  If you are in the market for high quality headphones, either for listening to music on you iPod or computer, or for gaming purposes, I suggest you try out the new Grado PS-500's. No contest.

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