Tuesday 6 January 2009

Sennheiser CX 880 Noise-Isolating Premium Earbuds


Silicone ear adapters for a personalized comfortable fit

Ear wax guards for enhanced audio performance

Intergrate volume control and storage pouch

Sophisticated ergonomic design

Looking as classy as they sound, the Sennheiser CX 880 in-ear headphones offer lifelike sound quality and a custom fit that feels like they were made for your ears. Co-designed with BMW DesignWorksUSA, the CX 880 provides aggressive noise blocking thanks to its close-fitting ergonomic design, which also channels cabling away from your ear.

These ear-canal, noise-isolating headphones use a dynamic speaker and a specially tuned transducer that reproduces a transparent, clear audible image. And you can keep your audio player in your pocket and still control playback volume with the included in-line rotary volume adjuster. The cleaning tool and ear-debris-guards protect your investment, while the included carrying case makes it easy to bring along wherever you roam. What's in the Box Headphones, ear adapter set (S, M, L), cable clip, ear debris guards, storage pouch, cleaning tool Specifications Frequency response: 17-23,000 Hz Sound pressure level (SPL): 115 dB Ear coupling: In-the-ear Impedance: 32 ohms Total harmonic distortion (THD): <0.1 percent Connector: 1/8-inch (3.5mm) Cable length: 3.9 feet Weight (without cable): 0.46 ounces Compatibility Optimized for MP3, iPod, iPhone (iPod and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries), and portable media players. Warranty The Sennheiser CX 880 is covered by a 2-year warranty with the backing of Sennheiser's worldwide service network.



This review is from: Sennheiser CX 880 Noise-Isolating Premium Earbuds

I received a pair of these directly from Sennheiser after sending a pair of CX400s for some rather severe microphonics issues. While these do still have microphonics issues, it's much less noticeable and isn't deafening when they get bumped. It's also mostly only noticeable when the cord splits for the two buds. I'll cover cost later on.

Comfort

I've been wearing these for around two hours now and barely notice them. The silicone earbuds are soft and very comfortable.

Sound Quality

Sound quality will vary for people with each person's choice in music and earbud fit, but this here's my take on things. I love that these headphones provide balanced sound, because I listen to a wide variety of music, which artificially bass heavy headphones will ruin. They provide clear sound across the range of highs and lows and seem to have a good sound stage.

Sound Isolation

These seem to provide slightly more isolation than the CX400s did for me. If foam earbuds were included, that'd greatly help with the isolation. If people want better sound isolation, they should look for triple flange ear tips, which are common on models from Etymotic and some others.

More on microphonics

I could see these being a bit distracting to exercise in, because the microphonics become more pronounced when anything comes into contact with the buds themselves. Wise use of the included clip takes care of most, if not all, of the microphonics from the cord for me.

Cost/Accessories

Because I received these within the warranty period for the CX400s, I can't quite as accurately gauge if they're worth it. As a base for the earbuds alone, I would, being a fairly cheap person, probably be willing to spend around $50-$70 on them.

What easily makes them more worthwhile (could easily add $50?) is the solid construction, a two year warranty* (that they honor, not just for show), and excellent customer service (professional & fast responses that directly address the issue/question - rare finds!), volume control (not really all that needed but convenient), and the accessories. The earwax cleaner isn't particularly expensive, but it's handy. The well-designed hard leather case makes a difference; it's not an overly bulky cheap plastic case. It's designed for the cord to be wrapped around then covered (may upload some pictures later).

I think that I've gone on long enough... anyway, I love these.

* The warranty only applies if it was purchased from an authorized dealer [...], so be careful! Watch out for counterfeit headphones......



This review is from: Sennheiser CX 880 Noise-Isolating Premium Earbuds

This product and the similar Sennheiser CX 880i Premium Ear-Canal Headphones with Microphone & Smart Remote earbuds have great sound. The 880 has the integrated volume control, and the 880i has the iPhone/iPod compatible mic/volume attachment. (Even though that product is designed for iPhone/iPod, the mic and pause button -- but not the volume buttons -- work with my Blackberry Bold 9700.) There are numerous thoughtful details in this product, and a couple of significant shortcomings which I'll describe. Overall, this is a very excellent 4-star product.Pros:

The sound is just great. You can get earbuds with better sound, but it won't be cheap. I listen to all kinds of music including many genres of popular music as well as classical, and the sound with all is very smooth. The highs are very open and clean. Some listeners may prefer to slightly boost the midrange. The bass, including the deep bass, is solid without using any bass boost. I hear a small peak in the mid-bass. I make very *slight* adjustments in my iTunes equalizer to make the already great sound a bit better.The fit will depend on how well the included selection of tips fit your ears. In my case, I found tips that fit very well. They stay put very snugly, and they're very comfortable even for longer listening sessions. The shape of the ear pieces is angled, and that works out very well. The way the cord exits the ear pieces is also pretty good.These are designed to be good for noise isolation, and Sennheiser pulls this off really well. Note that noise isolation is different from noise cancellation, but the end result is very similar. With both, you don't hear outside noises and you can play the sound at lower volumes (which helps to protect the ears). In my experience, noise isolation works better at higher frequencies, and noise cancellation works better at low frequencies (like airplane noise). I've already used these earbuds on one flight, and I'm happy enough that they'll find a home in my travel kit.Speaking of the travel kit, the included case is surprisingly well designed. I love it. And the little cleaning tool really does help to keep the ear pieces clean, along with the well-designed diaphragm covers.Cons:

As other reviewers have mentioned, there are significant microphonics issues with the cord. This is disappointing, since the sound is otherwise so excellent. I've found I can eliminate most of this problem by stuffing the middle of the cable inside my shirt a bit, so there's less loose cable to rub on my collar. That works pretty well. Still, a different material for the cord could solve this better...




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