Collapsible noise cancelling microphone reduces ambient noise for crystal clear speech
Soft ear pads and ergonomic microphone design provide long lasting comfort
Volume control is intergrated on the ear cup for easy access
Microphone can be worn on left or right
Product Details
Product Dimensions:
9 x 8 x 3.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
B003XQDYGK
Item model number: PC230
Average Customer Review:
Sennheiser quality speakers deliver clear, detailed sound reproduction
This review is from: PC 230 Headset
These are a pretty good unit, but I like my Sennheiser PC 35 unit much better. Particularly the microphone. Better fidelity, and the noise canceling of the PC 35 mic is really a gem.
Sennheiser PC 35-USB Binaural Headset with Microphone...
This review is from: PC 230 Headset
The Sennheiser PC 230
UNPACKING: This headset comes in the widely-used flexible hard plastic box that you can open manually without having to rip it apart. The included documentation includes little that you cannot figure out in minutes, although having the volume control on the headset might be somewhat unusual as it was for me.
COMFORT: Comfort comes first for me because even the best headphones in the world are useless if I cannot wear them. My ears cannot take closed (DJ-type) headphones for more than 15 minutes, which is one of the reasons why I settled for this open design. The other reason is that my ears simply cannot befriend behind-the-head models no matter how hard I tried (I was happy with the functionality of the Logitech G330 or even a comparable Microsoft product but their arms rested on top of my ears and my ears vehemently protested)
The ear pads cover much of my ear and do not breathe through the ear cups as the manufacturer's audiophile models do. Still, the foams allow air to get in and are not airtight so my ear canals can breathe. Sennheiser did a good job at the design by making sure that the pressure on your ear does not increase noticeably even if you happen to have a larger-than-average head (which I do), and the pressure is just enough to keep the unit over your ears without causing a serious level of discomfort. The foam pads are soft and thick enough to alleviate the pressure further. The PC 230 is light too. I can safely say that most users can adjust this headset when they put it on and soon come close to forgetting that they are wearing it.
The most obvious shortcoming I am experiencing about the design that can affect the comfort level for some (who knows how some ears take it) is that the ear cups swivel only from side to side, not around a pivot. That does not bother me much and I find that I can wear the PC 230 as opposed to the Logitech G330 that receives high claims for its comfort.
The most uncomfortable part of wearing this headset comes from the difficulty to adjust them, which you have to do before each use because once you put it down, the setting does not stick. Indeed, this is easily the biggest design flaw, and it also gives you a cheap feel.
FUNCTIONALITY: No USB plug is included, but the 3.5mm jack is good in the sound output of your PC/Mac as well as your personal stereo. If you decide to use it on your portable music player or cell phone, the microphone jack cannot be attached to the cable, so it will hang loose. You can use a USB converter if you have one (as I do for internet calls). Fold and swivel away the microphone when not using it. No case is included. The PC 230 is not foldable either. By transporting it, you run the risk of breaking the stupefyingly weak plastic the microphone arm is made of.
MICROPHONE QUALITY: microphone quality is easily the most overlooked characteristic of headsets. I had tried out at least 10 different headsets by the time I bought the PC 230, and experienced significant differences in microphone functionality. I used Skype on my netbook to test the microphone: you can visually observe how well the microphone picks up sound. The Logitech G330 was the best out of the cheaper headsets but the PC 230 beats the Logitech. That surprises me because the Logitech has higher sensitivity (-44dB as opposed to -40 on the Sennheiser). This is a good example that technical specifications can be misleading or plain wrong (in my experience, they are plain wrong this time).
EASE OF USE: The microphone folds in and out, and also swivels; you can turn it off by turning it away from your mouth. However, the microphone arm feels so flimsy that I am afraid of adjusting it. The volume control also feels cheap. The volume control has an asymmetrical design, and it does not feel snug when you rotate it, which makes it unpleasant to touch it.
SOUND: Sadly, on these units, you hear what's on the recording. That is bad news for MP3 fans but good news for those who favor uncompressed sound. Other reviewers criticized the sound quality of the PC 230 but PC 230 far outperforms what you get on an average PC, especially without a good sound card and/or lossless sound files. MP3 sounds like MP3 on all halfway decent headphones: distorted highs, next to no lows, and mediocre dynamics at best. Using an equalizer will likely to reduce dynamics, and dynamics are already dismal on MP3 and other compressed sound files.
The open design ensures the feeling of being surrounded by the music. What you get is what I find `typical open-air Sennheiser sound,' the same sound quality of portable systems as my Sennheiser Ovation II (headphone of the year in 1994, I believe; you can buy better but you will have problems finding good enough recordings to hear a difference) produces.
The speakers are remarkably sensitive, so probably most portable stereo devices can drive them. The figures for the sound pressure (114dB/mV) seem to pan out: I need to turn up the volume to 18 of 20 on the Zune on the PC 230 while my Westone UM2 (119dB/mV; lists at $420, sells for about $240 at Headphone Solutions at the moment but averages out at $280) needs to be at 8 or 9.
Internet voice calls: the PC 230 is probably as good as it needs to get for VoIP calls. Good sound quality and sufficient loudness.
Gaming: I personally do not use my PC for gaming. See sound quality for music.
Music: Lacking the USB plug comes with the advantage that you can plug the 3.5mm jacks into portable devices. I tried it on a Zune and my Sony SRF-S84 analogue radio (one of the best portable radios ever made), and the sound quality is comparable to that of the UM2. However, they are two different beasts: earplugs produce a much closer sound stage than an open-air unit and I personally favor t...
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