Home > Consumer Reviews > Sennheiser PX200 Collapsible High-Performance Closed Headphones (Black)

Ok, so I purchased both the px-100 and the px-200 by Sennheiser because the reviews for both were similar but some where saying that the px-100s were better. My first reaction to them is that they are both remarkably similar in build and quality. Nice case, sturdy, and comfortable. Now the sound, after listening to both I found that the px-100 does have better speaker drivers,...but not much better. The bass on the px-200 is a little bit stronger. The real difference between the two really comes from the closed ear design of the px-200 vs. the open px-100. With the open px-100 the bass isn't as strong, you can hear everything around you still, and others around you can hear what you are listening to even if the music is only moderatly loud. While the px-200 losses high end sound quality in its design, the px-200 makes it so you will only hear music (almost) and nothing else. Also the px-200 is silent to those around you even if you have it cranked up.

Conclusion: Both are amazing headphones but the real decision comes down to the person who is using them and where. If you don't mind being able to hear things around to get better sound quality get the px-100s. If you want to just hear the music and not bother others around you get the px-200. I choose the px-200 in the end because I use them at work and I don't want to disturb others around me also I don't enjoy hearing everything around me.
*as an important side note the differences in both in high and low end sound can be fixed just by using an equalizer. You can't beat these headphones for quality along with portability.

Deryk

Just got these from Amazon.com today in time to test out with my brand new 30 GB iPod. I'm not particularly thrilled with Apple's earbud style headphones since they become uncomfortable after only 10 minutes in the ear and the bass, though surprisingly strong, overwhelms the middle ranges and creates an overall "muddiness" to the audio quality.

The sound of the PX 200, on the other hand, is strong, vibrant, crystal clear, and encompasses a more full tonal range. To put them to the test I first listened to Van Halen's "Atomic Punk" -- the sonic power of Eddie's guitar was fully displayed but the bass was diminished. But I don't miss the heavy bass on these portable headphones...the sound actually seems more clear and authentic without it.

Previously I was using the Koss KTX-PRO but despite the good sound relative to their cheap price, they're cheaply made and the wires have come loose a more than one pair -- rendering them useless. The Sennheisers, on the other hand, are of superior quality. They obviously put some design effort into these and it clearly shows: the head band is metal, not cheap plastic so it has a good "grip," the padding is not cheapo foam but instead a thin padded vinyl material, and they fold up small and come with a handy plastic storage case.

Very comfortable to wear continuously for, well, hours (lots of tunes on my iPod!). Highly recommended headphones.

5/08/2003 - Update: I mentioned above about the weak bass of these headphones. I read somewhere that Sennheinsers may need time to "break in," whatever that means. Well, to my surprise the bass has since become more apparent...much stronger now than when fresh out of the box. Either that or I'm blowing a hole in my eardrum from iPod overuse. These are absolutely the most comfortable portable headphones I've ever owned. The PX-200's have it all...what a great buy!

I truly wanted some pretty decent portable headphones for my MP3 player. Most headphones that come with music players are a joke, so it was back into the piggy bank again to find something worthy to listen to my collection. Before buying the Px 200's, I was using a pair of Koss KSC-55 behind the ear headphones. Lots of bass, pretty reasonable for the price, but they developed a small crackle with lower quality music, so going to a forum ... gave me some insight into what the veterans of music recommend for portable headphones.

To be honest, my first impressions were of disappointment after receiving them. No bass, kind of tinny and only a small amount better at driving my mp3 player than the Koss headphones. I don't know how much scientific truth comes with breaking in a pair of headphones, but letting these run for a few hours has already loosened them up to the point that my initial 'I'm going to send these things back' has changed to 'wow, let me give this break in thing a chance'. The Sennheisers are better balanced at sound than the Koss 55's. The Koss's are bass heavy, but lack midrange but are still commendable for the price. The sennheisers are very stylish and very comfortable to wear. They require good positioning to get the correct bass and sound out of them, but to me it's not difficult to do and once they are on, they stay on. Price through [Amazon.com] ... is reasonable considering they aren't easy to get in retail stores and seem to be backordered online. I'm not super experienced with headphones and with so many options out there I came to the conclusion I wanted to keep the price [down] didn't want in the ear headphones, didn't want phones that made me look like I was a DJ in the making, so narrowing that down, the Sennheiser Px200's are off to a good start. I'm hoping for even more sound off them when they are truly broken in ( that is if there is such a thing, or it could be just a tiny bit psychological ). I've only used them for a couple of hours, so it's time to shut down the computer and get back to the music. Thanks for listening...

These are ordinary Sennheisers, which means way better than the usual junk by Sony, Aiwa, etc or worse yet Coby and Maxell. Midrange is strongest, with trebles being muted. These sound fine with pop, a little bit worse with jazz, and pretty unimpressive with classical.

The black mark here is the odd concept of a small closed headphone design. The smallish cups will not cover all or even most of a normal ear, so the noise isolation is minimal, and the bass is far thinner than might be expected. These phones do fold up into a tiny bundle, but that is not such a big selling point especially given the price.

Impedance is 32 Ohms, so these do work fine with an Ipod, and sound much better than the standard Apple buds. I would recommend the PX 100 much more highly though; similar design, cheaper, and the open backs give the sound a much more vibrant effect even bass, which is unexpected. The open design of the PX 100s though makes it easier to hear outside noise (and for those outside to hear your noise!) so if you need a closed headphone design, try the Sennhesier HD 202s, a larger design though one that sounds very good and delivers acceptable isolation, and one which is also cheaper than either PX model. (You are paying for portability I suppose!)

I have read many reviews from a broad cross section of people regarding the Sennheiser and Koss Models of headphones. I used to be in the camp of "Koss is Boss" but Sennheiser products such as the PX-100 and PX-200 as well as the research I have done on other Senns I hope to purchase soon have led me to believe that Sennheiser is just as Boss as Koss. In regards to the PX-200's, I have to say that there was one review in particular that was so inaccurate that I had to write my own review. Others have commented about a very severe reviewer who said that the PX-200's are great as long as you don't listen to music with them. I must say that this is absolute nonsense and should not be taken seriously by anyone. I first bought the 100's and was blown away by them and then the 200's arrived. (I had also received a pair of the Koss KTXPRO1's before the 200's arrived and they are a wonderful pair of headphones--highly recommended as well.) I tested out the PX-200's and was amazed at how well they played everything I could throw at them, including television, DVDS, video games and yes, Music. I found myself almost in tears as I played Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. I had never heard my favourite Adagio with such clarity as I did with the PX-200's as well as the 100's and the Koss KTXPRO1's. As the weeks have worn on, I have found that the 100's have remained unused while I use the 200's a lot. I recently acquired a pair of Koss PortaPro headphones and I think these might actually be a tad better (but less comfortable) but for overall clarity, comfort and quality, you can't beat the PX-200's. They do block out some ambient sounds (I'm pleased and surprised because of their size) but they aren't designed to be noise cancellers as compared to some of Sennheiser and Koss' other larger or specific products. Don't believe the reviews that say the PX-200's have poor musical quality or are uncomfortable. I have a very large head and these phones are great and don't bother me in the least; I've fallen asleep with them on. [...] has great information on all their different products and would be helpful to use for research. I think I'll conclude by saying that like all new things, you need to give these headphones just a little time to get used to and you surely will not regret it!