I will start off by saying that I am not very experienced with different types of headphones. I have used ear buds, some lousy ones that came with an old walkman, and the similar. However, this perspective might be useful to you.

Pre-Purchase

I decided to purchase the Sennheiser PX200 after only reading online reviews. Looking through the type of headphones that I wanted - something that gave great sound, but was light and portable enough for traveling - there seemed to be quite a bit of discussion on the Sennheiser PX100 and PX200. From what I read regarding the PX200, people raved about its amazing sound and comfort, while others said that it had a weak bass. There were some who said that these headphones needed to be used for a while before they emitted to their full potential. From a physical standpoint, this may make sense, as the vibrating paper-like substance may loosen a bit after use. I took the risk and purchased the PX200 from reviews alone and I'm very happy with my decision.

First Impression

When it arrived, the headphones were in its case inside a plastic container. After taking them out from the case, my first reaction came from its small size. I imagined that they would be larger from the picture.

These headphones are foldable, as you can see in the picture above, and have a notch on each side so they lock together. This is very important as it allows you to fold them up the same way each time. Each ear piece is even numbered so you won't forget which side to fold first. The ear piece can be rotated so that the part that touches your ear is parallel with the plane of the frame. After rotating and folding the ear piece correctly (you'll know if you did) they fit into the case very easily. The cord wraps around the case and lid clicks shut.

After inspecting the physical attributes, I plugged it into my laptop and played some music that I listened to often on my previous pair of headphones and laptop speakers. The first thing I noticed, in terms of sound quality, is that my music sounded very, in lack of a better term, holey. The thing that amazed me about these headphones from first impression is that it seemed to play my music very precisely, making the entire range of pitch audible. It was clear that using these headphones had exposed the poor encoding of my MP3. My other headphones were weak in some ranges and therefore muddled the music to the point when the poor encoding became the least of the numerous poor qualities. Also, unlike my ear buds, the treble was not ear-piercing and the bass sounded rich. The bass did initially sound a bit weak, but after a few songs, it kicked in.

Closed vs Open

Earlier, I mentioned that I read reviews for both the PX200 and PX100. It is important that you know the difference, as the numbers do not represent a higher or lower quality, but a completely different design.

The PX200 are closed-form headphones. This means that the ear piece are designed to block off sound (and air) to and from your ear. This is ideal for people who wish to listen to music in a loud environment, such as in a train. However, they will make your ear heat up a bit, so occasionally, you may need to allow your ears to breathe.

The PX100 are open-form headphones. This means that they do not block off outside noise and allow your ears to ventilate.

There are sound quality differences as well, but I will not attest to those as I have not tried the PX100. i would suggest reading other's reviews for this important information.

Comfort

In terms of comfort, they will require that you find the correct position to stay comfortable. These headphones may be a bit tight for some people, so if they are not positioned on the correct location, it may make your ear lobes a bit sore. During the first two days of use, I found myself moving the headphones around my ear often. By now (the third day) I've found a comfortable location that does not cause ear-lobe soreness despite its tightness.

There is soft cushioning on the ear piece to keep them from creating any pressure points on your ear-lobe. There are also cushions on the top-inner side of the frame, though I'm not sure how useful they are.

Conclusion

From the few days that I have owned them, I have anticipated each moment when I could sit down and enjoy some music. They have, without a doubt, brought new life to my music. If you are a music lover but have less than ideal listening equipment, I highly recommend that you make an investment to purchase these headphones. Your music is only as good as your equipment.

With such a low price for such high quality, I would suggest these headphones as an ultimatum to the person who buys pair after pair of misfortunate ear buds. It will give him/her a tremendous boost in quality without draining his/her wallet.


I apologize if this review is somewhat incomplete. I will update when I have gained more experience with them.

Recommended: Yes