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!


To help clear things up: px-100 vs px-200 reveiw   June 30, 2006
 146 out of 148 found this review helpful

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


Sennheiser Px 200   April 29, 2003
 38 out of 38 found this review helpful

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...


Best phones I've ever heard   July 25, 2005
 24 out of 25 found this review helpful

I want to counter some of the negative reviews you might read on these headphones.

Yes, there are technical calculations and specifications to quantify any aspect of sound that you want, but when it comes right down to listening to music, sound is largely a matter of taste. I've owned many sets of portable headphones over the years, and these are just about the best I've ever heard. It might be helpful for you if I mention that I listen to many different genres, from jazz to classical to rock to pop-standard vocals to opera, and these Sennies render them all admirably and accurately. I purchased these primarily to listen to music ripped at a relatively high bitrate (192) on an MP3 player. The sound on these headphones is warm, natural, and uncolored, without over-emphasis on any segment of the audio range. They also happen to be quite comfortable to wear; they look darn good, too. And don't be put off by other reviewers' remarking that they're difficult to fold back into their carrying case: look at the diagram, and with a little practice, you'll get the hang of it, no problem.

The sound is so clear that I've heard details in the music I haven't noticed with other phones or even on my really great home speakers. These Sennheisers may just become my home headphones, as well as my portables. They're really that good.

Note that I don't listen to hip-hop, dance music, or any genre whose listeners tend to prefer heavy, thumpy, booming bass. The bass on these phones is clean and accurate, completely audible, and I don't hear any "holes," but these are not phones that accentuate bass at the expense of the rest of the tonal range. They're just very well balanced across the range. If you're a "bass junkie," you might want something else.

The combination of exceptional sound, the convenience of the protective hard-plastic case, and reasonable price makes these an excellent choice overall. I'm very, very pleased, and I'd say these are definitely worth a try.