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 enlarge | Brand: Sennheiser
Category: CE
List Price: $179.95
Buy New: $149.95
You Save: $30.00 (17%)
New (15) from $114.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  150 reviews
Color: Charcoal
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries: 2
Batteries Included: Yes
Battery: 2 AA
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8 x 10 x 3
The PXC 300 NoiseGard Advance is an ideal traveling companion, effectively reducing background noise on planes, trains and buses and therefore eliminating one of the main causes of stress while traveling. Users can sit back and relax with their favorite music or connect the headphones to the in-flight entertainment system â or even just wear them to enjoy some peace and quiet from the noise around them. And the PX 300 can be packed away in no time. Simply fold them together and store them in a small, shockproof case â ready for the next trip. The stylish design of the PXC 300 â brushed aluminum trim rings and high-attenuation ear pads made of a new kind of leatherette â is reflected in their natural, detailed sound. A special bass tube provides the necessary power at low frequencies. With the PXC300 NoiseGard Advance, Sennheiser has even succeeded in further enhancing the NoiseGard active noise compensation system. It now has a much lower sensitivity towards interference from such sources as cell phones. Constant low-frequency noise is reduced by up to 15 dB â even 10 dB would be perceived as halving the volume. Power is supplied to the NoiseGard electronics by two AAA batteries, providing the traveler with up to 80 hours of peace and quiet. Without batteries, the PXC 300 works just like normal headphones with passive noise attenuation. In addition to a handy carrying case, the PXC 300 comes with an adapter for audio systems and in-flight entertainment systems.
Warranty: 2 years warranty
MPN: PXC300
Model: PXC300
UPC: 615104104174
EAN: 0615104104174
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Simply Amazing June 11, 2005
56 out of 57 found this review helpful
For the price, you simply won't find a better set of noise-cancelling headphones. Believe me, I've looked and compared. I have read reviews stating that these are not as comfortable on long flights as the Bose QuietComfort 2 (which, by the way, cost over $100 more), but I find that hard to believe. I have worn these for several hours without the slightest bit of discomfort. The sound is amazing, as well. I have a rather good home theater system, and these sound better than it. The noise-cancelling works wonders at eliminating low-frequency droning noises, such as airplane engines, air conditioning and the like, with virtually no coloring of the music.
At prices ranging from $150 to more than $200 for a set (Amazon's is the best price of the major online retailers), these are not for everyone. However, if you want a pair of noise-cancelling headphones that actually work, and you demand excellent audio reproduction, you won't find any better than these. Included when you buy a set are two adapters (one for airplane audio jacks and one for larger stereo systems), batteries (for powering the noise-cancelling feature), and a very nice case that the headphones fold down into for compact storage and travelling. All-in-all, a terrific package.
Good sound but not great for noise reduction June 20, 2006
48 out of 49 found this review helpful
I have been a headphone aficionado of sorts for going on four decades. Among my favorites at present are the HD-580 and the Sony MDR-V6. In the past, I've owned the classic Sennheiser models HD-414 and HD-424, as well as a pair or two of AKG, etc. You get the idea.
I have to begin with a short discussion of noise reduction. Except for a couple of really cheap off-brand models that I have listened to in stores, all of the noise canceling headphones that I have listened to are roughly equal in terms of their active noise cancellation ability. Of the ones that genuinely work, they are effective only over the lower 2/3 or so of the audio spectrum. The reason is that in order for active noise cancellation to work, the waveform produced by the headphone must arrive at the eardrum with the proper phase relative to the original waveform. At 20 kHz, the wavelength is about one-half inch, so the microphone would have to be placed essentially against the eardrum in order for the ambient noise that it "hears" to be the same as what the ear hears. Taking into account the need to place the microphone at the outside of the headphone in order to receive the ambient noise at a much higher level than the sound emitted from the speaker, it is easy to see that at higher frequencies, it isn't possible for the microphone to hear the same ambient noise waveform that the ear hears. Headphones that are effective at reducing ambient noise in the upper octaves do it the old-fashioned way: they acoustically isolate the eardrum, either by forming a tight seal around the outside of the ear, or by inserting into the ear canal and forming a tight seal there. Headphones that rest on the ear, such as the PXC300, are simply incapable of any useful amount of passive attenuation of higher frequency sounds, and that means that they are inherently incapable of any significant reduction of high-frequency noise.
The PXC300 will play without batteries or when turned off, but when used that way, they don't sound any better than cheap, run of the mill, over-the-ear headphones. But the active circuitry in the PXC300 transforms these headphones like a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly. The improvement in sound quality between when it is turned on vs. not turned on, and as compared to the PXC250, is so enormous that I am inclined to think that the new circuitry includes active equalization. Yet, even though the sound quality is excellent overall, no amount of equalization can compensate for a diaphragm that is too small to produce deep bass. This limitation is revealed not only in the musical listening, but is revealed as well when the ambient noise includes low-frequency noise, in the lowest couple of octaves. It is incapable of producing adequate acoustic output at lower frequencies to cancel any moderately loud low frequency noise. On the recent plane trip that I took on a 777, the PXC300 was able to eliminate most of the engine sound, but the lowest-frequency components of the engine noise were essentially unaffected. In place of the bass that should have come with the music, the low-frequency rumble of the engines accompanied the music. They were effective at lowering the volume level of the conversation of nearby passengers, but the predominant effect was to make male voices sound more like female voices, with little effect on female and child voices.
Notwithstanding the inadequacies of the PXC300 at noise reduction in most environments, I still feel that there is much positive to say about the PXC300. I tend to be critical of music reproduction systems, and have never heard a loudspeaker or headphone that didn't have obvious anomalies in the frequency response, as well as audible levels of harmonic distortion to boot. Keeping that in mind, so as to put my criticisms into a meaningful perspective, I will mention that the active circuitry adds a very slight, barely perceptible amount of white noise to the white noise that is already present in the source amplifier, which I do not consider bothersome in the least, and mention only for completeness. An emphasis at the higher frequencies exacerbates the weakness in the bass, and there is a perceptible resonance at the very highest frequencies, which few people are likely to notice, much less find bothersome. These anomalies are minor compared to the anomalies that are typical of most speakers and headphones. All in all, the PXC300 is excellent at faithful, accurate reproduction of music, as long as the active circuitry is turned on. During my comparative listening, I noted a strong resemblance to the Sennheiser HD570. The HD570 was favorably reviewed and recommended by Consumer Reports, and I similarly recommend them to anyone who does not object to some weakness in the bass and who either likes a little emphasis in the treble or else doesn't object to using the treble control in the source component to achieve a little correction.
Because the PXC300 is shy in the bass, I thought it would be interesting to compare it to the Koss PortaPro, which is an inexpensive small headphone of similar size and weight, and which is regarded favorably among some headphone aficionados because of the unusually strong bass for a small over-the-ear headphone. The PortaPro accomplishes that feat via the method that is ubiquitous in cheap "boom-boxes" and many custom auto setups nowadays. Introducing a pronounced resonance in the bass will increase the overall bass output, but the predominance of the specific frequency where that resonance occurs becomes quickly tiring, and the lack of damping lends to a sound quality that is often described as "muddy". The PXC-300 has none of that. Given a choice between bass of that sort vs. a clean, accurate sound, I'll take the accurate sound of the PXC300 any day. While listening to the PXC300, I was thoroughly engaged in the music. I found myself perusing my CD collection and reluctant to put them down.
The best choice for you depends on your priorities. If portability, light weight, comfort and excellent sound quality are given the greater priority, and neither the weakness in the bass nor the lack of passive attenuation of higher frequencies is important, then the PXC300 is an excellent headphone. But after my recent experience on a flight of roughly two hours duration, I just don't feel that the PXC300 is a good choice for someone looking for sanctuary from noise pollution on longer flights. Either the QC2 or the Sony MDR-NC50 would be a better choice if bass response and passive attenuation of higher frequencies matter more than lightness and portability. The NC50 would be the better value, with the QC2 remaining the choice for anyone who doesn't want to be encumbered by the considerable heft of the NC50 and who doesn't object to the price of admission. Both of these headphones sound quite good, but neither of them is especially portable, with the Sony being downright heavy and uncomfortable. The ear cups on the QC2 rotate so that the whole thing will lay flat, but other than that, the headband does not fold. The Sony is similar, which I find peculiar given that Sony makes many other headphones that fold into a small compact package.
Noise Reduction at its best November 10, 2006
37 out of 37 found this review helpful
My choice of headphones depended largely on the reviews available at Amazon.com and I had shortlisted 2 products, the Bose and the Sennheiser. I had a chance to visit the Bose Showroom and they gave me a demo of the noise reduction headphones. Quality of sound was definately very good but they were bulky, real bulky and it would be a pain carrying them in your hand luggage. I took a chance and opted for the Sennheiser. They are smart, come with a compact carrying case, excellent sound and the noise reduction is really good. I would say maybe the Bose are about 20% as far as NOISE REDUCTION is concerned, mainly because thier ear pads cup the whole year, so automatically some external sound is blocked. However considering that the quality of sound is the same and that these are much sleeker and cheaper, nearly 1/2 the price, I think it is a great buy. In fact even if the Bose were the same price, I would opt for the Sennheiser since in my case price was NOT a criteria; Convenience while travelling was and of course the quality of sound.
At least air-travelers should stay with or buy PXC 250 December 8, 2006
28 out of 29 found this review helpful
I had been a relatively happy owner of the previous model in this series (PXC 250)--noise reduction and small folded-size relative to price. Rating the PXC 250 a 4-star product and motivated by my expectation for an improved version + the comments here at Amazon, I decided to buy the PXC 300 (the current model). I can only speak for the use of both models during air-travel. This being the context of my comment here, I see ZERO improvement of PXC 300 over the PXC 250. Needless to say, I may save you some money in case you decide to buy the PXC 250, based on this review.
To make it complete, for the curious ones, here's what I commented on the PXC 250:
There seems to be a couple of uses for PXC 250. I will speak only in reference to their noise canceling function in airplanes. To really come and appreciate these headphones one has to use them during a flight overseas. I would estimate the noise reduction to about 60%, of which 50% is due to electronics and 10% to the small pads that apply on your ears. I wrote 'small pads' for they do not cover completely one's ears. Battery life seems decent and sound quality is top considering the circumstances--jazz and classical music will come through just right. Their being foldable is a neat and space-saving feature!
Could PXC 250 be better? They surely can--though I'm not 100% clear on how much improvement ought to be expected from electronics vs. the geometry of the ear-pads.
Not having tried Bose QuietComfort II headphones in flight it is hard for me to draw any comparisons. However, if one travels often by plane, the price concerns associated with Bose QuietComfort II headphones shouldn't be an obstacle, especially for trying them. Otherwise, PXC 250 is a safe buy!
Addendum: I checked the PXC-300 version and failed to notice any improvement. Supposedly, the 300-series has better Bass or something. Even if that were the case, how can one discern that in a flying airplane? Buy/Stay with the 250!
Expectations met May 29, 2006
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
When I decided to buy noise-canceling headphones, I was pretty set on Bose. I had heard those were the best, and that's what I wanted. But Bose is expensive, and I was buying to sets of headphones - one for me and one for the wife. So I decided to do some research on line. The more I read, the more I realized that Bose had competition, and the competition was a lot more reasonable. From all of the reader reviews I read, I was able to narrow my search for these headphones to Sennheiser PXC300 and the Bose QuietComfort 2.
Two review topics made up my mind. In a couple of instances, people with noise canceling headphones met others on planes with other equipment and exchanged. The results were they were about equal in noise canceling, even though Bose cover the ears. Also, in a couple of instances I read of people saying that their Bose headphones were not very sturdy and broke easily. They agreed that Bose covered the warranty (one year), but I didn't want to have broken Bose headsets at 16 months that I had paid $300. The Sennheisers have a 2 year warranty by the way.
I bought two of the Sennheiser PCX300 headsets and have not been disappointed. They work well when we mow the lawn, use yard equipment, vacuum, or even want to relax indoors in an environment with fans and dishwashers or other noisy equipment running. We haven't tried it on jets yet, but we do a lot of traveling and look forward to trying them out on a plane soon. From what I've read, I won't be disappointed there either.
The headphones are small, lightweight, comfortable for long wear, and do a great job of canceling out low frequencies - as advertised. All of the little distracting low frequency noises that you come to accept as part of every day living disappear when you turn them on. Very nice. There are more wires than the Bose, and the battery case - but that clips on to anything you're wearing and it's all manageable. The universal plug works with our CD players, tape players and our Ipods. The headphones work well enough without any power applied, but when you turn them on, it's great. The base won't blow you away, but I don't want to be blown away by base. I prefer a more natural sounding base and really don't need my ears bleeding. I'm very satisfied, and I paid less for two of these headphones - with shipping included - than I would have for one set of the Bose. Works for me.
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