Sennheiser CX 400 II In-Ear Headphones

Sennheiser is well-known for the quality of its products, and, after all, they’ve been in business for over 60 years. Today we’re going to review a pair of Sennheiser headphones from the Classic line.

Since the recession is in full swing I thought it may be useful to check out some ‘budget’ earphones.

First of all, let’s talk a bit about the technical specifications. The CX 400 II Precision:

• Have a small form factor and weigh just 5g.
• Use a symmetrical 1,2 soft rubber cable with inline analog (slider) volume control; It isn’t exactly precise but it does the job. It comes in handy in cramped situations, on the bus, when you just don’t have enough space to take out the iPod.
• Have a gold plated 3,5mm jack which work with the iPhone with no additional adaptors. The jack’s plastic enclosing is elastic although it doesn’t seem to offer much protection for the wire at all.
• The Neodymium magnet dynamic speakers are shielded by steel mesh caps.
• In the package we got: 6 sets of elastomer fittings, a clip attachment, cable winder, leather-like  carrying case.

Next up, let’s look at some high-resolution close-ups of the product.

Click on a picture to enlarge it. Then hit Back in your browser to return.

I liked the small form factor of these headphones, as well as the ‘titanium’ metallic finish; I also appreciated the extended ear adaptor set – it makes a huge difference, from noise isolation to bass. If we take out of consideration the jack – which has no apparent protection for the cable – these are very well designed headphones.

I would have liked to see an asymmetrical cable which provides, in my opinion, a better experience.

The sound quality is good – crisp highs, solid bass, but not so well on the midrange. Apple and Etymotic perform better – but nothing noticeable listening to day-to-day rock in noisy environments. Here are the official numbers:

• Range: 17-22,000Hz
• Impedance: 16 ohms
• Speaker Type: Dynamic
• Acoustic Pressure: 114dB

Check out more technical information over at the product page. As always, a question for the readers: What would you like to see reviewed next?

We thank Linda Irvin –Product Management and Mareike Oer -PR for providing this sample.

Tags: headphones, in-ear, music, sennheiser