Digital Trends

Sennheiser CX300 November 13th, 2006 | by Brandon King

Setup and Testing

The first thing we noticed about the CX300 when putting them in our ears was the unusually high level of comfort for a canalphone. Unfortunately, the second thing we noticed is poor sound isolation compared to other true canalphones. This “give and take” is likely to appeal to people that might want to use this style of headphone on the go, where ambient sound only needs to be reduced, not eliminated. Still, we expected better sound isolation. We did ask a few people without canalphone experience to try them, and they were much more accepting of the Sennheiser model than the Etymotic ER-6i. The CX300 were also considerably easier to fit correctly, another benefit for on-the-go use.

We used the following testing setup, with an emphasis on portable audio.

Sources:

- Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Elite (CD and MP3)
- Apple iPod photo (MP3)
- Creative Nano Plus (MP3)
- Sony Playstation portable (MP3)

Music:

- The Cure’s “Disintegration” (Audio CD + MP3)
- Gary Numan’s “Exile” (CD and MP3)
- Delerium’s “Karma” (CD and MP3)
- Assemblage 23 - “Storm” (Audio CD and MP3)
- VNV Nation - “Matter and Form” (Audio CD and MP3)
- Louis Armstrong - “All Time Greatest Hits” (Audio CD and MP3)

Movies:

- Spider-Man 2 (UMD)

Games:

- Lumines (PSP)
- Wipeout: Pure (PSP)
- Death Jr. (PSP)

As mentioned earlier, we also used these headphones for a couple months, and will include observation on general categories of music.

Atmospheric music felt lacking, as the spaciousness and sound stage felt very limited. Sounds are walled within a set distance, so that vocals are raised forward from the instruments, but instruments and background atmospheric hints sound flattened. This impacted The Cure, Delerium, and Gary Numan. The strong, but slightly imprecise bass made up for the sound stage peculiarities. Stereo separation and direction cues came across more clearly than with traditional canalphones, but we never felt the music converged in front of us. Highs are a little shrill at the very top end, and mids are acceptably clear.

Overall, the sound was good but lacking in some basic respects. But for a first generation attempt at the category, Sennheiser did an admirable job. We should stress that most true canalphones will outperform the CX300 on sound quality, but at this price point, there are few options with this blend of quality and comfort. They also make a great gateway canalphone for those that just need to get used to the idea of an in ear monitor.