Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: Good but slightly pinched
Comment: Build quality seems good, ear cushions are comfortable and a little ear warming is to be expected, but all in all not that bad compared to other headphones I have used.
Sound quality without noise cancellation is good, seems to be missing a little warmth, especially on the bass / there is a slight lack in that department. Aside from the frequency response, the music does sound spacious, instruments are defined so there is a definite quality here, just a little odd on the EQ. The earphones have a slight amount of noise isolation to them, with the noise cancelling off, the ambient noise seems to echo, which is a bit odd, I wouldn't recommend this in a noisy environment (e.g. plane) without noise cancellation enabled for this reason.
Sound quality with noise cancellation is also is good, quite similar to it off, but maybe slight flatter / more pinched. Noise cancellation good at cutting out ambient noise (air conditioning) and its a little odd when you take them off because you realise how much noise there was about. Phone rings, voices and that pneumatic drill thing outside the office do not get eliminated, they do noticeable get taken down a notch. There is a slight hiss added with the noise cancellation, but even at low levels (which I listen to music at) it does not for me interfere. That echoy effect mention with noise cancellation off is completely gone.
All in all quite happy with these. Bought them to listen to music as quite as I could without getting inner ear phones or crazy sweaty isolation ear phones. Although the sound for me sounds pinched no other noise cancelling earphones for me have done a better job and there is quality in the sound.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not such great noise cancelling!
Comment: Hey folks. I've just got my Sennheiser PXC 450. After reading reviews I thought its noise cancelling capabilities will be great. Well, compared to Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint these capabilities are poor. Well, I didn't test them on plane but in the office overlooking building site with loads of droning sounds outdoors. The outcome is they cope worse than cheaper autotechnica. This time am returning them ...
Customer Rating:
Summary: A slight but worthwhile reduction in ambient noise
Comment: I bought these mainly for my daily commute on the London Underground and can only comment on this listening situation. Frankly, their ability to cut out ambient train noise is pretty unimpressive given their heavy price tag and the manufacturer's wildly untrue claim that up to 90% of noise is cut out (well, untrue in this circumstance). However, over several years of use (the first two of which are guaranteed by Sennheiser, helpfully), the modest benefits of their noise-cancelling may justify the purchase.
The noise-cancelling does reduce considerably the more regular and lower-pitch rumble of the train. For this reason, I expect they would work much better at blocking out the regular, dull roar of aeroplane engines or even a car. But tube trains in motion make such a variety of unpleasant screeches and clatters that the headphones struggle to block them out; for many types of background noise they are no better than the passive protection one gets from a regular set of cans. The robot voice announcing stations can still be heard loud and clear, for example, which is annoying.
The sound quality is good, though, and they even compare OK with my Sennheiser audiophile phones for home use. The PXC 450's noise-cancelling can make the difference between being able to hear an audiobook or podcast--which are often recorded at infuriatingly low volume levels--and not being able to, so for this I am grateful for them and don't regret the purchase. Classical music will never stand up to a noisy train, and jazz struggles to. However, rock/pop/techno/speech, can be enjoyed at lower volumes with these headphones.
On balance, if you are hoping these phones will improve listening to speech or music on a tube commute, they will, but don't expect a revolution. I'd just about recommend them to those with deep enough pockets and realistic expectations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent sound quality, poor noise cancellation
Comment: The sound quality with these headphones is incredible. I have made a few different mistakes with audio equipment in the past, and I wanted to make this time right, so I bought these on the back of their reviews.
Mid-range is where it's at; excellent quality with most music tracks. High-range is also good, but occasionally I hear a slight crackle when there is a high frequency being played, (i.e. many high-pitched female singers). Low-range is lacking, according to many reviewers. If you're a bass-head, then these aren't for you. The bass with these headphones isn't very forthcoming, which many people don't like. The bass that there is, however, is high-quality and very clear.
One reviewer was surprised that Sennheiser was marketing these as travel headphones. This also surprises me, normally you would expect some sort of disadvantage with travel equipment, but not with these. I view these as great headphones that have the added bonus of being portable. The case is also really good, with a hard back too. I normally put my iPod and its cable in as well.
The noise cancelling feature lets these down, though. The headphones play the inverse sound wave of surrounding sounds, cancelling them out so that you don't hear them. This works best with low rumbles, and higher frequencies are still heard. You can also hear other noise, noise cancellation technology isn't capable of blocking everything out for several reasons (electronic delays, etc.). The headphones also "hear themselves". Any leaked noise is cancelled, meaning that some of the unleaked noise is cancelled too. As a result, the sound quality is reduced when the noise reduction feature is turned on. There is an annoying hiss when it's on, too. When the headphones are off, but the battery is in, there is also an annoying ticking noise, which others have complained about. I have also had problems with the noise cancelling feature interfering with normal audio playing, too; sometimes the headphones wouldn't play anything when noise cancelling was switched on. I count this as a malfunction though.
After all, I have decided to return them for the noise-cancelling letdown. Others who have listened have said that they can't hear the problem, but I am a nit-picker, and if you're going to spend this sort of cash, you should be happy with the product you buy. On balance, though, don't put the batteries in, and they're ace, but you cut out half the features, being left thinking that you've spent a lot of money for things you're not using!
(I'm not an audio expert, just a picky student!)
Customer Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Quality
Comment: Outstanding sound quality. Battery life very good. Bose QC3 are no comparison. highly recommended.
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