Sennheiser CX500

[Jules]

A new job and new location means I have to leave the car at home and use public transport for the first time in nearly 20 years.

So I need some earphones.

The CX500's are for sale at Play.com for £39.99, so I just ordered a pair.
I can cancel the order if necesarry, but I thought it was a good price (normally £69.99) and didn't want to miss out.

I wouldn't touch ebay due to the CX300 fake gamble that seams rediculously prevalent and must be annoying the hell out of Sennheiser.

Anyway, I tried the CX300 ages ago and thought they were a bit boomy.
Are the CX500's any better?

[Jules]

Well, the CX500's havn't arrived yet, but I went shopping in my lunch hour today and bought a Sony NWZ-A816 Walkman to replace my old MP3 player.

It was £79 in Currys and I have to say it is bloomin' brilliant.
The supplied earphones are proper earbuds like the CX300/400/500 and actually sound really good.

So I'm wondering if I should send back the CX500's when they arrive.

Are the CX500's going to be much better than the high quality buds supplied with Sony?

[daveb975]

I cannot answer directly, as I have not owned the CX500s. I found the Sony stock phones (MDR-EX85) were roughly on a par with Sennheiser CX300s.

The Sony pair sounded better with the Sony player, but the CX300s sounded better with an iPod. If the CX500s are a good upgrade (as the price would suggest) they should beat the Sony phones.

[elizmum3]

Hi

I have a Sony NWZA 818 and I find the earphones REALLY annoying when I'm out walking as the cable to the left ear piece is annoyingly short - snagging and pulling out of the ear. The problem isn't the overall length of the cable but the ridiculously short cable to the left ear. However, the sound quality is absolutely fantastic - I listen to a really wide variety of music from classical to pop; alternative to classic jazz, and the Sony headphones give clarity, depth and warmth.

I have read that the CX500s have a symmetrical cable rather than the Sony type and that Sennheiser have addressed issues of sound quality when exercising / walking. Can anyone tell me whether the Sennheiser CX 500 will be a better bet - I like to walk without having my earphone yanked out by a short cable or hearing the thump of the cable hitting my clothes!!!

They are on offer at Play.com for £39.99 which seems an excellent price.

Thanks.

[Non-Compus-Ment]

Hi elizmum3 Please dont think I am being rude but are you aware that most 'in ear' type headphones are designed to have one short and one long side. Simply thread the cabling up your front and take the long cable around the back of your neck to one ear, the right in your case. Then clip the cable to your color on left below ear and place short cable bud into your left ear. This actually helps ensure that the headphone cable is supported by your neck and the clip and hence wont fall out as easy. A lot of people simply hang the cable down their front which gives a lot of probs with plugs being tugged out of their ears.

Perhaps this will help

Cheers

[elizmum3]

Hi

Will try this but from what I've seen and comments I've read elsewhere and from friends who own MP3s, the Sony cabling is remarkably short even by in-ear standards.

However, do have to say that the sound quality is superb across the board from Vivaldi to Kaiser Chiefs!!

[Jules]

My CX500's arrived today.
My verdict.......



An un-natural sound with no midrange warmth, too much treble and overblown bass. I found it nearly impossible to get a good fit with any of the different sized buds.

The Sony's sound way better, but don't offer the same degree of passive noise reduction.

Sadly I feel I've wasted £40 at play.com. The packaging is very hard to get into, so by the time you've extracted the product, it's not in a fit state to be returned.... I'm sure this is deliberate.

I love my HD600's, but these are not representitive of Sennheiser quality, particularly when the free phones supplied with Sony's excellent MP3 player sound better.

Not impressed.

[mjm2705]

I've had a pair of CX500's since just after Christmas (£40 from Play) ... I also have the CX300's as well as countless other ear / headphones (including the pricey PXC 450's for my frequent flights with work).

On first try with the CX500's I would concur with the previous poster that the mid-range is light, nah, its no there !!!

But ...

20 hours or so of running in appears to have loosened things up a bit and now I love these things ... so much so I've had 6 flights so far this year and only taken the 500's ... wayyyyy better all rounders than the massive 450's and in my mind, better noise isolation than the 450's active system.

500's are better than the 300 by a fair way after running in but they have one flaw ... a symmetrical cable arrangement ... the back of the neck approach on the 300's is way more convenient in my opinion.

Volume control's a bit of a gimmick ... although its a slider, its pretty much on / off as there's not much control in between.

All in all, love the 500's ... very much !!

Anyone want to buy a set of PXC 450’s ???

[dark_kloud]

Hey there,

been reading your posts and i owed all CX300s and CX400s as i sell them.

The CX 300s were excellent for the price but not the best earphones i have ever owned..

SInce December i have been selling the CX400s on eBay and they sound great - deep sound - clear treble - and vocals are excellent - and they do isolate the outside world a hell of a lot!!!

I know on ebay there are lots of copies especially the CX300s - but when you buy them at £5 each - I am sorry but its too cheap to be real!

I only have two lots of CX400s left and will not be selling them anymore as i have lots of CX500s coming in next week - will be selling them so visit ebay if you wish and find me.

As soon as I receive the CX500s I will try some out and make my own review on them as i love techy stuff and will give an honest opinion. I think they should sound better - but the big diff between the 400s and 500s is the volume control -

I always had problems with earphones as they hurt my ears when worn for too long, and the sennheisers are the first that dont they are really confortable.

more to come as soon as i have tested the 500s next week

regards

Dark_Kloud @ Ebay.

[tjradiohead]

Originally Posted by dark_kloud

Hey there,

been reading your posts and i owed all CX300s and CX400s as i sell them.

The CX 300s were excellent for the price but not the best earphones i have ever owned..

SInce December i have been selling the CX400s on eBay and they sound great - deep sound - clear treble - and vocals are excellent - and they do isolate the outside world a hell of a lot!!!

I know on ebay there are lots of copies especially the CX300s - but when you buy them at £5 each - I am sorry but its too cheap to be real!

I only have two lots of CX400s left and will not be selling them anymore as i have lots of CX500s coming in next week - will be selling them so visit ebay if you wish and find me.

As soon as I receive the CX500s I will try some out and make my own review on them as i love techy stuff and will give an honest opinion. I think they should sound better - but the big diff between the 400s and 500s is the volume control -

I always had problems with earphones as they hurt my ears when worn for too long, and the sennheisers are the first that dont they are really confortable.

more to come as soon as i have tested the 500s next week

regards

Dark_Kloud @ Ebay.

[Jules]

I have been using the cx500's for a week or 2 because they are more comfortable than the Sonys on long bus/train journeys.

For a few days I was still not liking the sound, but must now concede that 2 weeks later they sound quite good, particularly with a bit of EQ applied.

In fact, my sister borrowed them (which means I won't get them back!) so I bought another pair (this time in titanium instead of white) and took the opportunity to compare the 2 pairs.
And I have concluded that they do sound different with a bit of running in.... the mid range opens up and the treble sounds less unruly.

So I'm changing my opinion and considering how comfortable they are will happily continue using them.

Also, the Titanium ones look better than the white ones and apparently attract less unwanted attention.

[BAD Dave]

A question for Dark_Kloud:
How can you tell fake Sennheiser CX500 from the real thing?
I have just bought some off ebay for £18.49 and I am now worried that they may turn out to be fake.
As an insider, can you offer any clues, please?
Thanks
David

[ABC1]

I suspect the price would be a pretty good clue.

[theo cupier]

Does that mean there's a "safe" price to pay for these, then?

Dark_Kloud was selling for £21.99 (although he's suddenly stopped listing them, wonder why...). Given that some people have commented on seeing them sold for around £10, when does it become safe? Or is it simply not worth the bother?

On a slightly different topic, the CX500 seem to be around the same price as the Mylarone X3i. Anyone able to comment on relative performance?

[ABC1]

I would have though not so much a safe price, but a safe place, certainly not fleabay.