Sennheiser PXC 450 Active Noise-Canceling Headphones

Update 12-3-2014: If you're reading this review now, be advised that it is 6 years old. You should check out this review of the PSB M4U 2 NC headphones: http://www.amazon.com/review/RNFCGA4RI70O3/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm Original Review: I compared these headphones side-by-side with five other noise cancelling headphones: Bose QC2 & 3, JVC NC250, Audio Technica ANC7, and Sennheiser PXC-250. I was in the market for a noise cancelling headphone because I travel a lot and I wanted to be able to watch movies or listen to music in relative isolation. With the ipod earbuds, you have to blast your ears in order to compete with the airplane's engines and I want to preserve my hearing. My main criteria were sound qualifty, noise cancelling, and comfort. All three were very important and I didn't really want to compromise on any of those categories. The only headphone that excelled at all three was the PXC-450. I disqualified all but the PXC-450 on the basis of out of the box testing. The JVC was disqualified right away on the basis of its cheap build quality. It does not fit snugly on your head, it is very loose. The slightest movement of my head and the earphones would slide around on my ears. Because of that these headphones offered zero passive noise cancelling. Sound quality was okay but nothing special. These headphones never really merited serious consideration. The Audio Techicas are one of the most popular headphones on Amazon. I read the reviews of this headphone extensively, and most people rave about these headphones. The only criticism of them I saw was sound leakage. People complained that when you listen to these headphones, people around you can hear what you're listening to. They were right. It really is a shame because other than that flaw, these are very good headphones. The sound and noise cancelling is amazing considering the price. However, as I was buying this for use in very close quarters (airplane travel), I didn't want to have to worry about bothering people around me. The PXC-250 sounded amazing. I couldn't believe such small headphones could sound so good. However, the battery wand I felt got in the way a bit and I just didn't think the noise cancelling on these on ear headphones was as good as the other more expensive headphones. The 250s had another odd problem in that very slight movements would cause the earpads to rub slightly on your ear. This rubbing created a noise that would reverberate inside your ear that was very noticable if you were watching a movie or listening to softer music. When I was testing the Bose and the PXC-450, comparing them to the other headphones I tested, it made me realize that noise cancelling technology must just be expensive which is why if you want a quality noise cancelling headphone, you have to be willing to shell out some cash. The Audio Technicas are by far the best of the cheaper NC headphones, but the Bose (particularly the QC3) and the 450 really stand out from the pack. The Bose are very good headphones, but they have some issues that I just couldn't get over. First, I don't like the way Bose headphones sound. They push the bass into your face and the mids and highs sound muddy. Most of the reviews of these headphones mention these issues. The QC2 got very warm and I could feel the heat radiating inside on my ears and it was not comfortable. The QC3s are really amazing. They are on ear headphones, yet they had the best noise cancelling of any of the other headphones I tried. The earpads are made of a material that just kill sound. Without even turning the earphones on, you are immediately immersed in silence. However, in addition to the sound quality issue, there is something about their noise cancelling function that creates a pressure on your eardrum. This pressure bothered me enough that it was hard to ignore. If the PXC-450 did not exist, I would have gone with the QC3 and just sucked it up, but I was glad that I didn't have to. Finally, the PXC-450. For me, these were the perfect headphone and I just fell in love with them and didn't have to think very hard about which ones to keep. Bass. I read a lot of reviews and a lot of people complained about a lack of bass on these headphones. When I first put these headphones on, I admit that I was a little let down because it seemed to me like they were very weak. Then I realized that I needed to adjust the volume control on the headphones. I basically turned the volume on the headphones all the way up and just adjust the volume on my ipod. With the volume issue fixed, my concerns about the bass went away. These headphones do not have as much bass as Bose. However, that's because Bose changes the sound from the way it was intended to push the bass forward. If you like a lot of bass, these headphones might not be for you. However, the bass is definitely there. Just listen to Pon de Replay (Rihanna) or Pass that Dutch (Missy Elliot) for a demonstration of how good the bass is on these headphones. Sound Quality. Moving past the bass to sound quality as a whole, these headphones are in a different league. I mean, I am hearing details in songs I have heard dozens or even hundreds of times and never noticed. Background singers that before were lost with all of the other sounds can be heard clearly on these headphones. Noise Cancelling. These headphones have a tight fit, which gives them a lot of passive noise cancelling. They are not so tight, however, to become uncomfortable. Combined with the active noise cancelling, and these headphones are *almost* as good as the QC3s. I feel like the QC3s were a little better at cancelling the higher frequencies, but I think that is why they have the pressure on the eardrum problem. I didn't feel any pressure with the 450. The slight advantage the QC3s have on noice cancelling is more than outweighed by the 450s superiority in sound quality and comfort. Comfort. Despite being snug, the 450s are very comfortable. The material that the earpads are made of is very soft and I quickly forgot I was wearing them on my flight. The headphones are very big--much larger than the on ear QC3s. However, because they are snug they don't slide around and they really do melt into your head after a while. Also, they don't get hot like the QC2s did. Portability. Because they are bigger, they are slightly more difficult to manage than the Bose. However, they fold up quite nicely and their case, though larger than both of the Bose cases, is still rather small (and light!). In the end, once I tried the 450s, there was really no way I could settle for any of the other headphones I tried. All of the other headphones had too many flaws and the 450s were near perfect. Oh, I should mention that I listened for the "ticking sound" that other reviewers complained about in the right earpiece and there was absolutely nothing. Either those reviewers had defective units or Sennheiser has fixed the problem. Update 3/31/11: I can't believe it's been three years since I bought these headphones. They still work great and I have no plans to replace them. I only use them when I travel, so they're not getting wear and tear every day, but I was travelling A LOT when I first got these. I have not tried the Bose QC15s, so I can't compare the 450 to those. Someone in the comments suggested that I work for Sennheiser -- I do not. I didn't mention the Talkthrough feature in my review. After a lot of use, I have found this feature to be very handy. It's nice when the flight attendant comes by to be able to just press the button and talk to them without having to take the headphones off.

I bought these reluctantly because of the cost. I was also not convinced about what to buy because the Dr Dre were just out when I was making the decision and at some point I was quite interested in the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 & 3. I must say I am satisfied with these headphones - PXC450. Even though when considering buying them, I looked at the date when they first came onto the market and thought that much progress has been made in terms of technology, I nevertheless went for them - PXC450. To be honest, I am very satisfied that the technology that was used has stood the test of time. When doing my research on what to buy, I listened to the Bose Quiet Comforts 2 & 3 in a Bose shop and was disappointed with their performance. With the Quiet Comforts 2 & 3, the music sounded great as long as it had heavy bass. At the Bose Shop I asked the assistant to put music without bass so I find out their performance. The sound was hollow and very, very cheap. I could not believe my ears. If you ever want to own the Quiet Comforts 2 or 3 try out this simple test of listening to them when there is no bass it may save you anguish. I did not try out the Dr Dre because for me they seemed pedestrain. There are so many fake Dr Dre and also they seem like an item of showing off because in a way everyone will know roughly how much you spent. I wanted quality not conspicuous consumption. During my search for the right headphones, I happened to fly on Emirates Airlines and was in business class on a 16 hour flight. They provide Quiet Comforts 3 in this section of the flight and I think many other leading airlines provide Bose Quite Comforts 3 in their business sections. To be honest the noise cancellation is superb but with the extreme noise cancellation, one also experiences other problems. The main problem for me was that it became hot in my ears and I also sweated. So next time you see people in the business class, don't be so envious!! It is not all comfy. During this long haul flight, I had to remove the Bose headphones every now and then, perhaps every 30 minutes to allow my ears to breath. Besides the heat and sweating, my ears also got blocked. Sound was good by my entertainment was interrupted a lot. I am not out to bash Bose speakers in general as I have some Bose equipments in my home, but their Quite Comfort did not really impress, but of course some people will vouch for them. I must say that listening to my music on the PXC450 has been quite an experience - a revolution. As so many other reviewers wrote, it is as if I was listening to my music for the first time. They are very comfortable on the ears. I first used them on a 5 hour flight and they were so comfortable that after a while I felt as if there were no longer on my head, they are quite light for their size and comfortably constructed. My ears never got hot. Then I used them on a 14 hour flight and again it was a superb experience. Even though I was travelling economy class, when I walked through business class on the way to my seat, I knew that at least there is something that I was enjoying that was superior to those in business class (excuse the comparison). On these flights, these headphones were so comfortable and effective in cancelling noise that at some point it was eerie. It took getting used to the silence because if there was no turbulence, I felt as if the engines were off so I would occasionally just lift them off my ears or switch on the talk through just to be reassured that the flight was proceeding well. The talk through works wonderfully. Of course these headphones are a bit huge but I suppose that is the price of comfort and quality in sound and construction. Even though I spent a substantial amount on them, thus far I feel satisfied with what I got. The PXC450 are well made and the representation on the Sennheiser's website is accurate in terms of their cancelling effect. If you want to own them, I advise that go to the Sennheiser website and play their clips on how they work. These headphones are ones that I hope I will keep for a long, long time to come. No complaint.

Anyone who is seriously contemplating parting company with £375 for a pair of headphones is going to be someone who takes their listening very, very seriously: so do this pair of top-of-the-range travel 'phones from Sennheiser live up to that price point? Yes, they do. Oh very yes. Shipped in a fairly chunky 30x30x15xm cardboard box [a little flimsy, if I'm honest - this is "shiny" retail packaging, not sturdier mail order material] these active, noise-reducing headphones come with a beautiful, sturdy and nicely-finished travel case, an adapter for the "traditional" size headphone jack, still popular with domestic amplifiers, plus a second adapter suitable for use with aircraft systems. A leather coated metal headband supports a pair of exquisitely fashioned enclosures that are attached by way of rotating-joint brackets, which means that the ear cups can fold flat for compact storage. An excellent quality, silicon-rubber coated cable of a little over 1.5 metre length connects the phones to a top-quality, gold-plated jack-plug. The cable enters the left ear-piece, with that on the right sporting all the controls: on/off, speak-through and volume. The right-side ear-piece also houses the battery compartment [1 x AAA, with 2 batteries provided], which provide the energy for the active noise-deadening electronics. Build quality, then, is top-notch. If anything, the audio performance is even more impressive. Given the inherent limitations of a single-driver headphone, the PXC 450's acquit themselves with aplomb. Unlike competitors, Sennheiser really seem to have mastered the art of dampening noise without touching the music. There's no hiss, no pumping, no flat top-end, just glorious, glorious audio quality. Compared with the Bose QuietComfort in-ear phones these are replacing, the PXC 450s don't just have vastly superior musical performance - they are more agile, poised, dynamic and, well, musical, but they are able to reproduce a soundstage far more effectively, whilst exposing far more information from a recording. Perhaps the greatest revelation is the sheer range of music that these headphones can transform. Give them tracks from Enya, for example, Watermark's "Storms In Africa" reveals a lovely deep undercurrent of drums and subsonics that I normally expect to hear on my main system; offered Agnes Obel's Aventine and her lyrics and exquisite voice just coast out of a near-perfect sound stage. Go to the other end of the spectrum - Iridescent by Linkin Park yields glorious texture, subtle shifts in vocals from Chester and a vice-like grip on timing. The more I tried, the greater diversity of music I pushed at these headphones, the better and better they sounded. If you are a commuter, or someone who listens to music in a noisy environment, but who appreciates and enjoys *music* [in it's finest, truest form] then you will not find better at this price point. Absolutely **stunning**... Pros:- 1. Sound Quality. Just: this. 2. Build - impeccable design and engineering from Germany. Pretty much flawless. 3. Value for Money - these were about £80 more than I paid for my Bose QuietComfort in-ear headphones, and they wipe the floor with them without trying. Cons:- 1. OK, as one other reviewer has spotted, the lovely, deeply cushioned and "envelopingly soft" ear cups will, after a couple of hours, leave the sides of your temples and head a little sticky. Small price to pay for this audio perfection. 2. At a pinch, these are not what you'd describe as "compact". But lets be honest, if you want compact, you would not be selecting over-ear headphones. No. These up for consideration because you want audio perfection over ergonomic convenience - and despite their size and bulk, they do fold down to fit in a sturdy travel case. Sum-Up: you know that utterly glorious sensation you get when you hear a familiar song played back through a system that is massively superior to what you are used to? That's the step-change you should enjoy with these headphones - it's like having a brand-new music collection to listen to and turns a trudge to the office into a voyage of musical discovery. Fabulous.

These have been awesome headphones. The ANC lasts about 8 to 10 hours which is fine for since the case has space for 4. They sound incredible and let's you hear old songs like you never did before. The noise cancelling is really good, but not as good as Bose sets. I find they have better all around sound than Bose though, so that's the trade off. Talk through is a handy feature, but sounds a little like you have a mic directly in your ear. With ANC turned off I find these still sound really good which is big plus for me. The inly con for me is the lack of music control on the wire. It would be great to have in-line control for the music , even if it was an aftermarket purchase. Overall, very happy with the purchase and likely a new Sennheiser repeat customer.

I waited to write this review until I had my first flight. All I can say is the headphones are spectacular. They are very good at dampening noise and the sound is stellar (by comparison, the sound of my older Bose QuietComfort 25 is mediocre). I literally wore them (even during a short slipping time) for more than 7 (seven) hours continuously without feeling any pain or fatigue. And the battery is lasting like forever (after more than 15 hours still up and running - if out of juice you can still use these in passive mode and they will still dampen a lot of noise). Highly recommended

CoCoYaさんで購入しました。 並行輸入品ということですが、私が購入したものには日本語の説明書と 保証書が入っていました。 特に、日本語の保証書が入っていたのは助かりました。なぜなら、購入 した時点で故障していましたので．．． CoCoYaさんの場合、故障はメーカー対応で、交換はしてくれないようで したので、ゼンハイザージャパンに送って修理してもらいました。 ノイズキャンセルの性能に関しては、可もなく不可もなくといったところ でしょうか。低音から中音域はちゃんとキャンセルしてくれますが、人の 声はいくらか聞こえます。電車内で使用してみたところ、「ゴー」という 騒音は概ね消えますが、アナウンスは（音楽が静かなら）言葉がわかる程度 聞こえます。 人によってはアナウンスも消して欲しいと思うかもしれませんが、私は この程度聞こえた方が、周囲の状況がわかって安心できます。 ノイズキャンセリング機能付きの場合に問題になる、「サー」というヘッド ホン自体が出してしまうノイズですが、この機種では十分小さいと思い ます。そもそも、「サー」という音が聞こえるということは、周囲が十分静か だと思われますので、その場合はノイズキャンセリングをOFF（この機種 の場合は、bypass）にすれば良いと思います。 電池が切れた場合もbypassにすれば使用できるので、便利です。 音質は、他のメーカーの製品に比べれば、十分高い品質だと思います。 但し、ゼンハイザーの他の機種に比べてややクッキリ感が少ないように 思います。 室内用としてHD580 precision、通勤用にPX200を使用していますが、 8000円ほどで購入したPX200と比較してさえクッキリ感が少なく、少し 安っぽく聞こえます。 ノイズキャンセリングON時とOFF時では、中音から高音域ではほとんど 音質は変わりません。低音は、OFFの方がしっかり出るようです。 装着すると、しっかりホールドしてくれる感じです。１時間ほど付けて ましたが、特に痛くなることもありませんでした。ただ、耳がきっちり 覆われるのでムレます。５月の時点でけっこうムレるので、夏に使うのは 無理かと思います。 ケーブルですが、1.4mは携帯用としてはちょっと長すぎます。1mで十分 だと思います。また、ケーブルが太めなので、余計な長さ分を纏めると 使用しているiPod shuffleの２〜３倍の容積になります。

I'm not an audiophile, but the sound is incredibly good off these even on poorly sampled MP3s. The noise cancelling is fantastic though. I had flooding in my apartment and they left several incredibly noisy fans and dryers running for 48 hours. The noise was jarring and constant and bled through my HTPC headset's insulation very clearly. When I put these on as soon as I hit the power on them and the noise cancelling kicked in before even starting the music it knocked everything down to a level like I was standing in a completely insulated room. It was mind-blowing. I sat there for several minutes and couldn't even hear the industrial dryer blowing 10 feet away from me.