Review: Sennheiser CX-300 headphones

Sennheiser is a long-established supplier of headphones to the discerning audiophile. The CX-300 forms its ear-canal range and is intended to provide a portable solution for high-quality bass-driven sound.

Those who haven’t used ear-canal headphones before might find them a little uncomfortable at first, but the choice of three pad sizes assures you as good a fit as possible.

The advantage of the ear-canal design and soft rubber cones is that they form an air-tight seal between your ear and the unit, eliminating ambient noise to allow you to get the maximum impact from your audio.

It certainly makes a difference, particularly with low-range bass frequencies, and they provide a good alternative to over-ear noise-reduction headphones.

With so little ambient noise you'll rarely need maximum volume on your player, but in terms of their full capabilities the 112dB sound pressure touted by the CX-300 was described to us as midway between a ‘chainsaw from a meter away’ and the ‘threshold of discomfort’.

In short, they’re more than suitable for metalheads and Mozart fans alike. Because the headphones are effectively buried inside the ear, there’s not a lot to say on the design front, other than that they are available in a choice of black, silver or white.

Sennheiser prices the CX-300 at £39.99 but if you search online you can pick them up for just under £30. If you’ve always bought standard ear-buds in the past this will still mean spending a fair amount extra.

You do get an entirely different experience for your money than with the bud alternatives, plus the added advantage of them being less likely to fly out of your ears when you’re on the move.

We’d like to see a carry case or on-wire volume control, but as it stands the CX-300 is simply a no-nonsense solution for those who are serious about their music.

Also consider:
Shure E3c in-ear headphones
Block out ambient noise with these in-ear headphones

Steelsound 5H v2 headphones
Flexible headset designed with professional gamers in mind

Shure E500PTH
High-end headphones with a matching price tag

All headphone reviews