Sennheiser CX 400 In-Ear Headphone (Black)

Comment: I purchased these to wear while studying. For that purpose they are great. They create a great seal in the ear that blocks nearly all ambient noise

Very full sound, excellent frequency response.

Complaints:
-Cord is long...actually too long. For most uses, this cord is overkill
-Rubbing against cord creates clearly audible artifact. This is very annoying. For this reason, it would be unfeasible to work out with these headphones. I would compare the rubbing noise to the sound you hear wearing a stethoscope and tapping the diaphragm. Fairly unpleasant.

Overall, these headphones have had great life. I usually have to replace ear buds on a yearly basis, but these are still working perfectly. Strongly consider these if the intended use is stationary listening.

Comment: These are my earbuds for life. Take special note if you have narrow ear canals; the standard Apple buds are too big for my ears. Sennheiser's adjustable pads fit perfectly into my ears, and fill them with wonderful, glorious sound. The included clip is a nice touch, and helps deal with the odd cord length. The standard cord is too short for anyone over 130 cm tall, but with the extension you have more than enough wire to hang yourself with. The sound is great, though you must insert these into your ear canals to get the full benefit. They block enough sound to wear on earplanes or while doing things with shouting children nearby. At night, I can hear comfortably at a setting of only 1 or 2 on the iPod. (Consider limiting the volume on your device - you can hurt yourself if you turn it up to 11.) And the price - I laugh at the original $80 MSRP, but for $35 or less this is a must buy.

Comment: Hello,
A quality set of earphones/buds should deliver great sound. These do not. It's that simple. My Camry's stock, garbage speakers sound better than these ear buds. That shouldn't be. The three different sizes of ear rubber thingies work very well. I don't jog anymore. Sitting & walking w/them is easy peasy, though. They don't fall out. It's the sound quality that has me very disappointed. I'm just glad I received the ipod as a gift. I'd be pissed if I paid for everything. Oh, one more thing. The short length of cord is a good idea, but it's too short. It allows the ipod to sit in a front shirt pocket. It wouldn't be long enough to allow one of those armband holders to work w/it. The extension makes it really long.

Comment: Once you get the right fit and get a good seal in your ears with these they sound quite good. Nice detailed midrange and punchy bass. Almost too much bass in fact, and the treble could be a little clearer. Still, pretty good and a massive upgrade from stock Ipod earphones or cheap earbuds. The silicone stock tips won't work for everybody, so you may want to try some aftermarket tips from another brand on these if you are having trouble. From what I gather, a lot of people like "Comply" brand tips made of soft foam material.

The main problem with these is the cord. It's thin, poorly shielded material, and is very "microphonic" which means it will transmit all sorts of noise into your ears everytime the cable rubs against something. I couldn't use these at the gym at all unless I rested my Ipod on the console of my workout machine. It really is that bad. If you get a really good seal the microphonic effect is somewhat diminished, but it's still there. I really do not understand why Sennheiser didn't test this product properly before putting it on the market. I guess many types of in-ear headphones suffer from this problem, but not all of them do. Personally, I find it inexcusable since the Sennheiser name is supposed to be known for quality.

The thin cord also leads to durability issues. Mine lasted a little less than a year before half the volume in one of the earpieces went out. Supposedly, Sennheiser's warranty will cover repairs on these for up to 2 years from purchase. I decided to send mine back to see if they could fix them, but it's still annoying since if they were better made they might not have this problem in the first place. For a pair of headphones that have an MSRP over $80, I would expect them to last longer.

Overall, this is an okay product, but there are better options out there. I just got a pair of Meelectronics M-6. The new version of this model has a braided silver cord that is covered in plastic. It pretty much eliminates the cord noise/microphonics issue that in-ear headphones like the CX400 have. It also has more balanced sound, based on my initial impressions. For roughly the same price the CX400s are selling for they seem to be a much better deal.

Comment: After ~6months the 3ft extension cord broke. I wasn't super careful, I admit, but I didn't expect it to break so easily. The sound is very good though. The buds still work, but I need a new cord :(
Ghe