Sennheiser PXC 450 NoiseGard Active Noise-Canceling Headphones

Comment: I didn't buy these cans from Amazon, but i'll leave the review here since i shop here the most.
The sound quality of the Sennheiser PXC-450 is way better than anything else i ever heard. Better than my floor standing speakers, and way way better than my Altec Lansing laptop speakers. Bass is tight and clean. My music sounds "new" when i listen through the Sennheisers now.
Noise cancelling is very good. It did almost completely tune out the HVAC. I will try it in my upcoming long flight soon.
The talk through function is great too. One push of a button and u can have a clear conversation with the flight attendant or the person sitting next to you.

Comment: I can recommend these headphones without reservation. I had listened to Bose QCs in a store, but the stores didn't have a demo set of the Sennheiser 450 so I couldn't compare and didn't know what to do. I decided to try the Sennheiser 450 based on the reviews I read here under Amazon.

When they arrived (sooner than expected) I was able to directly compare my new Sennheiser 450 headphones to a Bose QC thanks to a work associate who brought his Bose QC to the office. The 450 wins, hands down. Even my work associate, who was a Bose fan, agrees. The Bose has a muddier tone. The Sennheiser 450 is so clear and clean even at high volume. If you are undecided, maybe this review will help you as the other reviews helped me make up my mind. RM

Comment: Impression: bigger and heavier that its direct competition Bose QuietComfort 15 (240 g versus 207g - nice quality, zipped semi-hard bag is definitely bigger and you do have to account for same in your carry-on). Cheaper though: managed USD 235 versus USD 299 for BOSE. Works without batteries (by-pass feature), while BOSE does not. Cable (rather short) is not detachable, while with BOSE you can get rid of the cable while sleeping in the plane.
Test: everybody has different head, so I would suggest to test every headphone you can to match same to your head and ears as passive noise reduction REALLY depends on how well they fit on YOUR head (especially if you want to spend USD 300 on them). Thus really no comparison to BOSE on that. Personally BOSE 15 fits my head better and are lighter, but no complaints with PXC 450. Very good quality of construction, sturdy and you know they will survive a lot (no plastic feeling). Good, attractive design, though red LED indicating headphones ON might actually be green (somehow I treat red LED as 'something is wrong'). Quality head cushioning and ear padding (no detectable sweating after 4 hours of airplane listening, but it IS very dry in airplanes though).
Intuitive control buttons with good volume control based on AAA single battery (Nice - spare battery comes in the box!).
Noise canceling feature test: 1. A/C unit at home - passed, having problem with very short cable - had to use an extension, but overall noise canceling feature worked nicely, my wife had to come over and tap me on the shoulder to get my attention.
2. Over-Atlantic flight: passed - could really focus on listening to the music rather that trying to listening to the music.
Pass-through feature test: headphones allow with a touch of a button to hear background noise, allowing for free conversation with airplane stewardess without necessity of taking them off your head. Nice feature, though it is strange and at first funny to hear headphones 'repeating' the background voices. (BOSE does not have that...)
Overall - in my opinion - definitely competition to BOSE QuietComfort 15, check if they fit your head first though.

Comment: Event better than I expected. The overhead band is much stronger than Nokia bh-905 ( I broke the plastic ring twice).
The noise cancellation is in par with Nokia ones in the environment I've tested both with.

Overall a good choice.

Comment: Hihi everyone~!!!!!!!

All rights, after reading/analyzing tonnes of reviews...my final choices are Sennheiser PXC-450 and Bose QC15. Finally, I chose Sennheiser simply because it has talk-through, superior materials, higher quality sound, and still works even without NC.

I owned my PXC-450 for about a month already (Jun-July 2010)....I think they are truly AMAZING:

1. Build - Incredible! From the soft wire to the overall build of the headphones...leather headband...ear cups...the hinges of the cups....it seriously feels expensive as it is! The adjustment of the headband length feels sturdy too~

2. Music/Sound quality - I have never heard such good music before....bass is better with NC switched off - and even better if you kinda hold the cans and push gently towards your ears...if you get what I mean...and of course I don't do that all the time...only occasionally at certain parts of songs.

When the NC is off, somehow I hear a soft repetitive "ticking" sound which is masked by my music, but this "ticking" sound disappears once the NC is switched on. Perhaps it needs more "breaking in"? Not sure if it's a defect but I read some owners have it too....but it doesn't bother me much as my music is good enough to cover it.

Also, after removal of the AAA battery, the ticking sound is gone. ;)

I keep it in NC mode when I am in my lab/office, and when I am home or in lab at night, with no one around, I will remove the AAA battery and use the bypass mode - which gives superb sound quality.

3. Volume - Maxed volume on iPod Touch is not loud enough - a headphone amplifier is definitely needed. Instead of FiiO E5 sold on Amazon, I ordered BB cMoy v2.02 directly from JDS Labs. The bass boost function strengthens the bass by alot, and the volume can be raised to a comfortably enjoyable volume~!!!

4. BB cMoy v2.02 - this cMoy allows boosting of both volume and bass. Without the NC, the cMoy can boost the bass significantly which rockz~!!!! When NC is on, the bass beomes weaker, but the cMoy is also able to boost the bass. Which is impressive.......I am not sure about other amplifiers, but I am sticking with my BB cMoy v2.02~!!! Loving John Seaber (CEO of JDS Labs) for thiz~!!!

5. Noise Canceling w/o music - If you're only using it for NC without music, I must say it is not that good. Ambient noise in my lab/office is reduced but still audible. Sigh, but the only perfect noise canceling is if you're deaf. Duh... ('"-.-)

6. Noise Canceling with music - AMAZING. I am isolated with my own music in my office/lab. Luckily, I listen to music with them from my office/lab desktop computer and not from my iPod Touch. So the volume can be increased to seriously be in my own world. But with the BB cMoy v2.02 amplifier, I can listen to good music at good volumes everywhere.....I keep praising the BB cMoy like an advertisement. I am NOT paid for saying this, but I am truly recommending it based on my own happy experience. <3

7. Talk-through function - fascinating~!! A simple button allows me to talk and listen to people around me without removing my Sennheiser. This is very convenient when my labmates ask me quick questions about experiments, and of on the plane as well~ It might potentially be useful to eavesdrop on people around you when they think you are "deaf".

8. Comfort - the leather ear cups and headband is simply too comfortable. Luckily I wear contact lens....it's still possible to wear these headphones together with specs, but it's not all that comfortable.

9. Portability - It is very easy to fold the headphones flat and keep it neatly in the flat rectangular case provided. The case also has elastic bands for extra AAA batteries, and the 2 provided adapters (In-flight-Entertainment and 6.3 mm). I carry everything around easily in my messenger bag~ But my cMoy will be carried in a separate pouch too...the cMoy is just the size of an Altoid tin can though~ Once I began listening to music with my PXC-450 plugged via a cMoy, I will never listen without the cMoy. ;)

10. AAA Battery Life - I would say quite good? I only had to change the battery after about half a month~ I didn't document the exact amount of hours I use though...but it doesn't bother me much because AAA batteries are readily available everywhere, right? hahAa

11. Genuinity - I bought these from RECORDING STORE when the price lowered to $265 (lowest was $250+). Interestingly, one day after I bought these, RECORDING STORE raised it back to $349.95, still with free shipping.

I emailed Seinnheiser USA, and they replied me saying RECORDING STORE is not their authorized dealer and they cannot guarantee if what I have is real/fake/stolen/returned/refurbished despite being claimed to be new?

I emailed RECORDING STORE via Amazon and they replied saying that because the item was on sale doesn't mean it's unauthorized or it's not under warranty. They said the price is low because they are "Sennheiser Direct", and they said Sennheiser actually doesn't like dealers like them to have a sale on their headphones. When I asked them why wasn't there a warranty card provided, they said that they opened another new box and that box doesn't have warranty card as well. They actually replied my email asking me to call them. I did, and supposedly the store manager spoke to me and told me that the warranty is 2 years via RECORDING STORE. So, if there's any problem with my Sennheiser, I should contact them instead of Sennheiser. He also verbally said they only sell brand new items, never returned or refurbished items. Their response to customers is really prompt, and they do not evade tough and potentially embarrassing questions like mine.

Genuinity is my main concern because it sucks to spend $265 (it's alot OK!) to own a counterfeit...the packaging seems official and genuine though...with a Ord. No. and a Ser. No...though contacting RECORDING STORE gave me confidence, does anyone know how to definitively verify the genuinity of PXC-450?

~~~

In summary, as an amateur music lover..slowly gaining audiophile knowledge and equipment..I must say I am not into great deep details of music quality........but seriously, I totally enjoy owning my first pair of Seinnheiser and I think my PXC-450 (together with my BB cMoy v2.02) are ultra cool no matter what~!!! I am also excited to try them on my 10000 miles flight halfway across the globe~!! ;)