play it again, sam.

Sennheiser PXC350

As far as noise-canceling headphones go, Bose and Sennheiser dominate the top-end of this product range. While there are a few exceptions to this rule, it makes sense to gravitate to the veteran brands in the market. Although I did consider Bose to begin with, one major negative to their entire line of NC headphones was that audio transmission folds in passive mode, so once your batteries go flat, you’re basically left with a nice looking void.

Sennheiser’s high-end line includes two products: the PCX 350 and it’s slightly more tricked out older sister, the PXC 450. Both headphones are circumaural and offer Sennheiser’s advanced NoiseGard technology (which was originally developed for use by pilots). The PXC 450 offers to cut out up to 90% of ambient noise (as opposed to the PXC 350’s 85%) and also offers a feature called Talk Through, which allows the listener to momentarily activate tiny microphones on the exterior of the headphones and by thus doing enables the listener to communicate with, say, a flight attendant, while still wearing their headphones. With the exception of the above, and a distinct aesthetic look for each, the specifications of the two products are identical.

Opting for the PXC 350, I decided that as long as the noise canceling was sufficiently impressive, I could be content to live without the extra gadgetry. And so, we hit the road.

Pulling these out of the box, one is immediately impressed with is how sleek and solid these headphones are. The padded headband is adjustable and offers an axis from which the cups may be rotated (useful when folding flat for transportation). It’s nice to see that Sennheiser has also designed this product with the future in mind, making both the cord and the cushioned cups replaceable. Another feature to note is the indiscernible positioning for the battery compartment, which is integrated into the earcup and is virtually invisible when being worn. The noise canceling feature is activated by a small switch located toward the base of the left cup, with its status indicated by a red led light.

Comfort: Initially slipping these on, the feeling can be equated to clothing your head in silk. The headphones are easy and swift to adjust, and despite their solid construction, are remarkably lightweight. This inspired sensation however, is somewhat short lived. When wearing the headphones over a prolonged period of time, a distinct pressure builds around the head and detracts completely from the comfort rating. This is additionally compounded by the effect of the noise-canceling, which creates what feels like a shift in altitude for your ears. Thus when you remove the headphones, a cool rush imminently sets, inviting a slight “ear-popping” sensation and an unexpected gap in comfort.

Performance: Whilst the noise canceling feature is activated, sound reproduction with the PXC350s is suffused in a gratifying combination of the treble and the bass. The crisp clarity is able to reflect marvelously clean acoustics, with a rich tonal range from the lows through to the highs. Music selected for this review included Hella (math rock), Thelonius Monk (jazz), Jane Birkin (French chanson, live) and Estradasphere (wide range of genres). The bass was felt to be lacking height somewhat in the jazz genres, but apart from this, the details detectable in the sound output were impressive. Sound leakage is exceptionally minimal, and the sound quality remained distortion free even at high volume. With the noise canceling deactivated, however, there is a massive and evident loss of audio quality. The music suddenly becomes palpably flat, with the warmth and depth that was originally present waning to a dull meander in the audiophile park.

Noise canceling: Stepping into the world of noise canceling means that if it’s done well, you’re effectively able to remove the sound of your own footsteps as you walk. As my aeroplane flights are not till July, I tested the headphones’ noise canceling ability in a couple of “noise jungle” environments. a) train/tram: mechanical train sounds were drastically reduced. I was especially interested to see whether the noise-canceling would prove effective at the lower volumes, and happily the headphones did not disappoint. Loud voices of course could not be entirely removed from the audio-landscape, but the reduction of ambient noise in general was highly impressive. b) the city: becomes dangerous when you are wearing a pair of these headphones. The noise of the city droned consistently behind the music, but there is no comparison to ordinary headphones to these Sennheiser’s. Tip up the volume slightly and your world becomes completely oblivious to the pounding of 200 pairs of feet slapping against the pavement beside you.

While I am not casting my final vote till I validate my boarding pass, so far, these headphones have been an agreeable, if not wholly satisfying, purchase. With one of the reasons of opting for the Sennheiser over the Bose being their ability to function in passive mode, it was disappointing to see that the headphones’ sound quality went head-first down the deep ravine as soon as they were forced to function without the battery boosted noise-canceling function. Comfort wise, the headphones don’t quite hit the mark, yet they are perfectly fine for short bursts of time. Noise canceling ability is five stars. Stay tuned for future updates.