Known for creating competent headphones, Sennheiser recently announced the PCX 95, which is essentially the German audio company's first attempt at creating in-ear headphones with a neckband. The PCX 95 feels like a sports accessory at heart, but with a slight twist. It is priced at a premium and we try to find out if it's worth it.
Design, Fit and Specifications
The neckband form factor is not unique but we think Sennheiser has skilfully managed to veer away from the usual. The unobtrusive cable originates from the left earpiece. It is 1.2m in length, which is okay even if you want to connect a smartphone or MP3 player stashed in your pant pocket. The wire feels durable, but it tangles very easily. However, it resists friction and the resulting sound disturbance with no problem.
The PCX 95 looks almost like a wireless headset. The inconspicuous thin wire fooled quite a few people into thinking it was connected by Bluetooth. The Sennheiser logo is carved on a round metal plate on the both the earpieces. The base colour of the casing is brown, but it has a glittery finish which we think makes it look tacky.
The in-ear headphones have an angled fit which Sennheiser claims improves the projection of sound. We will confirm this claim in our testing. We really liked the snug fit of the PCX 95. It is very comfortable for long listening sessions. Its weight of 21g also adds to the comfort factor.
The 32ohm impedance of the PCX 95 hits a sweet spot and enables the in-ear headphones to be powered by both small devices and powerful amps. It has a frequency range of 17Hz to 22KHz which is more than enough for the human ear. It can reach a high decibel level of 115. The True Harmonic Distortion (THD) of less than 0.1 is befitting for the premium in-ear headphones.
Sound Quality
We used the PCX 95 as our primary in-ear headphones for more than a week, instead of our trusty Klipsch S4i Rugged. The sound signature of the PCX 95 is evidently warm, making it well suited for long listening sessions. This combined with the comfort factor is a feeling that can be compared to a kid being cradled to sleep by a mother. We used the medium sized silicon tip as it was a perfect fit for our ears. Sennheiser also provides tips in small and large sizes.
Sennheiser's marketing pitch focuses on bass-driven sound. The precision bass, as Sennheiser likes to call it, is just about right and has the good amount of thump. In a lot of EDM tracks that we tested, the bass didn't overpower the other frequencies. That said, we do not think the PCX 95 is really suited for lively tracks since the high end frequencies are not very detailed. It is actually a match made in music heaven for fans of rock music. Soft rock tracks such as Metallica's Nothing Else Matters sounds blissful. Classical music sounds good too. We must say that the sound staging is very good with the right amount of 'air' between instruments.
Although, we didn't find the PCX 95 suitable for action movies, but those laden with dialogue sounded good.
Verdict
If you want a snug fitting pair of headphones with a warm sound signature or are missing your mom's soothing lullabies for some reason, the PCX 95 could be the perfect for you. Sadly, it is very expensive at Rs. 5,490. For a more lively sound we'd suggest taking a look at the Klipsch S4 or the Audio-Technica ATH-CKS77X.
Price: Rs. 5,490
Pros
Cons
Ratings (Out of 5)
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