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 enlarge | Brand: Sennheiser
Category: CE
List Price: $399.95
Buy New: $300.00
You Save: $99.95 (25%)
New (6) Refurbished (1) from $235.00
Rating:  19 reviews
Color: Silver and Charcoal
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries: 2
Batteries Included: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5 x 10
MPN: PXC 450
Model: PXC 450
UPC: 015104112238
EAN: 0015104112238
ASIN: B000R2PC2M
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Good Noise Control, Simple Operation July 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am very pleased with this purchase. I like the volume controls on the headsets and the center button that allows one to switch-off the noise-cancelling function to communicate with others. The noise cancelling feature is much improved over my old Panasonic RP-HC300 headphones. The headphones are also very light and well-cushioned. I never noticed them even on a long 10-hour flight.
Sound Redefined May 29, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
My first impression with this headphone was one of diassapointment. I had just received my 450s as a gift and was expecting superior audio quality to that of my former sennheiser cx-300s. Upon listening to some audio on my ipod touch i found that the 450s lacked the crisp and detailed sound that the cx 300s had and that many of the frequencies sounded muddy. I planned on using my normal cx300s but faith intervened and i left them by my freinds house leaving me with my 450s as my only audiophile headphone. a week or so passed and i forcefully learned to accept to appreciate my 450s. then the day came when i decieded to run the headphones on my computer system which is equipped with a sound blaster xfi extreme sound card. my impressions of this device instantly changed. never on a headphone have i ever experienced such crisp, detailed, resonating, full bodied, transient, responsive and toned sound. upper and lower frequency extremities tapered off gradually and gracefully and i could not possibly describe the device of brightening any of the freqency ranges. noise attenuation on bypass mode is second to none and on electronic noise cancellation it is even better. i did however notice some very slight electronic interference and frequency bundling when the noiseguard was on. the headphone is also very comfortable to wear and surprising lightweight. yet it does hurt after wearing it for a while if you have big ears like me.Also be prepared to take the headphones off every once in a while to wipe the sweat accumulating on your ear lobes! This device is indeed clumsy to walk around with in public, but if you want to enjoy music and have sometime for yourself or frag some games and get true audiophile sound, this is for you. the one major complaint i have about this device is that the bass response is somewhat dissapointing when compared to that of my cx300 in terms of low frequency extension--- not response or accuray though. Regardless this is an excellent product that is definately worth the money and comes from a reputable brand of headphone manufacturers.
great set of noise cancelling cans April 22, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I bought these at London Heathrow just before embarking on an 11hr direct flight back to LA. Despite the hefty price - these were the perfect companion for a long haul flight with Virgin Atlantic's awesome in-flight entertainment system.
Really comfortable - I had these on almost the entire time and they were snug, cosy fit. None of the "ear-hotness" that other 'phones have given me. Build quality is superb - really top notch materials and construction. Noise cancellation and sound performance were above expectations. Usually I have to blast the volume up to compete with the engines - but with these puppies on I was able to have them on *much* lower levels and get treated to crystal clear sound and subtle noises that would just have been lost with ordinary 'phones.
The "talk through" button is a great feature and means you can clearly hear cabin crew talking to you without having to either turn them off (or remove them completly).
 When it's time to move up April 12, 2008
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
The worst thing about Sennheiser headphones are the fact that I left my PXC-25s I left on an airplane and never saw them again. I replaced them with a serviceable pair of Panasonic RP-HC70s as a temporary remedy for the silence.
But at 37,000 feet en route on British Air from Vancouver to London and a dozen Middle Eastern stops after that, it was clearly time to move up to some bona fide sound. Enter the Sennheiser PXC450's, a set of noise-canceling headphones for people who want some serious sound and are prepared to pay a premium for it.
The beauty of these upscale Senneisers is the way the ear muffs wrap around the user's ears. Not only does this block out ambient noise more effectively--airplanes are very noisy--but it allows me turn up the volume of my music to my preferred level without worrying about bad-neighborly sound leakage that annoys a man's fellow travelers.
This set of Sennheisers has a talk-through function that allegedly allows one to let a flight attendant's or neighboring traveler's voice get through. I have yet to find this effective, but am still experimenting.
I get very strong bass tones and the upper register is almost as impressive. It would be hard to exaggerate what a set of quality noise-cancelers does for the ears and brains on a long trip. By my lights, it's standard equipment for the frequent business traveler since you arrive at your all-too-task-oriented destination with more of your brain cells still functioning.
These are not nearly as small and convenient as the smaller PXC-25's, but giving up a little convenience is a reasonable price to pay for the improved sound quality. To limit the damage, the PXC450 comes with a very nice semi-hard carrying case with a functional little carrying strap that makes it easy to juggle when climbing off a plane with a computer case, books, tickets, and passport jostling for attention among a limited number of fingers.
A fine product at the better-known Bose price point. Just don't leave it on the plane.
Best NC headphones on the market April 7, 2008
45 out of 45 found this review helpful
I compared these headphones side-by-side with five other noise cancelling headphones: Bose QC2 & 3, JVC NC250, Audio Technica ANC7, and Sennheiser PXC-250. I was in the market for a noise cancelling headphone because I travel a lot and I wanted to be able to watch movies or listen to music in relative isolation. With the ipod earbuds, you have to blast your ears in order to compete with the airplane's engines and I want to preserve my hearing. My main criteria were sound qualifty, noise cancelling, and comfort. All three were very important and I didn't really want to compromise on any of those categories. The only headphone that excelled at all three was the PXC-450. I disqualified all but the PXC-450 on the basis of out of the box testing.
The JVC was disqualified right away on the basis of its cheap build quality. It does not fit snugly on your head, it is very loose. The slightest movement of my head and the earphones would slide around on my ears. Because of that these headphones offered zero passive noise cancelling. Sound quality was okay but nothing special. These headphones never really merited serious consideration.
The Audio Techicas are one of the most popular headphones on Amazon. I read the reviews of this headphone extensively, and most people rave about these headphones. The only criticism of them I saw was sound leakage. People complained that when you listen to these headphones, people around you can hear what you're listening to. They were right. It really is a shame because other than that flaw, these are very good headphones. The sound and noise cancelling is amazing considering the price. However, as I was buying this for use in very close quarters (airplane travel), I didn't want to have to worry about bothering people around me.
The PXC-250 sounded amazing. I couldn't believe such small headphones could sound so good. However, the battery wand I felt got in the way a bit and I just didn't think the noise cancelling on these on ear headphones was as good as the other more expensive headphones. The 250s had another odd problem in that very slight movements would cause the earpads to rub slightly on your ear. This rubbing created a noise that would reverberate inside your ear that was very noticable if you were watching a movie or listening to softer music.
When I was testing the Bose and the PXC-450, comparing them to the other headphones I tested, it made me realize that noise cancelling technology must just be expensive which is why if you want a quality noise cancelling headphone, you have to be willing to shell out some cash. The Audio Technicas are by far the best of the cheaper NC headphones, but the Bose (particularly the QC3) and the 450 really stand out from the pack.
The Bose are very good headphones, but they have some issues that I just couldn't get over. First, I don't like the way Bose headphones sound. They push the bass into your face and the mids and highs sound muddy. Most of the reviews of these headphones mention these issues. The QC2 got very warm and I could feel the heat radiating inside on my ears and it was not comfortable.
The QC3s are really amazing. They are on ear headphones, yet they had the best noise cancelling of any of the other headphones I tried. The earpads are made of a material that just kill sound. Without even turning the earphones on, you are immediately immersed in silence. However, in addition to the sound quality issue, there is something about their noise cancelling function that creates a pressure on your eardrum. This pressure bothered me enough that it was hard to ignore. If the PXC-450 did not exist, I would have gone with the QC3 and just sucked it up, but I was glad that I didn't have to.
Finally, the PXC-450. For me, these were the perfect headphone and I just fell in love with them and didn't have to think very hard about which ones to keep.
Bass. I read a lot of reviews and a lot of people complained about a lack of bass on these headphones. When I first put these headphones on, I admit that I was a little let down because it seemed to me like they were very weak. Then I realized that I needed to adjust the volume control on the headphones. I basically turned the volume on the headphones all the way up and just adjust the volume on my ipod. With the volume issue fixed, my concerns about the bass went away. These headphones do not have as much bass as Bose. However, that's because Bose changes the sound from the way it was intended to push the bass forward. If you like a lot of bass, these headphones might not be for you. However, the bass is definitely there. Just listen to Pon de Replay (Rihanna) or Pass that Dutch (Missy Elliot) for a demonstration of how good the bass is on these headphones.
Sound Quality. Moving past the bass to sound quality as a whole, these headphones are in a different league. I mean, I am hearing details in songs I have heard dozens or even hundreds of times and never noticed. Background singers that before were lost with all of the other sounds can be heard clearly on these headphones.
Noise Cancelling. These headphones have a tight fit, which gives them a lot of passive noise cancelling. They are not so tight, however, to become uncomfortable. Combined with the active noise cancelling, and these headphones are *almost* as good as the QC3s. I feel like the QC3s were a little better at cancelling the higher frequencies, but I think that is why they have the pressure on the eardrum problem. I didn't feel any pressure with the 450. The slight advantage the QC3s have on noice cancelling is more than outweighed by the 450s superiority in sound quality and comfort.
Comfort. Despite being snug, the 450s are very comfortable. The material that the earpads are made of is very soft and I quickly forgot I was wearing them on my flight. The headphones are very big--much larger than the on ear QC3s. However, because they are snug they don't slide around and they really do melt into your head after a while. Also, they don't get hot like the QC2s did.
Portability. Because they are bigger, they are slightly more difficult to manage than the Bose. However, they fold up quite nicely and their case, though larger than both of the Bose cases, is still rather small (and light!).
In the end, once I tried the 450s, there was really no way I could settle for any of the other headphones I tried. All of the other headphones had too many flaws and the 450s were near perfect. Oh, I should mention that I listened for the "ticking sound" that other reviewers complained about in the right earpiece and there was absolutely nothing. Either those reviewers had defective units or Sennheiser has fixed the problem.
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