Reviewed: Sennheiser PX 210 BT headphones


20 May 2010

I cannot stress how much difference a good pair of headphones makes to the enjoyment of your MP3 collection. I went from just about hearing my favourite songs – distorted by ambient noise and high volume – to sound-isolated goodness where every nuance was picked up. Sennheiser, I’m in love.

An impressive audio experience

The Sennheiser PX 210 BTs are collapsible stereo mini headphones with built-in Bluetooth. You’re getting Sennheiser’s reputation for quality sound that supports Bluetooth 2.1 audio technology from Northern Ireland company apt-X, which leaves you in no doubt that wires are not necessary for an impressive audio experience.

sennheiser px 210

Jean-Claude van Damme they’re good – the PX 210 BTs look compact but they beat the crap out of other headphones quality-wise

Comes wired, too

The PX 210 BT comes with a charger, a 3.5-mm jack extension should you decide not to go wireless and a little zippy case for keeping the headphones themselves safe. The headphones are compact but swivel and fold up even further to fit into their carry case.

The Bluetooth controls are on the side of the right headphone and like many Bluetooth devices you simply push the power button down until it flashes red and blue simultaneously and you know it’s in pairing mode – it paired easily with both my iPhone 3GS and iMac. A brief flashing of the Bluetooth symbol on the iPhone home screen alerts you to connection success each subsequent time you fire them up.

Sound quality excels

Once connected, the important thing to know when you’re putting down a wad of cash for a Bluetooth device, is that the audio has no noticeable glitches, lags or loss of quality. I assure you the sound is amazing, clean and clear. I put on an electronic track with the heaviest bass and widest mix of blips, tones and instrumental sampling that I could find – something that barely showed up on the iPhone’s own earphones – and the result was an eargasm on the PX 210 BTs.

The range is also quite good. Walking around and about at a distance of 30 feet or more from the iPhone and I didn’t feel that the sound suffered at all.

Structure and design – good to go

The headphones are pretty comfortable for awhile – they have some squashy lining to keep your noggin from connecting with the metal-reinforced headband, but wearing them for more than two hours (no, I couldn’t take them off) and my ears began to feel a slight pinch but they were still comfier than other brands I’ve worn for this length of time.

The volume controls are on the right headphone to the top and bottom of the power button and they work fine, but the button for changing tracks doesn’t work with the iPhone or iMac although I did find that pressing it on the iPhone switched between streaming audio I had previously opened inside Safari and iTunes itself.

Battery life

A full charge of the headphones gives more than six hours of constant audio playback – I didn’t keep track so I’m not sure of the exact hours of playback but it could easily have lasted for up to eight hours.

Verdict

You cannot use these headphones wirelessly with your non-Bluetooth iPod or MP3 player unless you pay extra for the adapters, which is a pity.

These headphones are pricey but they have changed how much music I listen to and how much I enjoy my iPhone as an MP3 player. If there’s one accessory you plan to splash out on this year, make it the Sennheiser PX 210 BTs. They’re ear-gasmic.

Price: RRP €169 (including VAT)

Photo: The Sennheiser PX 210 BT headphones

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