Sennheiser PXC 250-II

We've seen Sennheiser's NoiseGard noise cancellation technology before, in the excellent—and extremely pricey— ($450, ). Now the company brings you the PXC 250-II, an on-ear headphone pair that, at $259.95 (list), is more affordable than most of is high-quality competitors. As you might expect, this means the noise cancellation is a little less effective than in, say, the ($349, ). Musically, the pair offers a very pleasant frequency response, but has some trouble with deep bass at high volumes. Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find a noise-canceling pair in this price range that's leaps-and-bounds better than the PXC 250-II, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't save your pennies for the next step up, where performance is noticeably better.

Design
The PXC 250-II is a supra-aural headphone model, meaning it sits on the ear, and though Bose's QuietComfort 3 is also supra-aural, the two feel and look markedly different. The black plastic-and silver design is not quite as sexy as the QuietComfort's similar but sleeker look, but the Sennheiser pair is also a lot less bulky. Weighing in at 14.2 ounces, however, the PXC 250-II is still more than twice as heavy as the QC3—most of its weight from the roughly 4.5-by-1-by-1-inch on-cable compartment that houses the battery and the noise-canceling circuitry. This may sound like a design flaw, and it is an annoyance, but in all fairness, the headphones are designed to be used when sitting down (say, on a plane or a train), or with the integrated shirt clip. Unlike the QC3, the PXC 250-II can be used in passive mode, so you can listen to music without activating the noise cancellation—and thus running down the AA battery. (Sennheiser claims a battery life of 50 hours from one AAA battery.) Even with the inherent decrease in audio performance with the noise cancellation off, this is a definite advantage over the QC3, despite the fact that the latter uses a rechargeable battery.

A nylon carrying case—substantially smaller than the case you get with the QC3—a AAA battery, and a flight adapter for output jacks on airplanes are included with the box. The headphones are foldable and collapsible, which allows them to fit easily into the flat, relatively small pouch.

It's not fair to compare the Sennheiser PXC 250-II directly with the QC3. Even with Bose's recent price drop from $350 to $300 for the QC3, the PXC 250-II is still less expensive and, thus, expectations should be lower. Regardless, it must be said that the QC3 offers more noticeable noise cancellation than the PXC 250-II. This is not to say the Sennheiser model is weak—it simply doesn't lower train rumble or ambient sounds by nearly as much. We know Sennhesier is capable of making superb noise-canceling headphones, as is evidenced by the $450 PXC 450 Noisegard, and the PXC 250-II can't quite live up to that pair's standard. This all sounds negative, but again, you have to return to the crucial point: The PCX 250-II is less expensive than the PXC 450 Noisegard and the QC3. In terms of noise cancellation, you get what you pay for here.

Audio Performance

As for how the PXC 250-II sounds, there's good news and bad news. Bad first: The pair doesn't get as loud as most others out there. When they do get pushed to the limit on a song with deep bass, there can be some noticeable distortion, as there was when I monitored The Knife's "Silent Shout" with both iPod and headphone volumes at maximum. This may sound like a great way to damage your ears, but even with both volumes maxed out, the headphones didn't get uncomfortably loud like most pairs will. That said, they are loud enough, but you'll definitely hear distortion at top volumes. With the iPod's level lower and the headphones still at max, the distortion disappeared, though the listening level was quieter than I wanted.

Now the good news: If you are not going to be listening to deep bass-heavy music, this isn't much of an issue. Furthermore, the frequency response of the headphones is quite pleasant. When not pushed by bass-heavy tunes, the low end is articulate and lush—orchestras, rock kick drums, and basses sound beautiful. It's a shame the bass response can't maintain this performance with more aggressive music styles. As for the mids and highs, the crispness and clarity you would expect from a Sennheiser pair is present here—the PXC 250-II is articulate without being tinny or overly bright.

While the $260 PXC-250-II isn't the knock-out punch we've come to expect from Sennheiser, it does succeed as an effective middle-weight noise-canceling contender. In this price range, it doesn't get much better, so if you're on a limited budget, you should check this pair out. But if you can spend $40 more, our current Editors' Choice, the ($299.95, )—a circumaural pair that completely encircles the ear and creates a seal, blocks more sound and provides the best noise cancellation you can get—is well worth the premium.

COMPARISON TABLE

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