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The Sennheiser CX 5.00 earphones replace the CX500s, which have been around for years – and yes, the two bear very pretty similar.
Style-wise, they’re totally different. A bit
more showier, the CX 5.00 definitely deliver a more confident design than
Sennheiser’s older offerings. They also sound better than the CX 3.00 earphones
we reviewed earlier this year, with a less boomy bass, which is sure to please
the more discerning audio fans out there.
However, the focus is still on sounding fun
rather than accurate, so if it’s the latter you’re looking for then there are
some better picks out there for ?69.99.
Sennheiser CX 5.00 – Design
If you own a pair of Sennheiser earphones
from a few years ago, you’ll be familiar with the company’s smooth, rounded
earbud design.
The Sennheiser CX 5.00 earphones veer away
from this traditional design to take on a more angular shape, with a metal
plate bearing the Sennheiser logo. They’re also easier to grip on to when
taking them out of your ears.
Aside from the outermost part of the
earphones, the Sennheiser CX 5.00s appear to be made of plastic. But pop off
the rubber tip and you’ll see that the skeleton is actually metal, just like
the Momentum
In-ear. This should make them a bit hardier: the
original CX300 and CX500 had a reputation for falling apart with some use, like
so many cheaper earphones.
Happily, that little bit of extra metal
doesn’t seem to add significantly to the weight, so the Sennheiser CX 5.00s are
pretty comfortable. IEMs aren’t for everyone, as you have to jam them a way
into your ears, but Sennheiser has tried to accommodate as many people as
possible by including a good selection of silicone tips in various sizes.
It’s also worth noting that the tips don’t
dig into your ear canals as much as some other earphones. They feel a little
like they’re perching in your ears rather than making straight for your brain,
which is the reason behind Sennheiser supplying such a variety of tips. A
decent fit is a must.
Isolation is fair but not truly amazing, as
the Sennheiser CX 5.00 use a port on top of each earpiece. This is designed to
improve bass response – which it does – but it creates a small gap between the
driver and the outside world.
The cable is also non-removable, meaning
you’ll need to take good care of the Sennheiser CX 5.00s to avoid any damage.
However, the cable feels fairly robust, and features a y-style design with a
right-angle jack at the end.
There’s a three-button remote designed for
use with iPhones, but the play/pause button will continue to work with Android
handsets. Also take note that Sennheiser produces an Android-specific version
of these earphones called the CX 5.00G.
Our review of the Sennheiser CX 3.00 earlier
this year found that they were bass-heavy. However, Sennheiser has addressed
this issue with the CX 5.00s.
The sound isn’t entirely neutral – neither is
it meant to be – but the bass isn’t so pronounced to the point that it’s all
you hear. Three words that best describe the Sennheiser CX 5.00 among its peers
are big, warm and rich.
We listened to them side-by-side with the
Shure SE112 and SoundMagic E50, and found the Sennheiser CX
5.00 to be the most lushest-sounding of the three. So how do they achieve this?
Well it isn’t down to only tuning; it’s about
the driver style too. The Sennheiser CX 5.00 use the same driver as the Momentum
in-ear. This is of no great surprise, though, when
you consider that the two are fairly similar in price.
Where the Momentum in-ear have quite
prominent bass, here it’s warmth slightly higher up the frequency range that
stands out. It’s offset with a slight emphasis on the treble, although it isn’t
so pronounced that it leaves vocals swamped in goop, as overly warm earphones
can sound.
Sennheiser is a a pro at balancing what
pleases the ear with what is accurate, and it has done pretty well here. The
company has capitalised on the Sennheiser CX 5.00 earphones’ much
wider-than-average soundstage to thicken up the sound, but without trading a
sense of separation between instruments/vocals. Still, if you like your
headphones to sound sparse and clean rather than rich and full, you should look
elsewhere.
So how bassy is the bass? Well to a degree it
depends on what your ears are used to. Some prefer conspicuous bass; others may
want something more natural.
We consider the Sennheiser CX 5.00 offer
robust bass, but they aren’t as generous on delivery as the Momentum In-ear,
which are part of Sennheiser’s “lifestyle” range.
The Sennheiser CX 5.00 juggle what most
people seem to want from a set of earphones. While their bass offering is less
than the Momentum In-ear and CX 3.00, the CX 5.00 earphones still provide a
very full sound that appears much larger and richer than some of the
competition, including the SoundMagic E50 and Shure SE112.
They provide a warm tone, but without the
drawbacks of other warm-sounding earphones in this mid-range class. As such
they’re great earphones for daily listening, as long as you’re not too sensitive
to this sort of signature.
For less money, the SoundMagic E50 offer
similar quality but with a sparser sound. Our go-to recommendation for a hi-fi
style at this price would be the Phonak PFE112 earphones, but unfortunately, they’re
now discontinued. As such, the CX 5.00 earphones sit near the top of our list
of favourites.
Rich and huge-sounding earphones that should
please almost all ears.
