Looking for a pair of headphones that are reasonably priced, have stellar sound and are portable? Hitting all three criteria is often a tricky combination. Finding a set with just two of the three criteria is easy. Finding a pair that delivers on all three is a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, I found one of those needles in the Sennheiser PX 100-II’s.

These PX 100-II headphones provide extremely high quality audio, are comfortable to wear, well made and extremely portable. These are fantastic headphones for people that want to upgrade from cheap ear-buds that come with portable players & smartphones or people that are simply looking for a great pair of headphones to listen to music around the house. Read on to learn a bit more about these headphones that deliver tremendous bang for the buck.

[PX 100-II by Sennheiser]


Overview The PX 100-II’s provide seemingly impossibly rich sound quality for the $50 price point that you can find them for if you search around a little bit. The expansive sound, rich bass and crisp natural tones make these an outstanding choice for all types of music listening. These on-the-ear headphones are Sennheiser’s sequel to their massively popular PX-100′s which have been updated with a much sturdier, steel-reinforced build, along with a single-sided cable design which I strongly prefer to the double-corded type previously offered. They fold into a relatively compact size making for easy storage and travel.

Who Should Buy These? Frankly, despite being able to fold them and their great portability, these are far more than simply replacements for the cheap ear buds that come with smartphones, iPods or other portable players. These headphones are extremely light weight and very comfortable to wear making them more than adequate for home listening. I used them for several hours of  straight listening and couldn’t be happier with the comfort. Keep in mind that despite great audio quality, they are not noise-cancelling.  With the on-ear design, the drone of airplane engines or loud environments will seep in and obviously not provide the same enjoyment that something like the previously reviewed Phiatons could. Similarly, at full volume, which is actually quite loud, your music will will leak out a bit making it possible for those in close proximity to hear

Drawbacks and an alternative:  There’s not much about these headphones that I don’t like. Giving great results across a variety of different genres of music, there’s really not much that they can’t handle respectfully. Bass can be a touch much at times which seems to be symptomatic of the times although it does seem to blend nicely into the mid-tones and not too excessive. As previously mentioned, there is no noise-canceling or dampening feature making using in extremely loud environments not as enjoyable. While the headphones fold up nicely for travel, it can be a touch awkward getting them in the proper position.

If you don’t quite want to spend the $50 or so for these, another terrific alternative that I recently listened to are the Koss PortaPros. These also have outstanding sound for the price. However, better comfort, sound quality and looks make the PX 100-II’s a better alternative in my opinion.

[Ultra-portable, the Sennheiser PX 100 II's fold nicely] image credit: Sinchen Lin

Bottom Line These are fantastic headphones with some pretty kicking bass, nicely punctuated and warm mid-tones and all around impressive sound for a very reasonable price. The expansive and spacious sound are infinitely superior to the average earbuds that many people use and comparable to headphones costing triple the price or more. You will be thrilled with these versatile headphones and want to re-listen to your favorite albums and tracks once trying them for the first time. A durable and comfortable build should give years of enjoyment. With the storied history and best selling status of the predecessor PX 100′s, you simply can’t go wrong with an improvement over a legend.

Amazon $51

I have seen these as low as $40 in the past but none at that price-point right now. If you are patient, you may be able to save $10 or so,  but no need to wait, still an outstanding value at $50 which is substantially lower than the suggested selling price of $70.

Have any other reasonably priced earphones that sound spectacular or already listened to these? Would love to hear other thoughts on value priced headphones with great quality.

Parker Harrington

Hidden Track Technology Editor, photographer and writer. Long time Phish fan and early taper, Phish.net 'Video of the Week' editor & contributor.

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