Sennheiser CX 5.00 Audiophile Earbuds Review

Finding a good pair of audiophile quality earbuds for everyday music listening on the go can be frustrating at best. There’s so much to choose from in so many different price ranges that it can be difficult to find the best one. One of the latest earbud models from the audiophile experts at Sennheiser is the CX 5.00. It’s a standard set of in-ear headphones on the outside. Maybe a little shiny even. But do they deliver the kind of audiophile quality that hardcore music listeners want? I had the chance to put them to the test and here’s what I found.

Sennheiser CX 5.00 Audiophile Earbuds Review

DESIGN

The Sennheiser CX 5.00 earbuds are very similar in design to the predecessors, the CX 2.00 and CX 3.00. The big difference seems to be that they’re just a slight bit bigger. Not quite as big as the Momentum in-ear headphones, the CX 5.00 are sleek, ergonomic and fit quite nicely in my ears. I’m a big fan of this style of earphone rather than the over the ear style. For standard everyday listening it works well and there’s no over ear wires to mess with. The inline controls work well with no issues and the microphone for calls works like a charm. As with many earbuds these days you’ll get 4 sizes of eartips to ensure a custom fit no matter the size of your ear canal. The noise-blocking silicone tips are perfect for keeping out excessive traffic or train noise but won’t have you completely unaware of your surroundings.

The only thing I didn’t like about this earphone is the case. These weird wrap around style cases take too much time to use and only serve to make an impressive first impression. But to be fair, I never use a case for earbuds anyway so it’s really no big deal.

SOUND

Let’s face it. We’ve all found that earbud that fit just right only to be disappointed by the quality of the sound. And although I have some Sennheiser headphones that I love, I always approach a new one with skepticism. The CX 5.00 earbuds are astonishingly good. The total frequency response from punchy bass to crisp and clear highs renewed my faith in portable audio technology. Scanning through my Spotify playlist “Music For Headphones” I tested track after track with great results. From electronic music to indie rock, the Sennheiser CX 5.00 revealed elements of the mix I’d never hear with those crappy Apple earbuds. When I first tried them I thought they might have a little too much high end but after a couple listens I realized this was the clarity and definition in music I’d been missing in my previous pair of earbuds. And trying out the CX 5.00 using lossless files I found the fidelity was even more impressive, as expected.

SUMMARY

The Sennheiser CX 5.00 earbud is truly an audiophile quality earphone. It’s low-profile, fits comfortably and has incredible fidelity in sound. They’re another great product from the pro-audio experts at Sennheiser and priced at under $100 you’ll be hard pressed to find a better sounding earphone in that price range. The CX 5.00 comes in models approved for Android (CX 5.00G) or Apple phones (CX 5.00i) and come in 2 executive looking colors.

Get the Sennheiser CX 5.00 at the Sennheiser headphone store at Audio46