Ears-on with the Sennheiser CX 300-II headphones

After almost three years of being on sale as one of the world's most popular earphones, the Sennheiser CX 300s have been upgraded to the CX 300-II. We had a listen

Nate Lanxon

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Nate Lanxon

Jan. 20, 2009 4:05 a.m. PT

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Ah, the Sennheiser CX 300s. Spherical denizens of the ear canal, and one of the most popular pairs of earphones in the world. After almost three years of being on sale, it's only fitting they get revised. Enter the CX 300-II.

We first wrote about the CX 300 'Mark IIs' back in December of yesteryear, but we've just been sent a couple of pairs to play with. There are two points to make: firstly, they are indeed better-sounding than the original CX 300s. But secondly, they're not as good as our trusty CX 500s.

Everything we loved about the CX 300s are still intact -- smashing bass, decent clarity and a suitability to all types of music. And, more interesting still, they're not going to cost you any more than the original models did.

At £39, these are certainly one of the best pairs of earphones to upgrade to from the ~~half-baked afterbirth~~ rubbish headphones that come free with the iPods. They will make your MP3 player sound twice as good as it sounds with the bundled 'phones you got free.

They're on sale now from the Apple Store and from Advanced MP3 Players, and many hands-on photos await you in the gallery above.

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The CX 300s have always been compact and comfortable. Fortunately, none of this has changed.

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Demonstrated here using the medium of the thumb comparison, you'll notice these are by no means the chunkiest sound-isolating earphones.

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"Oh noes," the CX 300-IIs exclaimed. "I'm as large as the Queen's head!" We quickly pointed out she was just an image on a coin. "Phew, I thought I was a right fattie for a moment there."

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At the opposite end of the 1.2m asymmetric cable is a gold-plated 3.5mm plug, compatible with the original iPhone.

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Safe to say if you're still using your iPod with the bundled earphones that came in the box, you'll be impressed with the difference the CX 300-IIs make to the quality of your audio.