So there's plenty of headphones out there for you to choose from.
Noise cancelling, in ear, circumaural, but if all you're looking for is an inexpensive, durable, all-around performer that won't isolate you from the outside world, we highly recommend these ones.
I'm Justin Yu with CNET.com.
This is a first look at the Sennheiser PX 100-IIi headphones.
The PX 100 headphone has been in Sennheiser's product stable for years now,
and the first version was a CNET favorite for its simple build and high-quality sound, but the IIi builds on that classic design with a tougher headband, aesthetically the big difference here is that the IIis are all black, and the headband is now reinforced by a piece of steel underneath that distributes tension and relieves stress points that tend to break over time.
The earpieces also come with soft foam pads and the swiveling design makes them one of the most comfortable on-ear headphones we've tested in a while.
But before you run out and buy them, you should know that these do have an open back design,
so a little bit of sound may leak to your neighbors if you have the volume cranked up.
To make things easier on listeners, the PX 100-IIis also have a built-in remote on the 4-foot wire that doubles as a microphone for handsfree calling, and you can also use the 3 buttons to play, pause, switch tracks, and adjust the volume on your phone.
The remote works on all iPhones released after the 3GS and we also had success using it on several Android smartphones as well.
Sonically, the PX 100-IIis use dynamic drivers
and neodymium magnets to create a really warm overall sound profile.
Even after an initial burn-in period, we did notice that the profile tends to sway more toward the low end which is great for hip hop, R&B, and rock, but it could also drown out softer music like jazz and classical.
For those genres, we recommend the Koss Portapro headphones.
Regardless, it's hard to imagine a type of music listener that wouldn't be impressed by the way that these sound.
Their simple fold-up design makes for easy, safe transportation,
and the new remote adds even more functionality to the already compelling offering, and a 2-year manufacturer's warranty just make these headphones that much more compelling.
You can read the full review and check out more detailed photos in our full review on CNET.com, but that's it for me, I'm Justin Yu, these are the Sennheiser PX 100-IIi headphones and that sounds good to me.
