PICTURES
PX 95
PMX 95 rotated up
PMX 95 rotated down
The PCX 95
The new plug
SPECS:
PX/PMX 95:
Price: Currently US$69.99(PMX) and $59.99(PX)
Design: Open supra-aural
F.R: 15 - 27,000 Hz
SPL: 114 dB
Impedance: 32 Ohm
PCX 95:
Price: Currently US$69.99
Design: Neckband style ear canal headphone
F.R: 17 - 22,500 Hz
SPL: 115 dB
Impedance: 32 Ohm
NICE TOUCHES:
These phones were re-designed over previous releases and well thought out. Re-designed low profile RA plug. Low friction cabling. Improved ear tips for the canal phones. New pads for the headphones which get larger to the outside possibly to help with leakage and wind noise. The dual entry PX 95 has a small, thin, non-snagging Y and includes a chin slider. All phones have good R/L markings even the single entry are labelled with the L or raised dots or both. The Braille three dots for "L" is used instead of the typical one raised dot. Hologram squares on the inside of the plugs to help prevent fakes as well as another on the boxes plus serial, reference, and ID nos. The PX model now pivots like the bigger brother PX's and the PMX drivers now rotate so they can be placed for optimal fit and sound. The aesthetics are also changed, but being subjective, how good they look is up to individual taste.
BUILD QUALITY
The build quality on these phones is quite good. Well above average and they all have the Sennheiser two year warranty. I am happy with the build quality.
The PX 95 has 1/4" x 1mm thick hardened metal headband that is very solid looking and feeling. The arms that the headband run through are thick plastic with metal caps on either end. The headband slides up and down through the arms with solid metallic clicks. The ball joints the drivers pivot on are tight and don't move on their own.
The PMX 95 has a fairly stiff and thick headband that looks nice and beefy. The hinge the drivers rotate on is fairly thick and sturdy looking.
Both phones have quality foam pads with a nice look and feel. A bit scratchy and firm at first but seemingly breaking in well with some use.
The PCX 95 has a very bendable headband to fit better and isn't stiff and it should hold up well since it will just bend and flex as needed. The housings are plastic and designed for lightness. The only average thing in the series as far as build quality. The sound tubes are sturdy though and they have the air pressure channel in them to avoid any driver flex(there is none). There are new tips which are fine build quality-wise. Worth mentioning is the material is changed from previous phones and they sound great to my ears. Previous models tips went in the drawer but these sound as good on the PCX as any I have in my whole kit. I even used a pair on my VSD1.
All the phones have the plug pictured above which is thick and sturdy yet still flexible in bending. All the strain reliefs are well done. They all have the same cable which is glossy and low friction and neither thick or thin. It lays out well, resists tangles, and has a good sheath. A nice cable all around; handsome, behaves, and is sturdy. Used before, the cable is already well liked and proven to hold up.
SOUND
PCX95 which was given around 100 hours of use. My best preferred tip is the CLR 100 medium tips. These tips simulate amping slightly by tightening up the sound a bit and accentuating the sub-bass a bit lower. The sacrifice to the stock tips though is some stage height from top to bottom and a bit of air or space between things. Basic point being, IME, firmer tips seem a bit better on these and other CX phones.
A quick term to describe the signature would be boosted balance. Balanced but somewhat boosted bass, brighter boosted treble, and still the mids are clean, clear and either even or slightly forward in the mix. This depends on the fit which due to the size and squared corners of the secondary back housing which tries to prevent a deeper insertion. If you can go a bit deeper the mids will not be out in front as the extra iso seals in a bit more bass and treble. The stage is nicely tall and wide and gives better depth than previous Senn models. It does sit you up fairly close, about 3 rows back, which adds to it's energetic nature. The PVX 95 is not very laid back. It is front and center and trying to grab your attention/show things off.
I can give an idea of the sig by comparing to two phones, the VSD1(which I sold after comparing to the PCX 95) and the IE7. The PCX 95 isn't far off from the VSD1 basic signature but then add a bit of bass extension and a smidge more treble extension. Then make the VSD1 livelier and have better dynamics throughout the range. Cut the mid bass somewhat as well. Or conversely, put a blanket over the PCX from the mid-bass up through the treble and it is nearly the VSD1(both with a shallow fit). The best part of the PCX sound is the midbass suckout. A well done slight and wide suckout. We have seen it before in the IE7 which quite a few people liked better than the IE8 because of the same lowered mid-bass. Difference here is the PCX may have slightly less treble extension, slightly less overall stage width but better depth than the IE7. The dynamics unamped are better so the "boring" factor of the IE7 is gone. The mids are clearer and show more detail and emotion than either of the other two. Also, the treble tone was a bit off in the IE7 and it is more natural in the PCX 95.
So, the PCX 95 is an energetic phone from top to bottom that has some of the best mids under $100. The Senn trend continues. While this driver has been used a while in the earlier high CX models the mids were only pretty good and usually "V" in the mix except for the 985 which improved the mids quality and brought them nearly close to even(even with the right tips). So the "balls to the wall" bass and treble of previous models is tempered and the mids are almost the star of the show. The lowered mid bass seems to help clear the mids as well as do a stellar job on the bass. The low bass is separated out, the emphasis is mostly on the lowest bass which has longer decay that fills out kick drums nicely. Mid - upper bass notes come from there own space and have there own tone and a tight quick snap and more energy. Quite far from one-note bass, especially for $70. The magic of the mid bass continues with separating out guitars, piano, lower vocals etc. and giving them aggression, energy, and/or emotion that other phones don't. The mids are extremely clean, lively, airy, and capable of resolving out vocals, back-ups, and emotion and making them easy to hear. Back to the VSD1, their mids are darker, less resolving, less lively, less emotive, and further back. Similar going up to the treble, where the VSD1 is less energetic, less bright, and a bit less clear. Previous Senn models where quite bright up top and peaky which was not good. Scary for some to think the PCX 95 treble is quite brighter, a bit sharper, and again livelier than the VSD1 but it is less peaky then earlier Senns. The treble is brighter than the IE7 as well. It is more up front and present and articulate like a higher level phone but not that extended as an XBA-40 or TF10 etc. An excellent comparison would be the Sony EX600 treble. Close to that reach and presence.
The EX 600 is also a great mention. If you take the presentations(size and space), extension, and overall detail level they are very close. Just substitute up front and more aggressive in place of the more romantic Sony sound. If you can imagine the EX600 angry
you can get some idea of what the PCX 95 is about. They take you to a fun and exciting place and I find them giving my older, played too many times tunes some new life!
PX/PMX95 are nearly the same. They do differ slightly in sound since the PMX fits with less clamp and the driver is angled while the PX fit tighter and flat to the ear.
The PX95 has the same specs and visual appearance of the PX100-II but is not the slightly U shaped sound with boosted mid-upper bass and boosted treble. The same extension is there. The same overall stage size is there. The PX95 are just more controlled in the bass and treble departments with more forward mids and cleaner vocals. Better balance and slightly warm throughout the bass range. Just the right amount for a portable phone to counteract external noise that cancels bass frequencies so they are satisfying yet not boosted or bloated at all. Then, in quieter surroundings, they are a bit warmer and thicker but still quite nicely controlled and fall short of the negative aspects of the PX90 and PX100-II. None of the PX90's lacking dynamics and sparkle nor the 100-II's peaky treble or excessive mid-bass. The result is nice dynamics, more space between notes esp. on the bass side, forward mids that are cleaner and well separated, and treble that is smooth and happily balanced between the muted PX90 and boosted PX100-II. Less compressed sounding than both. Noticeable but not a huge difference of course. Totally over the PX90 which is just too hard to drive that is sounds underpowered. Less compressed in the Bass and mids vs. the PX100-II where the boosted treble tries to help on that end and does to an extent(behaved better with more power). The better balance lets a nice amount of detail and texture to come through. The tone and timbre is still the Senn sound if you are familiar with it. A bit darker in tone than the PCX in-ears. Timbre is good to distinguish between instruments including lower and higher bass notes but all instruments still have that hint of darker tone to them. Still a fairly natural and realistic sounding phone with natural decay and transients. They will always impart that Senn tone though but the the difference now is that it is not the "Senn veil" due to cleaner, more capable mids and less boosted/more controlled bass.
The PMX95 due to it's fit being more off the ear give just what you would expect when a driver is moved away slightly. More bass escapes and the sound is slighter more spaced out and it goes slightly more towards the neutral side. If you want slightly more balance and a slightly more open sound these are the one to get provided you are okay with the behind the neck form.
I think these two small headphones are the best I've heard and they are worth their price. For $60 you might want them to through in a carry pouch or have the ability to fold up but for sound they did better then I thought they would do. After my past purchase of the PX90 I saw the new line and I purchased the PCX as I didn't trust the other two. Luckily, I was able to get the other two for review and am happy to say I was wrong to have dismissed them!
