[jant71]

Some info on the Senn PX90...
 
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/private_headphones_mp3_street-line_502861
 
SPECS:
Freq.Resp. - 20 - 20,000Hz
Impedance - 32 Ohm
Sensitivity  - 108 dB
Weight      -  68 grams
Cable        -  1.2m right angle
 
Price         - $40 -$50 depending where purchased
Warranty   - 2 years
 
PICS:




 
I saw the PX90 on sale at My Memory UK(mymemory.co.uk) and, after finding a discount code, I got them for $29.91 shipped to the US. About 10 days later they were released in NA for their usual $49.95 price. Places like J&R sell them for $39.95 even upon release.
 
As in the first pic, they are marketed like a sports oriented phone. With the running man, yellow trim reminiscent of the Addidas line(which they are not part of), and talk of sleekness and light weight. To me, they are somewhat of a mix between the sports line and the PX100-II/PX200-II phones. 
 
A bit different from the other PX phones in that they are dual entry and have a RA plug instead of the others single entry and straight plugs. The PX90 have a thinner/lightweight cable that has a cord slider actually. Not that they can get tangled but, most likely, to help keep from snagging while being active. Oddly, the PX90 only fold flat, not up, like their slightly bigger brothers. They come with a strange little rubber insert to put on the headband if you desire; possibly to make them not slide if more active. I never put it on.
 
Sennheiser has the bases covered with their three phones. All are a bit different in form and function and even performance. The closed PX200-II is the only closed one and the only one with a volume control. The other two are open phones.
 
Drive-ability
  The PX90 while very balanced and even performing, almost max out players and could use an amp to tighten up/sharpen notes and give more headroom. The PX90 may not be able to be cranked if one wished since the headroom might not be there. For example my Clip+ and S639 are both within 3 notches of max volume indoors. I would expect this to be the big complaint about the PX90. Just enough volume for me even outdoors but there is no room to spare so take that into consideration.
 
Basic Signature
  Balanced, even, and smooth. Bass, mids, and treble perform similarly well unlike the PX100-II which has boosted bass/thickened bass and boosted treble. Also unlike the PX200-II which is great in the mids but starts to fade a bit in performance towards the ends of the spectrum. The most well behaved and a bit polite. Not as shouty as the PX100-II nor as clear and open like the PX200-II. The thicker donut pads make the PX90 sound a few rows back from the PX100-II but still not as separated as the PX200-II. A real middle ground between the other two phones, the PX90 holds it's own. A bit smoothed over especially due to it's need for juice it is not quite as resolving as the other two. Quite close but It doesn't sound as tight as the PX200-II nor does it have the sparkle that the PX100-II's boosted treble gives it.
 
My Thoughts
A really good little phone. A bit odd. It doesn't fold up. It doesn't isolate nor does it have the headroom on the volume to turn it up. It also doesn't have added bass or treble to account for loss to outside noise. I would still choose it over the other two actually. I like the few more rows back presentation over the PX100-II's. I think it has better SQ than the HT-21. It needs juice but it still sounds less underpowered than my K430. It is lighter and has a much lower profile than the K430 and PX100-II/PX200-II. The bass amount is more than the PX200-II yet not as thick as the bass of the 100-II. This works works with most sources; especially good if there is no EQ to tweak. They sound more clear than the PX100-II with my minidisc recorder which has a bassier signature and they work better with my portable radio than the PX200-II since they can smooth out hiss and have more bass. The PX100/200-II headbands with padding equates to 9mm x 14mm while the PX90 is a very low profile 1mm X 6mm. I also think the PX90 look better and, like their numbering, are about 90% of the performance at a much cheaper price. Though just released here in the states, the price has not had a chance to drop yet.
 
Just a basic summary trying not be too long-winded. Feel free to ask about anything I didn't cover or glossed over. And also remember they have the behind the neck variant PMX90 out as well for those that might want that form factor. Thanks for reading!

 

[Sennheiser]

Thanks for the review! 

 

[estreeter]

My PX200-IIs will arrive tomorrow, but I have to say that my expectations arent terribly high. Fell into the trap of ordering them because they were on special, but my past experiences with Senns havent been spectacular. I guess its better than having high expectations lowered, but time will tell

 

[Sennheiser]

Hope you'll like the PX 200-IIs. They should give you a warm, neutral sound while their closed back design should provide excellent isolation.
 
Quote:

My PX200-IIs will arrive tomorrow, but I have to say that my expectations arent terribly high. Fell into the trap of ordering them because they were on special, but my past experiences with Senns havent been spectacular. I guess its better than having high expectations lowered, but time will tell

 

[jant71]

Quote:

My PX200-IIs will arrive tomorrow, but I have to say that my expectations arent terribly high. Fell into the trap of ordering them because they were on special, but my past experiences with Senns havent been spectacular. I guess its better than having high expectations lowered, but time will tell

 
The 200-II are the best of the three as far as SQ level. Also the only choice if you want isolation. Some of the best isolation for a mini supra-aural. I would change Rosmadi's term of "warm and neutral" to dark and neutral since warm usually means more bass and not really neutral. All three have a slightly dark tone to a varying degree; PX90 > PX100-II > PX200-II. The 200 are the most resolved and refined. A bit more than the other two. Some more texture there as well as the best/most realistic imaging. My expectations were exceeded by the 200 actually. For me they just needed the boost on either end that the PX100-II has built-in. EQ works well with the PX200-II. I think you'll be happy with them.
 

 

[estreeter]

Thanks for the feedback, guys - they arrived this morning but I have to wait until I finish work to compare them with my KSC-75s (only fair comparison I could offer the board - my other phones are either open and fullsize or IEMs). Hardly new ground, but it might help someone who is wondering if its worth spending twice the asking price of the 75s for better SQ and a nicer fit (I dont like the clips, and the postage on the mini-headband makes me wonder whether its worth the hassle).
 
estreeter

 

[johanchandy]

Which leaks more?.....the px90 or the px100-2

 

[jant71]

Joker has them both now, so I can't do a quick double check at the moment. They are fairly close and may depend on how the donut pads fit the ears or how loud the PX-100-II is turned up; it is capable of leaking more based on sheer volume. Not sure if I should just say that if leakage is a big issue go for a closed set. Some of the closed mini sets don't leak much yet still allow enough ambient noise that they are a good middle ground between completely open and closed. I'm sure Joker will chime in he gets a chance to.

 

[johanchandy]

ah....Thanks for your input.I got the pl30's after reading jokers iem thread and am really impressed. I'm really thankful to him for that awesome purchase. I want to get an on the ear set as i prefer them comfort wise for normal use and will use the pl30's in the gym and for sports. I've read people complaining about the leakage on the px100-2's and i dont want to annoy people around me in public. Is the leakage on the px-100's really that bad? So according to you the px90's sound pretty good i presume. They are waay cheaper than the px-100-2's over here so is the price difference worth it to get the px-100-2's or should i just get the px90? also how do the hd228's compare to these(with or without the mod)?

 

[jant71]

Not sure where you are but the 228's are cheaper now esp. refurbs(~$30 here) and they would solve the leakage problem. If Joker rates the 228 a 6.5 for sound and they can be improved with the Astroid mod then they should be right in the same ballpark. Joker gave the PX200-II and the K430 a 7 for sound. So the 228 is already close and the mod is supposedly noticeable and worth it. They might just be the way to go.

 

[estreeter]

Having previously owned the 228s, I would rate the PX200 II more highly in terms of bass control : I found the HD228 to be somewhat boomy and fatiguing over a longer listening session.
 
Some brief impressions of the PX200 II:
 
- not sure how a retailer would go selling these 'straight from the box' - they just dont sound good, particularly coming from 6 months of listening exclusively to open cans and IEMs with good detail retrieval and tight bass.
 
- give them 10 or 12 hours and things improve - bass is much better and they start to present a more coherent sound. I'm not looking to start a burn-in debate, but something has to happen to the drivers, however 'minute' in real terms, and something had to change in my perception of the closed sound coming out of the Senns.
 
- initially, I preferred the KSC-75 to the PX200 II, but they have grown on me with regular use over the last couple of weeks. I still prefer open phones for any extended listening, but the Senn portables are a good option away from home.
 
- finally, I think new buyers need to be aware that they do have significant clamping force on larger heads - not ES7 levels of vice-like grip, but there is an adjustment period. Get over that hump, and the initial sonic confusion, and I think many KSC-75 owners would consider these a good upgrade path, particularly if you are looking for a little more bass impact.
 
I dont know how these compare to the M50s, but they were a good deal for the price I paid. That said, I am still fighting the urge to get another pair of ES7s - larger cups and better sound in a lightweight portable. It never ends

 

[johanchandy]

I bought the px90's........Your review is on the dot............ Both on my player and on the comp i have to max out the volume . So when portable it does require an amp. A fail on sennheisers part imho for a light portable headphone to be dependent on an amp. I love the sound and the look though. I like you, prefer these to the px100 and the px80's. These are awesome headphones but i wish they had a little more headroom. Listening indoors has enough volume when maxed. It may be a little harsh to say these are THAT dependent on an amp, but i was explaining my experience on a busy Indian local bus, which are really REALLY noisy

. Anyway im really satisfied with this buy. My next buy is gonna be a cheap amp. 

Any amp suggestions? An E5?

 

[jant71]

I would say shell out more for something a bit better if you can. Maybe the E11 or Soundmagic A10. The E5 is really not powerful or very good sounding. Yeah, the PX90 is a cheaper phone but has some potential that is worthy a more decent amp. The Derringer is also a cheap small amp that should be a good match. Of course something like the ibasso T3 is one of the better cheap-ish small amps. You could shell out for that one which is still regarded as the best combo of size, battery life, and SQ. The E11 is bigger but cheaper and we don't know how it compares sound-wise yet. The review samples should be going out soon. Check the portable amp thread. Lots of options to wade through

.
 
 
 
 

 

[Mach-X]

Just got the px90 myself as sometimes I get tired of the maintenance of iems and wanted something light, portable and inexpensive for on the go.
For the price I've been blown away by the soundstage and detail, these could rival the mighty porta pro as the bang for the buck phones.
When listening to whiplash by Metallica I was amazed that I could actually hear that Kirk hammetts lead guitar was recorded in a different environment and with a different tone than the rythm guitars all the while hearing every note cliff burton was playing on bass. I consider these a little on the bright side, but turning them up a bit doesn't cause harshness, or loss of detail, something else I've never heard before. I don't find a lack of volume on my Zune,im usually at 15/20 however they don't isolate well so if in a noisy place or you need some bass boost you will want an amp. Bass doesn't thump but low frequencies are audible due to the clarity and separation these offer.
Very classy looking chrome in the right places and black in the right places.
Bright and tight, and for the price colour me impressed.

 

[lightweightbigsound]

I bought a brand new pair of PX 90s two weeks ago, and your review is spot on, thank you! Considering their weight and comfort, I find them to be absolutely amazing - even when comparing with much more expensive headphones. I had a falling-apart-8-year-old pair of PX 200-II, which I love, and also managed to find a brand new pair (lucky me!), I use them at the office, and the PX 90 at home.