Sennheiser PMX 80 Sport II headphones
The basics
The Sennheiser PMX 80 Sport II headphones are built for heavy sports use. They won't survive a scuba diving trip, but will brush off any sweat drenched on them, while staying stuck to your head without bother thanks to a flexible but robust neckband.
The good
If you're a fitness fanatic who sweats more than Lee Evans in a sauna, you'll love the water-resistant band on the Sennheiser PMX 80 Sport II. You can wipe it down with a flannel after a work out without fear of frazzling the phones, and the buds will stay lodged in your skull mile after mile. The cord is an ideal length too, reaching down to your pockets but not flapping around. Our favourite feature though? Noice-cancelling isn't advertised, but these cans do a fantastic job of putting background noise on lockdown, perfect if your gym blasts out nothing but "R&B", whatever that stands for these days.
The bad
Alas, Sennheiser has a ticket onboard the train of thought that passes through "sports" and "EXTREME" and arrives at "Must love garish colours". There's just no good reason for these to be bright orange, unless you live a double life as a traffic cone, and yet here we are. The frame meanwhile is sturdy, but sticks out at the back too much, making it uncomfortable to use on weights machines with headrests, and the audio jack slots into your MP3 player at right angles - silly if you've got an iPod shuffle as it ends up being wider than the device itself. Finally, the sound quality is booming, but the bass is a bit muffled: perfectly reasonable for what you pay, but not up to the standard Sennheiser's known for.
The bottom line
These are cans for treadmill plodders and long distance joggers only. If we're honest, the real advantage is the isolation: put a track on and you can zone out completely. Sound quality can't quite match Sennheiser's normal high standards, but hey, for twenty notes, we'll take these along for company any day!
User comments (16)
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Jo Newman01 October 2009
I bought these for running and they lasted about a month before the cable started playing up and the sound broke down! I dont see how you can recommend these as being man enough for the job
Report as inappropriateLee J05 October 2009
these have one the whathifi award and also the recommended headphones by trustedreviews.com- if they broke then you really should have returned to sennheiser as they come with a valid 2 year warranty and they would have replaced them :) good luck in the future...
Report as inappropriateGareth09 November 2009
Bought these at a reasonable price to use in the gym and training. I've had them well over a year now and they are still going strong. Good sound quality, and does a good job cancelling out background noises too. Comfortable to wear, and they seem to be quite durable!
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Bradders31 December 2009
I have bought two pairs and these and both of them are falling apart :-( The concept is brilliant, just the build quality is not brilliant and not worth paying for! The main issue arrises with plastic cover of ear bud keeps on falling out, which after a while the whole ear speaker can pop out of plastic casing. One of the headphones had a speaker fail, I believe this is due to speaker popping out of case. Also I find it very annoying the screws are rusting, one would have thought they would have protection form sweat.
Report as inappropriateMacca10 February 2010
I have had a pair of these for over a year and haven't had any problems with them at all. I live in the Peak District so they have encountered plenty of rain. The only downside for me is the length of the chord. I use them with an armband and it hangs down if you don't wrap it around your arm a couple of times. All in all, for the price, these are a great buy and I'm going to order another pair for my wife. I said that there was only downside - I lied - why do they have to be orange when they could be an understated black.
Report as inappropriateChris19 March 2010
I've been looking for a good set of head phones for running in so have purchased these. Thanks for the comments chaps, looking forward to putting these through their paces!
Report as inappropriateChris29 June 2010
They are good head phones but like some others have said they fall apart I have had a couple now and they all have fallen apart.
Report as inappropriateBurt lancaster28 July 2010
I Do a lot of phys due to bieng a Navy Diver & my ipod in ears are about to die,so ive purchased the PMX 80 on Ebay for just under £19.00, so time will tell if they cut the musturd ! But dont be temped to get them from good old tescos as they have the front to charge £34.99, maybe its because of the colour ? & dont forget their motto "WHY PAY MORE "money grabbing .......... !
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Adrian13 September 2010
I bought a pair of these in March and I run 3 times a week wearing them. I have gone through 2 sets now with the same issue as Jo Newman. They are great at first but eventually the cable starts to play up and sound only plays through one ear phone or not at all. Good for the price but I am not sure if they are really as rugged as advertised.
Report as inappropriategary19 September 2010
I see some people have had the same problem as me. I've gone through two of the pmx80's and they both ended up with the same problem. The sound only comes out of one ear and is muffled. I do a lot of running with them. When they worked they were excellent.
Report as inappropriategadget adam11 November 2010
I got these for running and they were rubbish. Felt uncomfortable in the ear and the bar at the back constantly rubs against a running shell or gets caught if you have longish hair. Cable was short meaning it's easy to yank them out. Colour is indiscreet. Get some black hook ear ones instead for around £15.
Report as inappropriateMR ROCK12 November 2010
GREAT PRODUCT GOOD SOUND, I HAD FOR A YEAR AND RUN 3-4 TIMES A WEEK AND USE THEM FOR TRAVEL AS WELL, THEY HAVENT FALLEN APART AT ALL. WHAT I DONT LIKE IS THE FOAM COVERS COME OFF WHEN THEY GET WET WITH SWEAT AND YOUR EARS FEEL LIKE THEY ARE CLOGGED WITH SWEAT AND YOU HAVE TO LIFT THE EAR BUD OUT TO CLEAR THAT FEELING. I CANT SEEM TO FIND WHERE YOU CAN PERCHASE EAR BUSD COVERS. I HAVE AN E-MAIL INTO THE COMPANY TO SEE IF THEY STOCK THEM OR NOT.,
Report as inappropriateSimon23 January 2011
I bought these headphones several years ago and found them fantastic, the plastic cover on jack has come loose but headphones still work perfectly in all conditions. Have purchased a second pair for backup and would recommend to anyone, can take a while to become comfortable with them.
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