“Check this one out.”  The words hit my ears as the earphones land on my desk. A smallish box containing the Sennheiser CX 2.00s – nothing to write home about, but nothing to scoff at either.  For an in-ear headphone just a little north of the $50 price point, this model has a lot going for it.  But how does it stack up to its competition from MEE Audio, Shure, Audio Technica, and HiFiMan?

Sennheiser CX 2.00i Review

The CX 2.00i comes with four different sizes of eartips.  And that’s it.  There’s no pouch or adapters, no clips or decals.  The “i” version comes with a remote for iOS devices, but there’s also a CX 2.00g that comes equipped with a remote for Android systems.  The cabling is light and thin, and even though it doesn’t seem exceedingly strong, these earphones do come with Sennheiser’s 2-year warranty.

The earpiece is made almost entirely of plastic.  I say “almost” because there’s probably a little bit of metal in there somewhere.  While this design doesn’t exactly scream durable, it doesn’t feel too cheap and the sound isn’t half bad.

With a 28 ohm impedance and a frequency range of 17-20000 hertz, I was expecting a middle of the road headphone without too much bass or treble.  Instead, there’s a definite emphasis on bass with this headphone, with the low end being immediately present on every track I listened to.  Overall, detail may be a bit pinched or compressed compared to more audiophile-oriented models, but the mids and highs are present and more than acceptable for casual listening.

Compared to it’s competition from Shure or MEE Audio, it’s not quite as detailed.  It’s a little heavier on the bass, and so it feels just a little more consumer-oriented.

Compared to similar earphones from Audio Technica, this one has about the same amount of bass, but less distortion overall.  So, if you were on the fence about the Sennheiser CX 2.00i vs something like the Audio Technica ATH-CKM500i, the Sennheiser is going to be a better choice.

Compared to a bass-heavy but detailed earphone like the HiFiMan RE300, the CX 2.00i may be more durable, at the expense of just the slightest amount of detail.

Considering that this isn’t an earphone marketed towards audiophiles, but just so happens to meet some of the competition that does – and also considering that this model comes with an in-line mic and remote – it’s an obvious recommendation for anyone looking for quality sound in a portable and comfortable body.

Interested in the CX 2.00i?

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