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Sennheiser CXC-700 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Reviewed Mar 02, 2016 at 12:00 am
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:22 am
Sennheiser CXC-700 Picture
6.6
Mixed Usage
7.4
Neutral Sound
6.7
Commute/Travel
6.6
Sports/Fitness
6.7
Office
4.7
Wireless Gaming
6.4
Wired Gaming
2.5
Phone Call

The Sennheiser CXC-700 are great-sounding in-ear headphones that have decent, slightly bass-heavy audio reproduction with most tracks. Unfortunately, they perform poorly at isolating the listener, the subpar noise cancellation being really disappointing. The in-ear fit may also be uncomfortable for some.

Our Verdict

6.6 Mixed Usage

They perform moderately well in most use cases and make for decent everyday headphones.

Pros
  • Good audio reproduction.
  • Leak very little sound.
Cons
  • In Ear design may be uncomfortable.
  • Bass-heavy audio profile.
  • Lack of a play/stop button.
7.4 Neutral Sound

Above-average for neutral listening. The Sennheiser CXC 700 have a decent audio reproduction but the closed back in-ear design lacks a little openness for neutral listening.

6.7 Commute/Travel

Above-average for commuting. They won't block all the noise of a busy train ride, but they're comfortable and easy to carry on your person.

6.6 Sports/Fitness

Average for sports use. They have a typical in-ear fit which is fairly stable, and they're also quite portable.

6.7 Office

Above-average for office use. They won't block the chatter of a busy office, and the in-ear fit isn't always comfortable for long listening sessions.

6.4 Wired Gaming
  • 6.6 Mixed Usage
  • 7.4 Neutral Sound
  • 6.7 Commute/Travel
  • 6.6 Sports/Fitness
  • 6.7 Office
  • 4.7 Wireless Gaming
  • 6.4 Wired Gaming
  • 2.5 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  5. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  6. Updated Mar 02, 2016: Review published.
  7. Updated Feb 29, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic

The in-ear design of the CXC-700 looks quite good but does nothing out of the ordinary. The headphones are highlighted by glossy silver accents and subtle Sennheiser branding. The oval control module looks rugged and is also highlighted by the same silver finish as that of the battery compartment.

7.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.1 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs

The in-ear design may not be for everyone but once you have a good fit they can be quite comfortable. Unfortunately they are not very stable within the ear and a slight tug on the cable will ruin the comfortable fit. This issue happens with a lot of in-ear designs, and makes the comfort for the CXC-700 average.

6.0
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Decent
Feedback Okay
Call/Music Control No
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control Adjustable
Talk-Through
Yes
Additional Buttons Noise-Canceling, ANC Modes, Talk Through

Button layout and control options are average at best, due to the omission of a play/stop button. The controls offered by the CXC-700s are volume and noise cancelling slider switches, a mode button to alternate between noise cancelling modes and a talk-through button that mutes the audio.

9.2
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 0.8 °C
8.0
Design
Portability
L 4.72"
W 1.57"
H 1.57"
Volume 11.78 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

The CXC-700 are compact and portable headphones. They will comfortably fit into your pockets, purse or bag. The control module makes them a little larger than basic in-ear headphones but doesn't add that much bulk to the overall portability of the headphones.

7.0
Design
Case
Type Soft case
L 5.91"
W 3.35"
H 1.18"
Volume 23.4 in³

Comes with a decently rugged soft case that will protect the headphones from scratches and minor falls. It's also not too big and will fit in a pocket. Unfortunately, it will not shield the headphones from water damage or high physical stress like accidently walking on the headphones.

6.5
Design
Build Quality

Build quality for the CXC-700 is decent. The control module is made of tough plastic and feels solid. The battery compartment is also well-designed and can be accessed very easily. The rest of the cable, however, is not thickly rubberized and the in-ear design is average.

6.0
Design
Stability

The Sennheiser CXC-700 are below-average stable for in-ear headphones. The design of the in-ear fit does not enter the ear canal far enough, which makes them relatively easy to dislodge. They stay in place during casual listening sessions but are not stable enough to be used at the gym or while doing high-intensity physical activities. They also don't offer any special stability tips to prevent the earbuds from falling out which is slightly disappointing.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Sennheiser CXC 700 Noisegard Heaphones
  • Airline adapter
  • Extra In-ear tips (x2 sizes)
  • AAA Battery
  • Cleaning Tool
  • Carrying case
  • Manual

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
1.72 dB
Treble Amount
-1.31 dB
9.3
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.14 dB
Sound
Raw Frequency Response
8.3
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.42 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
13.74 Hz
Low-Bass
1.48 dB
Mid-Bass
2.28 dB
High-Bass
3.6 dB
8.5
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.02 dB
Low-Mid
0.93 dB
Mid-Mid
-2.87 dB
High-Mid
-0.65 dB
8.4
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.05 dB
Low-Treble
-1.53 dB
Mid-Treble
2.13 dB
High-Treble
-5.91 dB
7.3
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.74 dB
Dips
1.29 dB
9.3
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.2
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.09
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.27
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.55
1.0
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
Openness
3.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
1.8
9.0
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.091
WHD @ 100
0.046
Isolation
6.5
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-16.35 dB
Noise Cancelling Yes
Bass
-5.35 dB
Mid
-19.06 dB
Treble
-26.12 dB

Poor noise isolation. With noise-cancelling set to Off, isolation starts at around 500Hz and reaches -30dB at 4KHz. Active noise cancellation seems to only marginally improve the mid-range isolation, at the expense of treble isolation.

8.5
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
30.42 dB

Very good leakage results, as is typical of in-ear headphones. The leakage's profile is quite narrow-band too: 3KHz-6KHz.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
N/A
In-line
N/A
Boom
N/A
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic No
0
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
N/A
LFE
N/A
FR Std. Dev.
N/A
HFE
N/A
Weighted THD
N/A
Gain
N/A
0
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise N/A
Speech + Subway Noise N/A
SpNR
N/A
Active Features
7.0
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
AAA
Continuous Battery Life
17.2 hrs
Additional Charges
N/A
Total Battery Life
17.2 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
Power Saving Feature
No
Audio While Charging
N/A
Passive Playback
No
Charging Port N/A

The CXC 700 have an average battery life. They will continuously play audio for about 17.2 hours at average volume levels but have no power saving features and since they use AAA batteries that means, you will have to have a couple of cells spare if you plan on using these headphones on a long road trip. On the upside, they can be used passively when the noise canceling is switched off or battery is dead.

0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
N/A
NFC Pairing
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
Default Latency
N/A
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.0
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable No
Length 5.64 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A