Our Verdict
They perform moderately well in most use cases and make for decent everyday headphones.
- Good audio reproduction.
- Leak very little sound.
- In Ear design may be uncomfortable.
- Bass-heavy audio profile.
- Lack of a play/stop button.
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.
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.
Average for sports use. They have a typical in-ear fit which is fairly stable, and they're also quite portable.
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.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
Check Price
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- Sennheiser CXC 700 Noisegard Heaphones
- Airline adapter
- Extra In-ear tips (x2 sizes)
- AAA Battery
- Cleaning Tool
- Carrying case
- Manual
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.
Very good leakage results, as is typical of in-ear headphones. The leakage's profile is quite narrow-band too: 3KHz-6KHz.
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.
No compatible app.
