Sennheiser CX 80U: review
Recently, one of my esteemed colleagues shared a brand new term with me: “friction-maxxing”. The term – coined by columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton – concerns the practice of rejecting modern digital conveniences, and building tolerance for discomfort while resisting the temptations of technological ease. I assure you, all of this is relevant to my verdict on the retro-feel Sennheiser CX-80U wired earbuds — just stay with me a little longer.So, all of this friction-maxxing talk got me thinking about tech and its role in our lives. Previously, we’d head to a Blockbuster or a local library to hunt down a movie we want to see, whereas we now bear witness to an unending wall of films on Netflix. Once we would have gone to a record store or entertainment outlet, and purchased a new vinyl pressing or CD, but now we just stream tunes via Spotify. And we used to queue up outside video game stores eagerly awaiting a new release, while now, you can pre-order a title from a digital store instantaneously.We’ve taken so many inconveniences away, but has it come at the expense of the human experiences that stick with us forever? Maybe. But all is not lost. We can still bring some friction back into our lives. For instance, Sennheiser is here, and it’s plugging the wires back into your earbuds, and transporting you away from the ultra-convenient Bluetooth earbuds that dominate today’s market. Yes, I present to you, the Sennheiser CX 80U – a budget-friendly pair of USB-C in-ear headphones, aiming to compete with the best wired earbuds in their price bracket.The Sennheiser CX 80U are a USB-C adaption of 2021’s Sennheiser CX 80S – essentially the same buds, but ones that use a 3.5mm connector. Like the CX 80S, Sennheiser’s new earbuds use 9.7mm dynamic drivers, with a frequency range of 17Hz-20kHz. The result? Clear full range sound, with powerful bass, clean mids, and vibrant treble. Given that they’re on sale for less than $40 / £35, I was really impressed with the sonic capabilities of these buds and, after two weeks of testing, I’d argue that they’re among the best I’ve tried in the budget category.When I tuned into Timeless by Shinchiro Yokota, I was treated to full-sounding, impactful bass and exciting yet controlled percussion in the treble range. Piano and vocal chops came through with plenty of clarity in the mids too, and as the track built, the individual layers never got muddied or convoluted. I was especially pleased with the sense of space that treble sounds have. Highs often sound as if they’re operating in a well-defined pocket, giving them plenty of room to express themselves. For me, this created a great sense of immersion in my tunes, something that many budget rivals fail to offer. Even at peak volumes, the CX 80U’s treble never sounded harsh or tinny, and solid dynamics were maintained at all times.As a regular user of the Sennheiser IE 200, I like the way that Sennheiser approaches the low-end on its more budget-friendly products. It never feels like bass is bloated or over-emphasized for an attention grabbing, but unbalanced sound. Instead, products like the IE 200 favor an agile, clear interpretation of low-end sounds – a punchy sound, rather than an untamed one. And it’s a very similar story on the CX 80U.These wired buds offer responsive, clean bass that grabs your attention without spoiling the party for sounds in the mid and treble ranges. For instance, when I tuned into Fascinator by Max Dean, although the sub-bass was a little subdued, mid-bass sounds were rapid and full-sounding, never sounding lethargic or ‘boomy’. It would be rude not to give the mids a bit of airtime too, so let’s discuss them for a bit. Now, I’ll be upfront, I don’t think you’re getting the most nuanced or detail-oriented mids around with these earbuds. However, they certainly sound clear, and well balanced and very robust for buds in this price-range.For instance, when I listened to Ventura Highway by America, acoustic guitars in the intro came through with beautiful tonal accuracy, and sounded surprisingly expressive too. But as vocals entered the mix, I couldn’t help but realize that they didn’t sound perfectly separated from those guitars, and lacked the definition in the mix supplied by pricier rivals. This really is a nitpick, though. These budget-friendly buds sound absolutely fantastic, and I’d never expect them to compete with $100 / £100 models.
