The CX 300-IIs and Monster Turbines are comparable. They have about the same capabilities, although the CX 300-IIs are better in almost every quality. The CX 300-IIs also cost half what the Turbines cost. We're siding in favor of the Sennheisers. Design The Sennheiser CX 300-II features asymmetrical cables (a cable style that you might have seen in our review of the Sony MH1 Livesound) to reduce cable cluttering and have a rubberized finish to reduce tangling issues.

The Sennheiser CX 300-II bass is punchy and deep with a fun style that provides energy, strong mid-bass and good sub-bass to any type of genre. Mid-bass could feel a bit too strong if you were expecting a more classic/balanced sound style from Sennheiser but if you enjoy vigorous bass these in-ear headphones will most probably make you happy. The CX 300-IIs, again, find themselves as the sportier, more festive option with slightly more durability thanks to their cord guards. Frequency Response If you're looking for an affordable, decent-sounding pair of earbuds, start with the Sennheiser CX 300. Sennheiser's first in-ear design sounds like a winner to us. The sound that leaks out of the Sennheiser CX 300-II is more or less inline with many average earphones, this means that their sound will be heard by nearby people if you crank the volume a bit past a moderate level but will not be too disturbing under normal city situations. These are better than others I have tried that cost much more than these, eg SoundMAGIC E10 and Beats.The CX 300-IIs had a good frequency response – it wans't amazing, but it was solidly above average. They had good bass, which is something all good in-ears have to struggle for (bass requires moving a lot of air around, so the smaller the ear bud, the harder this is to do). The curve drops off a bit towards the mid-section, at which point the curve becomes slightly erratic, but manages to stay within the lines. After that the curve drops off a bit. Typically frequencies above 10,000 are used to add 'brilliance,' 'luster,' and a handful of other rather intangible qualities to sound. If you notice the loss at all, it'll likely manifest itself as softer vocal sibilance. The Sennheiser CX 300-II have bright highs and are able to resolve some mild detail. Piercing highs are not present but sibilance could be recurrently and strongly heard.

We thought the CX 300-IIs were slightly more comfortable. The CX 95s' 'bent' design caused the cord to fall straight down, when it should naturally fall down and away. This led to the ear buds pulling out more easily.In-ears typically don't give users great access to their inner workings. The CX 300-IIs are in this boat. The only thing you can do to clean or maintain the headphones is to remove the sleeves for cleaning. Some in-ears come with cleaning tools, but the CX 300-IIs trust that you can provide such things. This is now my 3rd pair of these as I keep losing them, but I wouldn’t buy any other in ear headphones, especially if they cost more than this.

Like most in-ears, the CX 300-IIs don't have an issue with leakage. This is partially because they create a good seal with the ear and partially because they're small and right next to your ear drum, so they don't have to be very loud. You won't have to worry about subjecting people on the bus to your techno remixes of Simon & Garfunkel's greatest hits. CX 300-IIIn-ear headphones aren't exactly a sprawling canvas of endless aesthetic opportunity. They're tiny and their design will often go unnoticed. This is the case with the CX 300-IIs: they have solidly average aesthetic appeal. They certainly aren't ugly by any stretch, but there also isn't anything about them that's eye-catching. We do like the splash of color, however, which is why they got ever-so-slightly above a solid 5.00. To sum it up in a word: similar. If we expanded that limit to three words to improve readability's: they are similar. We didn't have a strong preference as to which is better, so try them both on. Slightly smoothed highs prevent the sound from ever becoming too bright or harsh. Of course, in the highest highs, the CX 300S can feel a little intense. But during most of my listening sessions, I was too busy enjoying the overall sound to notice these tiny and infrequent hiccups. Like the lows and mids, the highs abound with detail, and it’s all too easy to get lost in your favorite music with this tiny earphone. Soundstage In lieu of posting a few HATS pictures, we'll actually use text for this comparason . We apologize for any inconvenience we caused when we totally forgot to take HATS photos of the Shure SE420s.Accessories-wise, the CX 300S might seem a little light. Included with the earphones, you’ll find four pairs of silicon eartips and a soft carrying pouch.