Sennheiser CX 980

Frequency Response (6.19)

The Sennheiser CX 980s had a decent frequency response, but it wasn’t perfect. First of all, this obviously isn’t the curve of a pair of reference headphones, so don’t expect your frequencies to come out of the CX 980s pristine and untouched. The bass gets a fair amount of boost, which is common for in-ears. There’s also a boost at around the 7kHz mark. This is also a commonly amped-up area, since the attack on drums falls around 7kHz. After that point, though, the curve dips down before shooting way up again at the 10kHz range. Spoken sibilance and sizzling cymbals call the 10kHz range their home. We could definitely hear the boost while listening to certain tracks, and it wasn’t a good thing. We noticed a few tracks that relied heavily on high-end sizzle simply sounded shrill.

Comparisons

See how the Sennheiser CX 980 compares:

Shure SE530 Compare

Bose QuietComfort 15 Compare

Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic Compare

Sennheiser CX 300-II Compare

Click here for more information on our frequency response test.

Distortion (13.20)

The CX 980s are yet another pair of Sennheiser headphones with next to no distortion. You shouldn’t have any issues with the CX 980s.

Comparisons

See how the Sennheiser CX 980 compares:

Shure SE530 Compare

Bose QuietComfort 15 Compare

Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic Compare

Sennheiser CX 300-II Compare

Click here for more information on our frequency response test.

Tracking (9.71)

The CX 980 barely had any trouble with tracking. The most significant jump we found was at the 1kHz mark, and it was for a meager 2dB. These are some very evenly balanced headphones.

Comparisons

See how the Sennheiser CX 980 compares:

Shure SE530 Compare

Bose QuietComfort 15 Compare

Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic Compare

Sennheiser CX 300-II Compare

Click here for more information on our frequency response test.