Sennheiser CXC 700

Design

Over-ears provide several advantages over in-ears by design, and the Sennheiser PXC 450s bring a lot to the table. Not only can their cords be replaced should something happen to them, but they also are more durable on the whole.

Sennheiser CXC 700	Sennheiser PXC 450

Frequency Response

Neither frequency response is ideal, each with their drawbacks. The PXC 450s seem to be fairly erratic, while the CXC 700s seem to boost the bass an inordinately high amount.

Sennheiser CXC 700	Sennheiser PXC 450

Distortion

Neither set of headphones has much trouble with distortion.

Sennheiser CXC 700	Sennheiser PXC 450

Tracking

Both headphones have issues with tracking, but the CXC 700s have less swings in channel preference.

Sennheiser CXC 700	Sennheiser PXC 450

Isolation

The PXC 450s seem to do a better job at attenuating sound than the Sennheiser CXC 700s do, so we’ll stick with them here.

Sennheiser CXC 700	Sennheiser PXC 450

Comfort

Hands-down the PXC 450s are far more comfortable across a greater range of heads than are the CXC 700s. Really, the only problems you could possibly run into is if your head was too small. In-ears typically cause some discomfort in the ear canal, especially when you have huge, heavy remotes tugging at them.

Wear
Sennheiser CXC 700	Sennheiser PXC 450

Verdict

If you can find a good deal on the PXC 450s, go for them. The Sennheiser CXC 700s aren’t bad, but they do fall short in several key categories like durability that should give any consumer pause.