Description: Travelers who want some peace and quiet often go for noise canceling headphones, but they often have to endure a somewhat inferior sound quality. With the Sennheiser PXC 450, you get noise cancelation and superb sound quality—at a reasonable price.

Traveling can be an aural nightmare. The hustle and bustle of the people around you, the horns and the engine sounds, and all the noises that a normal modern city generates can become a

to deaden the outside world, but often this also results in rather inferior sound quality if you want to listen to music. Your third option, however, is to just use cacophony of unpleasant noise after a while. On airplanes, it’s the same thing. The engine’s constant thrum and the people around you can make your journey stressful and upsetting.

You can try to drown out the sound with some music through your headphones, but you may find yourself just adding to the noise instead. You can use noise canceling headphones the Sennheiser PXC 450.

Sennheiser PXC 450 Features

Let’s take a look at what makes the PXC 450 tick:

• The NoiseGard 2.0 technology reduces ambient noise up to 90%.

• The audio production is brought to you by the adaptive baffle damping and the patented Duofol diaphragm technology.

• It’s eminently portable with its light weight and foldable design.

• The noise-cancelation feature is powered by a single AAA battery, which can last for up to 16 hours.

• The noise-cancelation feature can also be turned off, which results in conserved battery power and even stronger output.

• There is a “talk through” feature which allows you to hold conversations with another person beside you without having to remove the headphones from your ears.

• The 4½-foot cable and the earpads are replaceable. The cable has a 3.5mm mini jack and comes with a locking ¼” adapter and an In-Flight Entertainment adapter for airplanes.

• It weighs 8½ ounces, and it comes with a transport case.

Sennheiser PXC 450 Pros and Cons

So why should you pick the PXC 450? Here are some very good reasons:

• First let’s start with the noise cancelation feature. It really does work excellently, and the active circuitry in conjunction with the circumaural seal around the ear can really produce a significant reduction in ambient noise. It’s even more effective in eliminating more of the high-frequency hiss (such as those produced by powerful air-conditioners) than other similar headphones.

So this means that if you want to travel in relative peace, this is the one you need to get.

• The sound quality is also of very high quality. These headphones aren’t just meant to cancel out the noise. They’re actually also designed to provide you with excellent sound quality. So that means you don’t have to suffer through inadequate bass and muddy mid and high frequencies. With the PXC 450, the low end is quite impressive and the mid and high frequencies are crisp.

So how good is the sound quality? It can tempt you to listen to your old CDs and rediscover sounds and notes you’ve never heard before. The PXC 450 offers the best sound quality among noise cancellation headphones.

• There is a passive mode which allows you to listen to the music even while the noise cancellation is turned off. With some other models, without the noise cancellation the entire contraption is useless. What’s more, without the noise cancellation the sound output is even stronger.

• They’re also quite comfy. They’re a bit snug, but the earpads are quite soft. They’re also cool, which makes them suitable for warm climates. The headphones are big enough to fit most ears so there’s no discomfort there.

• Portability is not an issue. While they’re actually bigger than their competitors, they’re still small enough when folded in the case, and they’re very light too.

• The “talk through” feature can be quite handy when you want to talk to the flight attendant. You just press a button and you can hear the other person.

• It is also very durable. Some of the people who wrote reviews have been using their PXC 450 for years.

So is it perfect? Almost, but not quite. The problem here is that you have to manage your expectations. For example, you’ll be disappointed if you expect to suddenly enter a cone of silence where you don’t hear anything at all.

The advertising has already stated that it eliminates 90% of the ambient noise, not 100%. So if a baby beside you cries its lungs out, you’ll hear that. It will be reduced, but you will definitely hear it.

Then there’s the sound quality. While Sennheiser brochure boasts that the PXC 450 is audiophile-grade, it doesn’t quite make the cut. While it can impress non-audiophiles with the sound quality, true audiophiles will not be impressed with the level of accuracy.

The low end can seem somewhat exaggerated, although for most people that can make lots of music such as rock and hip-hop sound better. The high frequencies may also seem just a tad too strident.

Sennheiser PXC 450 Consumer Reviews

The PXC 450 has received many more five-star reviews compared to a low number of one-star reviews. Most of these negative reviews are simply the result of rather unrealistic expectations.

But for those who took the time to compare the PXC 450 with other noise-cancellation headphones, the PXC 450 almost always comes out on top when it comes to sound quality, noise-cancellation, and comfort.

Sennheiser PXC 450 Price

There was a time when the typical Sennheiser PXC 450 review whined about how expensive these Sennheiser noise cancelling headphones were.

So essentially, you get two of the most important features you value—noise cancellation and sound quality—without having to pay through the nose. And the comfort is quite good too. All in all, for those on the go, this is more than a fair price for some peace and…well, not quiet. More like peace and music. You’ll find that your travels will be much less stressful, so don’t leave home without your PXC 450.