IFA 2014: Sennheiser launches new CX headphones range

Set for an official launch at IFA 2014 next week, the new CX range marks the end of the line for the Award-winning CX 300-II in-ear headphones. The CX 3.00, the direct replacement, will cost £45, and will be available in red, white or black. The new range is set to go on sale in December.

The flagship CX 5.00 is essentially the same earphone as the 3.00 but adds an inline three-button remote and microphone. There are Apple and Android compatible versions. Sennheiser name-checks the 'Samsung Galaxy' phones, but presumably Android compatibility will be broader than just Samsung devices.

The CX 1.00 entry-level model is also joined by a model with a built-in mic and remote, the CX 2.00. No, we don't know what happened to the "CX 4.00" either. Sennheiser promises the step-up in sound quality between the CX 1.00/2.00 and 3.00/5.00 is about delivering "even more detail and enhanced bass". Bass tends to be the order of the day when it comes headphones aimed largely at a younger audience.

MORE: Sennheiser news, reviews and products

The headphones have a new, tangle-free cable and a "low-profile angled plug" to help ensure they make less of a dent in your pocket. There's also new Sennheiser branding on the back of the earphone in an effort, Sennheiser tells What Hi-Fi?, to make them more easily recognisable. This sounds familiar.

All the CX headphones will be supplied with a range of four sizes of ear-sleeve - one more than previously - with a new extra-small bud size. Both the CX 3.00 and CX 5.00 come supplied with a hard carry case, too.

UK prices: CX 1.00, £35; CX 2.00, £50; CX 3.00, £45; CX 5.00, £70.

MORE: IFA 2014 - what to expect

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Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is Content Director for T3 and What Hi-Fi?, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for more than 15 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).