Review Sennheiser CX275s: This earphone shows how to keep out noise without noise cancelling

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Sennheiser CX275s is priced Rs 2,990, which

 is a fraction of what you would pay for noise cancelling headphones

Even on the best of headphones, you are distracted by external sounds. This is becoming a bigger problem now that people are listening to music while taking a jog in the park, while travelling in public transport or even while working in office. All these are locations where there is a lot of ambient noise that affects the audio experience dramatically.

This is why a lot of music lovers are now looking at noise cancelling headphones. However, despite their technological success these devices are seldom affordable. So when Sennheiser announced a headphone that promises to "block outside noise" without charging you the skies for it, we had to take a look.

The CX 275s is like any regular in-ear headphone. But there is a gill-like feature on the rear, which gives it a slightly alien tech look. This ear piece is very comfortable and comes with two extra sizes, just in case it doesn't fit everyone. A few inches down the left cord is the integrated microphone, which also holds the remote for taking and cutting calls. My only grouse with the design is the fact that the Y is quite down the length of the cord.

Sennheiser CX275s

Yes, these ear phones do block all external noise. But only when you are listening to something. It is like any other earphone when there is nothing playing. So sound is blocked with the help of a  high-powered dynamic speaker system that actually cuts off most of the noise. Testing this in the office I had to pull out the earphones every time someone was talking to me, that too only because I saw them trying to gain my attention. At home, I could cut off all the noise from the weddings across the road on the weekend. Yes, this earphone works.

The sound blocking abilities also makes the CX 275s very loud, but not ear splittingly so. The audio quality is really good and lets you enjoy all types of music from high tempo Bollywood numbers to slow Carnatic classics. But this is not an audiophile headphone like the Momentum.

The best thing about the CX275s is the price. It comes at the price of Rs 2,990, which is a a fraction of what you would pay for noise cancelling headphones.

Should you buy it: Get this if you listen to a lot of music on the move, especially in the noisy Metro, local train or city bus. 

Price: Rs 2,990

Rating: ****