Sennheiser CX 6.00BT

Package Contents

The outer packaging of these Sennheiser in-ears is made of robust plastic to ensure the contents are kept protected in transit. Inside, you’ll find earpieces in sizes ranging from XS to L, along with a USB charging cable and user documentation. Personally, I always reach for L-sized earmoulds as a standard, but with Sennheiser, I get the impression that the sizing conventions are a little different to the norm. The large moulds proved too small for me, meaning I didn’t enjoy an optimum fit and needed to press against them more than usual to ensure they stayed put.

Overview

As outlined above, Sennheiser’s design team have elected to include two control appendages on either side of the headphones. Each of these is individually battery-powered, has Bluetooth capabilities and can be used to control in-ear functions. Each of these components are almost as large as a single, conventional one you’d find on an everyday in-ear design. I did find myself wondering whether Sennheiser were perhaps using these larger dimensions to provide for a larger battery, but I quickly discovered this was not the case. In the documents included with these headphones, the manufacturer promises six hours of runtime after a full charge which is decent enough, but far from outstanding. On the plus side, there is a quick charge function available here. Generally speaking, you need only charge for ten minutes to enjoy two hours of runtime.

The remote itself is user-friendly and easy to grip, with three buttons that are navigated without any fuss. Thankfully, the manufacturer has avoided the temptation to make these control buttons too small, ensuring almost every user will have no trouble accessing important functions. You can also expect the usual music control gestures here, while voice command can be triggered by pressing the middle button three times. These headphones enjoy a good speech quality level, with the integrated microphone ensuring they’re ideal for handling phone calls. What’s more, with a comfortable design that sits well on the head, you won’t find yourself wanting to remove them during any phone calls that might interrupt your easy listening sessions.

Let’s Start Listening

First impressions? I’m definitely impressed. The CX 6.00 BT hits above the benchmark for in-ears occupying this price range, with a large dynamic frequency range that by no means is a standard at this market level. The sound reproduction is refined and mature, with plenty of full and crisp character throughout. Crystal-clear overtones are wide and reaching, while individual sound signals are defined in stereo over a rumbling bass foundation. Your auditory canal will be perfectly attuned to the good vibrations, with the sound profile really shining when it comes to choral vocals. The full mid-range delivers a sound experience that will trounce many a pair of in-ears costing much more than these. In short these headphones are very impressive and plenty of fun. Contemporary pop productions sound fresh and vibrant, while even complex classical compositions are open and very present. In fact, it’s easy to forget you’re listening to an orchestra via another medium other than live performance. Liam Gallagher truly rocks without scratchy distortion, demonstrating that Sennheiser is out to please fans of all manner of genres with these in-ears. Whatever you’re listening to, the CX 6.00 BT do not discriminate when it comes to delivering dynamic audio experiences to the listener.

Technical

Lastly, special mention has to be given to the technology that comes ready-installed with these in-ears. With the faster Bluetooth 4.2 standard and licensing of Qualcomm’s aptX and aptZ-LL codecs, you needn’t have to worry about contending with outdated Bluetooth technology. The aptX LL (low latency) codec deserves particular praise for establishing an almost latency-free radio link with compatible devices, delivering perfect syncing of picture and sound. However, not all devices benefit from this technology, with Apple’s iPhone and iPad unable to support aptX or aptX LL. However, there’s not much to cry about as these devices do have a high-resolution codec on board. These headphones conveniently store connection profiles of up to eight Bluetooth devices at any one time, with the profile of the least used device being overwritten whenever a ninth pairing attempt is initiated.