The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Sennheiser 560S headphones, being over-ear and open-backed, offer a superior overall sound quality and a more immersive listening experience, particularly suited for music and TV thanks to their excellent soundstage. However, they're not ideal for exercise, as they are bulkier, not sweatproof, and their open design doesn't isolate noise well, making them less versatile for travel and noisy environments. In contrast, the Sennheiser CX300S earbuds are more portable, have a closed-back design for better noise isolation, and are more suited for exercise due to their compact size and weight. These are more affordable but don't match the 560S in sound quality for music and TV. Both options have a wired connection, but neither are suitable for high-latency applications like gaming. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Sennheiser 560S
Best in class for music
Excellent for TV and video
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sennheiser CX300S
Good for air travel
Key differences
Music
9.5/10
6.9/10
The Sennheiser 560S is best in class for music, while the Sennheiser CX300S is only fair.
Gaming
6.9/10
6.1/10
The Sennheiser 560S and Sennheiser CX300S are both only fair for gaming, though the Sennheiser 560S is somewhat better.
Phone Calls
5.1/10
3.0/10
The Sennheiser 560S and Sennheiser CX300S are both poor for phone calls, though the Sennheiser 560S is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.1/10
4.7/10
The Sennheiser 560S is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sennheiser CX300S is poor.
TV and Video
9.1/10
7.3/10
The Sennheiser 560S is excellent for TV and video, while the Sennheiser CX300S is good.
Noise Reduction
2.5/10
7.0/10
The Sennheiser CX300S is good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser 560S is poor.
Cost
$180
$50
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The Sennheiser 560S has a price of $180 and the Sennheiser CX300S costs $50.
"Sennheiser made a near perfect pair of studio monitors with the HD 560S. Flat bass response? Check. Neutral and uncolored midrange? Check. Extended treble with a bit of lower-treble emphasis to highlight mastering flaws? Check. Fairly easy to drive? Check. Good soundstage and imaging? Check, and check."
"Sennheiser offers impressive bang for your buck when it comes to the CX 300S. Built like a tank and sounding surprisingly good for such a budget-minded earphone, the CX 300S out-classes many of its would-be competitors. Functional but beautiful, it’s the perfect in-ear listening solution for anyone who wants to hear everything and look good doing it."
Get a great deal on the Sennheiser 560S or the Sennheiser CX300S
About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Earbuds or Headphones guides you might be interested in
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
122,900
Recommendations made
18,435
Consumer hours saved
About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Luis Torres
Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.