Sennheiser PMX 680 Sports Earbud Headphone with Volume control & Neckband
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We partnered with Adidas on ergonomic design for a precise and comfortable fit.A unique moisture-resistant materials wicks away sweat and rain.Dynamic Sennheiser transducers deliver true sound performance. Designed for extreme movement. Flexible materials absorb shocks and strain. S
Features
- Sweat and water resistant
- Neckband headphones for comfortable fit
- High-output drivers for energizing sound
- DuPont Kevlar reinforced cable for unmatched sound
- Generous 2-year guarantee
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 2 x 6 x 7 inches
- Weight: 0 pounds
Very Good Product!
I do not understand all the bad reviews about the PMX 680. I have one question for all that didnt find the product to be exceptional: “Did you buy from an aurthorized dealer”? Let me explain. In China, there are underground shops that produce about 100 of these countefeit headphones an hour. Unless, you buy from an authorized dealer who can only buy from the main source (Sennheiser), then you are taking a risk of buying a fake. These people who make these fake headphones are very good at duplicating the cosmetics of the product. You will not be able to tell which is real and which is fake. I know, because I have bought a fake. The sound quality was horrible, but I know Sennheiser products and I know that Sennheiser would never release something this bad into the market. So, I bought the same pair from an authorized dealer (yes, I paid more). When I got the real ones in, I compared the two, the fake and the real one. The only difference besides sound quality was a slight discoloration in the wires. When I say slight, I mean I had to put a lamp on both products side by side to see that these two were not the same. Also, the packaging from the fake was flawless, it looked just like the real one. There was no way one can tell which is real and which is fake by looking at the packaging. Yes, the counterfeiters are that good! But the one thing they cant duplicate or imitate is the engineering of the sound quality. A real PMX 680 has crisp highs, and a solid bass. It is also capable of high volume output, meaning it can be very loud.
The PMX 680’s sound quality is awesome! I am an audiophile. If my music doesnt sound right, I cant workout or exercise properly, I get annoyed and it ruins my overall workouts. I have owned several high end headphones and would say that the PMX 680 is the best SPORTS headphone on the market today in terms of overall quality, sound and design. Of course they are not better than headphones that are $300+, but then again, if you think about it, the $300+ headphones wouldnt last very long with sweat on them constantly, daily wear and tear, and other exercise movements and motions. If you want good headphones for sports and recreation, this is as good as it gets. It stays in your ears, it delivers good sound, it has a sleek design, and can withstand daily usage and abuse. What more do you want from a SPORTS headphone?
Remember, buy from an authorized dealer!!!!! You can go the Sennheiser’s website and see who is an authorized dealer and who is not.
Completely Disappointed
It took a long time for the dealer to get it shipped. I received the headphones and was very pleased with the sound and fit at first. But it never fails, the same thing that happened to my other Sennheiser headphones happened here. the USB male port adapter lost connection to the full sound. I maybe used it 5 times. I just cut my loss of having to deal with the particular dealer. My suggestion is to go and purchase a 15 dollar pair from your local retail store.They will surely last longer. They have the fit and look down but not the durability.
Great Running Headphones
The Sennheiser PMX680 are a great pair of athletic headphones. I have also used the Sennheiser PMX80 headphones for running, and had problems with the solder joint breaking inside the angled mini-jack. This seems to be how all headphones used for running fail, but the PMX80 lasted longer than most other headphones I have used while running. I generally run anywhere from 6 – 20 miles per day and this constant abuse seems to absolutely destroys headphones. The behind the ear design seems to be the best design for long runs. There’s no distractions or fussing around with adjusting earbuds, or fixing ear clips. The PMX680 has a similar fit to the PMX80, and they both seem to be very resistant to sweat, rain, and snow. The PMX680 has a short cord, and comes with a plug in extension with a volume adjustment. I don’t use the extension or volume adjustment as it is large and bulky, and I don’t need the wire length with an armband. The wire length without the jack is just long enough to plug into an armband MP3 player. If you’re going to carry, or wear the MP3 player anywhere other than near your neck or near your shoulder while running, I would look at the PMX80 or another standard headphone. The wire without extension could have been a couple of inches longer, but it works excellent if you’re using an armband holder. The extension is practically useless for running purposes, but is fine if you’re looking to use the headphones casually and want an extra volume adjustment. So far the headphones have held up pretty well, and I believe they’ll last longer as there’s not a long wire swinging around all over the place. The sound quality is great, and they stay on well even for short distance sprints.
Great For Running
I used to run with a pair of cheapo ear buds I got from Woot but they would always fall out of my ears as soon as I would begin to sweat. I also got tired of wrapping the cord around the back of my neck to keep it out of the way. After doing a fair amount of research looking for a good pair of running headphones, I picked these based on the numerous positive reviews.
These headphones are great! They have a nice fit and I don’t have to worry about them falling out of my ears. In fact, they are so comfortable that once I get running, I don’t even notice them in my ears. The fact that they are water resistant is a big plus for me because I tend to sweat a lot while running and don’t have to worry about the moisture damaging the headphones. Furthermore, I am able to give them a quick rinse after I’m done to keep them nice and clean. I also really like the fact that the cord only runs down the left side of the headphones–it makes a big difference in keeping the cord out of your way.
The only complaint I have, which is a very minor one is that the extension cord is a bit too long. I run with a Sansa Clip on the back of my shorts and have to clip the volume control on my collar with the extra cord wrapped underneath it to prevent the cord from bouncing all over the place. Those who use an armband mounted music player won’t have an issue with that as you won’t need to use the extension cord.
An improvement in headphones
This is a durable set of headphones (sweat-resistant), and even though it goes behind your head, it doesn’t bob up and down like the last pair I had. This is key if you have long hair & wear your hair in a ponytail because the behind-the-head headphones and can get annoying at times. I like that it has the option of a short cord and a long cord. The only thing that feels a tad off sometimes is the positioning of the ear buds and how they seem to face forward rather than in your ear, but that could be part of the design. Anyhow, it stays in place, great sound quality, and seems very durable which is important for all of those hot summer runs! Highly recommended.
Best of the Bunch That I’ve Tried
The PMX 680 is by no means a perfect product. More on that later. But it’s far and away the best of the bunch that I’ve tried.
First and foremost, big sound comes out of these little buds. On my favorite jazz test track, I can feel the pluck of a string bass and hear the tone from the instrument grow, resonate and recede. Of course, that’s in the quiet of my bedroom. The music isn’t nearly as pristine when I’m clomping away on the treadmill. But the sound is still full and balanced, from lows to highs.
In terms of sound quality, the PMX680 compares favorably with in-ear headphones in the same price range. But instead of wrestling with tips that get stuck in my ears, or canalbuds that hurt my ears, I can put on or take off the PMX680 in no more than a second or two. The drivers sit perpendicular to your skull, not parallel to it, and the rear headband exerts just the right amount of pressure to keep the drivers comfortably pressed up against the small fleshy pad in the front of your outer ear. It’s a really natural feel. And once the ‘phones are on, they stay on.
The best use of this product, IMO, is with an MP3 player in an armband holder. As others have noted, the primary cable is a few inches too short to reach an MP3 player clipped to your waistband…unless you want to run in a hunched-over position. (I’m 5′ 8″.) Sure, Sennheiser could have made the primary cable longer – but then you’d have more cable flopping around when you use the armband. The extension cable, with volume control, solves this problem and lets you position your MP3 player where you want it. The two clips (one on the back of the volume control, the other freestanding) help minimize cable slap.
What would I really like to see in this product? Instead of the wheel-style volume control that comes with it, I’d much prefer the three-button remote and microphone that Apple builds into its earbuds and other manufacturers have emulated. Unfortunately, none of the units that I have owned (two Apples and one Scosche) have stood up to sweat. The Apple remote modules and the Scosche “TapLine II” all failed relatively soon after acquisition. In terms of what’s available now, in my experience the PMX680 stands at the top of the heap.
Pleased
These headphones are fantastic for running or walking and they are very light and provide excellent sound. I used to have big bulky home headphones on my walks and they things are perfect
Good Build Quality, Sound Quality not Great
The first thing I want to comment on is the build quality. I have to assume people getting these headphones are probably running or working out with them. I have never had a pair of headphones that fit comfortably while running. Ear buds fall out (I swear my right ear is misshapen and pushes earbuds out), around the head headphones are uncomfortable and the earpads get hot and sweaty, and even a cheap set of earbuds I bought that are like the PMX680 and wrap around the ear didn’t fit right and had a tendancy to fall out frequently.
The PMX680 is about as good as I can imagine for wearing while running. The headphones fit in the ear and do not budge, even if you give the cord a decent tug. The headphones themselves are made of flexible and light plastic that can probably take a pretty good beating but is fairly unobtrusive. The earbuds sit just outside of the ear canal and are made of a sticky (through friction) silicone like substance, but come with optional foam pads which I choose to use. The earbuds can cause some discomfort, they are a little tight in the ear canal and put a fair amount of pressure on it. I don’t mind much because it isn’t noticeable once I start running and even when I’m at work using the headphones at my desk it isn’t much of an issue. The cord seems like its very sturdy at the connection sites to the headphones and the plug. I can’t imagine it wearing out like other pairs of headphones have. The extension cord itself is also sturdy but the volume adjuster isn’t terribly useful and feels a little cheap, however I wouldn’t consider it a very important feature. The headphones come with a clip to pin the cord to your shirt and prevent it from pulling when you move, the extension cable also has a clip on the volume adjuster as well. Both of these can be handy.
The reason I give these headphones a 3 is the price and sound quality prevent it from earning a higher score. For $60 I expected better sound from them. The stock “premium” headphones that came from my zune sound better than these. The bass is nice and surprisingly punchy for earbuds, however the mids and high end sound weak and a little muffled. The sound quality is comparable, maybe a little better than an average pair of $20-$30 over ear headphones off the shelf at a Target or Best Buy (which are overpriced headphones to begin with).
In spite of the disappointing sound quality I’m happy with the purchase. The PMX680 should last me forever and sound quality isn’t my number 1 concern when I’m running anyway. I just don’t think they should be priced at $60. I expect more from Sennheiser based on the brand’s reputation and other headphones I’ve had from them.
cord too short, headband too big, sound too tinny
The best thing I can say about these are that they are lightweight and water resistant. The short cord makes them impossible to use on gym machines or when running. unless you clip your MP3 player to your neckline. The sound quality is mediocre at best.
satisfied
excellent product with excellent sound.
Some minor dislikes:
when i do bench, the headphones pop slightly forward, so i wish the neckband weren’t as long.
not a big fan of the bright green colored cord. a dark color, like black, would have been a better choice.
when laying on my stomach for inclined shoulder flys, sometimes i will rub the volume wheel up, and the music will be blasting in my ears til i turn it down, so i kind of wish you could lock the volume wheel or it weren’t there at all…besides who wants to ever adjust the volume more than once after it’s at the right volume…all of my ipod songs are volume-synced, so i have no need for the volume wheel.
Made for marathoners and ironmen.
These headphones are not ment for the gym. Obviously since they go around the back of your head, they’re not ideal for benching and stuff like that. These are ment for serious distance athletes: Marathon runners, century cyclists, ironmen. I’ve never been more happy with a pair of headphones. Not to mention, when your done with a run, you can rinse them off which is very convienent. They fit good enough to stay in my ears when my mp3 player is suspended from them, but somehow not tight enough to cause pain after hours or wear. I could go on about the fit but i think you get the point. The sound quality is good enough. I say it that way because its not going to sound as good as earbuds that funnel the music into your ear canal, but they do sound very good and muffle out surrounding noise (im not responsible if you purchase these and get hit by a truck because you werent paying attention.). The only negative i have about them is this: It rarely happens but when its a really humid day out and am running for a couple hours, sometimes the sweat will soak up into one of the earphone foam covers and create a barrier inbetween the my ear an the earphone resulting in no sound. Like i said, it rarely happens. it only happened a handful of times in the past 3 months of running with them. no product is perfect. but this one definately takes the cake as far as sport earphones. i highly recommend them.
Adequate Sound Quality….Subpar Fit
Look in the manual of these headphone and they show a picture of how these headphones are supposed to fit over the ears.
Wow–who has ears that big? These headphones do not fit well because they always want to slip further backward. The band in the back wants to keep falling onto the back of my neck, and the ear supports keep slipping past my ears. I wish these were adjustable in some way.
Also, I agree with what most people said about the cord. Awkward size.
Nearly perfect…
I have owned the previous model (PMX80) for many months now… and consider them to be nearly perfect for running. EXTREMELY comfortable, great sound… but cord was much too long (for neckband or arm band mounted iPod Shuffle)… and even too long for waistband. And, sweat would eventually seep into the drivers and mute them. (By the way… the loooong cord is a GOOD thing for treadmill running.)
The Improvements…
This model (PMX680) comes with a very short cord… perfect for neckband / armband mounting. (It includes an extension with volume control… I don’t use it.) Also, no hint of suffering drowning by sweat. Bass is much stronger due to much better acoustic coupling to ear canal (more on this later).
Oh Dang… not quite perfect yet…
The PMX680 does not include the same reflective patch on the back of the neckband that the PMX80 has… too bad, the more safety the better. Also, the improved acoustic coupling is a mixed blessing for me anyway… with it, I enjoy improved bass and much reduced outside noise, which seems like a good thing… but for a street runner, hearing cars / runners / cyclists / angry dogs coming up on your rear is a *better* thing.
Some day…
Same awesome light weight design, superb fit and sound quality. But it will include rear facing high intensity LED flasher, and will include active noise cancellation that can be adjusted to include as much / little ambient noise as you see fit. Will also whisper encouraging words into your ear when your pace starts to fade… ha ha ha.
Currently the best out there.
I started my research on wireless headphones with the motorola rokr. I purchased it through amazon and found them to be very uncomfortable with a tight fit. The sound was decent. However, the forward and back buttons didnt work so i returned them. Then i found these Addidas PMX 680 sport headphones. Once i received them i was pleasantly surprised by the easy packaging and innovative design. If you use nike+ or run with an ipod or iphone these are the headphones for you. They even feature a light reflector on the back when you run in the late hours of the day.
Really Bummed
I read the reviews and thought these headphone would be a perfect fit for me. Unfortunately they are still a little uncomfortable in my ears, and the bigger problem was the cords. The piece that runs from your ear to the clothing attachment clip is too short to clip to your short/pants and too long to clip to your tank strap or sports bra. I found it very distracting. The earpieces didn’t fit well in my ears (still too big) and the sound wasn’t very loud. I think these work well for some, but I had no luck.
**Important Note** Returns require a R/A Number which you have to get from their customer service. They CHARGE A 20% RESTOCKING FEE. I had used the headphone 1 time (the day I got them in the mail) and I had to fork over an extra $10 re-stocking fee along with shipping.
Great headphones
My husband loves these. They are very comfortable and the sound quality is perfect.
ONLY if you wear your ipod on your arm!
I received these PMX 680 as a warranty replacement for my PMX 70s, which I sent in for warranty _repair_.
Pros:
The colors match my shoes. YMMV
More comfortable. I did not find the PMX70 uncomfortable as some reviewers did, but these are more comfortable.
High quality sound (for running headphones)
Stay on my head/ears well while running.
Cons:
Improved noise-canceling. I know, several reviewers list this as a plus… But I tend to run in traffic or busy areas. I need to hear what is going on around/behind me for safety. Now I need to keep my music a bit lower to avoid being snuck up on by a cyclist or a Prius.
The cord! The cord is only 20″ long. If it were 4 inches longer I could continue to wear my ipod (shuffle 2nd gen) on my waistband. Unfortunately, I do not find armband mp3 holders to be comfortable.
These come with an extension cord / volume control which can allow me to keep my ipod on my waistband….. BUT this extension adds aprox 10 grams of weight and tends to flop around a lot as I run. The clip on the volume control is a waistband-style clip…. But it doesn’t reach down to the waistband… and this style of clip does a very poor job of staying clipped onto my shirt.
Also, the swinging of the volume control unit (after the clip falls off my shirt every 10 steps) causes minor glitches in the sound as the headphone plug moves within the volume control unit.
If either I wore my ipod on my arm, or the cord were 4 inches longer, I would be giving these headphones 5 stars. But as-is they are nearly useless to me.
Currently I’m trying to decide between:
a) calling Sennheiser and seeing if I can trade these for my old PMX 70s that I sent in hoping for REPAIR not replacement.
b) trying to find an armband ipod holder that is stretchy enough not to constrict my movement.
c) cutting the cord and splicing in another 4-5 inches of cord.
d) tossing these out and buying something different.
EDIT:
2 weeks later…. I chose option B. Now that I have switched to wearing my ipod on my arm, these are great headphones. Changing rating from 2 to 4 stars. but I would still prefer to not have to wear this on my arm…..
perfect headphones
i searched everywhere looking for headphones that won’t fall out when running, or wear out in a month. after reading independent reviews i settled on these. worth every penny over cheap earbuds. sound quality is the best I’ve heard out of an ear bud. cymbals and other highs are pretty crisp, and bass doesn’t get muddled unless you crank it up to what i would consider excessive levels. the design feels robust, so while I’ve only had them a few weeks(4-5 runs/week and almost daily use for other things), they inspire confidence that they will last.
there are actually 3 or 4 different models in the adidas line. i settled on these because I wanted to be able to take them off and hang them on my neck when not in use. I didn’t like having to take out earbuds to answer a phone call or something, and then have to untangle the wires to get them back in. which is another thing I liked about these. one cord.
they really did their homework and thought about what people really need in an atheltic set of headphones. a short cord for armband users, and and extension with volume control. I love the versatility it gives me. i use them both ways often. the volume wheel has a good feel that is adjusts easily, but not so easy that you’ll bump it by accident. bonus that i never saw in the product description: there is an additional clip built into the back of the volume controller. I clip that to the collar of my shirts on runs, and use the supplied moveable clip to keep the cord from swinging. if you have a sansa clip/ipod shuffle, this is probably the ideal setup.
the only problem I’ve had is when wearing sunglasses the headphones are ever so slightly less tight in my ear. I can only tell because it affects the sound slightly. figuring out how to get these to fit with a sweatband/hat and sunglasses is a process. if that’s a concern you might look at one of the in-ear only models.
FINALLY – The perfect headphones for running!!!
I have had the PMX 80’s for a while and really like them, with one exception. The cord was way too long. I run with a small mp3 player (no ipods!) strapped to my upper arm. 99.9% of all headphones have cords that are so long that you have to get creative to manage the cords. I had always thought why some compmnay didn’t realize this and make a headphone with a short cord.
Well, some actually did, but the headphones themselves sucked.
Then a few weeks ago my Mp3 player and my PMX 80’s were stolen. So I am back in the market.
I bought a Sandisk Clip+ and then found these. Just like the pmx80’s, but with a shorter cord. Awesome. Got them yesterday and went for a run this morning. Absolutely perfect. Comfy, sound great, cord is the perfect length.
I doubt I will ever use the extension cord with volume control, but it seems really solid. It is lightweight and it too has a clip on it to attach to a waisteband.
In summary, if you are a runner and wear your headphones on your arm, these things are perfect. Their marketing department sort of blows because it isn’t obvious in the ad here on Amazon that the cord is short with an included extension cord to make it longer. If I hadn’t read the reviews, I would have passed these up.
Well worth what I paid for them (over $50). I had thee pmx60’s for 3 years and they still sounded great before they were stolen. I expect these to be just as durable.
Finally, these are a ta bit more comfortable then the pmx60’s as well. Just by a bit. They seem softer.
Sennheiser Recovery
I had bought the PMX 80 Sports from Amazon after reading the reviews on the product and I am a pretty avid runner (military). I was immediately unhappy with the way the pmx80s fit my ears, there was way too much pressure put on my ears and it would become too painful to wear after a short 15 minutes. I decided to keep them to see if i could stretch them over time and alleviate the pressure because they had decent sound. The second attempt to wear them caused one of the screws in the right ear bud to snap. I sent them in for repair with the intent to just give away the fixed earphones to somebody who my get more enjoyment out of them, but today I received my replacement pair. After opening the box to my surprise my pmx 80s were flipped with a pair of pmx 680s. I was skeptical but gave them a chance. Immediately when I put them on I noticed that the fitment issues I had with the pmx 80s was gone. I don’t think that the sound quality really was improved much but they are certainly feel more sturdy and comfortable. I have certainly heard better speakers, but these are not for lab or studio work, they are for running and for that purpose they are perfect. Sennheiser certainly recovered me as a customer with their exceptional service as well. The turn around on the replacement was about one week.