Sensaphonics ProPhonic Soft 2X Headphone Reviews

Manufacturer Sensaphonics Model ProPhonic Soft 2X
Headphone Type Canal Headband Type None
Weight (g) 29 Driver Type Dynamic
Enclosure Material Other Isolation (dB) 0
Impedance (ohms) 27 Cable Length (cm) 122
Frequency Response (Hz) 20 - 16000  
Connector 3.5mm with 6.5mm adaptor Street Price US$750
Buy from Amazon.com  
Average reviewer scores
Bass Extension 7.0 Bass Impact 7.3
Bass Quality 7.0 Mids Quality 8.3
Highs Quality 8.0 Soundstage 7.0
Detail 7.7 Portability 8.3
Isolation 9.0 Comfort 9.0
Durability 7.0 Improvement With Amplification 5.0
Value for Money 7.7    
Overall Score 7.9 Total Reviews 3

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Reviews by our members

Review by Senior Member Kobune on 27 Apr 10  13:14
Individual review
Bass Extension8
Bass Impact9
Bass Quality7
Mids Quality10
Highs Quality8
Detail8
Comfort10
Durability9
Value9

This is my second pair of custom-fit earphones next to UE-10Pro because I was a little tired of the hard-shell of UE-10Pro. It was rumored that the soft silicone of 2X-S is good just for a couple of years and will collapse as time goes. The engineers at Sensaphonics said no when I asked them and, they are right as I see with my personal experience.

BASS - The bass of 2X-S is very deep in extension and has strong visceral impact. I can almost feel my body vibrating when the bass is extremely low. That was the first time I felt such deep bass on a pair of earphones other than full-shell headphones. Even UE-10Pro didn't provide equivalent impact. However one thing I would like to say is that the speed of bass response could be improved. Sometimes a series of fast percussion is not fully "dissected" as it may sound a little blurred.

MIDS - The sweetest point of these cans. It's almost REAL vocal so a lot of artists are using it for live monitoring. The vocal is a bit distant but with a clear and solid image. Yes I say "solid" meaning you can feel the artist singing in front of you.

HIGHS - 2X-S is not so bright as UE-10Pro but it doesn't necessarily mean that it lacks any treble. In contrast, being a little conservative in highs can significantly reduce acoustical fatigue especially in case of long-term auditing. Another charm of 2X-S is its long reverberation. This feature makes the music sound more like in a real concert hall or studio.

SOUNDSTAGE - I was not very impressed when I first heard this because UE-10Pro has done so well in the past. Note that 2X-S only has one driver for bass and another for highs so the headroom is slightly smaller than UE-10Pro.

DETAIL - It's overall detailed earphones with a focus on midrange. Don't expect it to reach the same level of resolution as UE-10Pro at all frequencies, but at midrange 2X-S is as detailed as you could imagine, with full texture of vocals and rich minutes of instruments.

ISOLATION - Please allow me to quote the sentence from Sensaphonics website. "Unlike hard plastic shells, silicone earpieces “move” with your ear canal during a performance, maintaining their seal and providing up to 37 dB of broadband isolation."

Although I haven't experienced their boasted 37dB isolation (which is close to the Etymotic ER-4 series), the isolation is good enough to shield off ambient noises and safe enough on the road (not kidding!).

COMFORT - For the same reason as above, 2X-S is extremely comfortable to wear and I completely forget its existence after the music starts. Both the physical comfort and the conservative treble I described above enable listeners to wear it for extended period without any fatigue.

DURABILITY - I have heard some rumors before I made the purchase criticizing the durability of 2X-S, but mine does last much longer than most other people's (three years until now). The trick is to clean the earpieces every time after use, because there is no filter inside to protect the drivers from earwax.

AMP IMPROVEMENT - It doesn't literally need an amp to perform well and I haven't encountered a perfect amp to drive it, but I noticed on some portable players based on flash memory that have lower output power, 2X-S sounds a little weak and ambiguous despite its 27ohm impedance.

Overall I'm very satisfied with the performance of 2X-S maybe because I listen to a lot of vocals. It's relatively cheap ($750) compared with other top-tier custom-fit earphones so I would strongly recommend this. To be honest, I'm currently very interested in its successor 3MAX:)

Review by Senior Member jinx20001 on 27 Nov 07  02:42
Individual review
Bass Extension5
Bass Impact6
Bass Quality6
Mids Quality7
Highs Quality8
Detail6
Comfort8
Durability3
Value5

these earphones sound pretty good but i have heard cheaper and better. my main gripe with these is mine almost litterally fell apart after 6 months so my durabilty score is very low for that reason.

bass,mids and highs are all ok but as mentioned better can be had in high end universals. not a great buy but not rubbish by any means

Review by Senior Member c-mo on 16 Jan 05  11:29
Individual review
Bass Extension8
Bass Impact7
Bass Quality8
Mids Quality8
Highs Quality8
Detail9
Comfort9
Durability9
Value9

These are the first custom molded IEM's I have owned, but after feeling the soft silicone material I cannot imagine an IEM without it. I can yawn, cough and/or chew gum without breaking the seal. the s-2x does not transfer any outside stimulation of the wires or your jaw to the ear canal. These are extreamly comfortable, but after many hours of continuous use they become irritating because of the constant pressure they exert on the ear(this irritation lessens with use). They also become uncomfortable on airplanes if you do not frequently break the seal and allow the pressure to equilize.
As for sound these phones are surpisingly musical. The highs are very crisp, but resonate a little to long in your ear, an effect I happen to like but some may not. Mids are very nice. Bass is the best I have heard in a canal phone and better than many head phones. Impact isn't great, but considering they're canal phones it's about as good as it gets while still being round and detailed.
These are possibly the most difficult earphones to conciously buy because they cannot be resold, but if you can get past that fact they'll quickly become your favorite phones because they go anywhere, even to the gym, and deliver everything similarly priced headphones do without the girth.

Sensaphonics ProPhonic Soft 2X