Written by: Ian Markowitz

Ever since I started writing for The Vanguard, I’ve been trying to find the best headphones for the least amount of money possible.

So far, the best headphones I’ve found have been the Sennheiser CX 300’s. They are the gold standard by which I judge headphones in terms of comfort, sound quality, and price (around $30).

When I was in Las Vegas last month for the Consumer Electronics Show, I ventured over to the Sennheiser booth to find out what was new for 2010 and was allowed to demo Sennheiser’s new CX 680 headphones.

The CX 680’s are part of a new collaboration between Sennheiser and adidas to create a new line of sports headphones which are designed for athletes and built to stand up to the rigors of fitness.

As we have all experienced at one time or another, the headphones bundled with the iPods tend to fall out frequently, especially when one is working out or sometimes even walking.

The CX 680’s are designed to be in-ear headphones which you can wear without having to worry about them falling out of your ear as you work out.

What makes the CX 680’s so unique is a new “holding system” which Sennheiser calls EarFin. EarFins are shaped similarly to the fin of a dolphin or a shark. They lock into the outer ear to keep the headphones from falling out, especially while working out.

After taking the headphones for a few laps around the hotel, I was actually quite impressed with their functionality. Regardless of whether I was running or biking, the headphones remained in my ears and didn’t bounce out.

The sound quality was impressive, although the bass was a little underwhelming. Overall, the headphones had an impressive range, although I would expect no less for a $100+ pair of headphones.

Another thing that I liked about the headphones was the fact that they are water resistant. Sennheiser claims that you can run with the headphones in pouring rain and not run into an issue, although I admit I didn’t test this out.

Another plus is that the cables are reinforced with neon yellow Kevlar which makes them stand out as well as keep them durable.

While it’s hard to simulate months of use on headphones, I tried to beat up the headphones as much as I could by pulling, bending, and twisting the cables, but they barely collected a scratch.

While it doesn’t seem like a huge deal to most people, I’ve always found it incredibly frustrating wearing headphones in the cold. Especially while skiing, the cable gets rigid and the headphones fall out much easier.

While I didn’t have a chance to take the CX 680’s out skiing, I did take them out one day walking to class when it was around 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and they seemed to perform the same way regardless of whether it was 70 degrees Fahrenheit indoors or 15 degrees Fahrenheit outdoors.

Overall, I was a big fan of these headphones and I think they would be a great item to take to the gym. I like that they have a cord which can be extended with an included volume control so if you wrap your iPod around your arm, you don’t have an excessive amount of dangling cord.

The main downside to this was that the volume control was a strange length, making it too long to clip comfortably onto a shirt, and yet too short to clip onto a pocket or a waistband.

Unfortunately, the headphones are on the expensive side of the spectrum and are expected to sell for around $100 online when they are released this spring.

While they aren’t a completely repackaged version of my favorite headphones, there are certainly a lot of similarities between the two models.

I offered these to Brian Hasbrouck, a sophomore, to try out during his daily trips to the gym.

He said that initially they were a little weird getting used to and finding a comfortable fit with the different sized pieces. Once they were adjusted properly, though, they had great sound quality and were great for the gym.

These headphones are a great asset for rigorous athletes whose workouts require a pair of headphones that are incredibly durable and can tolerate all weathers.

What I eventually hope Sennheiser does is extend the EarFin technology out to their other headphones, or even sell it as a less expensive accessory which will work with other headphone models so that the technology can benefit all.

Rating: 4/5 Falcons