Wires are creeping back into people’s ears, and as the 3.5mm socket keeps disappearing from phones, the comeback is mostly happening over USB-C. The Sennheiser CX 80U is a good example of the breed, and a cheap one: What Hi-Fi? lists it at $40 / £35. In its review, published on October 9, 2026, the magazine gave it the full five stars.
That price is more impressive once you remember what it has to pay for. A USB-C earphone is more than a pair of drivers on a cable. The plug houses a DAC that turns the digital stream from your phone, tablet or laptop into an analogue signal, along with a pair of amplifiers. So the obvious question is whether Sennheiser had any budget left for sound quality.
Hardware in brief
- 9.7mm dynamic neodymium drivers in closed in-ear housings
- Frequency response of 17 – 20,000 Hz (-10 dB), impedance of 28 Ω (1 kHz), SPL of 119 dB SPL @ 1 kHz, 1V RMS
- DAC in the USB-C plug that handles files up to 24-bit/96kHz natively and downsamples anything higher
- One-button inline remote with a MEMS microphone
- 1.2m cable, weight of 14.3g
- Silicone eartips in small, medium and large sizes
Built to a price, but comfortable
The plastics on the buds and cable show where the money was saved. Still, the earpieces are tiny and light. They take a bit of fiddling to seat properly, but once in they sit flush with the ear, and the soft tips give a snug fit with good passive isolation. There is some cable noise. What Hi-Fi? suggests a clip joining the left and right leads would help, which is something the rival SoundMagic E80D includes.
The remote sits on the right-hand lead. Different taps and holds answer calls and play, pause or skip tracks. There is no volume control, though, so you change the level on the source device. There is no travel pouch in the box either.
Where it shines
Sound is what earned the CX 80U its top score. Testing on an iPhone 15 Plus, the reviewers found none of the usual budget flaws, such as harsh treble or bloated bass. Instead they described a rich, detailed and well-balanced presentation. Radiohead’s 15 Step, a demanding timing test, came through organised and full of information, with real space around the instruments and a natural, expressive vocal. Arctic Monkeys’ I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor showed off the speed and agility of the drivers. Drums had a solid punch, the bassline was sharply defined, and the earbuds kept up with the frantic pace without losing control.
Against the SoundMagic E80D, What Hi-Fi?’s previous favourite in this class at $44 / £39, the Sennheiser comes out as the more rewarding listen. Its final scores were 5 for sound, 4 for build and 5 for comfort.
It is not a feature-packed product, and it doesn’t claim to be. For anyone tired of charging cases or losing true wireless buds, the CX 80U is a strong argument that the wired revival can be more than nostalgia.
