Even though the new Sony 1000XM4’s are a
great pair of ANC headphones… they still
aren’t perfect and they’re not going to
be able to please everyone… but thats okay
cause one device will never be able to do
that. But nonetheless today we’re going
to compare the Sony 1000XM4’s both the Sennheiser
PXC 550-II’s and the Sennheiser Momentum
3’s. Cause whether youre looking for better
sound, better fit, or better build… you’ll
might be interested in one of these.
Now first off lets talk about price cause
we’ve got a pretty large range here. Both
the Sony’s and PXC-500 II’s have a retail
price of $350. But the PXC 550-II’s do like
to go on sale for a little less than $300
from time to time. And then there are the
Sennheiser Momentum 3’s which have a retail
price of $400 but they sometimes like to go
on sale as well for a little less than $350.
Over all, yes the Sony’s are the best rounded
headphones here but depending on your needs
and wants than you’ll might be better off
with either of these Sennheiser headphones.
Nonetheless if you want to pick any of these
headphones up they’ll be linked down below.
Alright so lets go over the cases here cause
I do just want to get this out the way. Even
though both of Sennheiser’s headphones come
included with high quality cases… unfortunately
they’re not hardshell cases. So anytime
that I do cram these cases into my backpack
or carry on I do get worried that im going
to crush my headphones. Where as the Sony’s
come included with a really hardshell carrying
case giving you better piece of mind if you’re
stuffing your headphones into an already over
packed back pack. So even though these cases
feel great in your hand, I just wish these
cases offered better protection.
But now lets talk about the headphones themselves.
Build quality wise the Sony’s and PXC 550-II’s
are in the same league. They’re mostly made
out of plastic, they’re ear cups both have
a soft touch feel to them, and the synthetic
leatherette on these headphones feel very
synthetic. It feels good enough to get the
job done but there are plenty of other headphones
out there with better feeling leatherette.
But what really matters is that both of these
headphones feel very sturdy in your hands
and they both have zero cracking or squeaking
when ever you flex them. However, if we switch
over to the momentum 3’s… build quality
wise these headphones are a whole other story.
The momentum 3’s have these exposed stainless
steel arms which are met with this sheep skin
leather wrapped headband and the sheep skin
leather is also found on the ear pads themselves.
And quite frankly, the feel of this real leather
on these ear pads feels awesome, and even
though the leatherette on the Bose NC 700’s
feels great… it still pales in comparison
to the real stuff. So build quality wise the
Momentum 3’s are in a whole other league.
But when it comes to looks… I think some
people are not going to be fans of the Momentum
3’s rustic design. Where as both the Sony’s
and PXC 550-II’s have more modern and more
understated designs to them.
But when it comes to fit… all three of these
headphones fit very different from one another.
Now all three of these headphones are big
head approved cause none of them have a lot
of clapping force. But when it comes to weight…
the PXC 550-II’s weigh in at 227 grams which
is very light cause most ANC headphones in
this category weigh in around 270 to 290 grams.
Where as the Sony’s weigh in at 254 grams
which is also light weight but the sennheiser’s
are just more impressive. Nonetheless both
of these headphones are very easy to forget
that you have on and they aren’t super noticeable
when you’re walking around with them on.
But the PXC 550-II’s are just less noticeable.
But then there are the Momentum 3’s which
are a little heftier weighing in at 305. Now
you can wear these headphones for long periods
of time but you never really forget that they’re
there and you do notice them when you're walking
around with them on. So even though these
headphones are using finer materials… they
don’t let you forget it. But now lets talk
about the ear pads on these headphones. For
the most part the ear pads Sony 1000XM4’s
and Momentum 3’s are just as spacious as
one another. They both should be able to fit
most people just fine. But if you have larger
ears or ears that stick out a lot then you’ll
definitely want to go with the PXC 550-II’s.
The ear pads on these headphones are super
spacious and they’re also more spacious
than the ear pads found on the Bose NC 700’s.
And even though both the ear pads on both
the Sony’s and Momentum 3’s fit me just
fine… I rally do appreciate that extra breathing
room found on the PXC 550-II’s. But also
since these ear pads have so little surface
area communing in contact with your skin…
they also heat up the slowest here. Now neither
of these other two headphones have an over
heating problem but the PXC 550-II’s do
stay cooler for longer improving comfort.
So over all when it comes to fit… the PXC
550-II’s are the winners here by a mile.
Not just cause their ear pads are super spacious
and stay cooler for longer but also cause
they’re so light weight. And also just saying…
these headphones are more comfortable than
the Bose NC 700’s.
But now lets talk about tech specs… both
the Sony’s and Momentum 3’s charge via
a USB C port as they should where as the PXC
550-II’s charge via a Micro USB port which
is an inconvenience at this point. And personally
I just find it so odd that the PXC 550-II’s
charge via micro USB port cause they only
came out a few weeks after the momentum 3’s.
But minor rant aside when it comes to battery
life these headphones do vary. Now the momentum
3’s have an advertised battery life of 17
hours with their ANC turned on and this is
a little bellow average and in general these
are a pair of headphones that I do find myself
having to charge very frequently.
Where as the PXC 550-II’s have an advertised
battery life of 20 hour with their ANC turned
on but again 20 hours is still a little below
average. But then there are the Sony’s which
are good for up to 30 hours of playback time
with their ANC turned on. But just keep in
mind you can always stretch out the battery
life on all of these headphones if you use
them with their ANC turned off.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity
all of these headphones can be connected to
2 devices at the same time so you can easily
hot swap from your phone to your computer.
Now this is a big deal cause this is actually
a new feature for the Sony’s. Now I feel
the 1000XM3’s should have had this but at
least we’ve got it now. Now ultimately its
not huge deal if you’re headphones can do
this but it is nice to be able to.
But more importantly when it comes to watching
movies or videos with your phone, all of these
headphones have pro latency across the board
whether you’re using an iPhone or an android
device. And when it comes to audio codecs…
both of Sennheiser’s headphones have support
for SBC, AAC, APTX and APTX Low Latency where
as the Sony’s have support for SBC, AAC,
and LDAC cause sony is phasing out APTX support
on their Headphones in favor of LDAC which
is their own High Res Audio Codec.
Now if you’re an iPhone user APTX or LDAC
support doesn’t matter cause iPhone’s
top out at AAC. But nonetheless if you want
to use a wired connection with any of these
headphones you can cause they all still have
audio jacks. However if you want you can also
use the USB C port on the Momentum 3’s as
a wired connection where as with the Sony’s
you can’t.
But now lets talk about listening to music
with these headphones cause all three of these
headphones sound very different from one another.
Lets start off with the Sony’s cause over
all the Sony’s are the people pleasers here.
In general the Sony’s are a pair of good
sounding headphones with good clarity, decent
instrument separation, and a decent sound
stage. And thanks to their fully customizable
EQ you can make them sound however you want.
If you like a neutral or bass heavy EQ you
can do that or is you like a Bass heavy EQ
you can also do that. And the bass on the
Sony’s is going to physically rattle your
head a decent amount and it should be able
to satiate most people who like to physically
feel their music. Now personally I just like
using these headphones with their stock EQ
but I do like switching them over to a more
bass heavy EQ when im going to watch movies
with them cause it does add an extra level
of immersiveness to whatever you’re watching.
But then there are the PXC 550-II’s which
have far better instrument separation and
a much wider sound stage making these headphones
sound much more open than the Sony’s. Cause
even though the Sony’s sound great… the
Sony’s do sound much more narrow when compared
to the PXC 550-II’s. Cause with the PXC
550-II’s you’re much more engulfed by
your music tan with the Sony’s. Now at the
end of the day the PXC 550-II’s are going
to be better suited for people who prefer
a neutral of vocals focus EQ or for people
looking for the better instrument separation
here. Cause even though you can somewhat mess
around with the EQ on these headphones…
you don’t have as much control as you do
with the Sony’s. But personally I do like
boosting the Rumble on these headphones cause
with this setting turned on you will get to
physically feel your bass. Now these headphones
aren’t going to physically rattle your head
as much as the Sony’s but I think they do
rattle enough to please some people. However
the bass on these headphones is very different
than the bass on the Sony’s. The bass on
the Sony’s have more of a kick to it whereas
the bass on the PXC 550-II is more like a
rumble. Over all I do prefer how the PXC 550-II’s
sound over the Sony’s cause of their wider
sound stage… but I do think more people
are going to prefer the Sony’s cause of
the kick of their bass.
But finally there are the momentum 3’s and
the Momentum 3’s are currently my favorite
pair of headphones to listen to music with
when im working at home. Just like the PXC
550-II’s the momentum 3’s have a much
wider sound stage and better instrument separation
than the Sony’s making you feel more engulfed
by your music. But the major difference here
is the momentum 3’s have an adjustable EQ
and a few weeks ago Sennheiser updated their
EQ. You’ve still got the single knob set
up but now you can also independently adjust
the bass, mids and treble on these headphones
giving you more control. Cause before if you
wanted a bass heavy eq on these headphones
they would end up sounding shallow cause the
mids on these headphones would get pushed
down. But now you can raise the bass on these
headphones but also up the mids a little bit
so that you can actually hear the vocals.
And let me tell you, if you’re someone that
likes a bass heavy EQ then these headphones
can rattle your head a disgusting amount.
But again the bass on the Momentum 3’s is
different from the bass on the Sony’s. The
bass on the Momentum 3’s is more of a rumble
like the PXC 550-II’s but these can rattle
your head way more. Ultimately for the most
part I just use these headphones while in
their stock EQ cause I do appreciate their
balanced sound… but if I just want to jam
out and really want to feel my music I’ll
switch these headphones over to my pre made
bass heavy EQ. And personally I do think the
bass on these headphones is more fun than
the bass on the Sony’s.
Now when it comes to controlling your music,
the momentum 3’s are using physical buttons.
And this might actually be a deciding factor
for some people. And as far as buttons go
these are easy to find, easy to tell apart
and they have a good click to them. Where
as both the Sony’s PXC 550-II’s are using
touch pads. Now for the most part these touchpads
are the same, you can swipe up or down to
raise or lower the volume and you can swipe
front or back to skip through your music.
Now over all both of these touchpads do have
a high level of accuracy but on occasion you
will get missed inputs. But neither of these
two touch pads are problematic.
But also all three of these headphones have
wear sensors where if you take your headphones
off they’ll automatically pause your music
and then when you put them back on they’ll
start playing your music again. Now personally
I don’t care for were sensors so I just
turn them off… But I do want to point out
that Sony’s exposed wear sensor just looks
very janky and just looks like an after though
where as the wear sensors on these other two
headphones are just completely hidden.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancellation
on these headphones. Now all three of these
headphones have very little cabin pressure
but I have noticed that both of Sennheiser’s
headphones have less cabin pressure than the
Sony’s which does improve comfort. Now the
active noise cancellation on all of these
headphones doesn’t change how your music
sounds… and the microphone array on all
of these headphones do a good job of blocking
out wind noise when walking out doors. But
I have notice the Sony’s do better job of
blocking out wind noise. But nonetheless we’re
going to jump into ANC test.
So like you may have just seen the Momentum
3’s pale in comparison when compared to
the Sony 1000XM4’s and PXC 550-II’s. The
ANC On the Momentum 3’s is useful for like
when your using them at home but if you are
a constant commuter or constant flyer then
you are going to want to go with these other
two headphones.
Now when it comes to road noise or the constant
low frequency sound… the 1000XM4’s do
block out a touch more noise than the PXC
550-II’s but when it comes to chatter or
the random high frequency sound I gotta say
these headphones are evenly matched. Upon
closer inspection of my results from this
controlled test where these headphones are
blocking out the same audio sample I can’t
definitely pick a winner when it comes to
blocking out chatter. Ultimately both of these
headphones are blocking out a lot of noise
and the Sony’s are blocking out more noise
than the PXC 550-II’s when it comes to road
noise… but I think we also gotta take into
consideration that the PXC 550-II’s have
a little less cabin pressure. But then the
Sony’s are blocking out more road noise
and their microphone array does a better job
of blocking out wind noise. So when it comes
to ANC I think its a draw between the Sony
1000XM4 and Sennheiser PXC 550-II but for
different reasons. However like I mentioned
in the full review… the Sony’s 1000XM3’s
running their 4.5.2 firmware are blocking
out more noise than the Sony 1000XM4 running
their 2.0.6 firmware. So nonetheless both
the 1000XM4’s and PXC 550-II’s have great
active noise cancelation. But if I had to
get on an airplane today im still using my
1000XM3’s.
But now lets talk about the ambient modes
on these headphones. Now both the Momentum
3’s and Sony’s have an ambient mode that
sound very natural with zero hissing in the
background which is very important for when
you’re watching movies with your headphones.
But only the Sony’s actually allow you to
adjust how much noise they let in. Where as
with the Momentum 3’s its one size fits
all. And unfortunately the PXC 550-II’s
don’t have a full fledge ambient mode where
you can have your ambient mode turned on and
play music at the same time. They do have
a conversation mode which is something we'll
touch on in a minute. But over all I do prefer
Sony’s ambient mode over the momentum 3’s
cause they have an active ambient mode meaning
that they’ll actively block out sudden spikes
in loud noises saving you from jump scares.
But im just going to show you what im talking
about. Slight headphones warning.
So like you may have just seen when the Sony’s
detected that loud noise they turned their
ambient mode off and then when that loud noise
stoped that turned their ambient mode back
on. Now personally I love when headphones
have an active ambient mode cause it does
save you from jump scares. Where as the momentum’s
just let in everything. And this can also
really come in handy when you’re working
at home with your headphones on and your dog
starts barking when the UPS man comes around.
Now another new feature on the Sony 1000XM4’s
that sony is really trying to push on their
headphones is this new speak to chat feature
which I like to think of as an extension of
their ambient mode which works a little like
this.
But ultimately for me speak to chat is just
one of those gimmicks that im just not going
to use. No speak to chat doesn’t get activated
when other people are talking around you it,
does a great job of rejecting that. But if
you do decide to use speak to chat on these
headphones then you have to be completely
silent. Speak to chat on these headphones
will get activated if you’re singing along
to your music, if you’re thinking out loud
even very quietly, and it’ll also get active
if you start laughing.
Now even though yes you can quickly turn speak
to chat on or off directly on these headphones
by pressing two fingers on their touch pad
as well as through their app. I still find
it to be more of a nuance rather than helpful
when my headphones stop my music when I utter
a few words. Just cause I say thank you when
im getting off the bus or checking out at
the deli it doesn’t mean I need my music
or podcast to stop. So personally I just permanently
just keep speak to chat on these headphones
off.
And personally if I am going to have a quick
conversation with someone I do prefer to use
quick attention cause I have full control
over it. Cause if you fully cover the touch
pad on these headphones therye going to lower
the volume of your music and let in all of
the ambient sound around you like this
And then when you let go they’ll go back
to normal again. Now even though I do prefer
quick attention over speak to chat… it could
be better. The problem with quick attention
is that you gotta constantly keep this touch
pad covered. And if you’re going to try
to talk to someone like this… this both
looks and feels very awkward. Sony has to
change it so that when you fully cover their
touch pad for a full second the headphones
will get looked into quick attention… you
can let go and have your conversation with
you hands free like a normal human and then
when you’re done you can double tap on the
touch pad and the headphones will go back
to normal again.
Cause both of Sennheiser’s headphones have
a similar feature but once its activated your
hand are free like this.
So like you may have just seen with the PXC
550-II’s you just double tap on the touch
pad and with the Momentum 3’s they actually
have a physical toggle. So im just making
a big deal about this cause I know sony can
make quick attention better on their headphones
with a simple change that they can push out
through a software update.
But finally here’s the microphone test.
And I gotta say the microphone on both the
momentum 3’s and PXC 550-II sound basically
identical.
My voice sounds the same and these headphones
are doing the same type of job blocking out
ambient noise. Case right now I have this
AC unit turn on and if we were to switch over
to my lapel microphone you’re going to clearly
hear that AC unit. But if we switch back over
to the PXC 550-II’s you don’t hear it
as much.
Now if we were to switch over to the Sony
1000XM4’s I think my voice comes out a little
more but its still not super clear. But again
this microphone is doing a great job of blocking
out ambient noise. Cause again if we were
to switch over to my lapel microphone you
can clearly hear that AC unit. But if we switch
back over to the Sony 1000XM4’s you can’t
hear it as much.
So with all that being said… ultimately
if you’re a heavy commuter looking for a
pair of ANC headphones than I do feel you’re
better off with the Sony 1000XM4’s. The
Sony’s come included with a hardshell carrying
case, they have the longest battery life here,
and even though when it comes to ANC the 1000XM4’s
are evenly matched with the PXC 550-II…
I still think the Sony’s are the better
option here cause of their more robust ambient
mode. But I still wouldn’t write off the
PXC 550-II’s here. The PXC 550-II sound
significantly better than the Sony’s cause
of their more open sound stage… but you’ll
still might be better off with the Sony’s
if you want that kick in your bass. But also
the PXC 550-II’s are way more comfortable
than the Sony’s cause of their roomier ear
pads that also stay cooler for longer and
super light weight. So if you can pick up
these headphones up at a deep discount I would
definitely pull the trigger. The only thing
is their lack of an ambient mode which is
not only crucial for commuters but its also
very helpful for when you’re at home. And
then there’s also the fact that they’re
still using a micro USB port which can be
a big deal for android users. But finally
there are the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s and
these are my favorite pair headphones to listen
to music with not only cause of their impressive
soundstage… but thanks to Sennheiser’s
new EQ these headphones can also give you
a disgusting amount of head rattling bass.
Which can be a lot of fun from time to time.
But personally I do think these are better
suited to mostly be used at home and occasionally
travel with them. Their big bulky case, weight,
chunky ear pads and short battery life aren’t
the best for constantly commuting. But if
your main priority is sound… then these
won’t disappoint.
