Like I said in the full review… the Sennheiser
PXC 550-II’s are a very peculiar pair of
ANC headphones that just don’t live up to
their full potential.
But strangely enough I still really enjoy
them.
They’re definitely not perfect for everyone.
But they’re a good alternative to the Sony
1000XM3 and Bose NC 700’s depending on your
needs and circumstances.
So here’s how the Sennheiser PXC 550-II
stack up against the Sony 1000XM3 and Bose
NC 700.
So price wise, both the PXC 550-II’s and
1000XM3’s retail for $350.
But since the Sony’s are a little over a
year old they sometimes go on sale now for
$300 or even sometimes as low $280.
Where as the Bose NC 700’s came out in the
summer of 2019 and retail for $400.
If you want to pick either of these headphones
up they’ll be linked down below and if you
want to learn more about either of these headphones
please watch their full reviews cause we’re
only going to be going over the main differences.
So first off I want to address the carrying
cases here cause like I said in the full review
im not all that impressed with the PXC 550-II’s
case.
Since its not a hardshell case like Sony’s
or Bose’s you’ll might have to be more
mindful of it if you have it in your back
pack or if you’re traveling with them.
Where as both of Sony’s and Bose’s case
are hard shell cases that do a much better
job of keeping your headphones safe and they
all have better storage compartments for your
cables.
Like I’ve said in the past if you’re paying
upwards of $300 for any pair of headphones
a decent hardshell case is to be expected.
Now when it comes to the headphones themselves
the Sennheiser PXC 550-II’s have the worst
over all build quality here.
To me they feel pretty cheap cause the leatherette
on these ear cups and headband feels very
synthetic and the plastics used on these headphones
feels cheap as well.
Now the Sony 1000XM3’s are mostly made out
of plastic as well and their leatherette feels
very synthetic too… but since the soft touch
material on the out side of these ear cups
feels smoother and since the plastic on these
headphones feels denser I gotta say the Sony’s
have better build quality than the Sennheiser’s.
But the Bose NC 700’s have the best over
all build quality here mainly because their
leatherette feels buttery smooth.
Which in turn feels great when its pressed
against your head.
But when it comes to over all comfort, I gotta
say the Bose NC 700’s are the least comfortable
headphones in this line up for me.
If you have a smaller head they fit you just
fine and their ear cups are very roomy…
but since these headphones have the most amount
of clamping force here… to be on the safe
side I gotta say these headphones are not
big head approved.
Where as the Sony 1000XM3’s are big head
approved cause they have noticeably less clamping
force than the Bose.
But since the ear cups on the Sony’s are
a little cramped they’re not going to fit
people who have large ears or ears that stick
out a lot.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II’s on the other
hand are the most comfortable headphones here.
Just like the Sony’s they have very little
clamping force making them big head approved.
And just like the Bose, they have very spacious
ear cups.
So they should be able to fit most ear types.
The PXC 550-II’s give you the best of both
worlds.
But also, another reason why the PXC 550-II’s
are so comfortable is cause they’re so light
weight weighing in at 230 grams which is super
light for headphones in this price range in
general.
Where as the Sony 1000XM3’s weigh in at
255 grams and the Bose NC 700’s weigh in
the 263 grams.
Both the Sony’s and Bose are light weight
in their own right but the Sennheiser’s
just take it to a whole other level.
And the PXC 550-II’s light weight just make
them super easy to forget that you have them
on.
Now when it comes to tech specs, one of my
biggest critiques about the PXC 550-II’s
is that they still charge via a Micro USB
port, instead of a USB C port like the Sony
and Bose.
But when it comes to battery life, the PXC
550-II’s perform just about the same as
the Bose NC 700’s lasting me about a week
in between charges.
Where as under the same usage conditions,
the Sony 1000XM3’s last between a week and
half or 2 weeks in between charges.
Regarding bluetooth connectivity all of these
headphones have stable Bluetooth connections
and they’re perfectly fine for watching
movies on your phone like they should…
But its very important to keep in mind that
only the Bose and Sennheiser’s allow you
to be connected with 2 devices at the same
time.
So you can hot swap from your phone to your
computer.
Where as the Sony’s can only be connected
to one device at a time.
So switching between your 2 main devices isn’t
as seamless.
Now when it comes to actually listening to
music with these headphones… the Sony’s
are the crowd pleasers here.
All three of these headphones sound good but
the Sony’s are the only headphones here
that are going to be able to please almost
every one.
Since these headphones have a fully customizable
EQ you can make them sound how ever you want.
If you like a neutral sound signature you
can do that, or if you like a bass heavy sound
signature you can also do that.
But if you’re someone that likes to physically
feel the bass in your music then you’re
definitely going to want to go with the Sony’s.
Cause both the Bose NC 700’s and Sennheiser
PXC 550-II’s are neutral sounding headphones
meaning that they have bass that can be heard
but you don’t actually feel it thumping
against your head.
Now the Sennheiser’s have a somewhat adjust
able EQ but its not as useful as Sony’s
EQ and personally I think these headphones
sound best when they’re set to their default
natural EQ setting.
Where as the Bose don’t have an adjustable
EQ setting, you’re stuck with a neutral
sound signature.
Which personally I don’t mind but it all
comes down to personal preference.
Some people want to feel the bass in their
music and other don’t.
But if you’re someone that does want to
feel the bass then the Sony’s are the way
to go.
Now when it comes to controlling your music
playback, all three of these headphones have
touch pads.
And for the most part all three of these touch
pads are perfectly fine.
But personally I do prefer Sony’s touch
pad for the simple fact that you can press
and hold to continuously raise or lower your
volume which is something you can do with
these other headphones.
And personally Bose’s touch pad is my least
favorite here just cause its so small.
But besides those minor knit picks, all three
of these headphones have decent touch pads.
Now when it comes to active noise cancelation,
the sony 1000XM3’s still manage to block
out the most amount of noise here.
But the active noise cancelation on the PXC
550-II’s manages to keep up and in some
cases out performs the active noise cancellation
on the Bose NC 700.
But so that you can see for your self, we’re
going to jump into an ANC Test.
Like you may have just seen, the Sony 1000XM3
still clearly manages to block out the most
amount of road noise and chatter here.
But when it comes second place, its a real
fight between the Bose NC 700’s and Sennheiser
PXC 550-II’s.
The Bose clearly manages to block out more
road noise AKA constant low frequency sounds
than the Sennheiser’s… but the Sennheiser’s
manage to block out more chatter aka higher
frequency sounds than the bose… the PXC
550-II’s manage to block out almost as much
chatter as the Sony 1000XM3’s.
Which is very odd cause usually headphones
have an easier time blocking out road noise
than they do chatter.
So I wonder if Sennheiser would be able to
increase the amount of road noise the PXC
550-II’s block out.
Cause if they can, then Sony better watch
their back.
But when it comes to an overall performance
stand point all three of the active noise
cancellation on these headphones have very
minimal cabin pressure which is important
for comfort and they all do a good job of
rejecting wind noise.
But if I had to nit pick, the Bose have the
most amount of cabin pressure here and the
PXC 550-II’s pick up the most amount of
wind noise here when used out doors.
But again, I'm knit picking here.
But something thats completely lacking on
the PXC 550-II’s thats available on these
other two headphones is an ambient mode.
With both the Sony’s or bose you can pump
in some of the ambient sound around you so
that you can still be aware of you’re surroundings
when you’re walking around the city and
playing music or so that you can still hear
when people call your name when you’re watching
the mandelorian at home.
But as a consolation prize the PXC 550-II’s
do have a hear through feature where if you
double press on their touch pad they’ll
mute your music and pump in all of the ambient
sound around you so that you can quickly talk
to someone without having to take your headphones
off like.
But keep in mind both the bose and Sony’s
can also do this.
So over all its just a bummer the PXC 550-II’s
don’t have an ambient mode cause in my opinion
its a necessity.
But when it comes to the microphones on these
headphones for phone calls… this has never
been a strong suit for the Sony 1000XM3’s
it just sounds very muffled.
Where as the microphone on the Sennheiser’s
sounds much better and its just a good sounding
microphone in general
But the Bose NC 700’s still have the best
sounding microphone here mainly because they
have the best clarity and they don’t peak
as much as the Sennheiser PXC 550-II’s.
But over all, on paper the new Sennheiser
PXC 550-II’s are not better than the Sony
1000XM3 or Bose NC 700’s.
And they frustratingly don’t live up to
their full potential.
Personally I still prefer and recommend the
Sony 1000XM3’s and I would definitely jump
on them if they’re on sale.
But the Sennheiser PXC 550-II’s are a very
good alternative to the Sony 1000XM3’s or
Bose NC 700’s.
If Sony’s ear cups are too cramped for you
go with the Sennheiser’s, or if Bose’s
headband is too tight on you go with the Sennheiser’s.
Personally I really enjoy the PXC 550-II’s
cause they’re so comfortable and they have
the makings of great ANC headphones.
They look good, they sound good, and the active
noise cancelation on these headphones is impressive.
But I just wish Sennheiser brought their A
game here with better build quality, a better
carrying case, a full on ambient mode, and
USB C charging.
