Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing: Sound, Battery, Life Expectancy. Great: Comfort, Noise Cancellation, Controls.
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2020
I just purchased this (PXC 550-II), along with a pair of Bose (QC35 Series II). I already own a pair of Sennheiser PXC 550 (First edition), and a pair of Bose QC35 (Series I), though I seem to have misplaced my old Bose. Most of the following information on battery and life expectancy is regarding these older headphones, as I've had them longer, and nothing seems to have changed between the models, for either one (Aside from the built in Alexa, which I haven't tried out yet).
Sound:
These Sennheisers have amazing sound quality. I can hear all of the tiny details, clearly, in just the right proportions. The bass might be a little lacking, for those that want very "punchy" bass. For those that listen to music all day, the bass is just about perfect (I wouldn't mind a 5% increase in bass); Any more would result in listening fatigue and/or a headache. I feel like the previous model (Sennheiser PXC 550) has slightly more bass than the new PXC 550-II (by about that 5%).
Comparing the PXC 550-II to the Bose QC35 Series II: I noticed during the only song I directly compared them with, that the Bose was playing almost none of the background instrumentals, and the ones it did play were muddled. Switching to the Sennheiser, all of that detail was captured, while still remaining in the "background" - how the music was intended to sound.
Battery:
I haven't tested the batteries on the new models, but based on the previous models: The Bose seemed to be needing a recharge every day or two of use, while the Sennheisers easily last twice as long. I recently moved, and had my headphones packed away for about 7 months, and upon pulling my headphones out, the Bose battery was completely drained, and the Sennheiser was at 90-100% still. It's possible that the Bose had a day of use on them without a recharge, but still. Also note both pairs were bought at the same time (Batteries are the same age).
Life Expectancy:
Based on the previous model: I've owned these Sennheisers for 3 years now, and they are still going strong. I've noticed no issues, no shortened battery life, no cracks or tears, no replacement parts needed. I can say the same for the Bose, but I will say that my previous pair of Bose (AE2) died on me right after the 1 year warrantee period, and when I went to buy a new pair from Best Buy, every pair of Bose headphones on display was also dead.
Comfort:
These headphones are super comfortable. Unfortunately the ear cups are narrower than the Bose, requiring me to move them around a bit to "seat" my ears properly each time I put them on. That said, once on, this does not cause any discomfort to my ears, even after a full day of use. My main (only, really) complaint with these is that these do put more pressure on the sides of your head than the Bose; Though, this is also a good thing. As the Bose headphones slide right off my head any time I jerk my head, or bend over, while these Sennheisers stay put. So if you're doing anything other than sitting down, the mild discomfort is a small price to pay. The Bose ear pads seem softer, but I don't notice an increase in comfort from this.
I kind of wish they used a cloth for the ear cup padding, because leather gets hot after a while, but obviously the noise cancellation would then be non-existent. I just wish they offered this as an option, without noise cancellation.
Noise Cancellation:
The noise cancellation is awesome on the Sennheisers (And the Bose, for that matter). Bose does a better job (by about 15%) at cancelling white noise, like in an airplane, or a busy area with lots of talking. It seems like the Sennheisers do a better job (by about 5%) at cancelling "sharper" noises, like a single person talking. I'd consider the noise cancellation to be amazing, but Bose definitely puts them to shame overall (though, I reckon Bose has the best noise cancellation available).
Both headphones have less "pressure" than other and older noise cancelling headphones. If you're unsure what I am talking about, it feels like your ears need to be popped, caused by the sound the headphones are making to cancel outside noises. I feel like the Sennheisers have less pressure than the Bose, but they also aren't quite as effective, as stated above.
The Sennheisers have adjustable noise cancellation (off, low, high) which is really nice because it extends your battery life if, like me, you very rarely actually need (or want) the noise cancellation.
Controls:
I love the Sennheiser controls. The touch controls and motions are intuitive, it's precisely as responsive/sensitive as I'd like. Another nice feature is the setting that plays outside noises ("anti-noise cancelling"), which is useful if you need to be aware of your surroundings, or someone is talking to you, etc.
I noticed many reviews mentioned an issue with accidentally hanging up calls when adjusting the headphones, but I haven''t had this issue, and don't understand how other people do, unless they have something in their hand, or they are grabbing the outside of the ear cups for some reason - I grab mine by the sides of the ear cups. Granted, I don't talk often on the phone, so I'm less likely to experience this, anyway, but I'd imagine the same exact issue would cause accidental pausing of music, etc., which I haven't had an issue with.
Cons:
The only cons I can think of are:
1) As mentioned in Comfort: The headphones press slightly too firmly on the sides of my head. This could also potentially be a Pro, so I'm reluctant to call it a con.
2) I wish they would have made it possible to both continue your music and play outside sounds when using the "anti noise cancellation" feature. I'd like to be able to listen to music, while still being aware of your surroundings when driving, walking, biking, etc. Perhaps you need to be able to hear your baby crying, but want your tunes.
Apparently I can't leave a review for both the PXC 550 and the PXC 550-II, so a note regarding ONLY the PXC 550 (this has been fixed in the new model): The "surroundings-aware" functionality frequently has issues when playing music. About half the time, double tapping just pauses my music. It might take 3 attempts to get it to turn on.
