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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.