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.