If you want to transform your audio and physical journeys then Bluetooth, active noise-cancelling headphones are a must rather than a luxury. But even if you don’t sit up front, they are wonderful for insulating you from noisy children and chainsaw snorers.
I want to start this review by admitting a strong bias towards the Sennheiser sound signature over a very long time – from my first wired set in the 80s to a wireless set in the noughties and they are still going strong due to the company's amazing support in making replacement ear pads, batteries and parts available if you ever need them.
So the new $629.95 PCX 550 wireless (Bluetooth), hybrid adaptive noise-cancelling headphones have a lot to live up to – and the good news is they meet or exceed my every expectation.
But it’s a very crowded market with Bose, Parrot, Plantronics, Sony, B&O, Beats, and many more competing in this space. Read on for the review.
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To position this it has:
- Bluetooth 4.2 A2DP v1.3, aptX, NFC pairing
- Frequency response 16-23000Hz (more than humans hear)
- Total Harmonic distortion of .5%
- Three mics for use as a hands-free phone and a further four for ANC
- Weight is 227g
- Touch-sensitive trackpad on the right ear cup
- Sound limiter for unexpected peaks like in-flight announcements
- CapTune iOS and Android app for equaliser and profiles
- 3.7Vm 700mAh non-removable battery. Claimed 30-hour using 3.5-2.5mm audio cable, or 20 hours with Bluetooth and ANC. Can also be used as a USB speaker device while charging (excellent) or as a passive, unpowered headset with the audio cable.
- A great compact carry case and USB-A to micro-USB cable, 3.5mm cable, dual airline adaptor, and 6mm audio adaptor
Out of the box
It is all contained in a small, black fabric, gibbous moon-shaped saddle bag that is neither attractive or ugly – it is functional. It fits the folded headphones, an audio cable, airline adapter, and a 6.5mm adaptor.
It has a 49-page downloadable manual — a good read to explore alll the features — and a quick hard copy guide that will get you started.
Initial charging from a 500mAh USB2.0 charger takes about three hours. Pushing higher amperage e.g. 2.1 does shorten that time a bit.
Pair by pushing the Bluetooth switch (Windows, macOS or iOS) or NFC with an Android device and you are good to go. It has four LEDs that tell you battery charge in 25% increments and other indicators. I had no issues pairing to a Samsung Note7 or a Surface Book but with the latter, it sent the Logitech MX-2 mouse crazy. I suspect that is a channel issue, and I will investigate further.
Comfort/looks/use
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Bose has a more compact look, Parrot Zik 3.0 has sensual and colourful real leather, Plantronics Backbeat Pro looks very industrial … The review set looks elegant, black, professional, clean and well-made.
You switch the headphones on by folding them out from “flat”. I got a few false power downs until I mastered that. I also found that I had to remember to twist to turn off and on more than one occasion came back after a few hours to be greeted by a flat battery.
While they are light enough for long use, the ear pads make a firm fit around the ears. While that is good for sound isolation, you will need to take a break every few hours to cool down.
How does it sound?
Classic Sennheiser big sound. I admit to a fondness for the Sennheiser sound signature just as I prefer, say, the Klipsch loudspeaker sound signature – but that is all highly personal preference.
In its flat mode, it has good bass, mid-range, and upper range. But flick a switch and put it in another mode and that is a different story. You can toggle through effect modes including club (music), movie (bass), speech (treble) or nothing (flat). These modes are basic but make quite a difference, and I found myself cycling through to find the best for a music genre or movie. Then there is the comprehensive app – CapTune.
On sound signature, I would put it marginally ahead of the Bose and on a par with the Parrot.
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC)
Bose is considered the gold standard and I had a pair of Quiet Comfort35s to test against. The Sennheiser Noise Guard offers very close, hiss-free listening, and unlike Bose, you can adjust the amount of ANC from off, on and adaptive. The latter means less pressure sensation on your ears.
I would say that Bose has a very slight edge here.
CapTune – the app
In theory, it is great, but customisations don’t seem to be applicable for anything other than audio stored on an iOS or Android device and played via the app.
Using the app, you can get exactly what you want, then you switch to a Windows tablet or MacBook and it's back to defaults.
Hands-free
The right ear cup panel is used to navigate tracks with side-to-side finger swipes or adjust volume using up-and-down swipes. You can also answer, end, reject or place calls on hold by tapping or holding your finger down on the panel when calls are coming in. During a call, you can swipe to mute or unmute the microphone.
It is one of the best, clearest, hands-free headphones I have used, with a side-tone feature that allows you to hear your voice in the phones.
But I liked the 2x tap that activates talk through allowing you to listen to and talk to others without removing the headset. When the call is over, it resumes your music or movie.
Battery
Like almost all manufacturers it quotes corded, ANC off battery life (the longest) at an impressive 30 hours. Bose claim 40 hours in a similar vein.
The reality is that in wireless mode, ANC on and normal volume you should get 20 hours solid use and that is impressive. I did not have the ability to test it out but after 10 one-hour uses it still showed 50% battery.
You can check battery level by pressing the touchpad for four seconds and will get a voice prompt and a LED readout. The battery is non-removable but can be replaced by a Sennheiser technician.
Conclusion
A full-featured, full-sized, yet fairly compact, Bluetooth, ANC headset that plays in the same price and specifications space as Bose Quiet Comfort 35 or Parrot Zik 3.
Comparisons are subjective but it is as good at noise reduction as the Bose, it has the touch control features of the Parrot, it meets or exceeds the sound quality of both (each has a distinctly different sound signature) and battery life is excellent – all in all it is the best I have seen in this bracket.
Its power-on swivel ear cups need to be mastered and that is the only negative. This is an excellent headset.
It is hard to choose one over the other so it will come down to looks and appeal rather than performance. Overall it beats Bose by a small margin but remember it is more expensive. Parrot Zik is just damned sexy.
I am going to give them a nine out of 10 rating (because nothing is ever perfect) so that is the highest commendation I can make. Sennheiser you have done it again.
Parrot Zik 3.0 review here.
Bose Quiet Comfort 35 review here.
Plantronics BackBeat Pro+ review here.