- [Michael] Let me say this up front,
I hate putting a question in a headline.
Too often it's used as a cheap shortcut for easy clicks.
But in this case, it's not just an appropriate question,
it's the most important one.
This is the Sennheiser PXC-550,
and it's one of the more expensive
travel headsets you can buy.
What I want to know is, is it better than the Bose QC 35?
The headset I've used as the benchmark for quality in 2016.
I'm Mr. Mobile, let's find out.
Sennheiser's reputation for quality
is keenly reflected in this headset.
Once you get past the flimsy carrying case
that's not quite as nice as the one you get from Bose,
the cans themselves are excellently made with black plastic
done up in soft touch paint and framed by metal accents.
The 550 looks fancier than the QC 35,
it's adjustable headband sliders feel better made
and there's a tech bonus too, the right side earpiece
plays host to a touch pad that lets you control volume
and track selection with a series of swipes.
Also, there's no humdrum power button.
Instead, you turn the 550 off and on by twisting
the cans to their stowed or deployed position.
It takes some getting used to but after a while,
once you get into the flow,
the coolness outweighs the slight inconvenience.
In terms of battery life, the headset will last you about
as long as the Bose will, which is to say forever.
I've used it on trains, buses, cars, planes,
and on walks to every Dunkin' Donuts in between
and the only times the headset has fallen short
of it's 30 hour battery claim are the times
I forget to turn them off.
You gotta get used to stowing them properly
when you wanna save juice because as far as I can tell,
there's no automatic power off.
And how does it sound?
Tremendous.
Remember how blown away I was by the acoustic
noise cancellation on the QC 35?
The 550 is almost, if not just as, good.
And it's smarter too, the CapTune app
for Android and iOS lets you adjust how
intense that noise cancellation is.
It tells you things like battery level
and what sound mode you're in and it gives
you an EQ with some presets to play around with.
Though those will only work on locally stored media.
Now if you want, you can adjust the effect mode right
on the headphones with the tap of a button
and those work with all audio and your options
are club, movie, speech, or off.
I prefer the latter.
The 550 kicks out nice even sound without the need
of any audio effects.
So what's bad about it?
Well, that damn wind problem is no better
on the Sennheiser than on the Bose.
Wear these in a stiff breeze and the air over
the microphones will make you feel
like someone's blowing in your ear,
and not in a good way.
Also the headset is a little less flexible,
tighter on the head than some others.
And the otherwise lovely computer voice calls everything
a phone, even if you pair it to a laptop or a tablet.
- [Automated] Phone one connected.
- [Michael] Oh speaking of phone calls,
I don't really like them on noise cancelling headsets,
I think the artificial side tone makes everyone sound
far away and the experience here isn't much different.
Callers also said my voice quality on their end
wasn't particularly good,
if there was any kind of background noise.
Are those downsides enough to bring down the 550?
Not at all.
Look, it's expensive,
even more than the already pricey QC 35,
but to my ear, it equals or exceeds the Bose product
in nearly every category.
Now in terms of overall comfort,
I still have to give the point to the QC 35.
Then if I were choosing between the two,
I'd still go for the Bose to save a few bucks
and for the additional decibel or two in noise cancellation.
But the 550 gets so much right in such a classy package
that I can't give it anything but a thumbs up.
If you travel a ton, and you've got the cash,
snap these up, you probably won't regret it.
I've reviewed almost as many headsets as smartphones in 2016
so if you're in the market for something less expensive,
more flashy, or just plain insane,
then check out Mr. Mobile's other videos on YouTube
and remember to subscribe while you're there.
Till next time.
Thanks for watching,
and stay mobile my friends.
Huh?