The Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless are decent, well-rounded headphones. These premium-looking over-ears are very similar to the previous version, and the most noticeable difference is their greatly improved ANC performance. Their sound profile is very well-balanced and they should be versatile enough for most genres of music. Like the previous version, they have a comfortable and very stable fit, meaning they're even a good choice if you prefer using over-ear headphones at the gym.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II are decent over-ear headphones for mixed usage. They're quite comfortable and their ANC blocks a good amount of ambient noise, making them great for commuting or using in the office. They're also very stable and breathe well for over-ear headphones, making them a good choice if you prefer the fit of over-ears at the gym. They also have a fairly well-balanced sound profile that's well-suited for a wide variety of genres and content.
These neutral sound of these headphones is decent. While their bass and mid ranges are excellently well-balanced, unfortunately, their treble isn't and may sound harsh or piercing. Due to their closed-back design, they also have a very poor soundstage reproduction which sounds small and in the user's head. Overall, they're versatile and well-suited for most genres of music, but more critical listeners may want to look elsewhere.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II are very good for commuting or travel. Thanks to their well-padded design, they're quite comfortable and can be worn for extended periods without fatigue or soreness. They also have a very good battery life, which is great for long flights. Their ANC performance is also great and does an effective job of blocking out the engine noise on a plane or bus. Unfortunately, they aren't the most portable, though they do fold flat and come with a soft carrying case to give them mild protection.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II are good over-ear headphones for sports use. They're comfortable and feel quite stable on the head, meaning they likely won't move or fall off during jogs or light work-outs. They also breathe very well for over-ear headphones, so you won't sweat more than usual, making them a very good choice if you prefer the fit of over-ears but want headphones that you can also take with you to the gym.
These headphones are good for using in the office. They're quite comfortable and have a very long battery life, meaning you should be able to use them for a full work day. Their ANC also does an excellent job of blocking out background chatter, helping you keep focused at work. Unfortunately, they do leak a bit of audio, though it likely won't be enough to bother those around you unless you work in an extremely quiet environment or blast your music.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II aren't recommended for wireless gaming. They can only connect wireless via Bluetooth, meaning they won't be compatible with PS4 or Xbox One. While you can pair them to a Bluetooth-enabled PC, their high latency makes them a poor choice for gaming, unless your PC supports aptX(LL).
These headphones are decent for wired gaming. While technically they work, it's worth noting that when plugged into the controller for an Xbox One, we were able to get audio, but unfortunately the microphone didn't work. On PS4, both audio and the microphone were supported, but talk-through on the headphones was automatically enabled and couldn't be turned off, which may get irritating if you game in noisy environments. This doesn't appear to be an issue if you plug the headphones directly into the PS4 console using USB. For PC we did not notice these issues, and the headphones and microphone worked as expected.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II are decent headphones for phone calls. Their microphone performance is decent and speech transmitted with these headphones sounds better than many other Bluetooth headphones. Unfortunately, their noise handling isn't very good, and the person on the other end of the line will likely have a difficult time hearing you if you're in even a moderately noisy environment.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless are quite comfortable over-ears. They have the same great padding as the PXC 550, with fairly small ear cups that should still be large enough to comfortably fit most people. Unfortunately, though the headband is heavily cushioned and comfortable, it doesn't extend too far, so these headphones may not fit all head sizes and shapes.
The touch-sensitive control scheme of the PXC 550-II is great. It's quite intuitive and easy-to-use and lets you adjust volume, skip tracks, turn on/off talk-through, and pause/play music or answer/hang up phone calls. The Bluetooth button pulls up your phone's assistant, and there's a dedicated slider to choose from the 3 levels of ANC: off, user mode, and max.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II are quite stable and shouldn't easily fall off your head. They're just as stable as the first generation and are some of the best over-ear headphones for working out we've tested. While they may not be stable enough for more intense workouts, you should be able to jog with them without them swaying too much or falling off.
The sound profile of the Sennheiser PXC 550-II is bright and well-balanced and should be well-suited for most genres of music and content like podcasts and audiobooks. Unfortunately, the treble range isn't as well-balanced as bass and mid, which may cause vocals to be lacking in detail, and produce slightly harsh and piercing sibilants (S and T sounds).
The frequency response consistency of the Sennheiser PXC 550-II is decent. They're fairly consistent in the bass range, but their treble delivery is sensitive to the fit and positioning of these headphones on the head. This means that different people may experience their treble reproduction differently.
The bass response of the Sennheiser PXC 550-II is excellent and very well-balanced. While they won't provide head-rattling bass, they will produce just the right amount of thump and rumble. Overall, their bass is deep, well-balanced, and punchy, without sounding muddy or boomy.
The mid-range response of the Sennheiser PXC 550-II is very accurate. Low-mid and mid-mid follow the neutral curve almost perfectly, meaning lead instruments should sound detailed and present. In high-mid, our right driver dipped, though this result may not occur on all units, and overall, vocals should still stay present and sound detailed as well.
The peaks and dips performance of the Sennheiser PXC 550-II is decent. The most noticeable peaks/dips are in the treble range, which unfortunately is quite uneven. The dips in low-treble will result in some detail being lost from vocals, whereas the peaks in mid-treble will cause cymbals and sibilants (S and T sounds) to sound harsh and piercing.
The imaging performance of the Sennheiser PXC 550-II is great. The group delay is below the audibility threshold for almost the entire range, although it does cross it in low-bass, suggesting that the sub-bass may be a bit loose. Our L/R drivers also have a slight frequency mismatch, though this may not be noticeable. It's worth noting that these results are only valid for our unit and yours may perform differently.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II have a poor soundstage. There's not much pinna activation, and the closed-back design sounds less open than open-back headphones. The soundstage will likely sound fairly small and unnatural, and be inside the listener's head as opposed to in front.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II have great noise isolation performance, and their ANC feature works much better than the PXC 550. They do a good job at blocking the low rumble of plane and bus engines, and an excellent job blocking background speech. This means they'll be a great choice for your daily commute or to block out chatty coworkers in the office.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II have decent leakage performance. Most of the leakage will be from high frequencies and therefore will sound quite thin. Even at higher volumes, the amount of leakage is around the same as the noise floor of most offices. As long as you don't blast your music in very quiet environments, you shouldn't bother those around you.
Update 06/17/2020: We've retested these headphones for passive playback and fixed the review as they do work passively. This review has been updated to reflect these changes.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II have excellent battery performance. Their total battery life of over 21 hours means that they should easily last you a few days without you having to worry about charging them. They have an optional smart pause to pause your music when you remove the headphones and also go into a standby mode after 5 minutes without a Bluetooth connection. To turn off the headphones completely, you simply fold the ear cups flat. It's worth noting that while our test unit fully charged in under 1.5 hours, they're advertised as taking three hours to charge.
Update 03/06/2020: We had incorrectly stated there were no EQ settings available. There are indeed a few EQ presets, but no customizable graphic or parametric EQ. The text has been updated.
The dedicated companion app for the Sennheiser PXC 550-II is acceptable. Besides providing ANC adjustment, it only has a few EQ presets and room effects, unlike the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless which have a full parametric EQ. On the upside, it's available on both iOS and Android.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II are Bluetooth headphones that support aptX(LL) for low-latency connections. While their default latency is decent, their aptX(LL) latency is quite good and should result in barely noticeable audio lag, assuming your device supports this codec.
These headphones are Bluetooth-only for their wireless connection.
Update 01/09/2020: Our wired latency test for the PXC 550 was incorrectly done with the analog audio connection and has since been retested with the USB connection with an updated score. However, the PXC 550-II was done with the USB connection and the score remains unchanged.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II can be used wired with the included 1/16" to 1/8" TRRS cable if your device has a headphone port. They also can carry audio and charge through USB when connected to a PC.
These headphones can be used for both audio and microphone with PS4 when wired into the controller via the included TRRS cable. However, in our tests, this enabled talk-through on the headphones and couldn't be turned off, which could be irritating. On PC, we didn't have this problem. This doesn't appear to be an issue if you connect the headphones directly to your PS4 console with USB.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II are very similar to the previous version. They both look and feel the same, with the main improvement being their ANC performance, which works much better. They fit a lot more stable on the head than the similar Sony WH-1000XM3 or Bose QC35 II, which makes them a great option if you like using over-ears at the gym. See our recommendations for the best wireless Bluetooth headphones, the best noise cancelling headphones, and the best over-ear headphones.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless are a minor upgrade over the Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless. They have much better ANC performance and an easier-to-use control scheme. Other than that, they both look almost identical, have the same features, and have very similar sound profiles.
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 are better headphones than the Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless. The Bose are much more comfortable, have a much better-balanced sound profile, and isolate noise better. The Sennheiser, on the other hand, are better for using at the gym due to their more breathable and stable design.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless are better headphones than the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless. They have better controls, a much more accurate sound profile, and feel more stable. On the other hand, the Bowers & Wilkins feel much more premium, have a much longer battery life and have very similar ANC performance.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless are very similar to the Bose 700 Headphones Wireless. The Bose are slightly more comfortable, feel a bit better built, and have better ANC. On the other hand, the Sennheiser feel more stable on the head, breathe better, and have a very similar sound profile.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless are very similar to the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless. The Sonys are slightly more comfortable, feel slightly better built, and have much better noise isolation. On the other hand, the Sennheiser have better controls, a more stable fit, and a more accurate and less bass-heavy sound profile.
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless and the Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless each have their pros and cons. Their sound profiles are fairly similar overall but fans of bass will prefer the added thump the Momentum 3 provide. While they both have great noise isolation, the Momentum 3 reduce more noise in the bass range while the PXC 550-II isolate better in the mid-range. Their battery performance is also better than the Momentum, but they don't feel as well-built.
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless are more versatile than the Bowers & Wilkins PX5 Wireless. The over-ear Sennheiser have a more comfortable and stable fit, a more neutral sound profile, a better integrated microphone, and full audio and microphone compatibility on a wired connection. They also support the aptX-LL codec for low latency audio, though the Bowers & Wilkins' audio latency is lower across most devices. The Bowers & Wilkins are better-built, have a much longer battery life, leak less audio, and have a superior control scheme.