Sennheiser PXC 550

These headphones are extremely comfortable and offer some great features. They stop what your'e listening to when you take them off, you can adjust the volume by sliding your fingers along the side of them, the amount of noise cancellation is adjustable, the wireless range is fantastic, and the battery life is great. I use them for music and movies, and can't fault them. The only minor criticism I have is that I would like to be able to turn them up louder. I chose these over the Bose QC35, and I am more than happy with my choice.

Sennheiser PXC 550 sounds great with pretty much everything once you make a few adjustments via the CapTunes app (go into the Director Effect Mode and make adjustments).

I have for instance set the customisable Director Effect Mode as:

Boost = Thump
Spatial = Near
Reverb = High
DLC = On

You can then press the Effect Mode Control button (on the right ear cup) and a Director Effect Mode will be added to the available options. Noise cancellation is ok not as good as the Sonys or the Bose but these do look better for mine. Very comfortable as well. Highly recommend.

Great headphones the sound is great and is something i was expecting from a brand like sennheiser, the noise canceling is very effective & the battery life seems to be very stable. I would happily recommend these to other people.

I bought these specifically for air travel but they have become my regular headphones to use as well in order to block out fan noise from my computer and NAS. I've used these for nearly 18 months so can provide a long term use review.

I was deciding between the PX550, Bose QC35 II, WX-1000xM2 as these were best noise cancelling headsphones on the market at the time I bought these (Oct 2017). In the end, I got these over the QC35 II as from my research they appeared to have similar noise cancellation but Sennheiser was just a bit better for audio quality, and looked and felt much better for build quality. (Sony has since updated to the WM-1000xM3).

I've enjoyed using the PX550 and I would find it very hard to travel without these. There are some cons to be aware of but I think these are dealbreakers. These are premium active noise cancellation headphones with excellent sound quality.

If I was to buy again today, it would probably be a toss up between the PX550 and WX-1000xM3 and I'd simply get the ones that were on sale.

Pros:
- Excellent active noise cancellation (ANC). Be realistic with expectations though for all ANC headphones - they won't completely get rid of high pitched baby crying on a plane.
- Excellent sound quality. I'm not an audiophile but have owned decent headphones/earbuds in the past and can tell what sounds good - the PX550 sound great.
- Build quality and touch panel controls. Here the PX550 and WX-1000xM3 feel more premium than the QC35.
- Connecting to computer via USB cable allows for 16 bit /48kHz sound - can really tell the difference if you have a well encoded movie file vs wireless. USB cable is also of a decent length.
- Good tuning and music player app (CapTune). Useful to tweak the settings for the PX550.

Cons:
- Foam earpads get very warm. This is by far the biggest con and it s the only reason I've given 4 stars instead of 5 stars - it may be a make or break thing for you. I hate how warm the PX550 get on my ears but have learned to tolerate the warmth. I have large ears so they touch the inside edges of the foam pads and my ears will get quite warm after just 10min of use. I can tolerate wearing these for a couple of hours if need be for a movie but more often just remove them every 30min to cool my ears down for a bit. Would be great if Sennheiser had better breathability with the earpads and inner lining. I think the QC35 are much better in this regard. I'm still researching how I can mod or replace the earpads/inner lining for better cooling.
- Terrible case. It's a soft fabric case which has no rigidity so you have to be careful how you stash this in your bag. Also, on the inside, only has the one large mesh pocket which is not good for storing the USB cord, headphone cord, and airplane jack adapters. The double plug jack for airplane use looks and feels cheap and flimsy. For the price, the included case should be much more rigid - more like the Sony or Bose cases. I would recommend getting a better designed protective case.
- Buzzing sound when plugged in via USB and noise cancellation turned on. I think it's not possible to have USB audio together with NC for this headphone. A really pity given how good USB audio sounds through the headphone.
- MicroUSB port on headphone. Really should be USB-C. Reason being again for the price and to avoid damage to the port and housing - a USB-C plug with plastic tip on the end won't scrape up the port on the headphones, and doesn't have the locking prongs of micro USB. Also, with micro USB plugs, I'd recommend using the included one as it's got less resistance when inserting and removing. If you are using generic micro USB cable try to use one with smaller prongs on the tip so you put less stress on the port.

I use these for long flights (7 to 8 hours) and it doesn't hurt. They are really comfortable. Sound quality is decent. Battery life is great too.
The only thing I find annoying is that when the battery is low, around 20%, you get this annoying battery low message every few seconds.

Man I love these things. It's just a sunshine-on-a-crisp-winter-day feeling when they hug your ears and deliver smooth audio goodness.

They worked out of the box. The battery life is awesome. They connect really easily. Are simple to use. Noise cancellation is wonderful. And they sound great! Honestly they're that good that I want to finish my review here. There's just no more to add.

If you're thinking of purchasing wireless headphones, as of 2018/19 these are hard to beat. Best Christmas gift ever :D

Very happy with the sound, quality and build. Used these with laptop. Recommend trying these on instore. I made the mistake to buy online without trying them on. I have a wider head, the earpads clamped and gave me a headache. My brother is very happy with these though!

The sound quality on these headphones are incredible. Much better than the Momentum 2.0. Also very comfortable, but it can get a bit sweaty sometimes so they aren't great for the gym. Bluetooth capabilities are also amazing, I've gone downstairs without my phone with the music still playing.

They are clear with good range and the Bluetooth connection is handled well. I use them during flights for my devices or plugged in for onboard entertainment and the noise cancelling is fantastic. Possibly not as good as my old Bose headphones but close enough. Music sounds great and is reasonably balanced. I would prefer if they were a little louder but this may be a requirement these days for safety reasons.

Hi
This is a long term review. I purchased in May 2017 and sadly in Jan 19 I have taken them back for a refund. I use them every day in my office environment, conference calls and fly at least once per week.

1. Great sound
2. Great noise cancelling
3. Awesome sound and clarity for phone calls - I am on at least 4 conference calls per day

The sad parts
1. The battery was always dicky from the start. Not sure if it was fully charged, didnt ever feel to last the distance quoted. It never lined up with app or the indicitor on iphone. I reckon at the moment it was lucky to be giving me 3 hours, but hey its a battery and I use these things every day in my work life. So it is a consumable that I expect to die.
2. In December it just started dropping off my iPhone 8 a fair bit, mid song, mid call, mid Netflix. I thought maybe IOS but then this month it is now doing it on my HP laptop. I originally thought it was maybe IOS 12 upgrade, until laptop started playing up. Sadly I couldn't find a way to update the firmware on the cans.
3. At the same time the noise cancelling started dropping out all the time
4. Now the worst part the left ear, something to do with noise cancelling, it would drop and do some sort of piercing effect into my left ear and hurt my ear drum.

I tried to persevere but the noise cancellation was dropping off at least once per hour. My flight on Monday night must have dropped 8 times during an episode on Netflix.

So I took them back to JB and got a refund. (just before 18 months). 2 year warranty.

Next move......I WILL PROBABLY BUY ANOTHER SET!

I loved these things. I got 18 months for $500 is a dud root. But I cant live without them. I have looked at the reviews for the Sony XM3s and the sound is atrocious for phone calls. Maybe I will test the BOSE. Maybe I will spec up to the Momentum Wireless.

4 return trips to Europe with these headphones.
Comfortable, long lasting battery, has the 2 pin adapter to connect to aircraft headphone output.
Excellent noise suppression. Worth the cost.
Dropped them, sat on them, knocked them off tables with no issues.
Touch pad controls are great after some practice.
Takes a while to charge but lasts for 12-14 hours.

These are amazing and I have used them on many long haul flights for many continuous hours without getting any headaches or ear pressure problems. Absolutely love them. The best investment for any frequent flyers. Had the Bose Quiet Comfort QC35 II before these and they gave me headaches whenever I used them. Also the Bose always defaulted to noise cancelling mode on and you had to connect to your smartphone app to switch off or switch to halfway. Bose said it was by design but it was just plain poor user experience. Sennheiser have a traditional toggle switch for noise cancelling on-half-off meaning switching between is easy.

I have autism, so I use these headphones almost everyday whether working, at home or out and about. For most indoor purposes they're fantastic. Sound quality is excellent, and even with no music they do a great job of tuning out most background noise. They even do well at reducing supermarket noise. They are comfortable even for very long periods of time (12+ hours), the battery life is good and bluetooth is very convenient.

My only concern is that they pick up any jolts (e.g. if you're wearing them in the car, and there are any variations in road surface as there inevitably are, or if you try to jog then every time your feet hit the ground) and they create a jarring sound. They also interact badly with any wind (creates the same sound you hear if you're talking to someone who is in a windy place, which makes sense given how they work).

These are minor issues, but I think it's worth knowing. If you auditory sensory processing issues, these headphones are a fantastic choice.

I bought these headphones for a long-distance fight. They had great sound quality and certainly cancelled the flight noise. However, I found them extremely uncomfortable. After a couple of hours, the top of my head was very sore and had an indentation, despite adjusting them to the largest head size possible. The volume controls and on/off switching were also quite fiddly. It was also difficult to tell when they were fully charged.

The headphones are really worth it. I use this whenever I travel and it gives me such a huge comfort and convenience. Online Meetings become manageable as well because I was able to multi-task between discussions and writing some notes or making my brekky. I will definitely get another one for my family

These are very comfortable, and very easy to use. I love the touch controls for volume, play, next tune, last tune.The sound isolation and noise cancellation is really good, sometimes I'll just put the set on for some quiet in my noisy work environment. I'm very pleased with my purchase and would buy them again.

These are very good noise cancelling headphones. Judged solely on that scale, they get 5 stars for their ability to hear content during a flight. They are also comfortable though people with very large ears may notice the pads more than I did. They can make your ears sweat a little too in humid conditions.
Notably useful is the PXC 550s ability to pair to two different devices and receive notifications on the first device while listening to music on the second device, allowing calls to come through and mute the music so you can talk.

I have been looking for a new pair of good headphones for such a long time and finally i have found a pair that have the best sound. Way better than my previous headphones. Sound quality is fantastic. They are nice and light to wear and definitely very durable in all conditions

When compared to other headphones these are the most unique and underrated. Especially due to the fact that they allow you to use touch controls in order to control your music. By Simply tapping the right ear cup you are able to pause or play your music. They also have some of the best noise cancellation and have surprisingly long Bluetooth range and a long battery life.

Comfortable, light weight, sturdy and great sound. Was after an upgrade and these headphones did not disappoint. Use them everyday, great for flights and public transport when you want to zone out from all the noise. Whether it's music or podcasts the noise cancellation is the best i've had. I recommend them to everyone