As the wireless vs. wired debate rages in the audio world, it can seem that customers are being deserted by brands, with some companies making strong statements in one direction or the other and leaving people scrambling to pick a side. This isn't the case with, Sennheiser. As the veteran German audio pioneers open two New York locations so you can personally try the Sennheiser audio experience for yourself – one in the heart of SoHo at its Prince Street pop-up, the second, a fully immersive audio experience known as Soundscape at the Westfield World Trade Center – the company is adamant that people should experience the best in sound in whichever way they choose.
Sennheiser's new PXC 550 Wireless headphones, the beautiful HD1s, and the discreetly powerful IE 800 represent the pinnacle of the Sennheiser audio range. The German audio pioneer has literally been at the forefront of wireless audio technology: whether it's through developing top-grade wireless audio hardware for clients like Beyoncé, or through taking this and applying it to its wireless MM and RS headphones series. Even now, as the impact of Apple's decision to remove the audio jack from the iPhone 7 slowly begins to make itself felt, Sennheiser is prepped and ready, with hints that the company is seeing the change as an opportunity to enhance 3D audio technology based purely through wireless digital signals.
With its latest product range, Sennheiser proves that their finger is still on the pulse over 70 years after Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser started the company. So we put them headphones to the test...
Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless
Designed with the serial-traveler in mind, the PXC 550 Wireless headphones provide users their own private audio lounge. Find inner peace against the chaos of travel and the everyday with Sennheiser’s trademark NoiseGard™ Hybrid noise-canceling technology. What's more, they feature up to 30 hours of battery life, as well as touch sensitivity controls, effect modes, Bluetooth/NFC connectivity, and a mobile app that can customize the listening experience to your own personal taste.
As your ultimate journey companion, the accompanying travel-friendly accessories range, the headphone's reduced weight and its easily foldable body makes storage and transportation compact and easy. We put the cans to the test, playing an electronic music mix through the cups to see how it would handle. Thanks to their noise-cancelling technology, the sound was precise and all-encompassing. Highs were crisp and mids and lows were soft and punchy when needed, with the PXC 550s holding up under the weight of some serious rumbling bass and always remaining clear and distinct.
Sennheiser HD1
The HD1 – headphone with MOMENTUM – comes complete with Bluetooth wireless technology and is available in black and ivory and offers a touch of more classic and refined design aesthetics than the technology-driven PXC 550. However, like the PXC 550, they’re lightweight, collapsible, and include NoiseGard™ as well, so you're not skimping on the technology side. In addition, the HD1 features a crystal-clear VoiceMax microphone, encased within a stainless steel and leather build, with an optional jack plug cable in case you want to literally plug in and tune out (or in, as it were).
Listening to the same house music as we subjected the PXC 550 Wirelesses to, sound was mellow yet fine and pronounced, with Sennheiser's trademark aptX® codex carving out the subtle shades of the highs, mids and lows. Not to mention, the high quality, ultra soft brown leather pads offered unparalleled comfort.
Sennheiser IE 800
Sleek, discreet, and ergonomic, Sennheiser’s IE 800 in-ear headphones boast deep, distortion-free bass, extra wide bandwidth transducers, minimal harmonic distortion, and attenuated dual-chamber absorbers — which all sounds a bit like what you'd find under the hood of the Millennium Falcon. The construction features biocompatible silicon earpads and a ceramic casing, protected by the leather carry case and easily cleaned with an inclusive cleaning tool.
What this all means is what of the sleekest in-ear headphones you can buy and that we've ever encountered: continuing on the house music tip, the IE 800s provided crisp highs that never cut through to anything too sharp, while the bass was deep and fine, never buckling into distorted territory.
Get a feel for how you can style and wear Sennheiser's industry leading gear with our exclusive shots above, before diving into the audiophile company's latest and greatest headphones direct at their site.
