[Sennheiser]

When working from home or just enjoying the start of summer, music is the best companion! Our Bluetooth headphones with active noise cancelling can help you focus while delivering best-in-class audio quality to elevate your experience.

Until the end of July 26th, Sennheiser North America is offering discounts in Canada and the US on the travel-ready PXC 550-II at $100 off, and the luxurious and mature Momentum Wireless 3 (Black or Sandy White now available!) with $50 off. Check out the specifications and feature benefits of our entire wireless lineup here:
https://www.sennheiser.com/wireless-headphones

 

[vantt1]

• I have the first gen PXC 550 and the “unfold to turn on” design meant that the active circuit inside the headphones was always on, even if I wanted to use them wired and passively (Bluetooth and ANC off). As a result there’s a pretty high noise floor, and it can be heard as an audible hiss. Confusingly enough the headphone has its own volume level in wired mode, adjustable using that touch pad on the ear cup. Has this been addressed in the second gen, or is there a workaround other than running the headphones' battery flat?

• Also, can the built-in DAC be used on iOS devices with Lightning ports? I used a Lightning to Micro USB cable that came with the Shure MVi and it came up with this message:

• What is the inner diameter of the Momentum Wireless 3's headphone jack? I had the first gen Momentum and the cable's locking mechanism prevented me from using the PXC 550's cable because it was too thick. Knowing the maximum diameter for non-locking cables would make finding replacement cables way easier.

Spoiler: Not only was it 2.5mm, the locking mechanism meant that only non-standard Sennheiser cables would fit

 

[Racheski]

• I have the first gen PXC 550 and the “unfold to turn on” design meant that the active circuit inside the headphones was always on, even if I wanted to use them wired and passively (Bluetooth and ANC off). As a result there’s a pretty high noise floor, and it can be heard as an audible hiss. Confusingly enough the headphone has its own volume level in wired mode, adjustable using that touch pad on the ear cup. Has this been addressed in the second gen, or is there a workaround other than running the headphones' battery flat?

If this is true, why don’t the batteries drain when I leave them off for several months?

 

[vantt1]

If this is true, why don’t the batteries drain when I leave them off for several months?

Always on [when they are unfolded for use]. They’re off when they’re folded.

 

[omegaorgun]

Do you have USB-C on the new PXC 550?

 

[kennylim]

Do you have USB-C on the new PXC 550?

micro USB

 

[Sennheiser]

• I have the first gen PXC 550 and the “unfold to turn on” design meant that the active circuit inside the headphones was always on, even if I wanted to use them wired and passively (Bluetooth and ANC off). As a result there’s a pretty high noise floor, and it can be heard as an audible hiss. Confusingly enough the headphone has its own volume level in wired mode, adjustable using that touch pad on the ear cup. Has this been addressed in the second gen, or is there a workaround other than running the headphones' battery flat?
• Also, can the built-in DAC be used on iOS devices with Lightning ports? I used a Lightning to Micro USB cable that came with the Shure MVi and it came up with this message: [Connected device uses too much power]
• What is the inner diameter of the Momentum Wireless 3's headphone jack? I had the first gen Momentum and the cable's locking mechanism prevented me from using the PXC 550's cable because it was too thick. Knowing the maximum diameter for non-locking cables would make finding replacement cables way easier.

Hello @vantt, you raise a number of good points.

• The PXC 550 and PXC 550 II are primarily designed for the consumer who wishes to benefit from the wireless and ANC features. Of course there are situations where a passive connection is required however, and in those temporary situations the battery will last a long time. Wired, with ANC on, the PXC 550 II's battery will last around 30 hours, and the power draw is drastically lower yet with ANC off. The noise floor is comparable and often favorable to other bluetooth headphones - it's definitely something we tried to keep as low as possible, however if you feel like your PXC 550 has an unusually high noise floor that masks audio playback we would highly recommend contacting our service department: http://www.sennheiser.com/contact-center
• With that said, if you are looking at an upgrade with the anticipation of using passive mode more regularly, the Momentum Wireless 3 was designed for passive passthrough and can be used without engaging the internal amplification, as well as other benefits including a higher fidelity driver. We've added the AAC codec for the highest possible bluetooth quality from your iPhone, and for those times where you'll be away from a power source for several days or have restrictions on wireless signals, it sounds great using the included 3.5mm cable and the Apple lightning dongle.
• For both of these products, the built-in DAC can only be used with iOS devices over bluetooth. The reason is that an iPhone or iPad is acting as a "host" device but unable to communicate to the headphones that they can't recharge. Android phones with OTG support may be able to send audio data without attempting to recharge the headphones. However, if you use the Apple Lighting (male) to USB-3 (female) and Lightning (female) adapter and connect the iOS device to power, you can use these headphones with their internal DAC/Amp circuitry and an iOS device over USB. The USB audio playback also works great with laptop and desktop computers. For mobile devices, 3.5mm or Bluetooth are the preferred connections.
• We cannot advise about third party accessories, but replacement Momentum 3 cables are available here ($10.95 in the USA): https://en-us.sennheiser.com/audio-cable-m3aebtxl
  • original Momentum Wireless cable ($13.19): https://en-us.sennheiser.com/accessories--audio-cable--momentum-wireless

 

[vantt1]

Hello @vantt, you raise a number of good points.

• The PXC 550 and PXC 550 II are primarily designed for the consumer who wishes to benefit from the wireless and ANC features. Of course there are situations where a passive connection is required however, and in those temporary situations the battery will last a long time. Wired, with ANC on, the PXC 550 II's battery will last around 30 hours, and the power draw is drastically lower yet with ANC off. The noise floor is comparable and often favorable to other bluetooth headphones - it's definitely something we tried to keep as low as possible, however if you feel like your PXC 550 has an unusually high noise floor that masks audio playback we would highly recommend contacting our service department: http://www.sennheiser.com/contact-center
• With that said, if you are looking at an upgrade with the anticipation of using passive mode more regularly, the Momentum Wireless 3 was designed for passive passthrough and can be used without engaging the internal amplification, as well as other benefits including a higher fidelity driver. We've added the AAC codec for the highest possible bluetooth quality from your iPhone, and for those times where you'll be away from a power source for several days or have restrictions on wireless signals, it sounds great using the included 3.5mm cable and the Apple lightning dongle.
• For both of these products, the built-in DAC can only be used with iOS devices over bluetooth. The reason is that an iPhone or iPad is acting as a "host" device but unable to communicate to the headphones that they can't recharge. Android phones with OTG support may be able to send audio data without attempting to recharge the headphones. However, if you use the Apple Lighting (male) to USB-3 (female) and Lightning (female) adapter and connect the iOS device to power, you can use these headphones with their internal DAC/Amp circuitry and an iOS device over USB. The USB audio playback also works great with laptop and desktop computers. For mobile devices, 3.5mm or Bluetooth are the preferred connections.
• We cannot advise about third party accessories, but replacement Momentum 3 cables are available here ($10.95 in the USA): https://en-us.sennheiser.com/audio-cable-m3aebtxl
  • original Momentum Wireless cable ($13.19): https://en-us.sennheiser.com/accessories--audio-cable--momentum-wireless

Thank you for the comprehensive reply! The noise floor isn't unusually high, just noticeable when listening to quieter tracks and when there's nothing playing. It's pretty high compared to listening to them when they are folded (one ear listening, of course).

I have tried using the built-in DAC with the Google Pixel via an OTG adapter and it does indeed work.

I am in Australia and replacement cables here through Sennheiser are anywhere between $18 and $50 AUD, depending on the inline remote.

https://en-au.sennheiser.com/accessories--audio-cable--momentum-wireless
https://en-au.sennheiser.com/accessories--momentum--momentum-on-ear--android-cable