Until the new Sennheiser headphones came to me I did not really understand how essential the phrase "No strings attached" was.
For years I have been using my daily life with a variety of different headphones for a variety of different uses: for phone calls with wired headphones with a microphone, for the PlayStation with large noise-insulated headphones with an openable side microphone, for sound editing with super professional rainbow headphones (also by Senheiser) and more ...
But now with the arrival of the new wireless headphones from the German super company, the Sound Queen, Sennheiser next to me - I had to check, can something so small really produce quality sound?
Can one type of headset really be used by me for the variety of different uses I have on a daily basis?
And most of all, do reasonably priced headphones really deliver the goods?
We checked.
The Kingdom of Sound
It's no secret that I'm a Senheiser freak (and the high school bastards I studied in my youth will say it's no secret that I'm a freak in general), all my "serious" headphones have always been from this company from the moment I discovered them.
What is the difference between those "serious" headphones and other headphones you ask?
Well, first of all the sound.
There is a certain quality in Sennheiser products that is hard to describe in words, but terribly easy to describe in sounds.
Beyond the issue of audio itself of course, there is the dimension of size - the headphones I purchased from the company have always been huge, and I agreed to compromise on visibility and grotesqueness in favor of the fine sound.
But the years went by and I realized that hours of wearing a bow headset on my head cause me headaches and migraines, the pressure on my skull and temples always bothered me a lot.
Then came a new product and for the first time at a reasonable price that made me try a different direction for the first time.
comfort
Bluetooth headphones are not usually a comfortable thing from my past experiences.
When I was in China a few years ago before the Corona I won a bingo game (do not ask) with Meizu wireless headphones.
This was the first time I used completely wireless headphones and it was really refreshing.
But the product was not amazing, not in terms of sound, not in terms of battery life and most of all not in terms of in-ear comfort.
After hours of listening to the inside of the ear, my pain hurt so much that the next time I wanted to put the headphones on, I felt the pain from the previous time.
Beyond that the headphones did not really sit in the ear, the grip was not hermetic, and in some movements especially the more sporty ones, the headphones just flew out of my ear.
With Sennheiser's new headphones this just does not happen.
And already here comes the big change, the feeling inside the ear.
I totally forget they're there!
And that's a huge plus.
You can definitely listen to music and / or work for a long time and do not feel the headset inside the ear.
As for the grip, this is a perfect product that, no matter how I handled it, always stays in the ear.
It should be noted that the headphones come with 4 different silicone sizes for maximum fit to each ear and ear in sizes XS, S, M, L.
Adaptation to the corona period
I travel to work usually by public transport.
One of the things that really bothers about such a ride is of course the obligation to wear the mask, but more than wearing the mask itself the most sucks part of it is when you get off at the station and try to take the mask off and tear your headphones off and get completely tangled with all the wires tied together.
Now, with the wireless headphones I've been testing, for the first time in a long time, I got off at the station, and I just took off the mask, and ... that's it!
There is no doubt that wireless headphones nowadays are a necessary product.
This is of course true for all wireless headphones, but as mentioned the level of grip in the ear of this Senheiser model is just perfect and there is no fear that the headphones will fall off the ear while in motion.
Full Control
Beyond the Smart Control app that will allow you to control various functions of the sound emanating from the headphones, such as controlling the Bass Boost, you can also control the touch of the headphone buttons in the transition between songs, stop playing, and control the volume.
All this can be done without touching the device that plays (smartphone for example), the headphones themselves become the means of control in the media.
In addition there is access to SIRI or Google Assistant, and phone calls are easily in touch with these headphones.
Singing in the Rhine
In-ear headphones (which go into the ear canal) are never a good product for swimming, as they can fly out of the ear while in motion.
I personally am not familiar with an existing Bluetooth headset product without any type of bow or wire that connects them to a swimmer.
This product also does not provide complete protection from water, but there is protection from moisture, sweat and even rain.
In any weather you can use these headphones, which we tested, and indeed worked great and flawlessly.
Do not expect the same level
The praise-phasing phase is over, and the comparative phase between Sennheiser's various products has arrived.
Do the new Bluetooth headphones meet the standard of the same headphones from the same company?
The answer is no.
The sound in the large rainbow headphones is better, better quality, more accurate, and sharper.
For all the more professional uses of headphones I would definitely not recommend using these headphones (or any other wireless headphones for that matter).
In terms of the looks of the headphones themselves are very stylish, their luggage also serves as a very compact and eye-catching carrying case, but the design of the headset itself was too square for my taste and looked a bit odd when it protruded out of the ear.
Let’s put it this way - we’ve seen wireless headphones with a nicer design already, here Senheiser has not won.
Key Features:
27 hour battery life
4IPX component against water
Custom touch controls
Passive noise cancellation
Recommended retail price: 579 NIS
The Bottom Line
Despite the difference noted between Sennheiser's previous flagship products (professional bow headphones for example) the difference between the 2 is not substantial in a way that will make people like me prefer the professional headphones in most cases and uses.
Since the gap is not huge, the price is definitely low compared to other products of the company (usually costs almost double), and the additional benefits of wireless headphones are many - this product definitely gets the priority over the various options currently on the market.
Those looking for professional headphones for sound editing or to play on the console and talk to other players at the same time will need another product from Sennheiser's new wireless headphones that do not have a microphone.
Score: 8/10
