Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Jan 16, 2024 03:12 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.8
Updated May 27, 2025 08:03 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- PXC 550-II (Black)
- WH-1000XM4 (Black)
- WH-1000XM4 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM4 (Silver)
Our Verdict
Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
The Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless and the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. The Sony headphones are more comfortable and better built, and their ANC system does a significantly better job blocking background noise. Their companion app also offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound to your liking. The Sennheiser headphones have a better overall performing integrated mic and a more stable and breathable fit.
Check Price
Black
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding storeBlack
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeBlack
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeBlack
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding storeSilver
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeBlack
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding storeBlack
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.4
7.4
Bass Accuracy
8.7
7.6
Peaks/Dips
7.1
7.9
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
8.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.51 lbs
0.6 lbs
Clamping Force
0.8 lbs
1 lbs
Controls
7.6
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Decent
Decent
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
Adjustable
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
7.3
5.4
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
3.5 °C
8.2 °C
Portability
6.5
6.1
Portability Picture
L
7.0" (17.8 cm)
7.4" (18.8 cm)
W
6.3" (16.0 cm)
6.1" (15.5 cm)
H
1.4" (3.6 cm)
2.0" (5.1 cm)
Volume
62.00 in³ (1,015.99 cm³)
90.00 in³ (1,474.83 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
7.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
6.9" (17.5 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)
W
7.4" (18.8 cm)
6.6" (16.8 cm)
H
1.8" (4.6 cm)
2.3" (5.8 cm)
Volume
92.00 in³ (1,507.60 cm³)
126.00 in³ (2,064.76 cm³)
Build Quality
7.5
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
400 Hz
Bass Amount
-0.62 dB
5.1 dB
Treble Amount
-0.53 dB
-0.4 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
7.0
8.2
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.61 dB
0.35 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
7.6
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.83 dB
5.2 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
23.44 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
-0.61 dB
4.49 dB
Mid Bass
0.78 dB
5.5 dB
High Bass
3 dB
5.6 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
8.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.69 dB
1.58 dB
Low Mid
0.36 dB
1.24 dB
Mid-Mid
0.51 dB
-0.07 dB
High Mid
-0.83 dB
-1.15 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
7.1
7.3
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
4.27 dB
3.01 dB
Low Treble
-3.06 dB
-1.71 dB
Mid Treble
3.37 dB
1.38 dB
High Treble
-1.93 dB
-2.88 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.1
7.9
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.85 dB
1.2 dB
Dips
1.48 dB
1.46 dB
Imaging
8.4
8.6
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.31
0.16
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.48
4.36
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.27
0.79
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.78
2.07
Passive Soundstage
3.1
3.5
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
5.3 dB
3.11 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
1.3 dB
8.34 dB
PRTF Distance
4.08 dB
1.8 dB
Openness
2.0
0.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.7
3.4
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
4.1
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
360 Reality Audio
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.5
7.7
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.311
0.265
WHD @ 100
0.158
0.130
Test Settings
Firmware
Unknown
2.6.0
Power
On
On
Connection
Unknown
Bluetooth
Codec
aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Default
Off
ANC
Maximum
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
8.0
9.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-21.88 dB
-27.13 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
-15.02 dB
-24.80 dB
Mid
-21.04 dB
-25.37 dB
Treble
-30.12 dB
-31.92 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.7
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-23.51 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-22.93 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-26.02 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
6.7
7.1
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
41.04 dB
39.28 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.8
6.1
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
364.41 Hz
269.09 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.73 dB
2.11 dB
HFE
7,346.09 Hz
3,726.47 Hz
Weighted THD
1.586
65.861
Gain
12.54 dB
11.46 dB
Noise Handling
7.0
5.6
SpNR
18.55 dB
11.47 dB
Noise Gate
No
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
6.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.0
5.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.8
8.7
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
21.3 hrs
37.7 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
21.3 hrs
37.7 hrs
Charge Time
1.3 hrs
2.3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
Yes
Yes
Charging Port
micro-USB
USB-C
App Support
6.5
8.0
App Picture
App Name
Sennheiser Smart Control
Sony| Headphones Connect
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Presets
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
Adjustable
On/Off
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
Yes
No
Playback Control
No
Yes
Button Mapping
No
Yes
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
10
9.9
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
USB Type A
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
4.70 ft (1.43 m)
4.00 ft (1.22 m)
Connector
1/8" TRRS
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.3 ms
Latency - USB
-3 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.2
8.6
Bluetooth Version
5.0
5.010
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
237.00 ft (72.24 m)
299.00 ft (91.14 m)
Latency - SBC
164 ms
245 ms
Latency - aptX
103 ms
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
237 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
AAC Support
Yes
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
54 ms
iOS Latency
280 ms
Android Latency
85 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Black
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding storeBlack
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeBlack
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeBlack
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding storeSilver
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeBlack
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding storeBlack
PXC 550-II
Searching
Finding store
Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Comments
Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.