Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
We've recently released our Test Bench 1.8 update for Headphones! Read the R&D Article to learn more about our new direction. As we ramp up and retest products, expect delays in testing new and updating preexisting reviews. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience!

  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Bluetooth
    2. Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    3. Wired
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PC / PS4 Compatibility
    6. PlayStation Compatibility
    7. Xbox Compatibility
    8. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless vs Jabra Elite 85h Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Jan 12, 2024 09:22 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Jan 16, 2024 02:49 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Picture

Variants

  • PXC 550 Wireless
  • Elite 85h (Black)
  • Elite 85h (Gold Beige)
  • Elite 85h (Navy)
  • Elite 85h (Titanium Black)

Our Verdict

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless

Jabra Elite 85h Wireless

The Jabra Elite 85h are slightly better headphones than the Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless. They feel a bit more comfortable and their physical button control scheme is easier to use than the touch-sensitive surface of the Sennheiser. Both have similar sound quality, but the Jabra have more bass. The isolation performance of the Jabra is also slightly better, which will be good for commuting. On the other hand, the Sennheiser's EQ is better and offers better customization.

0

Check Price

Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Black
Elite 85h
Searching
Finding store
Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Gold Beige
Elite 85h
Searching
Finding store
Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Navy
Elite 85h
Searching
Finding store
Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Titanium Black
Elite 85h
Searching
Finding store
Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
 

Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

7.2
No major differences between these headphones for mixed usage. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Design Picture 2
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.5
8.0

Comfort Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Comfort Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.51 lbs
0.66 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.97 lbs
0.9 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

7.6
8.1

Controls Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Controls Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Good

Feedback  

Decent
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

Adjustable
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

Adjustable
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Bluetooth Sync + Presets
Voice Assistant

Show text

Breathability 
 

6.7
6.0

Breathability After Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Breathability After Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

5 °C
7 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

6.5
6.1

Portability Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Portability Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Portability Picture

 

7"
7.1" (18.0 cm)

 

6.3"
7.2" (18.3 cm)

 

1.4"
1.9" (4.8 cm)

Volume  

62 in³
97.00 in³ (1,589.54 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

7.0
8.0

Case Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Case Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

7"
8.5" (21.6 cm)

 

7.63"
7.5" (19.1 cm)

 

2.5"
2.1" (5.3 cm)

Volume  

133.53 in³
134.00 in³ (2,195.86 cm³)

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

7.5
7.0

Stability Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Stability Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Angled Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Side Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Front Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Rear Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Top Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless In The Box Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

-2.66 dB
1.55 dB

Treble Amount 
 

0.08 dB
-1.42 dB

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

6.9
6.1

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.64 dB
0.91 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

8.6
9.1

Bass  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

1.82 dB
1.33 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

29.54 Hz
10 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-2.42 dB
2.02 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

-0.9 dB
0.3 dB

High-Bass 
 

2.28 dB
1.15 dB

Show text

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.9
9.0

Mid  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

1.44 dB
1.37 dB

Low-Mid 
 

0.34 dB
-0.08 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.21 dB
-0.25 dB

High-Mid 
 

1.88 dB
-1.2 dB

Show text

Treble Accuracy 
 

7.3
8.2

Treble  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.62 dB
2.74 dB

Low-Treble 
 

0.49 dB
-2.05 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

2.42 dB
-0.86 dB

High-Treble 
 

-2.35 dB
-2.22 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.4
8.4

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.59 dB
1.06 dB

Dips 
 

1.48 dB
0.88 dB

Imaging 
 

8.1
8.9

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.34
0.22

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

12.16
3.9

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.54
0.32

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.89
1.55

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

4.3
4.3

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

5.31 dB
3.04 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

4.43 dB
1.69 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

4.09 dB
10.65 dB

Openness 
 

3.9
3.8

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.2
2.4

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.6
7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.213
0.213

WHD @ 100 
 

0.171
0.172

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
Unknown

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Unknown
Bluetooth 4.0

Codec 
 

aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

Default
Default

ANC 
 

Maximum
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

6.1
6.2

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-14.53 dB
-18.35 dB

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Bass 
 

-4.07 dB
-2.01 dB

Mid 
 

-16.47 dB
-20.01 dB

Treble 
 

-24.36 dB
-34.88 dB

Show text

Leakage 
 

7.2
7.9

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

38.4 dB
34.17 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

Yes
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Recording Quality 
 

6.7
7.4

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

293.44 Hz
369.71 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.68 dB
2.95 dB

HFE 
 

3,517.32 Hz
6,736.4 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

2.138
0.077

Gain 
 

36.92 dB
10.73 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

7.2
7.2

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

21.98 dB
20.01 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

7.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

8.6
8.4

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

27.5 hrs
34 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

27.5 hrs
34 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.1 hrs
2.7 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Standby mode

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

micro-USB
USB-C

Show text

App Support 
 

6.5
8.0

App Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless App Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Sennheiser Smart Control
Jabra Sound+

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
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

8.5
8.3

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
5.0

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices

NFC Pairing 
 

Yes
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

145 ft
335.00 ft (102.11 m)

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

200 ms
232 ms

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

171 ms
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

273 ms
174 ms

Android Latency 
 

137 ms
202 ms

Show text

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Wired 
 

9.2
9.5

Cable Picture  

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless Cable Picture
Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

USB Type A
No

Detachable  

Yes
Yes

Length  

4.4 ft
4.10 ft (1.25 m)

Connection 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

32 ms
0 ms

Show text

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC/PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

PC/PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No

Show text

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

Show text

Check Price

Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Black
Elite 85h
Searching
Finding store
Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Gold Beige
Elite 85h
Searching
Finding store
Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Navy
Elite 85h
Searching
Finding store
Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Titanium Black
Elite 85h
Searching
Finding store
Standard
PXC 550 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
 

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless

Jabra Elite 85h Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison

Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless vs Jabra Elite 85h 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.

PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones