****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
As of November 2023, the Premium version is such a bargain that I wonder if it’s long for this world._Specs_It’s essentially an Epos (Sennheiser) Adapt 660. Though it looks almost identical to the original PXC 550, the AmazonCommercial Premium Bluetooth headset is a Bluetooth 5.0 device with codecs including AAC, AptX and AptX low latency (SBC, too, of course). There are 4 noise-cancelling microphones and 3 for transmitting your voice on calls. Frequency response is 17Hz to 23,000 kHz. Its model number is SCBT13 (see instruction manual on this page) – you can search and find the equivalent Sennheiser model and specs and reviews. This Amazon-branded version is currently (November 2023) selling for less than a third of its Sennheiser sibling: a steal._What’s included_The headphones come with an audio cable (with no inline microphone), a USB cable and a Bluetooth 4.2 dongle, which is an odd choice for a device that supports Bluetooth 5.0.If you buy a Sennheiser-compatible 3.5mm to 2.5mm cable with microphone, the cable’s inline mic will work fine. You must choose between an Apple version and an Android/Windows version of the cable for the inline music controls to work correctly._Sound quality_The soundstage is wide and spacious and audio is beautifully balanced – hi-hats and cymbals sound crisp but not harsh, vocals shine and bass is strong but not exaggerated. Mid-range is slightly under-emphasised to my ear but very good. (Dub and reggae sound as bass-heavy as they should but if you’re a bass-head and routinely want more bass than the recording artists themselves did, you may be disappointed.) There’s a luxurious airiness in its sound – beautifully detailed but never grating. Vocals shine and the delivery seems so effortless, both on Bluetooth (using AAC for my devices on macOS and iOS – on Android, you’d use one one of the AptX codecs) and using the supplied audio cable. The sound doesn’t get tiring and seems (understandably – see above) like what you'd expect from a headset a couple of price brackets up. (Look for professional reviews of the 660 Adapt.) Run a bass test and you’ll hear no resonance or vibration through the range. The sound really is excellent. For the headset to sound good, you need to make sure the fit is right – but that applies to most headphones. Adjust it so it sits firmly, with a good seal between the ear cups and your head._Microphones for phone calls_Decent. I’ve tried the headset on calls but also for recording speech (via Bluetooth) and the transmitted voice quality is better than with the (admittedly cheap) third-party cable with inline mic that I bought for computer work and which I will need to replace. Perfectly usable on calls, though it doesn’t match better wired, inline microphones._Build quality_The materials are pleasing – high-quality plastics, big, soft ear cups that cover my ears and a well padded headband. You twist the ear cups into position to turn the headphones on. You can use a dedicated physical slider to disable or enable Bluetooth._Operation_Plugging in the audio cable turns off Bluetooth but plugging in the USB lead doesn’t, so you can keep listening while charging, even if you happen not to have the audio cable with you.The USB cable (type A to micro-USB) can be used for firmware updates (my pair is running firmware 1.9.6) and to change hidden settings using the free Amazon Commercial Connect app, available for macOS and Windows – the download link is in the user manual but isn’t easily found otherwise. The app is produced by the same people who produce the EPOS connect desktop app (surprise!) and some of the background processes (on macOS, at least) carry the EPOS name.An example of a hidden setting: the headphones support 8 remembered Bluetooth devices for multipoint connections and can connect to any two at a time but using the app, you can configure the headphones to temporarily drop one connection when a call comes in from another device. You can also boost or reduce the feedback you get of your own voice when on a call.The controls to move to the next or previous track and to pause and play work well. While on a call, you can mute the microphones with a gesture – a thoughtful and useful addition. And you can also scrub back and forwards through songs (at least, on my devices) by using the back or forward gesture, then keeping your finger on the touchpad. All these functions are documented in the online PDF on this product page.The headset itself is admirably light and comfortable. Its ear cups fold inward for transport and the headset is quite compact when folded. It’s good to have a travel case that allows you to keep them turned off._Noise_Noise-cancelling is very good – constant background noises are silenced or made almost inaudible by the active noise cancellation (ANC) and there’s also good passive isolation from the design of the ear cups, if you’ve adjusted the headband correctly and positioned it well. There’s an adaptive ANC mode, which changes the level of noise cancellation based on background sound, and another mode that keeps ANC at maximum. The active noise cancelling continues to work when the audio cable is used. There’s a physical, three-position slider switch that switch between adaptive, maximum and zero ANC.If ANC is enabled, you double-tap the touchpad to turn off and on the talk-through mode (which is very effective, allowing you to hear an amped-up version of conversations around you)._The odd stuff_First, the packaging is hilariously basic and completely at odds with the quality of the device. It doesn’t even include a printed version of the user manual that you can download from the Amazon listing – I can imagine many people not even realising that there’s are detailed instructions available, despite the printed QR code that, when scanned, takes you only to this product page. Understandable at the price but this decision is clearly affecting people’s perception of the headphones themselves, whatever the price.The right ear cup has a touchpad for the controls I’ve mentioned above and when it works well, it’s a delight but it can be temperamental – you can see from reviews that the same applies to the Sennheiser versions.When you use the audio cable, the device’s volume setting and the headphone’s volume setting are added together but can be adjusted independently, which is unexpected. So if things sound too quiet, turn one of those up to max and adjust only the other. It’s a quirk but not a dealbreaker – it doesn’t happen over Bluetooth.If you’re connected to multiple devices simultaneously, the inactive one can sometimes pause the music. So far, it has only happened once to me and I disconnected from the inactive device to work around it. As I type this, I am switching between computer and smartphone with no problems: music on the active device plays, and the other device pauses.The ANC works even when audio isn’t playing but double-tapping to enable and disable the talk-through mode doesn’t result in an audio confirmation, which would have been useful. (When you’re playing music, you don’t need it because the music also pauses.)Charging is via micro-USB, which feels retro in 2023 but not retro enough to be cool. Charging itself is still quick enough and reliable.I’ve seen user reviews from those who spend a lot of time on calls and are unhappy about some aspects of the call controls. That’s understandable, since this and the Epos 660 Adapt are aimed at business users. None of it bothers me but your needs may differ.If you’re here for the music, you will likely love the sound of these nuanced, balanced headphones. I’m delighted, as I'm sure you can tell. I was choosing between this and HD 450SE (or HD 450BT) but this headset is much more comfortable, with bigger ear cups, easier-to-use controls and fabulous sound.
