Hmmmm sounds like from Dane's message here that according to the review it could be like a touch strip. It could also be lack of pacience from the reviewer too. I mean if we're gonna talk about tricky, the play pawze and skip back and fourth thing with the middle button of a controller on either Ear Pods or my Bose OE2I can get tricky. You've got to do it just right. Or it won't work.
-----Original Message----- From: Pc-audio [mailto:pc-audio-boun...@pc-audio.org] On Behalf Of Dane Trethowan Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2016 9:46 PM To: PC Audio Discussion List <pc-audio@pc-audio.org> Subject: Re: The MM 550 was replaced with the very much superior PXC 550 Travel headphones. Re: Bluetooth Headset I've just read a review on these and they would be an unmitigated disaster for anyone who is blind to use. Firstly the review clearly states that the touch panels - these cans have two - need to be controlled with precise movement and mistakes are easily made so - if someone with sight is having trouble - just imagine what it would be like for someone who is totally blind? The command activated by the gesture is voiced and the reviewer made mention of how frustrating he found it when he say gestured for the volume to be made louder only to discover that he'd skipped to the next track in his music collection, not too pleasant I would think. The user also has to make gestures when answering incoming phone calls from the mobile, need i say any more. Far superior? Well both these headphones and the MM550X have AptX for Bluetooth, I've had the MM550X and - whilst they have a few design faults and the noise cancelling isn't as good as it perhaps could be - I've not been disappointed. Noice scance3lling is something I've never bothered about anyway myself. On 6/09/2016 4:23 PM, Tim Noonan wrote: > I've been using the Sennheiser PXC 550 Bluetooth travel headphones for a > month or so now (they have just been released) and they are amazingly good. > > They supersede the MM 550 phones that have been out for a couple of years now > with vastly improved noise reduction, superb audio quality, comfort and > features. > > The right ear cup has a touch surface for gestures for increasing and > decreasing volume, skipping tracks, pausing, voice dial and voice-through > facilities. > > Connection is Bluetooth 4.2 with ApdX. they come with a detachable 3.5ml > cable or they act as a sound card when connected to a computer via USB cable > supporting 48k at 16 bits. > > They use the same drivers as do the Momentum 2.0 Wireless and fold flat for > travel. You turn them on by placing them on your head and when you fold the > ear cups flat, they power off. > > The multiple mics enable fantastic call quality for speaker and listener and > you hear yourself and the caller as if you were both in the same room, making > quiet comfortable conversation very easy and natural. > > The Mics also do an excellent job picking up only your voice and ignoring the > other voices and sounds around you. > > The noise cancellation is considered very good overall, but not at par with > the NR in the Bose QC35s. > > An app for Android and iOS is available to tune the frequency response of the > headphones, but this is not well designed and on IOS is not accessible. I > haven't tested the app under Android. > > The PXC 550 Sound is reported to be significantly superior to the Bose QC 35s > and has tight but not overly intense bass. They have a frequency response up > to 23 KHZ and excellent stereo separation and instrument isolation. > > Some non-audiofile reviewers have said they prefer the more defined sound > from the Momentum 2.0 wireless, others who have reviewed the PXC 550s more > extensively rate the sound more highly. Sennheiser say that the Momentums > have a more defined sound to be heard in city travel, whereas the noise > cancellation improvements on the PXC 550 mean they can produce a flatter more > accurate response without outside noise interfering with their excellent > sound reproduction. > > I'm extremely particular about my sound, and these are magnificent for a wide > range of music listening - but if you like over-emphasised bass, they > probably won't be a good match for you. > > Comfort is excellent and battery life ranges from 20-30 hours on a charge, > depending on whether bluetooth is enabled. > > They are high-end at $399 USD or around $625 AUD. > > I haven't had opportunity to listen to the B & W P7s, but they have just > announced a Bluetooth-capable version of these. Time will tell which has the > better sound, but for on-the-go listening plus Noise Cancellation, the PXC > 550 are an excellent all-rounder option. > > On 6 Sep 2016, at 3:05 PM, Dane Trethowan <grtd...@internode.on.net> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I received a pair of Sehheiser MM550X cans today and I’m suitably impressed > though everything isn’t roses with this system, there’s nothing much to > complain about really as I regard the gripes I have as minor irritations to > be aware of so as such they will be left to last. > > The MM550 is a comfortable closed headset which is of a lightweight but > sturdy build and can be folded up into a carry case supplied for travelling. > > As such the user is provided with all manner of adapters for these cans > including an adapter for connection to an inflight entertainment system via > the use of the supplied cable that turns these cans into a very nice sounding > pair of wired cans but the main attraction of the MM550 – apart from its > build and travelling versatility – is the Bluetooth component without a doubt. > > The MM550 come equipped with AptX decoding which is noticeable right away > when paired to my Samsung Galaxy S6 and to me the aptX facility is the big > sounding feature for these cans. > > Naturally voic calls can be made and answered from the MM550 using Google Now > or similar – SIRI on an iPhone – and the microphones on the MM550 give > extremely good definition in phone calls particularly if you’re able to use > HD Voice on your phone’s network. > > I’ve not tried the active noise cancellation feature yet though for a closed > set of cans I wonder why you’d need it?. > > The MM550 also provides a “Talk Through” function, suppose you’re listening > to your favourite tracks on a long flight and you wish to hear what’s going > on around you, press the “Talk Through” button and you’ll hear! Without > removing the cans from your ears. > > Music sounds wonderful through these cans – whether using the direct cable > connection of Bluetooth – but the Bluetooth experience is certainly made more > worthwhile given the control you have over your music collection from the > MM550 system itself which is provided with track forward and back buttons as > well as using the master button as a pause. > > I haven’t listened to the MM550 for an extended period of time yet though I > doubt I’ll encounter any problems with sore ears given the weight of this > headset and its luxurious leather padding around the cuffs. > > So to the couple of bad things about this headset and the first is annoying. > > The lithium-ion battery can be charged either inside or outside the headset > but if you’re charging inside the headset be sure to put your hand over the > battery when you remove the USB charging cable or the battery will come too, > that’s right, out of the headset itself and that’s a very poor design. > > The MM550 has direct cable connection however in this mode the headphones are > completely passive meaning that they rely on the amplifier of the system > they’re wired to for volume and that’s fine in theory and really I have no > argument on that score. > > The problem is if you’re wanting to direct wire them to the headphones output > of your Cell Phone or similar thinking that the microphones of the cans and > the remote control buttons will work, they certainly will not., as I > mentioned at the start of this review a minor gripe though I’m sure Senheiser > could improve upon this if they really wanted to. > > Now is the perfect time to buy the Senheiser MM550 headset as its been > discontinued and you should be able to get it for a good price as I did. > > So why didn’t I go for the replacement model? The replacement model has touch > buttons which don’t appeal to me all that much though having said that the > newer model does have an IOS and Android App which might be useful. > > > > > Tim Noonan > Consultant Speaker Coach > > Phone: +61 419 779 669 > Email: t...@timnoonan.com.au > Skype: VoiceReadings > Twitter: twitter.com/TimNoonan > > Coaching & Consulting: www.timnoonan.com.au > Inspirational Speaking: www.visionarycommunications.com.au > Gemwater Bottles: www.timnoonan.com.au/water > Voice Readings: www.voicereadings.com > >
