It’s rare to find a fantastic-sounding pair of noise-canceling headphones that blend in with formal attire, but Sennheiser hit the nail on the head with the PXC 550. It’s a known fact that a great blend of form and function doesn’t come cheap, though, so don’t pass on this chance to pick the wireless cans up for $234 — Buy at Newegg
Aimed at businessmen, the PXC 550 have a tri-microphone setup that delivers vocal clarity that’s on par with some of Sennheiser’s standalone microphones, softening background noise so the person on the other end of the line hears every last syllable. You know, so if you ask your assistant for a Sprite, you won’t get a kite instead.
The cans themselves deliver “top-notch sound and whisper-soft noise canceling,” according to our A/V and Entertainment Editor Ryan Waniata, serving up piping hot dishes of rich yet balanced bass, detailed mids with a measured drop of warmth, and a clean and clear upper register, each and every time you throw them over your ears.
They also offer the best noise cancellation of any Sennheiser model to hit the market to date, including the Momentum 2.0, which is Buy at Amazon The PXC 550 is the star of the show, though, dishing out superior sound and deeper noise-canceling, while looking cooler and more collected in the process, for around $60 less.
To be clear, you don’t have to be the next Christopher Columbus to get the most out of the PXC 550. If you don’t spend the bulk of your time on a plane — or in Columbus’ case, a 15th-century ship — they’ll still come in handy, blocking out (most) of the background noise on a bus or a train, on the street, and even in the gym.
For that reason, we gave the PXC 550 a stellar rating in our full review, concluding:
With impressive sound performance, a sleek and comfy design, and Sennheiser’s best noise cancellation yet, the new PXC 550 are primed to be your next set of travel cans.
If you’re looking for something a little different, check out our list of the best noise-canceling headphones on the market (spoiler: the PXC 550 took home the award for comfort and warm sound). But at $234, there’s no real reason to pass on Sennheiser’s latest and greatest: They’re comfortable, sound terrific, and look great.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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