Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) vs Sennheiser HD 550

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

Apple

8.2

Recommended

Sennheiser HD 550

Sennheiser

8.2

A neutral, comfortable open-back that's the new pick of the 5-series

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

What Reviewers Agree On

Premium build quality — aluminum and stainless steel feel luxurious
Excellent spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support
ANC is among the best available
USB-C finally replaces Lightning

Deal Breakers

$549 price is hard to justify vs Sony or Bose at $350-400
Smart case still does not fully protect headphones

Pros & Cons

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

Pros

Premium build quality — aluminum and stainless steel feel luxurious
Excellent spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support
ANC is among the best available
USB-C finally replaces Lightning

Cons

Detailed Comparison

Sound Quality

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

Rich, detailed sound with exceptional spatial audio for movies and music.

Computational audio and spatial audio with head tracking are genuinely immersive
Warm, rich sound signature excels with vocals and acoustic music
No aptX or LDAC — limited to AAC Bluetooth which caps lossless potential

Sennheiser HD 550

Reviewers converge on the HD 550 as the best-sounding model in Sennheiser's HD 500 series — a neutral, well-extended signature with a more complete bass body, an organic midrange and a slightly forward treble that can occasionally turn gritty. It is honest rather than exciting, and rewards critical listening.

Having heard almost every HD 500 series headphone, Headfonics calls the HD 550 the best-sounding one of the series, crediting refined bass and treble for a small but real step up over its predecessors.

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What Reviewers Agree On

The best-sounding headphone in the HD 500 series — improved bass body and a more balanced, neutral tuning over the HD 560S and older 5-series models
An organic, well-articulated midrange with clear, centred vocals is the HD 550's standout strength, true to the classic Sennheiser house sound
Genuinely comfortable for long sessions thanks to a featherweight ~237g build, reduced clamping force and breathable velour earpads
A 150Ω open-back that is easy enough to run from a dongle but clearly rewards a proper DAC/amp with extra detail and low-end control
Modular, serviceable design — easily replaceable velour pads and a detachable cable — gives the HD 550 strong long-term ownership value

Deal Breakers

The lower treble can get edgy, gritty or scratchy, especially at higher volumes — the most consistent sonic criticism across reviews
The thinly padded headband with no central V-cutout creates a top-of-head pressure point that undercuts the otherwise light, comfy fit
The proprietary 2.5mm twist-lock cable connector limits third-party cable and boom-mic choices, and only a basic 3.5mm cable is included

$549 price is hard to justify vs Sony or Bose at $350-400

Smart case still does not fully protect headphones

Sennheiser HD 550

Pros

The best-sounding headphone in the HD 500 series — improved bass body and a more balanced, neutral tuning over the HD 560S and older 5-series models
An organic, well-articulated midrange with clear, centred vocals is the HD 550's standout strength, true to the classic Sennheiser house sound
Genuinely comfortable for long sessions thanks to a featherweight ~237g build, reduced clamping force and breathable velour earpads
A 150Ω open-back that is easy enough to run from a dongle but clearly rewards a proper DAC/amp with extra detail and low-end control
Modular, serviceable design — easily replaceable velour pads and a detachable cable — gives the HD 550 strong long-term ownership value

Cons

The lower treble can get edgy, gritty or scratchy, especially at higher volumes — the most consistent sonic criticism across reviews
The thinly padded headband with no central V-cutout creates a top-of-head pressure point that undercuts the otherwise light, comfy fit
The proprietary 2.5mm twist-lock cable connector limits third-party cable and boom-mic choices, and only a basic 3.5mm cable is included

The bass is one of the most potent in the series — fuller and more satisfying than older 5-series models, with the usual sub-bass dip far less pronounced, though it could still use a touch more punch and dynamism.

The midrange is where the HD 550 excels — vocals are warm, organic and clearly centred, with enough detail for critical listening, classic Sennheiser house sound done well.

Trusted Reviews praises a beautifully neutral, even-handed frequency response with high detail retrieval and good bass control, but says the presentation lacks energy and excitement — analysis over entertainment.

The treble is the recurring weak point — Trusted Reviews notes it can get edgy and gritty especially at bigger volumes, and Headphones.com calls the lower treble rather scratchy and dry.

Headphones.com rates the HD 550 perhaps its favourite Sennheiser midrange tuning yet, with better bass extension than the HD 6 series and less upper-midrange glare than the HD 505.

Audio46 describes an uncoloured, natural signature with articulate, non-boosted bass, an honest midrange and a smooth, fatigue-free treble — a well-tuned reference headphone for both casual listening and studio work.

The Headphone Show says from a tonality perspective this is a better midrange than 99.99% of headphones, with more bass extension than the HD 600 and only a minor 5-6kHz region that stands out as a problem.

Christian Svedin describes the HD 550 as a great representation of the Sennheiser sound — analytic, with great stereo imaging and depth — though bass-heavy listeners may find it a little thin.

Reddit owners in the r/Sennheiser appreciation thread call the tuning fantastic for their ears and a very good value set, with one describing a discounted pair as the best money ever spent on headphones.