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What we think
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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're on a tight budget and need wireless earbuds suitable for casual listening and frequent travel, the Creative Labs Zen Air is a good choice as they are less expensive, offer good noise isolation, decent overall sound quality, and are sweatproof, making them suitable for exercise. However, if you prioritize top-notch sound quality, comfort, and listening experience at home or in quieter environments, the Sennheiser 560S headphones are likely better despite being more expensive; their open-back design provides an excellent soundstage, but they lack wireless capability and are not ideal for noisy settings or outdoor activities due to poor noise isolation. The Sennheiser is better for immersive music and TV sessions, but not for taking calls or activities on the go. Both lack a microphone for clear calls, but Sennheiser's durability and build quality are very good, which could be important for long-term use. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Zen Air
- Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Sennheiser 560S
- Best in class for music
- Excellent for TV and video
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
6.8
9.5
The Sennheiser 560S is best in class for music, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is only fair.
Gaming
5.1
6.9
The Sennheiser 560S is only fair for gaming, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
8.1
The Sennheiser 560S is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
TV and Video
5.6
9.1
The Sennheiser 560S is excellent for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Noise Reduction
7.0
2.5
The Creative Labs Zen Air is good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser 560S is poor.
Battery
5.0 Hours
N/A
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser 560S does not have a battery.
Cost
$30
$180
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the Sennheiser 560S costs $180.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air has excellent build quality, while the Sennheiser 560S has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
Phone Calls
5.1
5.1
The Sennheiser 560S and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for phone calls.
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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the Sennheiser 560S compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Zen Air | Sennheiser 560S |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $180 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2022 | September 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wired | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.9/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.1/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.1/10 | 6.9/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.7/10 | 9.2/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.9/10 | 4.5/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 5 Hours | N/A | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | N/A | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 2 Hours | N/A | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | N/A | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 12 | N/A | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 7/10 | 2.5/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | Yes | N/A | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | N/A | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | N/A | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | N/A | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5 Grams | 244.9 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | N/A | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Zen Air
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Check
Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."
Sennheiser 560S
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Headphonesty
Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir | March 2022
"Sennheiser made a near perfect pair of studio monitors with the HD 560S. Flat bass response? Check. Neutral and uncolored midrange? Check. Extended treble with a bit of lower-treble emphasis to highlight mastering flaws? Check. Fairly easy to drive? Check. Good soundstage and imaging? Check, and check."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Zen Air or the Sennheiser 560S
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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