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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
If you prioritize affordable wireless earbuds with good noise isolation for air travel and don't mind lower performance for music, calls, gaming, and TV, the Creative Labs Zen Air could serve you well. Conversely, if you're willing to spend more for better overall sound quality, comfort, and a very good experience for gaming and TV, with the added benefit of aptX Low Latency support for synchronized audio and video, the Sennheiser HD 250BT headphones would be a better choice. The Sennheisers' over-ear design and longer battery life also make them suitable for longer listening sessions, but they are less portable and offer less effective noise isolation compared to the Zen Air earbuds. 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
- The Creative Labs Zen Air has no clear advantages over the Sennheiser HD 250BT.
Advantages of the Sennheiser HD 250BT
- Good for phone calls
- Very good for gaming
- Very good for TV and video
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Gaming
5.1
8.8
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is very good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Phone Calls
5.1
7.2
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is good for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
8.1
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
TV and Video
5.6
8.4
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is very good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Noise Reduction
7.0
6.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air is good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser HD 250BT is only fair.
Battery
5.0 Hours
25.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser HD 250BT has 25 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$66
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the Sennheiser HD 250BT costs $66.
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Key similarities
Music
6.8
6.5
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Sennheiser HD 250BT are both only fair for music.
Build Quality
9.0
9.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Sennheiser HD 250BT both have excellent build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the Sennheiser HD 250BT compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Zen Air | Sennheiser HD 250BT |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $66 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2022 | May 1, 2021 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.9/10 | 6.6/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.1/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.1/10 | 8.9/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.9/10 | 6.2/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 5 Hours | 25 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 2 Hours | 3 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 | |
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 | 6/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | Yes | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5 Grams | 125 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
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 HD 250BT
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Check
Pete Scholßnagel | 2020
"As a lightweight, robust audio provider with a long battery life, the Sennheiser HD 250BT offer a lot for their price: very good Bluetooth codecs, an app connection and an extremely understated design. These headphones may not be among the most comfortable, but they deliver adequate sound – without overdriving or distortion."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Zen Air or the Sennheiser HD 250BT
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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