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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're on a budget and need wireless earbuds for on-the-go use, especially during exercise or travel, the Creative Labs Zen Air would be a practical choice. They're sweatproof, have active noise cancelling for noisy environments, and offer good portability with a decent battery life. However, they don't excel in sound quality for music or for critical listening. On the other hand, if you're willing to invest in a high-end listening experience and primarily listen to music at home or in quiet environments, the Sennheiser HD800S headphones are superior. They provide an outstanding sound quality with an excellent soundstage, but they're not wireless, lack sweatproofing and active noise cancellation, and are not suitable for exercise or travel. Keep in mind that the Sennheisers may also require a dedicated amplifier to get the best audio experience. 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 HD800S
- Best in class for music
- Good for gaming
- Best in class for TV and video
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
6.8
9.9
The Sennheiser HD800S is best in class for music, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is only fair.
Gaming
5.1
7.5
The Sennheiser HD800S is good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
8.1
The Sennheiser HD800S is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
TV and Video
5.6
9.7
The Sennheiser HD800S is best in class 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 HD800S is poor.
Battery
5.0 Hours
N/A
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser HD800S does not have a battery.
Cost
$30
$1,400
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the Sennheiser HD800S costs $1,400.
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Key similarities
Phone Calls
5.1
5.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Sennheiser HD800S are both poor for phone calls.
Build Quality
9.0
9.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Sennheiser HD800S both have excellent build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the Sennheiser HD800S compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Zen Air | Sennheiser HD800S |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $1,400 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2022 | December 1, 2015 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wired | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.9/10 | 10/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.1/10 | 5/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.1/10 | 7.6/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.7/10 | 9.7/10 | |
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 | 9/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 10/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5 Grams | 371.9 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 HD800S
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Christian Thomas | March 2023
"The cans offer stellar sound quality, comfort, and good maintenance options—so they're an easy recommendation if you have the cash and the need for the last headphones you'll buy for years."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Zen Air or the Sennheiser HD800S
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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