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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Focal Elex offers superior sound quality, with a particularly good soundstage, making it excellent for an immersive music listening experience. However, they are open-back headphones, providing less isolation from ambient noise, and they don't have a built-in microphone, thus not suitable for calls. They are also wired, which limits mobility and are not ideal for exercise or travel. On the other hand, the Sennheiser 450BT is a closed-back headphone, which is great for noise isolation and has an active noise cancelling feature, making it better suited for use in noisy environments and travel. They are also wireless with a significant battery life, offering convenience and portability, and they support low-latency codecs suitable for TV and gaming. Additionally, they have a built-in microphone that makes them a good option for calls and meetings. If you're looking for high-quality sound and don't need portability or a microphone, the Focal Elex is the better choice, but if you need a versatile and more affordable headphone for various use cases including active noise cancelling, the Sennheiser 450BT would be the way to go. 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 Focal Elex
- Good for music
Advantages of the Sennheiser 450BT
- Very good for gaming
- Excellent for air travel
Key differences
Music
7.7
6.2
The Focal Elex is good for music, while the Sennheiser 450BT is only fair.
Gaming
6.9
8.8
The Sennheiser 450BT is very good for gaming, while the Focal Elex is only fair.
Phone Calls
4.3
6.9
The Sennheiser 450BT is only fair for phone calls, while the Focal Elex is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.1
7.9
The Sennheiser 450BT and Focal Elex are both good for podcasts and audiobooks, though the Sennheiser 450BT is somewhat better.
Noise Reduction
2.5
9.1
The Sennheiser 450BT is excellent for noise reduction, while the Focal Elex is poor.
Battery
N/A
27.5 Hours
The Focal Elex does not have a battery. The Sennheiser 450BT has 27.5 hours of battery life.
Cost
$749
$90
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The Focal Elex has a price of $749 and the Sennheiser 450BT costs $90.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Focal Elex has excellent build quality, while the Sennheiser 450BT has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
TV and Video
8.3
8.1
The Focal Elex and Sennheiser 450BT are both very good for TV and video.
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How the Focal Elex and the Sennheiser 450BT compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Focal Elex | Sennheiser 450BT |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$749 | $90 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Focal | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2017 | February 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 7.8/10 | 6.2/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 4.4/10 | 7/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 6.9/10 | 8.9/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 8.4/10 | 8.1/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 4.3/10 | 6.1/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | N/A | 27.5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | N/A | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | N/A | 2.3 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | N/A | 5 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 2.5/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | N/A | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | N/A | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | N/A | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 450 Grams | 240.4 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | N/A | Integrated | |
Waterproof Rating | |||
Waterproof Rating | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Focal Elex
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Dig into reviews and images
Golden Sound
Golden Sound | October 2021
"The Focal Elex are an excellent pair of headphones for the money and a great all-rounder that will suit many tastes. They’re an easy recommendation for anyone looking for something comfortable, well built, that looks good, and will work with just about any genre."
Sennheiser 450BT
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Sound Guys
Lily Katz | March 2022
"The Sennheiser HD 450BT is a very good pair of headphones for the price, noise canceling is good and sound quality is great—quite rare at this price point. Like any product, this headset isn’t without its faults."
Get a great deal on the Focal Elex or the Sennheiser 450BT
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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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
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CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.
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