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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize wireless convenience and longer battery life for long listening sessions, the Marshall Major IV is a good choice, offering up to 80 hours of typical use and the ability to wirelessly charge. These are on-ear headphones with a decent sound quality that are especially well-suited for music listening and have a compact, foldable design for portability. However, if you're seeking superior sound quality, wider soundstage, and overall comfort, especially for critical listening and for enjoying TV and video content, the open-back Sennheiser 560S is the better option, though they lack a built-in microphone and wireless capability, which limits their use for calls and on-the-go scenarios. The Sennheisers are also not ideal for noisy environments due to their open design which does not isolate sound well. 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 Marshall Major IV
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
6.6/10
9.5/10
The Sennheiser 560S is best in class for music, while the Marshall Major IV is only fair.
Gaming
5.4/10
6.9/10
The Sennheiser 560S is only fair for gaming, while the Marshall Major IV is poor.
Phone Calls
5.8/10
5.1/10
The Marshall Major IV and Sennheiser 560S are both poor for phone calls, though the Marshall Major IV is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
6.1/10
8.1/10
The Sennheiser 560S is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Marshall Major IV is only fair.
TV and Video
5.7/10
9.1/10
The Sennheiser 560S is excellent for TV and video, while the Marshall Major IV is poor.
Noise Reduction
5.6/10
2.5/10
The Marshall Major IV and Sennheiser 560S are both poor for noise reduction, though the Marshall Major IV is somewhat better.
Battery
80.0 Hours
N/A
The Marshall Major IV has 80 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser 560S does not have a battery.
Cost
$100
$180
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The Marshall Major IV has a price of $100 and the Sennheiser 560S costs $180.
"The Marshall Major IV shares quite a bit in common with its predecessor, but a key upgrade appears to be softer ear cushions. They make upgrading worth it. As a set of basic wired or wireless headphones the Major IV ticks most boxes by remaining easy to use, and fairly comfortable (at least, as on-ear headphones go)."
"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 Marshall Major IV or the Sennheiser 560S
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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