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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Sennheiser HD 400S offers a better overall sound quality and a more immersive experience for music, calls, meetings, and gaming due to its over-ear design and higher comfort rating. The Soundcore P20i earbuds, while less expensive, provide the convenience of wireless use and a sweatproof design, which makes them well-suited for exercise and travel. The P20i also supports app equalization for customizing sound. If sound quality and comfort are your top priorities for a variety of activities including gaming and professional use, and you don't mind a wired connection, the Sennheiser may be worth the higher cost. However, if you value portability, the flexibility of wireless use, and need something for active use cases, the Soundcore may better meet your needs despite a lower sound stage and imaging score. 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 Sennheiser HD 400S
- Good for music
- Very good for phone calls
- Very good for gaming
- Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Soundcore P20i
- Very good for air travel
Key differences
Music
7.1
6.4
The Sennheiser HD 400S is good for music, while the Soundcore P20i is only fair.
Gaming
8.6
7.3
The Sennheiser HD 400S is very good for gaming, while the Soundcore P20i is good.
Phone Calls
8.2
5.0
The Sennheiser HD 400S is very good for phone calls, while the Soundcore P20i is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.6
4.7
The Sennheiser HD 400S is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Soundcore P20i is poor.
TV and Video
7.6
7.0
The Sennheiser HD 400S and Soundcore P20i are both good for TV and video, though the Sennheiser HD 400S is somewhat better.
Noise Reduction
5.3
6.5
The Soundcore P20i is only fair for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser HD 400S is poor.
Battery
N/A
9.0 Hours
The Sennheiser HD 400S does not have a battery. The Soundcore P20i has 9 hours of battery life.
Cost
$50
$30
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The Sennheiser HD 400S has a price of $50 and the Soundcore P20i costs $30.
Build Quality
8.5
9.0
The Soundcore P20i has excellent build quality, while the Sennheiser HD 400S has very good build quality.
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How the Sennheiser HD 400S and the Soundcore P20i compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Sennheiser HD 400S | Soundcore P20i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$50 | $30 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Sennheiser | Soundcore | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2019 | May 1, 2023 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 7.2/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 8.2/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 8.7/10 | 7.4/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 7.7/10 | 7/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 4.2/10 | 6.3/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | N/A | 9 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | N/A | Yes | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | N/A | 2 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | N/A | 5.3 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | N/A | 20 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 5.3/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | N/A | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | N/A | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 8.5/10 | 7/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 8.4/10 | 7/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | N/A | Small | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 213 Grams | 4.5 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Sennheiser HD 400S
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Dungeon
Jim | August 2022
"Sennheiser has done it again. The HD 400S performs well beyond its price range and is one of the better budget model headphones I’ve tried. It has very few bells and whistles and offers a simple means of listening that still delivers amazing clarity and quality. If you need a good first pair of headphones or need something that you can take out of the house, then the HD 400S is definitely for you."
Soundcore P20i
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Dig into reviews and images
Critic Reviewer
Ranbir Sen | May 2023
"I would recommend the Soundcore P20i Earbuds to everyone who loves music and would like to own comfortable pair of earbuds with a great range of sound quality. I would recommend users who buy this device use the right comfortable ear tips as per your ear design."
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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.
About Soundcore
Soundcore is a sub-brand belonging to Anker Innovations. Starting in 2014, initially marketing wireless, Bluetooth, speakers, Anker now offers an array of, budget-friendly, wireless earbuds and headphones that directly compete, especially in the Active Noise Canceling field, with other brands several times as expensive.
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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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