They solve opposite problems. The Bose is a connected, noise-managing, go-anywhere tool. The Sennheiser is a cable-bound instrument for careful listening in a quiet corner. Get that distinction right and the rest falls into place quickly.
Bose Noise Cancelling vs Sennheiser HD 560S at a Glance
• Bose Noise Cancelling — biggest strength: Eleven levels of active noise cancelling paired with a microphone system designed to keep a voice clear in noisy, windy places. For a kid, that means fewer distractions and calls that don't sound like they're coming from the bottom of a bucket.
• Bose Noise Cancelling — biggest trade-off: Everything depends on battery — up to 20 hours of playback per charge — and the faux-leather earcups can warm up during marathon sessions.
• Sennheiser HD 560S — biggest strength: An open-back, velour-padded wired design with a 6 Hz to 38 kHz range and angled drivers tuned for accurate, wide, analytical sound. It's the pair a young music lover grows into rather than out of.
• Sennheiser HD 560S — biggest trade-off: No cable, no listening. It's wired only, it has no noise cancelling at all, and the open cups leak sound in both directions.
• Who each is for: Bose suits the child who needs wireless freedom, quiet on demand and clear calls. Sennheiser suits the teen who wants honest sound, long comfortable sessions and doesn't mind being plugged in.
What this pair does best is manage the world around your kid. The noise cancelling has 11 adjustable levels, which matters more than it sounds like it does — you can go deep in a loud car and back off in a classroom so they can still hear a teacher or a parent. The microphone array is built to keep a voice intelligible in noisy and windy conditions, and the touch controls on the earcups mean volume and playback changes happen without digging a phone out of a backpack. Alexa and Google Assistant are available directly, there's Bluetooth 5 with roughly 10 metres of range, and you get up to 20 hours of playback per charge plus a USB charging cable, an audio cable and a carrying case in the box. If your child has an iPhone, holding the right earcup jumps straight back into their last Spotify session.
How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-20 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
Who should skip it? Very young children, for a start. Both products are built around adult head sizes in the manufacturer's own description of who they're for, and touch-sensitive earcups plus a battery to manage are a lot for a seven-year-old. Skip it too if your kid is hard on cables and chargers, or if you want one less device to remember to plug in overnight. And skip it if the priority is pure, uncoloured sound for music practice — the Bose is tuned to be full, lively and balanced, not forensic.
The HD 560S is the opposite kind of product: a wired, open-back, over-ear headphone with a dynamic driver covering 6 Hz to 38 kHz, an impedance of 120 ohms and 110 dB sensitivity. Its angled driver alignment is designed to mimic the triangle you'd get from a pair of hi-fi speakers, creating a wide soundstage without any room treatment. The open, ventilated cup design keeps air moving so the ears stay cool, and the velour earpads are chosen for a soft, barely-there contact feel on a 240 g frame. You get a 6.3 mm jack with a 3.5 mm adapter, plus a cable and manual. There's no Bluetooth, no microphone and no noise cancelling anywhere in the design.
That combination is very specifically good for one kind of kid: the teenager who sits down to listen. If your child plays an instrument and wants to hear exactly what a recording does with a mix, or games for hours and needs to pinpoint which direction a sound came from, the analytical tuning and wide stage are the point. In my opinion, the HD 560S is the best comfortable headset of the two for long desk sessions — velour breathes in a way faux leather doesn't, and there's no battery to drain, no pairing to redo, no firmware to think about. Plug it into a laptop and it just works, every time.
The flip side is real, though. Open-back means the cups don't seal, so your kid hears the household and the household hears whatever they're playing. In a shared living room or a car, that's a dealbreaker. The 120-ohm load also means it's the happier customer of a headphone amplifier or audio interface — Sennheiser names exactly those sources, along with computers, as the intended partners. A phone or tablet with an adapter will produce sound, but this is a headphone that rewards a proper desk setup.
• Best for a kid who needs wireless freedom → Bose Noise Cancelling. Bluetooth 5, around 10 metres of range, no cable to snag on a chair leg.
• Best for blocking out a noisy house → Bose Noise Cancelling. Eleven levels of active noise cancelling versus none at all on the Sennheiser.
• Best for video calls and online lessons → Bose Noise Cancelling. The microphone system is designed to isolate a voice in noisy and windy conditions; the HD 560S has no mic.
• Best for serious music listening and gaming at a desk → Sennheiser HD 560S. Wider frequency range, angled drivers, a deliberately neutral, analytical presentation.
• Best for hot ears and long sessions → Sennheiser HD 560S. Ventilated open cups and velour pads beat sealed faux leather for breathability.
• Best for travel and shared spaces → Bose Noise Cancelling. It seals, it comes with a carrying case, and it won't broadcast your kid's playlist to the whole room.
• Best for zero charging anxiety → Sennheiser HD 560S. It's wired, so there's no battery, no charge time, and nothing to forget overnight.
• Best for the gym → neither. If you're shopping for earphones for gym use, look elsewhere: both are over-ear headphones, and no water or sweat resistance is part of either design.
One category worth ruling out early: if what you actually want is the best USB-C charging open ear earbuds for school, neither of these is that product. Both are full-size over-ear headphones, and the Sennheiser in particular is very much a sit-down pair.
For a kid, I'd buy the Bose Noise Cancelling. Not because it sounds more truthful — it doesn't; the HD 560S is the more accurate instrument — but because childhood listening is messy and mobile. The Bose handles a noisy house, a video lesson and a car ride in one device, keeps your child reachable thanks to the adjustable noise-cancelling levels, and gives them a microphone that actually works. The Sennheiser is the better headphone for the right teenager in the right room, and I'd happily recommend it as a second, desk-bound pair once your kid is old enough to treat gear carefully. If you're buying one pair for a kid today, buy the Bose.
Both are adult-oriented over-ear designs, so fit depends on head size rather than age. The Bose uses a stainless steel headband with tilted earcups; the Sennheiser has a 240 g frame with velour pads. For a smaller child, expect a looser fit and consider waiting a year or two.
Not strictly. At 120 ohms with 110 dB sensitivity they'll reach usable volume from a laptop or a phone with the included 3.5 mm adapter. But they're designed with headphone amps, audio interfaces and computers in mind, and that's where they show what they can do.
The Bose, clearly — it has active noise cancelling with 11 levels. The Sennheiser HD 560S is open-back and has no noise cancelling whatsoever, so it lets room sound in and leaks music out. That openness is a feature for critical listening, not for a busy house.
It comes down to use. Wireless, noise control and calls point to the Bose; accurate wired sound at a desk points to the Sennheiser. Since pricing moves around, check the current price on Amazon for each before you commit.
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