So the surface headphones 2 bring a lot of value for mid range ANC headphones. They come with a hardshell carrying case, they have spectacular build quality for mid range headphones and they block out nearly as much noise as a pair of premium ANC headphones like the Sony 1000XM3 and Bose NC 700. But naturally people want to know how these headphones stack up to these other more premium options… and if its worth spending the extra cash and going with the Sony or Bose or if they’ll be just fine with the Surface Headphones 2.
So in my opinion the biggest upgrade on the Surface 2 is their new retail price of $250 where as the original surface headphones used to retail for $350. Now the Sony 1000XM3’s also have a retail price of $350 but they routinely go on sale for $278 or even a little less cause we know the Sony 1000XM4’s are right around the corner. Now the Bose NC 700’s have a retail price of $400 but they are starting to sometimes go on sale for $350. Nonetheless if you want to pick any of these headphones up they’ll be linked down below and if you want to learn more about any of these headphones please watch their full reviews cause we’re only going over their main differences.
So like I mentioned earlier the Surface 2’s still come included with a premium hardshell carrying case even though they now have a $100 price reduction from the originals. But when compared to these other two headphones this case isn’t the smallest. Now part of this is cause Surface 2’s don’t collapse like the Sony’s so you’ll might want to take this into consideration if you plan on traveling or commuting a lot with these headphones. But non the less all of these headphones come decent hardshell cases that are going to keep your headphones protected.
Now when it comes to the headphones themselves… build quality wise I would actually argue that the Surface Headphones feel more premium than the Sony’s cause their plastic body panels have this slate finish to them that feels really nice. But also the biggest reason why I would say the surface headphones 2 have better build quality than the Sony’s is cause their leatherette feels way better. This leatherette feels smooth and supple where as the Sony’s leatherette feels very synthetic even after a year and a half of heavy usage. But the leatherette on the Surface 2’s doesn’t feel as nice as the leatherette on the Bose.
But when its comes to fit and comfort, I do gotta say the Surface Headphones 2 are the least comfortable headphones in this line up. Now all of these headphones are big head approved and the Surface 2’s have super spacious ear pads like the Bose so they’re going to be able to accommodate all ear types. But the Surface 2’s are the most firm fitting headphones here and also they do like to develop hot spot underneath their headband after about an hour of constant use cause their headband has very little padding. So every hour or so I gotta take these headphones off and take a break. Where as that isn’t and issue with these other two headphones cause they have a lot more padding underneath their headbands by comparison. I can wear either the Bose or Sony’s for multiple hours straight with out any discomfort… and also both of these headphones have way less clamping force then the surface 2’s. The only thing to keep in mind here is that the Sony’s do have the most cramped ear pads here. Now they fit me just fine but if you have larger ears or ears that stick out then you’ll be better off with the Bose. So even though I do think the Surface 2’s will fit fine for a lot of people, I do think that both the Bose and Sony’s fit better.
Now when it comes to tech specs, all of these headphones charge via a USB C port… but keep in mind all of these USB C ports are strictly used for charging. You can’t use these USB C ports a wired connection like you can on some other headphones out there like the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s. But when it comes to battery life both the Surface Headphones 2 and Bose NC 700’s have an advertised battery life of 20 hours where as the Sony’s have an advertised battery life of 30 hours.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity… both the Surface 2’s and Bose can be simulatinously connected to any two devices at the same time so you can easily hot swap from one device to another which can be important for some power users out there. Where as the Sony’s can only be connected to one device at a time. So switching from your phone to you computer isn’t as seamless.
And when it comes to watching movies or video on you phone all of these headphones have zero latency across the board whether you’re using an iPhone or an android device. But if you need to you can always still use a wired connection with any of these headphones cause they all still have audio jack. Now I do know this sounds basic but I do want to point it out cause some companies are starting to remove the audio jack on some their headphones like the Beats Solo Pro.
But now lets talk about listening to music with these headphones… and lets start off with the Surface 2’s cause these are the worst performing headphones here. Now don’t get me wrong, with their stock EQ these headphones sound decent and they should please your average listener. They have strong mids so vocals are very pronounced and they also have a decent amount of bass. So these headphones are fun to listening to and they definitely get the job done. But these headphones have a really big problem controlling their bass especially if you listen to a lot of rap, hip hop, and R and B like do. With their stock EQ the bass on these headphones sometimes gets super close to bottoming out and sometimes they do end up sputtering. And if you were to go into their EQ and where to raise their lows and mids lows then these headphones are going to start spurting on a regular basis. Which I just think is just unacceptable for headphones in this price range. Where as the bass on these other two headphones stay intact no matter what. So like I said the Surface 2’s sound decent enough but sometimes that bass does like to sputter. But now let's talk about the Sony’s… I feel these headphones people pleasers. If you like a neutral sound signature you can do that or if you like bass heavy EQ and want your headphones to physically rattle your head the Sony’s can also do that. And unlike the bass on the Surface 2’s, the bass on the Sony’s stays intact no matter what. But if you want better clarity or better instrument separation, then the Bose are the way to go. But I still do feel that the Bose are better for people who prefer a more neutral EQ or mids focused EQ. Even though the Bose NC 700’s recently got a new adjustable EQ… it only took Bose a year to release this feature after they announced it… even if you raise the bass on these headphones they still aren’t going to physically rattle your head like the Sony’s. Even though the you can set the Bose to have more bass… its purely audible similar to the bass on the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 but it doesn’t hit as hard and it not as tight.
But when it comes to controlling your music this is something the Surface Headphones excel at. The dial on the right ear cup makes sure that your input is always 100% accurate and since these touch pads only register a single tap, double tap, or triple tap… they’re also very accurate as well. Where as these other headphones largely use gestures which sometimes can be missed. Now don’t get me wrong, both of these headphones have very accurate touch pads and they’re easy to use. But personally I do prefer the Surface headphones dial and touch pad set up cause it is even easier to use. Cause yes, on occasion the Sony’s miss inputs, and I really hate having to adjust the volume on the Bose by having to constantly flick this little touch pad.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancelation on these headphones. The Surface 2’s block out an above average amount of noise for a pair of Mid Range ANC headphones and the Surface 2’s can actually keep up with both the Bose and Sony’s. But so that you can see for yourself we’re going to jump into an ANC Test.
So like you may have just seen… the surface 2’s block out just about the same amount of noise as the Bose NC 700’s. But you can clearly see that the Sony 1000XM3’s still block out noticeably more noise than Surface 2’s. The Sony’s manage to block out more constant low frequency sounds like road noise and they do a better job of block out random higher frequency sounds like chatter. But over all I do think both the Bose and Sony’s still have better Active noise cancellation than the Surface 2’s cause the ANC on the Surface 2’s does have some noticeable cabin pressure. The cabin pressure on the surface headphones is bad like the cabin pressure on the Bose QC35’s which does give me headaches… but it can be felt especially if you’re not playing music through these headphones. Where as both the Sony’s and Bose have less cabin pressure which does contribute to their over all comfort.
And also, all three of these headphones have an ambient mode but again the ambient mode on the Surface 2’s is lacking a little bit here cause they pick up a lot of wind noise when walking out doors and their ambient mode doesn’t sound natural. To me the Ambient mode on the Surface 2’s sounds like you’re underwater. Where as the ambient modes on these other two headphones sound much more natural and they also pick up significantly less wind noise when walking out doors. But over all I do feel the Ambient mode on the Sony’s is better than the Bose cause its the active kind meaning that they’ll actively block out sudden spikes in loud noises saving you from jump scares. Now the surface 2’s also have an active ambient mode but like I mentioned earlier their ambient mode just doesn’t sound natural and it also pick ups too much wind noise when walking out doors.
And also the surface 2’s are missing a conversation mode like on these other two headphones where you can quickly talk to someone without having to take your headphones off like this.
Personally I do prefer Bose’s conversation mode over Sony’s quick attention cause with Bose once conversation mode is activated your hands are free where as with the Sony’s you gotta constantly keep their touch pad covered which is awkward.
But finally here’s the microphone test. Now we’re going to do things here a little differently cause I want to show of what kind of a job these headphones do isolating just your voice. I actually have this AC unit turned on and I think you can hear quite a good amount of it in the back ground.
Now if we switch over to the Sony’s I think they do a slightly better job of blocking out that AC unit than the Surface Headphones 2.
But the Bose NC 700’s clearly do do the best job of isolating your voice from that AC unit. You can still hear it in the back ground a little bit and it might flare up a little bit sometimes but the Bose are working hard to block out that AC unit. Cause if we switch over to my lapel mic you’ll be able to clearly hear it. But if we switch over back to the Bose you’ll see that that AC unit is reduced.
So with all that being said… the Surface headphones 2 definitely bring a lot of value for a pair of $250 ANC headphones. They come included with a premium hardshell case, they block out as much noise as a pair of premium ANC headphones, and they have amazing build quality especially their leatherette. But when you compare these headphones to the Bose NC 700 and Sony 1000XM3’s… yes I do think it is still worth spending the extra cash if you can. Both of these headphones are more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, they both sound better… but more importantly their bass doesn’t bottom out like the Surface 2’s do… their active noise cancellation have less cabin pressure and their ambient modes sound more natural and pick up less wind noise when walking out doors. But if you are on a tighter budget then the Surface Headphones 2 are a great pair of headphones to consider if active noise cancellation is a high priority for you.
