Microsoft Surface Headphones Review: a great start

Good

• Spacious soundscape
• Adjustable noise suppression
• Dial and innovative touch controls
• Excellent connectivity
• Comfortable and upscale design
• Supports multiple Bluetooth devices

The bad

• The life of the battery is lower than that of the competition
• The Cortana app is needed for most features
• The bass may be too loud

Verdict

Although they do not meet the standards of Bose and Sony, the Microsoft Surface Headphones are a pleasant surprise with a solid sound and a noise suppression.

Building on the success of the Surface brand, Microsoft extended its reach to the audio space with the Surface helmet. Designed in-house by the Surface team, these active noise canceling enclosures use most of the same design elements as the product's computer models, while offering dynamic sound and unique controls. The result is an elegant set of cans with solid audio performance and surprisingly powerful active noise cancellation.

Can surface headsets compete with category experts such as Bose QuietComfort35 II and Sony WH-1000XM3? I would not say that they are completely outside the league, but they are a few improvements to the threat of noise suppression.

Design

Combining adaptive ergonomics with durable build quality and an elegant platinum finish, the Surface headphones are an attractive pair of cans. My only wish was that they came in the same sexy black color scheme as the Surface Pro 6. But their true beauty lies in the details and the headsets have many that you will spend time admiring.

The construction of the cans is aluminum (extensions), plastic (ear cups) and steel (headband). Each of these components is firm and flexible, thus ensuring the pair survive regardless of abuse. The soft-touch exterior is pleasant to the touch, while the metal and plastic give off a nice shine factor that contributes to the high-end appearance of the helmet.

The silver Windows logo is more appealing than the Bose and Sony fingerprints. The separate bow over the earpieces also brings out the helmet when it is worn. Finally, the headphones maintain a uniform construction. Each component is molded, unlike the Bose QuietComfort 35 II headset, where you can see just about every frame screw.

Combining adaptive ergonomics with durable build quality and an elegant platinum finish, the Surface headphones are an attractive pair of cans.

Microsoft groups its boxes with a handful of accessories, including an auxiliary and USB Type-C Cables beautifully presented in a chic and woven travel case. The order sheet slipped inside with the accessory pouch is a clever touch that most homeowners will appreciate.

Comfort and Fit

At 10.2 ounces, the surface earphones are not particularly light. Again, neither the QC35 II (8.2 ounces) nor the Sony WH-1000XM3 (9 ounces). In any case, the Surface headphones offer the same casual comfort as the opponents of the device.

Let's start with the soft memory foam around the atria. It's a plush and a pillow sensation that soothes the ears. The WH-1000XM3 has an oval cut, while the Surface earphones have a large circular cutout.

The latter is more beneficial for two reasons: it is suitable for wider ears and prevents padding from exerting pressure on the cartilage of your ears. Unfortunately, this also provides little room for maneuver, which creates a hot and sweaty environment for your ears. It can become very heavy if you wear it more than half of the day.

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The headband has a firm padding, which allowed to fix the helmet on my skull. Playing with the extensions was the key to a comfortable and comfortable fit. Once set to the right notch, the headband is conformed to my knot without applying unwanted pressure. I wore them about 5 hours a day without ever feeling tired.

Intuitive controls

Surface team members outdone themselves by incorporating dial controls and a touch interface on both headsets. The volume knob on the right increases the sound as it is dialed forward and reduces it when it is turned back. The left button works in the same way to set the active noise cancellation. Everyone works easily and accurately.

One of the favorite features of the WH-1000XM3 is its touch screen. I was delighted to learn that Surface headphones have the same feature. The luxury of managing calls and playing music on both sides is convenient. Touch gestures are easy to learn: play / pause (touch once), answer a call / skip a song (double-tap), previous track (press three times) and activate Cortana / reject the call (long press) .

I've also discovered that you can activate the play / pause function by making circular gestures on the pad. Although the Surface headset controls are responsive, I thought the inclusion of scan gestures on the WH-1000XM3's controls allowed them to work more efficiently and further optimize the technology.

The control diagram is completed by an audio jack, a charging port, a battery notification button and a power button under the right horn. If you hold it down for 20 seconds, the headphones will be reset at the factory.

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There's also a smart pause feature that stops the music each time you take off your head – something Plantronics did with its BackBeat Go series for many years. This is pretty accurate and pauses the media when you remove an atrium for times when you have to interact with the outside world.

Active noise suppression

Microsoft has taken serious steps to make its special sound mufflers – incorporating eight microphones into the design to produce 13 levels of active noise suppression. Four of these are beam-forming microphones that help improve clarity of voice. The technology works well to neutralize the sound, but it is not as refined as that of Bose or Sony.

Most of the heckling around me was silenced when I wore the headphones on the outside. I barely heard traffic at rush hour when I was heading to the subway and the noise of angry commuters was choked upon returning home by train. The wind was an inevitable obstacle with the WH-1000XM3, but not with the Surface helmet. The pickups are not affected by the air currents and let me listen to Spotify when I'm out, much like my experience with the QC35 II.

Active noise cancellation works well, but it is not as sophisticated as that of Bose and Sony.

The surface headsets are programmed with an ambient noise mode, which directs the external sound of your environment to the headphones. This is a nifty function that is also found on the WH-1000XM3, which is handy when you want to hear conversations about the environment or someone speaking, but only at low volume. I could not identify some noises when I exploded music. There was also some whistling visible in the background when I turned on the mode.

Soundproofing

Surface earphones The sound insulation is good, but the QC35 II and the WH-1000XM3 do it better. Earphones blocked about 70% of the sound in the streets. Still, I was crossing a rowdy crowd without being disturbed, even if church bells interrupted him. Construction sites and nearby ambulance sirens also kept me away from my music. Inside, I could barely hear the sound of my door or my girlfriend chatting with her mother on the phone.

Audio performance

Does the sound quality of Microsoft headphones match that of Bose and Sony? No audiophile should expect it. Whatever the case may be, the Surface headphones do an impressive job providing powerful bass and spacious sound for an immersive listening experience.

The sound is powered by 40-millimeter free-board speakers that, according to Microsoft, are "designed for rich, clear acoustics." This is a fairly accurate statement, even though the sound profile puts more emphasis on the bass. That being said, it seemed right to test some hip-hop and rock songs.

The frequencies were well balanced in the Foo Fighters' Learn to Fly, creating a lively atmosphere, animated by hi-hats and energetic riffs. The headphones have improved the sound performance of N.W.A. "Alwayz Into Somethin & # 39; "by highlighting the treble and haunting synths of the song, without compromising singing.

The frequencies were well balanced in the Foo Fighters' Learn to Fly, creating a lively atmosphere, animated by hi-hats and energetic riffs.

The headphones sometimes become a little too zealous with the bass. Discs like "If I Stayed or Should I Go" from The Clash featured a lot of boom, but the guitar portions created a distortion. The mediums and highs of Jackson's "I Want You Back" were hidden behind the iconic bass line of the song. The choirs did not have any presence during the chorus, leaving the voice of Michael Jackson wearing the entire song.

A compromise to have such powerful sonics: noise leaks. Many sounds bleed from these cans. At maximum volume, my girlfriend could actually identify what I was playing from several feet away. He also managed to disrupt my cat's nap. Using aux cable was a quieter solution, despite the fact that the bass and volume sounded much cheaper than in wireless mode.

A compromise to have such powerful sonics: noise leaks.

Cortana App

The mobile application Cortana has a plethora of settings to configure, control and configure the headphones. You will come across shortcut sections to engage in skill actions (arrange emails, weather updates); link to music services (Spotify, iHeart); connect to calendars (Outlook, Gmail); And above all, customize the sound stage.

Opening the Equalizer menu gives you access to five sound presets – Classic, Jazz, Flat, Pop and Rock – as well as the ability to create and record your own sound profile. Fine tuning the different frequencies for each preset has improved instrument separation and speech clarity, especially on bass tracks. You can not save these changes to a profile and transfer them to another media device.

Digital assistants

The surface helmet supports Cortana, Siri and Google Assistant. A long press on the touchpad or the appropriate wake-up phrase (such as "Hey Google Assistant") activates the function and allows you to execute commands. All three work similarly, though Cortana extends functionality to additional services and skills. Have the ability to get LinkedIn Updates, monitor stocks and create voice shortcuts is sweet.

The Cortana experience seems smoother on Android than on iOS and macOS. Siri often had trouble recognizing my voice at times – she was somehow mistaken about "Play" Black Star "on iTunes" for "Play Plex". My Pixel 3 XL was more conscious of the controls and registered without problems.

Battery life

Microsoft promises up to 15 hours of full charge. This is enough for a week of moderate listening, but it remains below QC35 II (20 hours) and WH-1000XM3 (30 hours). But the combination of Cortana and ANC weighs heavily on the battery. Fortunately, using the headset in wired mode allows you to get 50 hours of noise cancellation.

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The Surface headphones gave me 11 hours of listening time, which was perfect for three days of continuous listening. USB Type-C charging is another clutch feature that most will appreciate. I received a full charge in about an hour and a half. Meanwhile, the WH-1000XM3 requires nearly 3 hours for 100% battery life.

Quality of call

Taking calls on the surface helmet is a mixed deal. They work better than the WH-1000XM3, but not as good as the QC35 II. Conversations on Skype were clear – not so much about phone calls. Two friends said that my voice was choked when we were talking outside and thought I was in the speakerphone. However, the microphones have listened better to the voices in the quieter areas. My girlfriend heard me well when I called from inside the apartment, but she could tell that I was on a headset, because of 39, a slight hiss in the background.

connectivity

The coupling of the surface helmet was transparent. You are instantly placed in pairing mode when you turn them on for the first time. Even more cool is the ability to pair them with up to 10 devices simultaneously. Normally, this poses problems between audio sources, but I was able to stream Spotify from my 3XL Pixel smoothly while controlling playback through my computer. Macbook Pro.

As transparent as connectivity is, it is disappointing to see Bluetooth 5.0 missing in the Surface Headphones datasheet. Instead, you get Bluetooth 4.2, which still promotes stable connectivity and wireless listening up to 30 feet. It should be noted that the headphones have exceeded this range and have crossed the bar of 35 feet before picking up.

Bottom line

First impressions are paramount and the Microsoft Surface Headphones offer more than enough bells and whistles to capture your interest. They have the firepower and functionality needed to challenge Bose and Sony, but still require some extra upgrades in the noise and audio removal services before they can be considered a real threat.

Noise eliminating aside, these cans are a remarkable feat in helmet engineering that should not be ignored. The design is solid and upscale, making it a stylish companion for any Surface or MacBook. I also liked the fast charging, the intuitive controls and the wide sound stage.

All things considered, if you want time-tested headphones with reliable noise cancellation and high audio performance, the $ 350 Surface Headphones are a great choice. Just be aware that for the same price, you can get better ANC and better sound from QC35 II and WH-1000XM3 models.

Credit: Microsoft