The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 are less expensive than many of the best consumer ANC headphones from Sony and Bose, but they have comparable features and specs. Furthermore, this headset is absolutely stunning. It also has some drawbacks: you can’t disable ANC without also enabling ambient pass-through, and the touchpads are easy to accidentally activate. Nonetheless, this is an excellent headset for conference calls.
Every major corporation appears to be attempting to enter the market with one of two products: wireless earbuds or noise-canceling headphones. However, when you’re as big as Microsoft, you can do both. We used the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 for two weeks to learn all of the benefits and drawbacks of this active noise canceling (ANC) headset. So, should you invest in a pair?
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2
I don’t usually talk about the carrying case that comes with a pair of headphones, but I will here: the hardshell case that came with the Surface Headphones 2 is fantastic. What I like best about it is its slim profile, which allows me to easily slip it into and out of my bag. The headset is also compact, and the ear cups rotate 180 degrees, allowing you to lay them flat inside the case or wear them around your neck when not in use. Unfortunately, there are no folding hinges, so if you’re short on space, this will be difficult to fit in your bag.
Aside from that one improvement, the Surface Headphones 2 are virtually identical to the first-generation model. The minimalist design is just as appealing here as it was on the first model. As much as I liked the new sleek design of something like the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, the Microsoft Surface headphones appear to be my ideal future gadget.
But it’s not just the looks that make the Surface Headphones 2 design appealing; this headset is also extremely comfortable. I can wear it all day and never feel like my ears are getting tired of it. Just keep in mind that the ear cups do not breathe well, which is something to consider if you live in a humid climate.
The material on the bottom of the headband is my only complaint about the Surface Headphones 2. I’m not sure why Microsoft doesn’t just use the same memory foam as the ear cups. Instead, the headband has a rubberized cushion that pulls my hair when I move the headphones slightly. It’s more of an annoyance than a pain point, but it’s still bothersome for such a high-priced headset.
You may also like How to Connect Headphones to a TV
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Controls
The Surface Headphones 2 have touch-sensitive ear cups with rotating rings around the edges that allow complete control over everything from playback to noise cancellation. By tapping once on either ear cup, you can pause or play music, while a double or triple tap on the ear cup will skip between songs. Tapping and holding your finger to the ear cup activates your device’s voice assistant. To adjust the volume, rotate the ring on the right ear cup, while the left ear cup controls the noise canceling strength.
Because the touchpads are so sensitive, I frequently unintentionally pause playback. The second-generation Surface Headphones, like the original, have 13 levels of noise cancellation, ranging from maximum canceling to an ambient mode that uses the built-in microphones to amplify what’s going on around you so you don’t have to remove the headset.
Surface Audio app
Aside from guiding you through the pairing process, the Surface Audio app offers a few additional customization options for the headphones. You can, for example, rename the headphones, check for firmware updates to ensure you’re up to date, adjust the strength of the noise cancellation, and even select from a few different EQ presets if desired (or make a new one yourself). None of these are required for using the headphones, but being able to EQ the headphones to your liking is always fun to experiment with.
You may also like What Happens If You Always Wear Headphones?
Surface Headphones 2 Connectivity
While the Surface Headphones 2 resembles the original Surface Headphones, the inside has been updated to compete with the rest of the headphones on the market. The Surface Headphones 2 have Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX support, whereas the originals did not support high-quality Bluetooth codecs and only had Bluetooth 4.2.
This means that more information can travel from your source device to the headphones, resulting in slightly better quality, though this won’t matter if you’re using these with an iOS device, as iPhones only support the AAC codec. Don’t worry if your source device lacks codec support; the headphones will default to SBC, which is the Bluetooth codec that all Bluetooth devices use.
Overall connection strength is excellent, and this has some of the best multipoint technology I’ve used. The Headphones 2 seamlessly switches between my laptop and phone while connected. If I’m listening to music on my laptop, all I have to do is pause it and press play on my phone, and the headphones will automatically switch to the phone. The best part is that they can tell which device you’re using.
According to the Windows website, you’ll need Windows 10 on your computer to get all of the latest functionality. I haven’t tested these on a Mac or a computer running an older version of Windows, so I’m not sure how they’ll work with your specific machine—but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re like my dad and can’t bear the thought of getting rid of Windows 7.
You may also like 5 Things you should consider before buying a headphone
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Microphone
Nobody likes being interrupted while listening to music, but it happens all the time. Fortunately, the Surface Headphones 2 include a microphone, allowing you to answer phone calls and participate in conference calls. I used these on several phone calls and never had any dropouts or hiccups with my voice, which was nice. The integrated mic mute switch on the right headphone is the reason you should get this headset for conference calls, not the raw microphone quality.
Active Noise Canceling (ANC)
You can choose from 13 different levels of ANC, but we tested with the highest intensity. The graph shows that there is a difference between regular passive isolation, which only affects sounds above 1kHz and ANC at its highest setting. The constant hum of an air conditioner is below 1kHz, and this pair of ANC headphones do an excellent job of rendering those sounds up to half as loud as they would otherwise be. While these aren’t going to dethrone the Sony WH-1000XM4 or the Shure AONIC 50, they’re still useful.
Surface Headphones 2 sound
Okay, fine. Let’s talk about sound since this is a pair of headphones. While the Surface Audio app allows you to change the EQ, I keep mine on the default “flat” setting, which adds no emphasis to the response. However, this does not imply that they are perfectly “flat” or neutral. The frequency response of the Surface Headphones 2 is consumer-friendly, as evidenced by the graph, with a nice bump in the lows to make the bass notes in your favorite songs easier to hear while keeping the treble notes at a reasonable volume.
The lows had a little more volume than I would have liked. At around 0:29 in Michael Kiwanuka’s song Home Again, you can hear his voice lose some detail as he plucks the bass notes. My favorite parts of the sound profile, on the other hand, are the mids and highs. The vocals in James Blake’s Fall Creek Boys Choir float over the mid-tone heavy synths throughout the song and never become difficult to hear, even with Bon Iver cooing in the background.
You may also like Sony LinkBuds Wireless Earbud Headphones
Surface Headphones 2 Battery Life
This is one of the key areas where the new Surface Headphones 2 outperforms the original, which was marketed as lasting only 15 hours. Microsoft claims that with active noise cancellation turned on, this new model will provide 20 hours of continuous playback. In our testing, we obtained 17 hours and 47 minutes, which is less than the claimed 20 hours but still not bad. At the very least, it can be charged via USB-C.
CamRojud may earn a certain commission on products purchased via our links, which supports our effort on this content.
Would you like to read more about Microsoft Surface Headphones 2-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
