[defbear]

Where did all the swag come from? And yes, how are they?

 

[SamS]

With a bunch of swag to go with it! So... how are they?

Where did all the swag come from? And yes, how are they?

Well, apparently I was the first person to buy these in the Dallas Microsoft store. So I was getting a lot of attention from the store staff. They asked me to pose for a picture, etc. So, I asked them if they had “anything special” for me since I was the guinea pig. A nice fellow went in the back and came back out with a nice bag of swag for me.

Only had a chance to listen for a bit. The fit and finish is extraordinary for $350. The sound has a bit too much bass bloom around 100Hz. I understand there is an iOS app that will let me EQ things.

Give me a day or so and I’ll post some more impressions on the sound. But ask away any questions about functionality or features!

 

[ArgBoston]

Would love a pair of these to match my surface book. Hopefully I can find them used for cheap in a year or two.

 

[SamS]

Here are some initial impressions:

Design/ergonomics: They are overall very comfortable. I've only worn them for about 1 hour at a time, and they may be a *tiny* bit on the tight side. I think they're well suited for on-the-go listening. The ear cups are crazy comfy! The fit and finish is very nice, no exposed screws. I'm not 100% sold on the color. Seems like it might look grungy after a while. I would have preferred a much darker gray. The side dials for volume and noise cancellation (13 steps) are a joy to use. Incredibly smooth to turn, feels like a much more expensive device. How do I get these quality knobs/rings on my A/V gear??

Technical considerations: Setup was straightforward and I was listening in just a few seconds. Today, I downloaded the Cortana app, which walks you through a more sophisticated setup, and gives you access to more setup options, including the ability to disable Cortana, update the headphone's firmware, etc. They have USB-C for charging, and you can charge while listening. However, the USB-C port does not support audio input. I tried with iPhone (Lightning to USB-C), MacBook Pro (USB-C to USB-C) and Surface Go (USB-C to USB-C). Nothing recognized, but this is not really an issue - rather a technical curiosity I had. They also have a nice feature to auto-pause the music when you take them off, but leaving them around your neck is uncomfortable for me.

Sound: Without using the Cortana app, the default is a "Flat" EQ setting. Problem is.. it's not so flat! Too much bass at ~ 100Hz. Not to the level of most Beats, but definitely "plump". In the Cortana app, you can customize a 5-band EQ. I took Bass and Mid-Bass down one click each, and that evened things out nicely. I had no issues with the mids or high-end. I don't find them to have the dreaded "cupped hands" sound of the midrange, so I'm grateful for that. The adjustable noise cancellation is impressive to me. I guess it has 13 steps, but I find it hard to distinguish. You get a small beep when you reach either end of the extreme: full-on NC, or actually amplifying ambient sounds. So far I've left it at the highest setting and it was nice on the morning train ride. I can hear a bit of NC hiss in between songs, but it's not too distracting for me.

Anyways, that's all for now!

 

[Jaywalk3r]

Why would anyone want adjustable noise cancellation? To let more of the world in. Listen to music or the movie and still be able to have conversations or know if the doorbell rang.

Perhaps, but non-ANC would be a much better option in such scenarios. Compared to non-ANC head-/earphones, ANC headphones tend to have pretty awful sound quality, because ANC requires more of the transducers.

 

[defbear]

So I bought a pair of the Microsoft Surface Headphones. I got my student discount Woo-hoo! But like pulling teeth. I saw the swag above and made the Microsoft Store give me a grey water bottle. You have do unscrew it every time you want to take a drink. Useless but cool looking. Just like everything else in 2018. Any thing else? Oh yeah! These things are Grrreat!. There is a Cortana App that goes with them. You have to add the headphones to the app. Then you can just talk to the headphones to do quiet a bit of stuff. That also means the damn things are listening while the phones are on. Just like an Amazon Alexa. Yay/Yeesh? You can turn that off. I tried them in a very noisy Microsoft Store. Yes! One of those stores was actually busy for once. Paired them with my iPhone 6+ and sat and listened to all the usual subjects. The bass is full fun and solid. Mids are there(whatever) and the treble is detailed without shrieking or spikey-ness. It’s balanced, rich and detailed. The Cortana App has a useful EQ with some presets and and make your own via 5 band EQ. The EQ works nice. Changing one frequency does not destroy the entire sound signature. The presets are musical and I just leave it on Flat anyhow. Bluetooth is Rock Solid. I got them home and didn’t take them off until bedtime. Late. They are comfortable. I didn’t think about them while wearing them. No constant adjusting to get them to fit right. A real success there. There is an on/off/pairing button and a Mute button. Everything else it either Tap controls or by adjusting the Dials on the edge of each ear up. The tap controls are the usual tap, dbl tap, slide forward or back to do all the usual stuff. Tap on either ear-cup. Don’t matter. I haven’t tried to bongo a sequence using both cups at the same time yet. When I first read that this headphone had dials on the side I thought ‘Gee didn’t I have an old Radio Shack set of headphones with volume knobs on each ear-cup’? So yeah there is a volume control on the right earcup and the noise cancelling control on the left. Both are wonderfully useful and smooth as can be. The noise cancelling is better than the press will have you believe. It can be adjusted to let some sound in or actually boost and amplify the outside world. And I use this feature all the time. The dial for the volume is way better than a swipe up or down. Watching Netflix, Amazon or DirectTV the is no lag in the lip movements. It all syncs up like wired. You can use a supplied analog cable for your Pono or whatever non BT device. There is a USB-C cable for charging or updating firmware but not to listen in USB a mode.
For comparison I do have the Sony WH-1000XM3 and the Bose QC35II. The Sony is the new ANC king. But I read a review said the Sony made everything go Dead Silent there on the convention floor. HogWash. Tap your coffee cup with your Bic. The bass on the Sony is boomy and bloomy. I was a little surprised. Is this what Beats sound like? I havn’t Tried Beats since 2010. Iv’e listened to the Sony’s For quiet a few hours and have let them beat (no pun intended) me into submission. I like the Sony’s and am looking for a good bluetooth DAP with LDAC. The Sony’s are like a set of QC35II’s that know someone.
When I put the Surface headphones back on, I do not miss any bass and everything in the recording is there and it is a ‘refreshing sound’. Nothing ‘thin’. I’m surprised that these are any good at all. I mean no Bluetooth buzzwords to speak of. DOA tech sort of. But! They are super comfy, sound just Grand and have the best controls ever. Quickest and Smoothest way to adjust volumes and pull noise cancelling in and out ever. And they include a nice thin tapered case.

 

[defbear]

Perhaps, but non-ANC would be a much better option in such scenarios. Compared to non-ANC head-/earphones, ANC headphones tend to have pretty awful sound quality, because ANC requires more of the transducers.

The Surface headphones can be turned off and used as a passive headphone. But you hear none of the outside world. And when the music is off, everything is muffled (closed back). Can’t hear if a car just pulled in. I’m use to HD800 headphones. It’s getting better. The Surface headphones sound GREAT no matter how the NC is set. If your headphones have an on/off button you are going through a headphone amp. The external microphones are killing the outside worlds sounds while at the same time amplifying the music source separately. All you can do is buy several of everything, listen to it all a lot, see what you think and then try to find a place to put it all. Then repeat.

 

[Jaywalk3r]

The Surface headphones can be turned off and used as a passive headphone.

Yes, most ANC headphones can be. Sony and Bose, for example, both allow users to turn the ANC down or off. But their sound quality is still bad compared to non-ANC headphones at a similar price point. That's the sad reality of ANC. If it weren't, mid-fi, high-fi, and summit-fi earphones/headphones would include plenty of ANC, when, in fact, none of them do.

 

[SamS]

Some further thoughts after spending a few days with them:

It is interesting (to me, at least) that these have two bluetooth connections between the headphones and the paired device. One is the standard Bluetooth 4.2 for receiving audio, the other is Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) for transmitting/syncing data such as the EQ settings (more on that below).

Comfort! Wow these are very comfortable. The ear pads are covered in the normal stuff found on similar headphones, but the padding itself is some kind of magical foam that has the perfect density and comfort for long-term wearing. Obviously this is very subjective, but it definitely was unexpected for me.

EQ: I think I've found a very flat setting, that still delivers a nice full bass, and keeps the midrange very natural. I sent some feedback within the Cortana app to Microsoft - they need to put markers or detents on the EQ, as it can be a bit fiddly to adjust. Notice how the Low is a notch below Mid-Low, which is one notch below centered.

 

[SamS]

Surprised no one else has tried these?

I took a business trip last week, 3 hour flight each way. I wore the Surface headphones the entire flight, with no fatigue at all. After spending more time with them, the two most impressive things are the comfort, and the midrange. The mids are much smoother than they have any right to be! Zero issues with the 'cupped hands' sound for vocals, and since they provide a good seal around your ear, I find the soundstage to be very solid.

 

[Jaywalk3r]

I've been seeing them in the wild (Microsoft is local), but I still haven't had the opportunity to try one.

 

[SamS]

Earlier today, these were $261 via Amazon (sold and fulfilled by), which is a total steal! Not sure if they'll come back at that price, but some of you might want to keep an eye out.

 

[jaymbee]

Some further thoughts after spending a few days with them:

It is interesting (to me, at least) that these have two bluetooth connections between the headphones and the paired device. One is the standard Bluetooth 4.2 for receiving audio, the other is Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) for transmitting/syncing data such as the EQ settings (more on that below).

Comfort! Wow these are very comfortable. The ear pads are covered in the normal stuff found on similar headphones, but the padding itself is some kind of magical foam that has the perfect density and comfort for long-term wearing. Obviously this is very subjective, but it definitely was unexpected for me.

EQ: I think I've found a very flat setting, that still delivers a nice full bass, and keeps the midrange very natural. I sent some feedback within the Cortana app to Microsoft - they need to put markers or detents on the EQ, as it can be a bit fiddly to adjust. Notice how the Low is a notch below Mid-Low, which is one notch below centered.

I am considering these after returning pair of WH-1000XM3 because of a cracking/popping noise in the left earcup.

Many of the reviews I’ve read of the Surface Headphones complain about a lack of treble detail. Can this be corrected using the app equaliser?

 

[SamS]

I am considering these after returning pair of WH-1000XM3 because of a cracking/popping noise in the left earcup.

Many of the reviews I’ve read of the Surface Headphhones complain about a lack of treble detail. Can this be corrected using the app equaliser?

I personally think the treble is perfect at the default settings. But I do realize a lot people prefer a bit of a boost. Sure, the app EQ can brighten things up. Not sure how to quantify this for you, I don’t know the fr range it’s impacting.

 

[jaymbee]

Thanks for the quick response. In your opinion, is the lack of any codec other than SBC a big deal?