Microsoft - Surface Headphones 2 - Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear with Cortana - Light Gray

I personally really like those and all the features it has, and it’s also comfortable. The only think is that they build quality is not that good, the top cushion came off but I still managed to still use the headphones, I also tried to put it back in place but it didn’t do anything. but overall it’s great.

I have been wondering for a time as to which headphones to purchase. I own a pair of wireless earbuds, but countless reviews stated that headphones are completely different so I finally decided to buy a pair. I was never looking for heavy bass, complete nosie isolation with all the bells and whistles. The Surface Headphones 2 surprised my expectations as opposed to the popular brands of Sony, and Bose. These headphones are underrated, and will go unnoticed cuz of negative biased reviews and not enough time spent with them. Comfort, sound, design and portability are all present with this device. If more cusumers purchased and reviewed them, word will get back to Microsoft for tweaks or an all around improved version at a steady, affordable price. For another go around, provide more colors options, along with more battery life. Keep the 3.5mm jack option, physical mute button, touch controls, multi device connect, volume, and noise cancellation dials. Overall, glad I know I made the right purchase. Thanks Microsoft, and Best Buy.

Overall sound is great, controls are good and noise cancellation is decent. But the headband broke in the middle making it very uncomfortable to wear since it feels like its piercing your skull after a few minutes. I have not owned these headphones for more than a year. Apparently this is a very common issue if you search the web. You would think that Microsoft would be a bit more comprehensive with this. But after a 3 hr conversation they were unable to complete the exchange transaction due to “complications” on their end. They assured me this would be take care of asap, but Its been a week of no update, no resolution and no response to my emails. In all honesty try your luck with another headphone that does not have this type of design flaw and awful customer service.

Design & Style I’ve had the opportunity to use Microsoft’s brand new Surface Headphones 2 in the new matte black color for about 2 weeks now. My initial impressions when removing them from the included case that ships inside the retail box was “wow, these have a super clean design, and are some of the nicest headphones I’ve seen in a while.” Typically, over the ear headphones are large and bulky. Not the Surface Headpones 2. The cans are just large enough to fit over the ear, but nothing more. The head band fits snug around my skull and there is the ever so slight bend which extends the cans over the ear. They include the Microsoft logo on each side in a glossy black finish which contrasts nicely to the matte black finish on the rest of the headphones. The cups have a soft leather feel that comfortably sit over the ears which allows you to forget about them when wearing them for lengthy calls. Functionality Pairing this headset could not be simpler. Hold the power button on the right cup for about 5 seconds puts them into pairing mode. If you are pairing to another surface device, you will get a pop-up that asks if you want to connect to the new headset. Clicking “connect” is the final step. If you are pairing to a non-surface device, the pairing steps are typical. Open Bluetooth setting and put headset into pairing mode, and “connect” when they are discovered on your PC. For iOS or Android devices, you can either pair via the Bluetooth settings, or, download the Surface companion app (recommended) which will not only guide you through the pairing process with a more simpler “connect” option, but also shows you the battery life and will help keep the Bluetooth connection alive and stable to avoid annoying disconnects. When paired to multiple devices, these headphones respond to the device that you are actively using, or, that has active audio coming from it. This is great when jumping between Teams chats on the PC and audio calls on the cell phone. The functionality on these headphones are as simple as their design style. There are dials on the left and right cup. The right dial turns the volume up or down and the left dial increases or decreases the noise cancellation. The noise cancellation feature works exceptional and I found the ease of increasing or decreasing depending on my outside noise easy. When in a quiet space, I would turn this feature off completely to avoid the static sound the noise cancellation makes. There is no audible indication as to which level of noise cancellation you are on but there is a final beep when you’ve reached maximum noise cancellation, or it has been turned off. The audio quality is very good on these headphones. I found the audio to be a bit “softer” than more audiophile-centric headsets, though I found it to be pleasant with nice boomy bass levels but a more subdued treble. This helped sound to not be as “sharp” which could harm your ears. Every time you power on the headphones, a digital voice tells you which device it is actively paired to. It also detects when you remove them and puts them in a power save sleep mode that is awoken by placing them back on your head. It also will tell you the estimated battery life that is left. I found I could get about 12-13 hour of use before having to charge them. I was able to make a whole work day between video and audio calls last a solid 9 hour work day and still had plenty of juice in the evening for listening to music or playing a game The built in microphone was able to easily pickup my voice, but given it is an internal mic and I could not direct it closer to my mouth, it did end up picking up keyboard presses or other noises in the room. Overall for my work space, this was not an issue for people on the other end of the call. These headphones also have a 3.5mm audio jack for use in machines that do not have Bluetooth. I found the audio to actually be better via Bluetooth and a bit muffled on the hard-wired side. I would have assumed the opposite, but found the Bluetooth quality to be excellent and free of any distortion. Final Thoughts Overall, I absolutely LOVE the simplicity of these headphones both aesthetically and functionally. They pair excellently to other Surface devices and work very well with non-Microsoft tech as well. These are exceptional everyday headphones with above average audio. These should be on anyone’s must have list who owns other Microsoft Surface products and should be a heavy contender for those who don’t. I applaud Microsoft’s attention to detail and making a product that “just works” without any need to constantly troubleshoot a poor Bluetooth connection or constantly need to charge. Well done Microsoft! You have a raving fan on the Surface Headphones 2. “Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.”

These headphones are well built and the sound quality is decent. I am not an audiophile so take it with a grain of salt. I am satisfied with the battery life, does give about 16-18 hours and even the bluetooth connection felt strong. And the dial to adjust sound is really very good. I wish other headphones had that too. I, however, felt that the audio output (mic) could have been a bit better.

The fun starts with the packaging! While the packaging is almost over the top, the experience of opening this product is a delight! I have never seen shrink wrap done so perfectly including the seams! The box is simple, clean and welcomes you to open me! Inside is the custom carry case containing the headphones, power and headphone cords neatly attached with stretch bands to a handy instructional card which is useful! It’s nice to have short concise instructions available when you forget how do I do this? The headphones themselves are sleek, light, and look expensive. The headphones further have the expensive feel all the way down to the damped, heavy feel of the left and right turn dials. Nice touch! The headphones when turned on tell you how many hours of charge you can expect, and they pair quickly and easily to my IOS XR device. Out of the box they are in “flat” mode which sounds good, however most will want to download the Surface Audio App. Having already paired my headphones to my IOS device, I had some trouble getting the app to work the first time. The App wants to walk you through the paring process. I basically unpaired, and then used the app to re-pair. Everything worked fine at that point. On future power ups, the headphones would pair outside of the app, and when the app is opened, it will then reconnect to the headphones and continue to work as needed. It just seemed to be glitch on the first use. I like the information in the app as it will show you the level of noise cancellation, battery charge left in hours, and relative listening volume. The equalizer has 5 presets with the ability to make your own settings and save yours. The equalizer also has 5 “sliders” to adjust the sound to your preference. I of course made my own, saved it, and use it often. It seems the headphones remember the last used equalizer settings. SOUND: I would say the sound is rich and mellow. The highs are crisp and the sound is easy to listen to. It’s not “tiring” as some headphones can be. The bass is there, not too heavy and can be increased through the app. Volume is most adequate and can go well above what is comfortable for me. I detected no distortion at high levels. While listening, you can easily adjust the noise cancellation to create that “perfect escape chamber” void of outside noise and distractions creating your perfect listening environment. However if someone needs to intrude and want to talk to you, just turn that left dial and let their voice come into your space. It all works well! COMFORT: The headphones are light and very comfortable. When worn for a period of time you actually forget they are there. Tap an ear piece to pause, tap again to resume. I really like the feature when you remove the headphones and lay them down, the music automatically pauses! Pick them up and put them on, the music restarts. Sweet! CALL QUALITY: People I have talked to using the Surface Headphones say they can hear me very well! Call quality is excellent for me using the headphones. SUMMARY: I used the included headphone cable listening to music off my PC. The Blue Tooth is disconnected and the sound is via the cable. Sound is as good or better using the cable and this is a nice feature when using older non Blue Tooth devices! Charging is quick and easy with the include USB-C cable to recharge. Blue Tooth range is excellent. I can easily get 40 feet coverage, and outdoors up to 60 feet between devices before the sound starts to cut out. I would highly recommend these headphones to any friend or family member. I find them very comfortable, easy to listen too, great sound, and feature rich with the noise cancellation. As a member of the Tech Insider Network, Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.

After spending a little more than a week with these remarkable headphones, I am quite pleased with them, and I recommend them highly. I offer the following observations: On the plus side: - Lightweight, sleek design, beautifully constructed - Wonderfully comfortable ear pads - Long battery life (I get more than the stated 14 hours per charge) - Excellent sound reproduction: can get louder than I can tolerate! - Love, love the simplicity of operation: twist the right side for volume, twist the left for adjusting noise cancellation; tap once to pause/restart, twice to answer the phone. Easy! - Pairs with up to 3 devices; I had no trouble with the pairing process with PC, Chromebook, or android phone; easily switches from one to the other - I use these for Zoom meetings, and with the noise cancellation in the “middle” setting, I can hear myself speak almost as if I did not have headphones on, and I have been told that the quality of my speech though the headphone mic is far better than the computer mic. Some limitations: - Noise cancellation is not perfect; I find the “enhance environmental sound” setting very distracting, although I could imagine that this would be helpful if wearing the headphones while walking or running in public - Although very light and built with a good deal of padding on the headband, the top of my head does get irritated after a few hours of constant use; I have to adjust the headband a bit forward or backward on my scalp to relieve this - When connected to my Chromebook, if I answer a phone call, I lose the connection to the computer when I finish the call, and must manually reconnect Given the features, design, and quality of construction, along with the price being as it is, these headphones represent a good value Again, I can recommend the Surface Headphones 2 to anyone who would like to have a versatile headset for casual listening and conferencing. Disclosure: These headphones were provided to me through the Best Buy Tech Insiders Network, so I did not purchase them myself. Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.

The Surface Headphones 2 arrived in a beautiful packaging that is also recyclable. As you open the package what you first see is that they come with a carrying case. Big plus in my book since I always end up purchasing a case for travelling. I opted for the matte black ones since the light gray color did not appeal to me. They appear to be made of a combination of metal and plastic. The earcups rotate ~180 degrees and from the outside seem round. When you look at the inside you can see that the ear holes are oval and accommodate my largish ears comfortably. The foam used feels comfortable and once you have adjusted the headband, they feel snug but not tight. The headphones come with a carrying case, USB C charging cord and an auxiliary 3.5mm headset cord if you must plug them into a device. The right side has a power/pairing button, a mute microphone button, an USB C port for charging or updating the firmware and finally an auxiliary input 3.5mm jack. The right side is entirely devoid of buttons. Microsoft offers free PC, Mac, Android and iOS apps for more control. I downloaded the iOS and PC versions and paired them with my Surface Book 3 and iPhone easily. The app also features video tutorials on how to use them and adjustments for equalizer. Once the battery was fully charged, I decided to use 3 different criteria to base my review: Music, phone calls and videoconferencing. I usually listen to Rock, Jazz and Classical music. For the purpose of this review I also added EDM (electronic dance music) and Pop. Initially The sound seemed accurate for the songs I was listening to but there was something missing. But then I opened the equalizer setting of the headphone in the app and discovered that there are 5 presets: Flat, Classical, Jazz, Pop and Rock. In playing with them I was able to adjust the music to my liking (and ear) and was able to save my own presets and name them myself. The quality of sound was much improved, and I listened for about 4 hours with the noise cancellation at the highest setting. Phone calls were next. I called some people that said that my voice sounded clear and I could hear them clearly as well. At this point I had to turn down the noise cancellation because I was apparently speaking very loudly and at one point my son suddenly appeared next to me after he said he had been talking to me for a bit before realizing I couldn’t hear him. I guess I would recommend that people use a lower noise cancellation if using the headphones while driving so that they can hear sounds around them. Who hasn’t been using videoconferencing apps to conduct meetings and calls around the world lately? Although the headset is not discrete, it performed exactly as I expected based on the other areas I have already covered. My voice and others came across clearly as well as sounds in the background. One cool thing is that I found I could answer my phone while in a videoconference since the headphones can pair with multiple devices and through magic (or technology) the headphones were smart enough to switch to the call and then back to the video call. Kudos for that. Now for the cool tricks: both sides can be tapped to play, pause, next song, back to the first song as well as answer and end calls. But these are the first headphones I have used that you use the right earpiece to control volume by using your finger along the edge forward (clockwise) to turn up the volume and backwards (counterclockwise) to lower the volume. You use the same method on the left earpiece to raise or lower the noise reduction level. Very cool and clever in my opinion. And finally, a couple of things that would make these headphones perfect. The top of the headband could use more padding. This was the only uncomfortable thing I experienced during extended use. I know it might not be an issue for some people, but the top of my head would become sore in the spot the headphones rest after about a half hour. If the headband’s padding were the same as the earpieces, it would be fantastic. Battery life was adequate but other brands have longer battery life. This is not an issue if you plan on using them sporadically and charge them every other day but if you are travelling and using them to listen to music and watch videos/movies and make calls or video calls then you can use the USB C charging cable with an electrical outlet, car charger or external battery pack to extend your battery life. I found I started using headphones more after receiving this set and relying less on earbuds that do not fit well and can pop off when you least expect them. In short, they look good, perform well and are priced reasonably for the features you get. I would've given a 4.5 star rating but only full stars can be used. Not perfect but pretty close… Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.