Some say silence is golden, and those who’ve used noise-canceling headphones are bound to agree. Brands like Bose and Sony have been putting out products for years, but among the newest noise-canceling options are the wireless Microsoft Surface headphones. If you’re seeking silence, head over to Amazon to
pick up a pair now at a deeply discounted price
of $250 — down from $350.
The Microsoft Surface series is well-known for its smart, sleek tablets and 2-in-1s but the Surface headphones are the company’s first foray into the noise-canceling audio world. At first look, the headphones look the part, with an ergonomic ear cup design and muted grey finish. First listen, though, is what counts with headphones, and Microsoft doesn’t disappoint here. Adjustable active noise cancellation technology puts you in control of your sound, letting you hear only some noise (for walking busy city streets safely) or no noise at all (for drowning the whole world out). On-ear dials allow for easily adjustable music volume and noise cancellation with a simple spin of the finger. Omnisonic Audio provides a crystal-clear listening experience, and the Surface headphones’ lightweight, breathable design means you might not even remember they’re on your ears.
Intelligent audio assistants are everywhere these days, and the Surface headphones are no exception, with Microsoft Cortana built right in. Command Cortana to adjust volume, mute your microphone, skip songs, and more, with intuitive voice controls. Compatibility with Windows 10, iOs, Android, and MacOS makes pairing the Surface headphones with your phone or computer a breeze, with Cortana’s capabilities expanding to email checking, scheduling, and more. With a 15-hour battery life, you’ll likely want to power down long before your headphones do, but the fast charging feature has you covered anyway, enabling up to an hour of music after just five minutes of charge.
Microsoft’s late entry in the world of wireless noise-canceling wireless headphones may put it at a disadvantage (the Sony WH-1000XM3 still reigns supreme as far as we’re concerned), but it’s a strong first offering that has us excited for future models. Now at just $250, the Surface headphones are certainly worth a listen.
7 things Sonos’ first headphones will need to get right
A headphone diagram from a Sonos patent application. Sonos/USPO
If the many rumors, leaks, and teasing by the CEO are true, Sonos is on the cusp of releasing its first wireless headphones in 2024, and the benefits to Sonos’ customers could be considerable. Being able to use one set of headphones for travel, office, and home use -- that also integrate with the Sonos ecosystem of whole-home wireless speakers — would be convenient.
The most innovative headphones and earbuds of 2023
In 2023, we saw plenty of great new wireless headphones and wireless earbuds emerge, like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, Sony WF-1000XM5, and the new USB-C variant of the Apple AirPods Pro 2.
Each of these products delivers better performance than its predecessors in one or more categories like sound quality, active noise cancellation (ANC), battery life, or spatial audio. But for a product to be considered innovative, it can't just offer incremental improvements. It needs to break new ground by offering us something new or by getting us to think about an existing feature in an entirely new way.
Your next noise-canceling earbuds may use Navy sonar tech
A company that is pioneering the use of earbud speakers that are manufactured like microchips says it has developed a way to convert inaudible, high-power ultrasound into hi-fi stereo sound, using a single driver. The result is what the company — called xMEMS — says is a micro-electromechanical system (with a convenient MEMS acronym) driver that's powerful enough to deliver sound as well as active noise cancellation in a set of wireless earbuds.
According to xMEMS, these MEMS drivers possess a number of advantages for buyers and manufacturers of earbuds, like extreme ruggedness, a huge frequency-response range, ultrafast transient response (the ability to quickly shift from one sound to another), and more accurate sound reproduction.
