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Sony h.ear on Wireless NC (2016)

★★★★☆

Gloss Staff

Gloss Staff

— 3 min read
Sony h.ear on Wireless NC (2016)

Tech

Good

  • Love the colours.
  • Super comfortable, especially compared to other super-tight fitting over-ear headphones, like Beats by Dre.
  • On a similar note, they pass the glasses test, so even people with bad eyes can wear them comfortably.
  • They fold up a little, but not a lot.
  • There’s an optional cable for when you run out of juice.
  • The battery life is surprisingly good.
  • They sound great. I’d happily choose these over, say, in-ear headphones, especially on public transport. Worth the difference in portability.
  • Can wear for an hour or more comfortably.
  • Noise reduction makes so many situations much more bearable, and it doesn’t use too much power.
  • A voice will tell you the battery life if you press the power button. Neat feature.

Bad

  • I’d say overpriced. Could never see myself paying $499.95 for headphones. Even the similarly expensive, though less colourful Bose QuietComfort 25’s are now available for $399, with almost identical functionality.
  • They do look a little bulky, but that depends on your own look. Try them on in front of a mirror if you care about looks.
  • Just like all Bluetooth / noise cancelling headphones, charging can be a pain. If you’re an Apple user,sure you bring a micro USB cable with you wherever you go.
  • The colours may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and there isn’t a white model. There is a black model though.
  • Out of the included case they can get scratched up, which is likely more noticeable with the colour versions.
  • Can feel a little heavy on the top of the head I guess, but that’s like any pair of on-ear headphones.
  • Noise cancellation doesn’t mean complete silence, just less ambient noise.
  • Music controls don’t seem to work on iOS unless you’re in Bluetooth mode.
  • These controls are also a little confusing when the headphones are on your head, will take time to learn. The slight difference between turning on noise cancellation vs the power button is also a little annoying. Bose put a really obvious switch on the side of their headphones to help with this.
  • I don’t know what the LED indicator ever means. Sometimes it flashes red, sometimes blue, but don’t know why.

If you travel a lot and can spend $499.95 on headphones, I’d go for these. I love the colours, noise-cancellation works like a dream, battery life is great, and they feel comfortable, even with glasses on. Though for $399 (at JB Hi-Fi) the Bose QuietComfort 25’s are probably just as good, albeit less colourful, and cost $100 less.

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