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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Bluetooth
    2. Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    3. Wired
    4. PC / PS4 Compatibility
    5. Xbox One Compatibility
    6. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones vs Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Jan 12, 2024 09:25 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Sep 29, 2021 07:21 PM

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Amazon.com
Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Picture

Variants

  • Surface Headphones
  • Surface Headphones 2 (Light Gray)
  • Surface Headphones 2 (Matte Black)

Our Verdict

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones

Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless are the second generation of the Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones and are alike in looks and performance except for two small updates. The second-gen are now on Bluetooth version 5.0 and they support the aptX codec. While both headphones have an adjustable active noise cancelling feature, the first-gen can block out slightly more noise. They're also a bit more consistent among different users or reseats. However, their battery life is slightly shorter than the second-gen's 16-hour continuous playback time.

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Standard
Surface Headphones
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Light Gray
Surface Headphones 2
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Standard
Surface Headphones
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Walmart.com
Matte Black
Surface Headphones 2
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Standard
Surface Headphones
B&H
 
Standard
Surface Headphones
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Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

7.1
7.0

Noise Isolation 
 

8.7
8.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Design Picture 2
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.5

Comfort Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Comfort Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.6 lbs
0.6 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1 lbs
1 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

8.6
8.6

Controls Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Controls Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Excellent
Excellent

Feedback  

Great
Great

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

Adjustable
Adjustable

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant

Show text

Breathability 
 

6.0

Breathability After Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

7 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

6.0
6.0

Portability Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Portability Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Portability Picture

 

7.6"
7.6"

 

8"
8"

 

1.8"
1.8"

Volume  

109 in³
109 in³

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

7.5
7.5

Case Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Case Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

8.6"
8.6"

 

8.3"
8.3"

 

2.2"
2.2"

Volume  

157 in³
157 in³

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Build Quality Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

7.0
7.0

Stability Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Stability Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Angled Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Side Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Front Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Rear Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Top Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones In The Box Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

2.7 dB
2.2 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-4.92 dB
-4.29 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.9
6.2

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.42 dB
0.84 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.3
6.8

Bass  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.78 dB
4.41 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10.75 Hz
29.11 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

0.7 dB
-0.7 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

4.93 dB
5.79 dB

High-Bass 
 

4.71 dB
5.15 dB

Show text

Mid Accuracy 
 

7.7
8.1

Mid  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.02 dB
2.57 dB

Low-Mid 
 

3.13 dB
-1.71 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.06 dB
-0.33 dB

High-Mid 
 

-3.19 dB
-2.93 dB

Show text

Treble Accuracy 
 

4.7
5.3

Treble  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

7.13 dB
6.3 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-7.53 dB
-6.01 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-2.66 dB
-3.12 dB

High-Treble 
 

-9.45 dB
-11.6 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

6.9
6.6

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.97 dB
2.3 dB

Dips 
 

1.67 dB
1.81 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

7.9
8.5

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.23
0.29

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.65
0.23

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.53
2.18

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

4.17
7.14

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

4.7
4.8

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

6.01 dB
3.66 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

7.63 dB
4.12 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

16.09 dB
10.9 dB

Openness 
 

1.4
2.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.9
3.0

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Virtual Soundstage
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No

Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.2
7.1

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.377
0.448

WHD @ 100 
 

0.247
0.249

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
1.0.5.74

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Unknown
Bluetooth 4.2

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

Default
Default

ANC 
 

Maximum
Maximum

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

8.7
8.0

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-25.39 dB
-22.76 dB

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Bass 
 

-15.36 dB
-11.7 dB

Mid 
 

-21.37 dB
-19.28 dB

Treble 
 

-39.82 dB
-37.87 dB

Show text

Leakage 
 

7.5
7.4

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

36.73 dB
37.27 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

Yes
Yes

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Recording Quality 
 

5.2
6.7

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

179.59 Hz
239.73 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

5.17 dB
2.91 dB

HFE 
 

3,517.32 Hz
3,517.32 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

1,681.017
20.029

Gain 
 

28.2 dB
40.31 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

5.6
4.2

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Speech + Pink Noise  

Speech + Subway Noise  

SpNR 
 

7.52 dB
4.75 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

8.4
8.7

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

13.2 hrs
16.1 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

13.2 hrs
16.1 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.4 hrs
1.3 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C

Show text

App Support 
 

8.0
8.0

App Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones App Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Surface Audio
Surface Audio

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

Yes
Yes

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

Adjustable
Adjustable

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

8.4
8.2

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
5.0

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

296 ft
239 ft

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

201 ms
236 ms

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
217 ms

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

152 ms
207 ms

Android Latency 
 

132 ms
102 ms

Show text

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Wired 
 

9.5
9.5

Cable Picture  

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Cable Picture
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

Yes
Yes

Length  

4.1 ft
4.1 ft

Connection  

1/8" TRRS
1/8" TRRS

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

0 ms
0 ms

Show text

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC/PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PC/PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Xbox One Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

Show text

Check Price

Standard
Surface Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Light Gray
Surface Headphones 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
Surface Headphones
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Matte Black
Surface Headphones 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Standard
Surface Headphones
B&H
 
Standard
Surface Headphones
BestBuy.com
 

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones

Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones vs Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless: Main Discussion

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