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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.4
Review updated Dec 24, 2018 at 11:56 am
Latest change: Writing modified Oct 04, 2021 at 03:00 pm
Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones Picture
7.1
Mixed Usage
6.6
Neutral Sound
7.7
Commute/Travel
7.1
Sports/Fitness
7.4
Office
5.6
Wireless Gaming
7.1
Wired Gaming
6.2
Phone Calls
These headphones were replaced by the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless

The Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones are decent mixed usage headphones. They're comfortable for long listening sessions and have a good build quality that should last you a while. However, their sound is a little on the warmer side, which will be better suited for bass fans and won't be ideal for vocal-centric music. On the upside, they have a robust control scheme with two touch-sensitive cups and great dials that are easy to use. They're also good for commuting and the office.

Our Verdict

7.1 Mixed Usage

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are decent for mixed usage. They have a warm sound profile suitable for bass-heavy genres but not ideal for vocal-centric music. Their wireless design paired with a good ANC feature makes them a good choice for commuting and traveling if you don’t mind the slightly bulky over-ear design. They're also stable enough for sports if you don’t mind the extra sweat. They're comfortable to wear during long listening sessions at work and don’t leak too much. However, they have too much latency for watching TV and gaming, but you can use the included audio cable to get rid of it.

Pros
  • Comfortable design.
  • Easy-to-use and complete control scheme.
  • Amazing wireless range.
Cons
  • Subpar microphone for making calls.
  • Warm and bass-heavy sound signature.
6.6 Neutral Sound

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are fair for neutral sound. They have an overemphasized bass and low-mid ranges, making mixes boomy and cluttered and won’t be ideal for vocal-centric music. Their treble is also veiled, meaning vocals and instruments lack presence and detail. However, you can customize the sound profile a bit with the 5-band EQ in the Surface Audio app, but overall they sound warm and might be better suited for fans of bass.

7.7 Commute/Travel

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are good for commuting and traveling. They have a good ANC feature that reduces engine rumbles by quite a lot, but they're a bit bulky since they're over-ears. If you don’t mind their size, they're a good option for your daily commute. They're also quite comfortable for long flights, but the shallow cups might not be a good fit for everyone.

7.1 Sports/Fitness

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are decent for sports. They're fairly lightweight and stable for sports, but their over-ear design might not be the most breathable option for physical activity, and you can expect more sweating than usual while wearing them. However, their bass-heavy sound signature will get you pumped during workouts.

7.4 Office

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are decent for office use. Their 13-hour battery life will last you a whole work day, and they're comfortable for long listening sessions. Their ANC feature isolates a good amount of ambient chatter and will let you focus on your tasks without disturbing people surrounding you, thanks to their good leakage performance. They also have great wireless range if you leave your desk often, and they can also connect to two devices simultaneously, which is convenient.

5.6 Wireless Gaming

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are sub-par for gaming. They're comfortable headphones, but their sound quality isn’t the best and might sound too boomy. Also, they're Bluetooth headphones with too much latency for gaming, and their integrated mic is sub-par. However, if you use them wired, you’ll get rid of latency issues and will be able to use the better performing in-line microphone.

7.1 Wired Gaming
6.2 Phone Calls
  • 7.1 Mixed Usage
  • 6.6 Neutral Sound
  • 7.7 Commute/Travel
  • 7.1 Sports/Fitness
  • 7.4 Office
  • 5.6 Wireless Gaming
  • 7.1 Wired Gaming
  • 6.2 Phone Calls
  1. Updated Jun 16, 2020: We've corrected the test results for talk-through control.
  2. Updated May 06, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
  3. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  4. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  5. Updated Feb 14, 2019: We've updated the App section of the review to account for mobile support after user feedback.
  6. Updated Jan 09, 2019: We've updated the comfort section of the review to better reflect user experience.
  7. Updated Dec 24, 2018: Review published.
  8. Updated Dec 22, 2018: Early access published.
  9. Updated Dec 21, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.
  10. Updated Dec 20, 2018: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  11. Updated Dec 12, 2018: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Compared To Other Headphones

Comparison picture

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are fairly versatile closed-back over-ears that bass-heavy genres fans should like. They're comfortable headphones for long listening sessions and are well-built. Their sound signature is on the warm side and might not be ideal for vocal-centric music, but they have a 5-band EQ inside the Surface Audio app. They also have a good ANC feature but don’t isolate as well as other premium ANC headphones. However, what sets them apart is their easy-to-use and complete touch-sensitive control scheme with dials on each cup for volume and ANC control, which is very convenient.

See our recommendations for the best wireless headphones and the best noise cancelling headphones.

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless

The Sony WH-1000XM3 are better headphones than the Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones. The Sony are better-built headphones that have a better-balanced sound profile and superior ANC. Overall, the XM3s are more versatile and more customizable thanks to the great companion app. On the other hand, the Surface Headphones have a more complete control scheme and longer wireless range.

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.

Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless

The Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones are similar for mixed usage to the Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless, but both take the edge in different categories. The Microsoft are more comfortable for long listening sessions, have a better control scheme, and deliver audio more consistently. On the other hand, the Bowers & Wilkins are high-end headphones with a premium build quality and slightly more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. They also isolate more ambient noise, especially at lower frequencies. This is useful for commuting. They also have a great 25-hour battery life.

Beats Studio3 Wireless

The Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones are better for bass fans, while the Beats Studio3 Wireless have a more neutral sound quality with a not-so-veiled treble range. The Microsoft have a better and more complete control scheme that is satisfying to use. However, the feedback is better on the physical buttons of the Beats, but you get limited controls. Also, the Microsoft have better noise isolation performance and have about half of the Beats' battery life.

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 are better headphones than the Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones. The Bose have a more neutral and well-balanced sound profile, are one of the most comfortable headphones we’ve reviewed to date. The Bose also have a much better ANC feature. However, they don’t have the satisfying touch-sensitive control scheme of the Microsoft, they leak more audio, and don’t have any EQ options in their dedicated companion app like the Microsoft.

Dolby Dimension Wireless

The Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones and Dolby Dimension Wireless perform quite similarly in most categories. The Microsoft have an excellent control scheme and their ANC feature can reduce more ambient noise around you, which make them a better option for commuting. On the other hand, the Dolby have head tracking and virtualization features to enhance your listening experience but don’t have an EQ like the Microsoft have. The Surface Headphones also have a great wireless range and can also be used wired, even if the battery is dead.

+ Show more

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Yes
Transducer Dynamic

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are good-looking over-ears thanks to an all-light-grey design that stands out. They have wide cups and a sleek design without too many apparent buttons. They have a very similar cup design to the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9 Gen 1 Wireless, but with a thicker headband made out of plastic. Unfortunately, they don't come in any other color variants to suit your preferred style.

7.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.6 lbs
Clamping Force
1 lbs

Update 09/01/2019: The tight fit of the surface headphones does become a bit more bothersome after extended use when compared to other headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless and Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9 Gen 1 Wireless. We have adjusted the comfort score to reflect this.

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are very comfortable and lightweight. The cups are well-padded and big enough for most ears. However, they could be a bit shallow for some. The headband is also well-padded and doesn’t apply too much pressure on the head. These should be comfortable enough for long listening sessions.

8.6
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Excellent
Feedback Great
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
Noise Cancelling Control Adjustable
Talk-Through
On/Off
Additional Controls Voice Assistant

Update 16/06/2020: We previously reported that you could adjust the level of their talk-through setting. However, you can't adjust this setting, and it can only be turned on/off. The Controls score has not changed.

The Microsoft Surface Headphones have excellent controls. Both ear cups are touch-sensitive and allows you to play/pause music, take/end calls, and skip tracks or go backward. On top of that, there are dials on each cup; the left ear’s dial is for noise cancelling control, while the right ear is for volume control. You also get a physical button to mute the microphone and a power/pairing button as well. You also get a voice prompt and audio feedback for certain commands. Voice-enabled controls are also available thanks to the Cortana voice assistant (hands-free commands on PC app), or you can trigger your device’s voice assistant with a long press on one of the ear cups. The only downside of this control scheme is that there are multiple ANC levels, from 'Ambient Noise Amplified' to 'Maximum Noise Canceling', but the dial doesn’t give you any feedback for levels in between those two.

6.0
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 7 °C

Like most over-ears, the Microsoft Surface Headphones aren’t the most breathable since they trap heat under the ear cups. The seal around your ears doesn’t allow for much airflow, and you should expect to sweat more while wearing these during physical activity. This shouldn’t be a problem for casual listening sessions.

6.0
Design
Portability
L 7.6"
W 8"
H 1.8"
Volume 109 in³
Transmitter Required No

These over-ears aren't very portable and have a bulky design. However, the cups swivel for the headphones to lay flat, making it easier to slide them in a bag or to fit them inside the included traveling case.

7.5
Design
Case
Type Hard case
L 8.6"
W 8.3"
H 2.2"
Volume 157 in³

The Microsoft Surface Headphones have a nice hard case to protect the headphones from scratches, minor water exposure, and light impacts. There's still some room for the headphones to wiggle around inside the case, but on the upside, it doesn’t add too much bulk and is easy to fit in a bag.

7.5
Design
Build Quality

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are well-built and feel solid enough to survive a couple of accidental drops. The cups are made of dense plastic, and the headband is reinforced by a thin metal frame but is still sufficiently flexible. The padding is also leather and feels well-made. Overall, they feel like durable headphones that will last you a while.

7.0
Design
Stability

The Microsoft Surface Headphones are decently stable for over-ears, and you can use them for light running and sports. They have a decent clamping force that helps them stay in place on your head and don’t move around. Also, since they're wireless, you won’t have to worry about a wire getting caught on something unless you use them with the included audio cable.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Microsoft Surface Headphones
  • Carrying case
  • USB-C charging cable
  • 1/8" TRRS audio cable
  • Manuals

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
2.7 dB
Treble Amount
-4.92 dB
7.9
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.42 dB

The frequency response consistency is good. Similar to the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 and Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless, the Microsoft Surface Headphones seem to be using their noise cancelling system to check for bass consistency. In the bass range, they perform consistently across most subjects, and our test subject with glasses only experienced a small drop in bass. In the treble range, they're also consistent, showing about 3dB of deviation below 10kHz.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
7.3
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.78 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10.75 Hz
Low-Bass
0.7 dB
Mid-Bass
4.93 dB
High-Bass
4.71 dB

The Microsoft Surface Headphones' bass is decent. The LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 10Hz, which is excellent. The low-bass is fairly flat, resulting in adequate thump and rumble. However, the mid and high-bass are overemphasized, so mixes have extra body and boom. Some users may find they sound a bit muddy.

7.7
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.02 dB
Low-Mid
3.13 dB
Mid-Mid
0.06 dB
High-Mid
-3.19 dB

The mid-range is good. There's a bit of overemphasis coming from the bass range into the low-mid, which clutters and muddies mixes. While the mid-mid is fairly neutral, ensuring the presence of vocals and lead instruments, the dip in the high-mid weakens their intensity and clarity.

4.7
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
7.13 dB
Low-Treble
-7.53 dB
Mid-Treble
-2.66 dB
High-Treble
-9.45 dB

The treble response is poor. The range is underemphasized, resulting in veiled vocals and lead instruments. Sibilants like S and T sounds are also a bit dark and dull.

6.9
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.97 dB
Dips
1.67 dB
7.9
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.23
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.65
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.53
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.17

The Microsoft Surface Headphones have great imaging. Their weighted group delay is 0.23, which is very good. The graph also shows that the entire group delay is below our audibility threshold. This ensures a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our unit were well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, which is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video games effects) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

4.7
Sound
Passive Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
6.01 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
7.63 dB
PRTF Distance
16.09 dB
Openness
1.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.9

Their soundstage, like most other noise cancelling headphones, is sub-par. The PRTF response shows a good amount of pinna activation, which suggests a relatively large size for the soundstage. However, the low accuracy of the response suggests a soundstage that may feel a bit unnatural. Also, there's not a notch in the 10KHz region, which could result in the soundstage being perceived as located inside the head.

0
Sound
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No
7.2
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.377
WHD @ 100
0.247
Sound
Test Settings
Firmware
Unknown
Power
On
Connection
Unknown
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
EQ
Default
ANC
Maximum
Tip/Pad
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Isolation
8.7
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-25.39 dB
Noise Cancelling Yes
Bass
-15.36 dB
Mid
-21.37 dB
Treble
-39.82 dB

Their active noise isolation performance is excellent and they actually block out slightly more noise than their second-generation counterpart, the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless. While they're okay at cutting down bass noise like the rumble of bus and plane engines, they do an excellent job of reducing mid-range noise like speech. They also do an outstanding job at blocking out higher-pitched sounds like the hum of an A/C unit.

7.5
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
36.73 dB

They have a good leakage performance. A significant portion of their leakage is spread over the mid-range, resulting in a leakage that is fuller-sounding compared to that of in-ears and earbuds. The overall level of the leakage is relatively low. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 37dB SPL and peaks at 50dB SPL, which is about the same as the noise floor of an average office.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
In-Line
Yes
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
No
Mic Yes
5.2
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
179.59 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
5.17 dB
HFE
3,517.32 Hz
Weighted THD
1,681.017
Gain
28.2 dB

The recording quality of the microphone is disappointing. LFE (low-frequency extension) of 180Hz suggests that speech recorded/transmitted with this mic will sound relatively thin. The HFE (high-frequency extension) is at 3.5kHz, resulting in speech lacking detail and sounding a bit muffled, which is expected on most Bluetooth headphones microphones.

5.6
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
7.52 dB

The noise handling of the integrated microphone is sub-par. This mic achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 7.5dB in our SpNR test, indicating it's best suited for quiet environments and may struggle to fully separate speech from ambient noise even in moderately loud situations.

Active Features
8.4
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
13.2 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
Total Battery Life
13.2 hrs
Charge Time
1.4 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
Passive Playback
Yes
Charging Port USB-C

The Microsoft Surface Headphones have a decent 13-hour battery life that should last you for a whole day of listening. They also take less than two hours to charge, and you get a quick charge feature that gives you an hour of playback for only five minutes of charging. Also, if you take the headphones off your head, your music will automatically be paused, and ANC will be turned off, extending the battery life (up to 50 hours according to Microsoft’s specs sheet) until you put them back on and everything resumes.

If you leave them in their standby mode for 20 minutes, they will automatically turn off. You can also use them when charging, which can be useful at the office. If you plug them in using the analog audio cable, they'll turn on and activate ANC, but you can then turn them off to not use any battery life, meaning you can still use the headphones if the battery is dead. Another nice addition is that when powering on the headphones, the voice prompt will tell you the remaining battery life in hours of playback left.

8.0
Active Features
App Support
App Name Surface Audio
iOS Yes
Android Yes
macOS No
Windows Yes
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
Adjustable
Mic Control No
Room Effects
No
Playback Control
No
Button Mapping No
Surround Support
No

Update 05/11/2020: The Cortana app has been discontinued and we've changed this box to better reflect the new replacement app.

The Microsoft Surface Wireless have a great companion app called Surface Audio, which is available on Windows, iOS, and Android. You can easily customize the way these headphones sound with either the 5-band graphic EQ or presets, and you can check up on your battery life. This app also lets you adjust the level of active noise cancelling (ANC), see all your paired devices, and even change the voice assistant's language. However, the ANC feature can't be controlled directly from the mobile app main page, which may be a small inconvenient for some.

Connectivity
8.4
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
4.2
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
No
Line Of Sight Range
296 ft
PC Latency (SBC)
201 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
152 ms
Android Latency
132 ms

These headphones are Bluetooth compatible and support version 4.2. They can also connect simultaneously to two devices, which is useful if you often switch from your computer and phone. Unfortunately, they don't support NFC for an easier and quicker pairing with devices, but their pairing procedure is already simple.

Like most Bluetooth headphones, the Microsoft Surface Headphones have a bit too much latency to watch video content or gaming as what you will see won’t match what you will hear. They also don't support any lower latency codecs.

0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4.1 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS
Analog/USB Audio Latency
0 ms

These headphones have a 1/8” TRRS connection, meaning they will support audio and microphone when used wired on consoles and PCs. You’ll also benefit from the better in-line microphone. Also, when used with the audio cable, the ANC feature can still be on if the battery isn’t dead yet. If it's dead, you’ll still be able to listen to these headphones passively without the noise cancelation.

Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC/PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
PC/PS4 Wired USB
No
PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
Line In
No
Line Out
No
Optical Input
No
RCA Input
No
Dock Charging
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock

The Microsoft Surface Headphones don't have a base/dock. If you want a versatile headset with a base that you can also use wired, check out the Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017.