Sony H.ear On Wireless NC Headphones Have Excellent Sound

Sony recently entered the market with the H.ear On Wireless noise-cancelling headphones and received some pretty good reviews. CNET gave the cans four-and-a-half stars.

“The Sony H.ear On Wireless NC is a comfortable premium wireless Bluetooth headphone that sounds impressive for a Bluetooth headphone, performs well as a headset for making calls, and offers effective noise cancellation that adapts to your surroundings.”

The only minor criticism CNET had is that the headphones fold up but don’t fold flat, and the fact that at $350, they are quite expensive. But the H.ear On arguably has the best sound out of any set of wireless headphones. Of course, that depends on what type of music you listen to.

The lower ranges of the sound spectrum really shine on Sony’s latest wireless headphones. The bass is aggressive but comfortable. The H.ear On cans are for people who like the Beats Studio Wireless, but want the bass to be a bit more calm. This is perfect for people who listen to EDM or hip-hop. Wireless sound still can’t live up to the sound of wired headphones, but the H.ear On comes close and only audiophiles will notice the difference.

With the new H.ear On Wireless, Sony finally adds great noise cancellation. You won’t get the same noise cancellation you get on the Bose QC 35 cans, but you may not want that much noise cancellation, which is dangerous for walking or jogging anywhere outdoors near traffic. Best of all, you have a choice of whether or not you want to use the feature. Bose should take note.

However, Sony needs to take note in the design department. The H.ear On Wireless NC looks nice, but feel plastic and cheap. You can purchase the headphones in different colors, but style is not a huge winner here. Certainly, substance is something that can’t be said about Sony’s previous wireless headphones.

One of the most annoying things is that there are too many buttons. There is a volume rocker, a noise cancellation switch, and a button to control playing, pausing, skipping, etc. If that sounds too tiring, then it’s time to sleep — there is also a power button. However, the buttons work well once you get used to them.

Then, there is the phone quality. Sony obviously didn’t work too hard on this like Sennheiser did with the PXC 550 headphones, which are discussed in a previous Inquisitr article about wireless headphones for the upcoming iPhone 7. You can feel comfortable making a phone call with those headphones in almost any location. The same goes with the Bose QC35. However, while most phone conversations worked with the H.ear On Wireless, listeners said this critic’s voice sounded weak in big crowd situations. There was also a robotic sound when the signal was weaker. All of this certainly is not a deal-breaker, but a minor flaw that needs to be talked about.

It’s hard to recommend the H.ear On Wireless over competing headsets by Bose and Sennheiser. First of all, the Bose QC35 and Sennheiser PXC 550 sound really good too, and some may prefer the lighter sound of these headsets if they listen to music other then EDM or hip hop. Add that to the fact that both of the competing headphones are built better and are more robust for phone calls. Still, it’s all about preference, and it’s hard to deny that Sony has a winner with the H.ear On Wireless NC headphones.

[Photo via Daryl Deino]