After watching hours of YouTube video reviews comparing Beats, Bose, and Sony, I made a decision. I pulled the trigger on the Sony. Everyone like to knock Beats for their sound. A popular thing to do for audiophiles. I guess to show their expertise. I’ve run into that in the cycling community when it comes to bikes. I thought the sound quality of the Beats was quite good. The noise canceling I felt was really good with music playing. And, the integration into the Apple ecosystem is what I really liked. Listening to music on my iPhone, then switching to a movie on my iPad or my Apple TV. But, the ear cups are just too small. And, it was a deal breaker. If they have been $100 cheaper, I probably would have gotten them, and lived with it.
For me, the decision was down to Bose and Sony. And where Sony won out were these reasons. I felt the noise canceling without music was slightly better, the ability to cover the right ear cup to block the noise canceling momentarily to interact with someone was nice, and the response was immediate. While both have large ear cups, and feel comfortable, for some reason, the clamping feel didn’t feel as great with the Sony, therefore, I felt I would be able to wear them longer. The bass punch was perfect. Enough to let you feel it, but not overpowering to ruin the listening experience. The ability to tweak sound preferences in the Sony app, including how much noise canceling you need for what you’re doing, such as all the way up for sitting, or backing off if you’re walking around. Touch controls on the ear cup for volume, track control, and calls is nice. And, finally, USB-C charging. Seeing as the new iPad is now using it, it probably isn’t far behind in the iPhone.
I’m not taking a dig at anyone who has Bose or Beats. I think they are great headphones as well. For me, the Sony was just the way to go.
01-06-2019 07:24 PM