Sony h.ear on MDR-100ABN Wireless High Resolution Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones - Black

I'm doing a fair amount of travelling so decided to find a pair of Bluetooth, noise-cancelling cans. I read some reviews of the Bose QC35, and while reading about them, found these Sonys too.On impulse I purchased a pair of QC35s from Bose, happy in the knowledge that they offer 30-day returns. (I'd never have splashed £290 on a pair of headphones otherwise.) The Bose sounded good and were very comfortable; however it became apparent that the active noise reduction on them coloured the sound when enabled. It took away too much mid-range and to me didn't sound as great as reviews claimed. Colleagues at work identified the same thing.The Sony headphones were over £100 cheaper - £179 - when I bought them. Naturally I took the opportunity to do an A and B comparison of the Bose and the Sony. My conclusions:The Sonys sound as good as the Bose with ANR disabled and significantly better when ANR is enabled. (You can turn it off on the Sony, with the Bose, if you're connected by Bluetooth, it's on if you like it or not - a major downside for me.)The ANR is equally good on both when nothing is playing. Turn it off (on the Sony) or turn BT off (on the Bose) and you can hear the background "rumble" of the city. Neither completely remove all external sounds but they do reduce it significantly, and as I say, to a similar degree.The Bose are more comfortable. The Sonys, are for me, are a little more tight in comparison.The battery life of the Sonys is claimed to be around that of the Bose (20-something hours each.) Both charge with micro USB and both announce their battery level when switched on. The Sonys give "low", "medium" or (and in a charmingly cheerful voice) "high!"). The Bose give a percentage.Both pair by Bluetooth easily and to multiple devices. Bose have a phone app, Sony don't, but that's no great omission. The Sonys have NFC for quick pairing.Both also come with leads for wired connections to non-Bluetooth devices (and apparently for airplane-mode travel.)The Sonys can use a better Bluetooth audio codec - aptX. The Bose can't. I can't say what the difference sounds like, but in theory the Sonys could sound better. I don't have a device to pair them to that could do aptX-profile audio. There's also a Sony-specific codec that works with Sony mobile phones (LDAC).Both appear to treat the audio when using them as wired cans and when not in noise-cancelling mode, and it makes a big difference. You can actually turn the Sonys off and hear the difference and then they sound flat and lifeless. Don't get me wrong - turn them on and the magic happens, and *then* you can turn on the ANR if you want. They'll work when the battery runs out, but in a passive way.As for the Bose, it seems that they power on when the audio cable is plugged in - there's no off switch as such. Again, you can then enable the ANR if you want. Presumably when the battery dies in the Bose they don't sound like they do when they're powered, but I didn't have 20 hours to wait and find out!Both sets come with a neat little carry pouch to protect them, and both fold away to quite a small size.So in summary - these Sonys sound as good or better; the Bose are more comfortable. The big letdown of the Bose is the inability to turn off ANR when they're used wirelessly.The Bose pair went back and I don't regret it.(As an aside, I'm glad to see Sony sticking to their snappy product names!)ONE WEEK LATER: I've used the Sonys on a speeding train and they do a remarkable job of cutting out the noise of the vehicle. It's not total silence - and it wouldn't be with the Bose either - but it makes listening a much more pleasant experience. I even spent some of the journey with no music playing, just to enjoy the attenuated carriage noise. As Bjork once sang: "It's Oh So Quiet!"

Overall very good headphones. If you are a frequent traveler particular flying these are a must.Positives:Sound quality- very good. I noted that other users commented on the lack of bass. I personally dont see this issue the bass level is fine for me and that includes listening to Dubstep.Noise Cancellation - Excellent. I have never used the Bose QC headphones so cant compare with that but having used other NC headphones these are 10/10. I was on a turboprop flight and this is normally a very noisy aircraft. The NC did the trick... i couldnt believe how much noise it cancelled out when I took my headphones off. Similarly in a busy airport it is excellent at cancelling out the drone from the terminal.Comfort - Very good. They are not heavy and sit comfortably on my head and easily cover my ears. As a test i wore them for a full day at work more or less and have no gripes.Negatives:Bluetooth connection - Annoying. I have multiple devices i use on a daily basis, phone, laptop & ipad. This could be something i am doing wrong (although i have read the manual multiple times) but to get them to sync up is frustrating.First time to sync up to the laptop very easy. Then trying to get it to sync to another device was not so easy. When it did finally work it then no longer worked on my laptop. So this whole process is very frustrating and hence the -1 star.Wind Noise - When walking outside on a windy day you do pick up a lot of wind noise... So if buying headphones for walking or running outside i would steer clear of these.Size - My lack of foresight, This isn't anything i can mark it down for since its clear the headphones size. But in the case it is annoying to fit into a laptop bag with a laptop and ipad. Just something for others to bear in mind.

Let down by the noise cancelling. These look good and are really comfortable.The noise cancelling is also good, but only indoors. Out and about, using them on a commute etc, the noise cancelling makes these unbearable. Any slight breeze is magnified and quite unbearable. Had to return.