Headphone Comparison
I’m considering buying a couple of speakers, before which I wanted to compare the audio devices I aleady have to see how they perform. In an earlier post, I compared the speakers I have. In this post, I’m comparing the earphones I own, in decreasing order of music quality:
Audio-Technica ATH-M40X wired headphones
AirPods Pro (1st gen) Bluetooth earphones
Sony MDR-770ZXBN Bluetooth headphones
The Audio-Technica headphones are exceptional. Music comes to life. I never realised there’s so much depth to my favorite tracks, having listened to them many times on the other two earphones. Each instrument — in fact, each note of the instrument — comes across distinctly, whereas on the other two earphones, they all mix together.
The Audio-Technica has exceptional clarity and brings presence to the music. It comes to life. In contrast, the other two sound muffled, like you’re listening to music with fingers in your ears.
The attack of instruments is much sharper on the Audio-Technica. In other words, an instrument that’s supposed to suddenly enter the scene does so on the Audio-Technica, while it sounds faded on the other two.
The bass is similar on all three.
Leaving aside the Audio-Technica, the benefits above also apply to the Sony over the iPhone.
Noisy Environment
We don’t always have the luxury of listening in a quiet room. For this test, I turned on the ceiling fan one notch lower than full speed. This is the speed I use when the room is warm.
In decreasing order of quality:
Sony
AirPods
Audio-Technica
The Audio-Technica lets in the fan noise to the extent that I don’t feel like listening to the electronic tracks I tested. It has no noise-cancellation. The AirPods are much better, though when the music fades for a second, the fan noise comes in, polluting a beautiful transition in the track. The Sony are excellent — even as the music fades, you can hear the last note clearly and beautifully.
Podcast
I listened to a podcast on the Audio-Technica. When the host asked a question that the guest answered, I could instantly tell that it’s a different man. There was so much difference between their voices, as you can notice if you’re sitting around the table with them. Listening to a conversation on the Audio-Technica felt like that, with the richness of in-person communication. With the other two headphones, I sometimes can’t tell people apart, unless one is a man and another is a woman, or if the two men sound significantly different.
Having said that, for podcasts, more important than the audio quality is comfort (see below).
Comfort
In decreasing order of comfort:
AirPods
Sony
Audio-Technica
The AirPods are exceptionally comfortable. Nothing compares to it. The other two headphones exert a clamping force on my head, pushing together both my ears. I can wear the AirPods much longer than the headphones. I thought the Sony was uncomfortable, till I tried the Audio-Technica. Among the two headphones, the Audio-Technica’s foam is hard, so they feel uncomfortable quickly. When I listen to music for half an hour, I’ve had it. By contrast, the Sony’s foam is soft and it adapts to the shape of my face, making it more comfortable. The Audio-Technica are not headphones I enjoy wearing, only tolerate for the exceptional music. If comfort matters to you, don’t buy them. I wouldn’t buy them again.
When music quality isn’t paramount, say to listen to a podcast, the AirPods work best.
Microphone
If you need a microphone, the Audio-Technica doesn’t have one, and the other two sound bad. Here’s the AirPods:
And the Sony:
Compatibility
In terms of compatibility, from most compatible to least:
The Sony is the most compatible: it works with any Bluetooth device, which means any device — phones, laptops, tablets, TV…
The AirPods rely on the iPhone for firmware updates, so they need to be paired with an iPhone, and they work best if you exclusively use Apple products. Since I wouldn’t want to lock myself in, I wouldn’t buy them again.
The Audio-Technica requires a 3.5mm port, which few devices have today1. I can’t use it with my iPhone, Pixel or iPad.
Bugs
The Sony and the Audio-Technica just work. By contrast, the AirPods have a whole range of bugs:
It’s supposed to automatically switch devices when a call comes, but it doesn’t always. I learnt to begin by saying, “Just a minute, let me connect my earphones.”
Sometimes, even trying to connect manually doesn’t work. It gives an error saying it could not connect, at which point I leave it aside and speak directly on the phone. When it doesn’t connect, I have to put it into the case, wait a second, and then take it out and put it into my ear. But on at least one occasion, that didn’t work, either.
Sometimes the AirPods switches devices when I don’t want them to. I was listening to a Youtube playlist on the iPhone, and I opened Youtube on my computer to add another video to the playlist, at which time the AirPods switched to the computer and the audio stopped.
Sometimes one earphone discharges to 0 and stops working while the other has a lot of charge. The iPhone is supposed to level the drain between the two, which doesn’t always work.
Sometimes one of the earphones doesn’t charge, despite it being in the case for hours, which itself has enough charge. When I put it into my ear and the audio comes from only one side, putting it back in the case usually makes it charge. But on one occasion it didn’t, despite the case having plenty of power. I took the AirPod out of the case and put it back, repeating this. I plugged, unplugged and replugged the case from the charger. At this point, having done everything I could, I thought the AirPod stopped working. I came back after a few hours, and it was still discharged. I repeated the ritual of taking it out of the case and putting it back in, at which point it suddenly realised it was being offered power and decided to charge, which it did quickly and fully.
The AirPods were defective and Apple replaced them free, but I had to go to the Apple store twice, once to return the defective ones and again to pick up the new ones.
Recently, I started hearing a low rumble from the right AirPod, immediately after putting it on. It sounded as if there was heavy machinery running nearby.
Conclusions
The Audio-Technica are the best headphones for critical music listening, in a dark, quiet room, with your eyes closed, enjoying every note. These are the headphones to buy if music is an important part of your life, if it gives you happiness.
But most uses of earphones are more practical, for which the AirPods is the one I use the vast majority of the time.
Learnings
As a result of this comparison, I’ll keep the following in mind the next time I buy headphones:
Avoid AirPods, so that I’m not locked in.
If I buy wired headphones, I’ll buy ones with a USB-C port rather than a 3.5mm one, for compatibility with phones and iPads.
Prefer headphones to earphones. The former sound better, with a wide soundstage. Which means a feeling of spaciousness as you listen to the music. Imagine sitting in front of an orchestra, as opposed to being in the next room with only a small hole in the wall letting the sound through.
Prioritise comfort more than I have in the past.
The next time I buy a wired headphone, I’ll pick one with a USB-C port, rather than 3.5mm, for compatibility.