Sony WH-1000XM2 vs Phiaton BT 100 NC

The bass has good punch and control which works really well with most genres of music. The mids are slightly forward at just the right levels, which ensures that vocals can be clearly heard. The highs are emphasized and sound great with a lot of clarity and detail, especially on the upper registers.

Swiping or tapping on the right ear cup's surface can pause or play track, go to the next track or go back to the previous one and can control volume levels as well. Also, the right ear cup has more of a textured surface compared to the old MDR1000x model's smooth, leather-like surface. This makes gesture control much more accurate on the WH-1000XM2.

If you need to talk while using these, all you need to do is to cover the right ear cup with the palm of your hand. This activates Quick Attention mode which cuts off the music and amplifies voice for easy conversation. To get back to listening to music, all you need to do is to remove the palm from the ear cup.

Aside from just turning noise cancelling on or off, users can set it to Ambient Sound which offers 2 further options.Normal Mode allows some outside noise through, while Voice Mode allows voice frequencies through the noise cancelling.

The WH1000XM2 comes with a companion mobile app that allows you to easily tweak the various settings of the headphones including EQ and noise cancelling levels. The app can also take advantage of the accelerometers in your smartphone as you move, adjusting noise cancelling and audio settings on the fly to give you the optimal listening experience.

These have great noise isolating properties and can block out a good amount of sound even with the noise cancelling off. The ear cups are closed back, while the ear pads go over the ear and seal well, awhich effectively minimizes sound leakage to and from the headphones.

The ear cups can be folded into the headband. This reduces the headphones' size so that it can easily fit inside bags.

The WH-1000XM2's active noise cancelling is one of the best in the market today. With the mode activated, a significant amount of outside noise is blocked, allowing you to really enjoy your music with minimal distractions. The Bose QC 35 II slightly edges out the Sony in this aspect though.

There is a built in microphone which negates the need to remove the headphones to answer a call.

You can use these headphones wired using the detachable 3.5mm cable or you can go wireless with Bluetooth.

The internal battery can last up to 30 hours of listening to music in wireless mode with noise cancelling on. This number goes up to 40 hours in wired mode with noise cancelling activated.

This comes with a carrying case that is made from high quality materials. It should provide extra protection to the headphones against scratches and minor impacts, which are quite common when taking these while traveling.

You get a lot of useful features from the BT 100 NC which includes decent noise cancelling, Bluetooth as well splash resistance, which makes these earphones great for casual or active use. Sound reproduction has great clarity as well as full mids and okay bass, and should work well with many music genres.

Bass is not emphasized yet is full and has good punch so the sound does not sound lean. The mids are warm and full, so guitars, vocals and drums sound great. The highs are slightly emphasized, which brings out a lot of detail from the music, but can also make cymbal and “s” sounds quite harsh.

You’ll be able to control the various earphone functions using the buttons and switches on the BT 100 NC’s collar. It houses the earphones’ battery and noise cancelling circuitry along with the buttons for answering and ending calls, play/pause/skip/previous tracks, volume adjust and the noise cancelling switch. Aside from being easy to reach, the collar also takes as much weight off of the earpieces as possible, so they stay inside the ears well.

You’ll get a good amount of wireless listening time off of these earphones. Battery life with noise cancelling and wireless activated is around 8 hours, while you can get 12 hours of noise cancelling when these are used in wired mode.

While not the best, the noise-cancelling is decent and can reduce noise that may mix in with your music. You’ll still be able to hear some low pitched noise like the sound of engines though.

You can bring these earphones on the go without the earpieces flopping all over the place when they are not in use. There is a space in each end of the collar where you can dock the earpieces for easier transport.