I've never had so many people ask me about headphones when I was wearing the Surface Headphones, but I just can't recommend them (MSFT)

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Microsoft's $350 Surface Headphones are the company's first-ever headphones.
They look beautiful and are very comfortable.
But the sound quality fall short, especially compared to the competition.

I get it, the Microsoft Surface Headphones are new, flashy, and perhaps something that can compete with the top choice in audio and noise cancelling quality — Bose's QuietComfort 35 II headphones.

As a result, I've had several people come up and ask me if I was, indeed, wearing the Surface Headphones. There's a buzz surrounding these things.

A TSA agent at JFK airport recently asked me if I'd recommend them, and as I walked through the metal detector, I told him I'd get the Bose QC35 II instead if he was looking to spend $350. It was a pure, off-the-cuff recommendation made from my gut and instinct, as part of my brain was also wondering whether I'd forgotten any metal bits in my pockets.

Now, with the benefit of having sat down, thought about it, and listened to music and audio in general with the Surface Headphones, I'd recommend the same thing to you.

Check out why the Surface Headphones didn't quite make the cut:

If you want your headphones to look good, Microsoft's Surface Headphones will absolutely do the trick.

The Surface Headphones are classy and beautifully designed. They look and feel more premium than Bose's QC35 II headphones, which have a somewhat dated design and plasticky feel to them. Top marks for design on the Surface Headphones.

As for comfort, they're also one of the most comfortable pair of headphones I've tried. I never felt any pain on my ears. I did feel some discomfort from the headband at the top of my head, but a simple adjustment of the headband fixed that easily.

With all this said, I'd still say the Bose QC35 II headphones are even more comfortable.

The noise cancellation is very good.

The Surface Headphones canceled out surrounding noise from a flight and my usual commute on trains and subways very well. They're almost as good as the Bose QuietComfort 35 II, if not extremely similar.

The controls and overall features in general are great.

I love the big, easy rotating wheels around each headphone cup to control volume and noise cancellation level.

Music controls are also well thought out. I can tap any ear cup to play, pause, select the next track, go back a track, and answer calls. It does take a little bit of learning and practise to figure out how many taps perform which function, but once you got it, you got it.

Speaking of calls, the Surface Headphones do superbly with phone calls. No one I spoke to on the phone noticed I was using a headset, which isn't something that a lot of headphones can boast.

As for battery life, they last a solid 15 hours or so and charge with USB-C. They also come with a 3.5mm headphone cable just in case.

Importantly, the Surface Headphones can pair to multiple devices at the same time, so you don't need to disconnect them from one device only to connect to another.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider