Sony WH1000XM2 vs Sony WH-H900N h.ear on 2

Build Quality

The WH1000XM2 has a luxurious and strong material that is textured to provide you with a tactile feel when touching the controls. The issue of cracking that plagues headphones are solved with the metallic headband that is covered with soft plastic. Stretching them to obscene angles cannot break the headband. The WH-H900N also has elastic but strong material although the headband looks bulky. They are both foldable into small sizes that can be packed in small pouches.

Packaging and Accessories

The WH1000XM2 comes with a sleek package that contains a standard 3.5mm airplane adapter jack. The case is rigid and high-quality with a divider inside that keeps the headphones from moving around and getting damaged. The case is designed to house the airline adapter and also you can keep your passport safely in a pouch on the case. WH-H900N comes with a pouch that will issue you with a connection cable and a USB connection cable.

Compatibility

Both WH1000XM2 and WH-H900N headphones use the DSEE HX to produce quality sound music and the LDAC to increase the Bluetooth connections.

Controls

The right earcup on WH1000XM2 is the epitome of cool controls by touch. Swipe up controls volume while swipe back skips the track. Tapping the center pauses or resumes and also takes a call while covering the earcup allows you to talk to people because it allows sounds from outside. The left earcup has hardware buttons to control power, pairing, and the ANC. The WH-H900N has the touchpad controls just like the WH1000XM2 for pausing, skipping and controlling the volume.

Styling

The WH1000XM2 comes in an iconic style of a variety of colors that can be matched with your favorite outfits. The only challenge here is that the earcups look bulky and you might have trouble maintaining a low profile in public spaces. WH-H900N is not as stylish as WH1000XM2 because it has a wider headband and it mostly comes in the standard grey color.

Battery Life

The battery life for WH1000XM2 is a whole 25 hours of the normal use of Bluetooth and noise-canceling features. The headphones give you the advantage of quick charge because you can get another 70 minutes of playback just by a 10 minutes stint. WH-H900N has a longer battery life of about 28 hours but only when Bluetooth is turned off. You will need about six hours to fully charge the WH-H900N headphones.

Comfort

The WH1000XM2 is incredibly comfortable. The earcups perfectly lie on your ears and the soft padding on them eliminates strain on your ears. The clamping aspect is adjustable such that there will be no build-up pressure on your head. The WH-H900N has soft leather ear pads that are comfortable. The headphones, just like WH1000XM2, hang gently on your shoulders when not fixed on your head.

SOUND

The WH1000XM2 beats WH-H900N on the quality of sound in the aspects of lows, mids, and highs. But the following factors cement the superior position of the WH1000XM2.

Isolation

The WH1000XM has incredible isolation feature because even at 60% the person sitting next to you will not hear what is playing. The WH-H900N can also perform the isolation but at a similar volume as the WH1000XM, a person near you will hear what is playing because the isolation feature is less effective.

Noise Cancelling

This feature works best in WH1000XM2 when combined with isolation feature. The headphones can block out noises even in airports right next to the engines. The WH-H900N also allows you to activate noise-canceling feature and silence ambient sounds. You can choose to hear the ambient sounds like traffic or chatting with a friend by adjusting the sensor even as the music plays on. 

Sony Headphone App

This application is compatible with WH1000XM2 and you can use its calibration aspect to scan several variables and reset the sound to suit your preferences. The application works with the headphones to adjust the sounds according to the atmospheric pressure of your changing environments. The application gives you 5 point Equalizer and noise-canceling optimizer on the WH1000XM2 headphones.

Verdict

The WH1000XM2 has better features and feels more worth a while than the WH-H900N. It would be important to consider the cost variation between the two and determine whether the WH-H900N would still serve you right at that lower price. I would recommend you go for the WH1000XM2 and get the full package of Sony experience.