Sony and Bose have been at the forefront of the wireless headphones market for a decade now. In 2016, both brands launched their respective premium over-ear headphones that combined wireless connectivity with active noise cancellation (ANC).
For Bose, it was the QuietComfort 35 that catapulted its reputation as the king of ANC in the wireless space, while for Sony, it was the MDR-1000X that led to a lineage of Award-winning sonic performance.
And, coincidentally, 10 years later, both brands have also chosen the same moment to get back into the wired game. Bose's Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds and Sony's revived MDR-3R wired headphones launched within a few weeks of each other after a decade of wireless success.
What I find interesting is the different paths Bose and Sony have taken with the new wired options. Both have cleverly pounced upon the twin trends of retro tech being cool again – thanks to cultural behemoths such as Stranger Things and Guardians of the Galaxy pushing the 80s nostalgia buttons with the Walkman being prominently used on screen – and of wired earbuds, such as the standard Apple EarPods, being hugely popular with Gen Z.
All of this no doubt helped with the wider popularity and interest in physical media again, such as vinyl records and CDs, across all generations.
Bose has gone for the wired earbuds route, but has included its trademark noise-cancelling feature – it's a unique combination that we haven't encountered before in wired buds.
It's a hugely exciting proposition, bringing Bose's expertise in ANC (and the various ANC modes) to the trendy wired earbuds design that keeps things simple. There's no battery on board as you'd get with standard wireless ANC earbuds; the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds simply draw power from the smartphone they're connected to via the USB-C cable.
Sony, meanwhile, has gone in a completely different direction. It's gone full retro. The brand has brought back the MDR-3 – the slimline wired on-ear headphones that launched alongside the very first Walkman in 1979.
Sony has meticulously replicated the original design in every way in the new MDR-3R, from the slender silhouette of the metal headband and the 'sound holes' for its open-ear design to the blue and orange foam earpads – both of which are included in the box, which has also been faithfully reproduced. They look so cool. Even the 23mm drivers have been recreated, albeit updated for a wider frequency range and better bass.
There's no ANC or any other fancy features here, just an update to a USB-C cable connection with in-line mic and remote control for use with smartphones.
In contrast to new launches that are heaving with multiple features, necessary or not, I like how stripped back and simple both these wired options from Bose and Sony are. Forget AI features, live translation, personalised hearing profiles, spatial audio and so many other bloated features. I'm all for audio products that are designed for one single purpose: the job of listening to music.
I also like how they're different enough that they don't even compete with each other: you have the choice of in-ear or on-ear, ANC or no ANC, a discreet design or a visibly retro look.
There are only two question marks about their design that are difficult to answer without using them in person. With Bose, it will be interesting to find out how much power the ANC features draw from your connected source – will this drain the battery life of your smartphone in a significant way, or is it negligible enough that it won't be a bother in day-to-day use?
The Sony MDR-3R's light weight and slender frame are designed for portable use, but the open acoustic design means that there is guaranteed to be some sound leakage. Will the sound leakage be obvious enough to annoy everyone around you in the office or on the train, or will it be a faint, tinny noise that will be drowned out by environmental noises and that most people will be able to ignore? We'll have to grab a pair for ourselves to find out.
I also find the price for both new wired options rather exciting in today's landscape. The Bose Noise Cancelling Earbuds are yours for £99 / $99 – that's more affordable than any of Bose's current wireless offerings. The Sony MDR-3R are considerably more wallet-friendly at £49 / $60 – the lack of ANC obviously helps here. Sony does make cheap wireless headphones – such as the five-star WH-CH530 for £50 / $70 – but there's no denying the retro appeal of the wired cans. Especially this close to Christmas...
If the aim is to appeal to a younger generation – a generation that is yearning for physical media and more analogue connections, while also being conscious of cost and environment – then keeping the price down while also offering a simple but strong hook is certainly the way to do it.
With these new wired earbuds/headphones, Bose and Sony are both offering something very well-defined and simple with their own enticing hooks in a heaving wireless market. Both brands going wired at the same time could be a turning point for the headphones market.
Let's hope both wired options live up to their promise when it comes to performance, too.
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