Excellent blog comment, thanks for writing it

1. First impressions
The Audio-Technica (A-T) headset struck me as much more solid, larger, and more padded on the headband. The Sony looks less substantial, is definitely lighter, and has a battery pod halfway down the cord that stands out right away.

2. Fit, comfort, and size
The Sony is on-the-ear, while the A-T is over-the-ear. I was expecting to prefer the A-T for that reason, but find that the ear cups have overly small openings. In addition, the ear cup padding, for some mysterious reason, has a seam located very close to the lip of the hole for you ear. The inner material is not smooth, and I find that the seam touches my ears, despite all attempts to adjust the position. I have a large head (always XL hat sizes), and I have to max out the headband on the A-T. The Sony has spare adjustment when I have it set to my liking. The A-T is certainly heavier and larger, the Sony less so. The over-the-ear A-T protrudes further back, potentially bumping seatbacks or pillows more easily. Finally, the Sony folds at three hinge points (one on top and one above each ear cup), so the folded result is very compact. The A-T can be adjusted to smallest headband length and the ear cups rotated to fit flatter within the headband for storage. The Sony on-the-ear pads feel quite comfortable with a good amount of pressure, but push just a tad on the rear part of the ear. Whether they may bother over long periods is a matter of individual preference.

3. Noise cancellation
This is a tough one. I played music through speakers and used both of them with no music playing through the headphones, but noise canceling on. The A-T have more passive noise cancellation being over-the-ear, and eliminate a lot of sound, particularly mid- and low-tones, not as well in the high tones. A very, very slight hiss is heard with no music playing. I didn’t think I could hear any hiss on the Sony pair until I squashed them against my ears and was just able to hear a bit. I was unable to hear any hiss with music playing on either of them. The Sony also eliminates some mid- and low-tones, definitely noticeable, but I give the edge here to the A-T.

4. Sound quality
This is very difficult to quantify. Let’s just say that both, with power on, seem great to me. I have good hearing but am no audiophile. With the same input, the A-T is slightly louder. Turning the power off, both sound muted, duller, less 3-dimensional, with serious loss of all frequencies, but especially treble (highs). While the Sony starts out quieter with power on, the A-T volume drops much more with the power off. I judge the Sony usable with power off (in a pinch), and the A-T less so.

5. Cords and plugs
Both cords are identical in diameter, very skinny an unsubstantial looking in my opinion. The cords appear to be the same length, but the Sony connects to both ears, while the A-T attaches only to the left earcup. The Sony has a right-angle plug that almost doesn’t fit into my computer speaker receptacle. The A-T has a cord with one straight and one right-angle plug, usable either way. It can also be detached when using the headphones for noise canceling only. The Sony has its battery, switch, and mute button on a pod halfway down the cord. The A-T has a switch on the left earcup. I find the Sony pod a bit annoying while using it at my desk. It is in just the wrong spot so it wants to fall off the desk. The A-T includes a two-prong airline adapter and one of the really large stereo plugs. The Sony also has an airline two-plug adapter that has a swiveling prong so it can be either one or two pronged. Not sure why one needs it to swing out of the way when the plug is the same as on the cord, and has a right angle to it already.

6. Mute button
The Sony has one, the A-T doesn’t. Seems very handy for when the flight attendant asks what your food and beverage choices are.

7. Carrying case
Both have zippered cases. The Sony is foldable, with an oval shape about 4.5″ wide x 5.5″ high x 2.5″ thick. The A-T case is about 7.75″ wide x 8.25″ wide x 2″ thick. While slightly thicker, the Sony case is about 1/3 the frontal area of the A-T case. Both cases have a spare battery holder, and both have one battery included.

8. Packaging
My Sony pair came in one of those indestructible plastic shell packs. If you cut it carefully all the way around the perimeter near the back, it opens up very cleanly. The A-T comes in an absurdly large box, because the case is separate from the headphones so they can be seen. The box is unusual, with top flaps that open to the side first. I felt stupid almost tearing it apart to open it, but there are no instructions other than small thumb holes as a hint.

9. Conclusion
I’m not saying which one I kept. I think it is too much a matter of individual preference. I give both models 4 stars because I did not experience that “sigh of contentment” with either of them, but they are both solid contenders.