We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-21 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want an ultra-light, fold-flat on-ear pair you can forget you're wearing and toss in a bag, choose JVC Ha-S160-B-E; if you need a sealed over-ear design with higher sensitivity and a wider low-end reach, choose Sony Dynamic Closed-Type Headphones. That's the honest split. Everything else is detail, and the detail matters more than most people expect.
• JVC Ha-S160-B-E biggest strength: It weighs just 66 g with a stainless steel headband and a flat foldable design — this is a genuinely featherweight, packable on-ear headphone.
• JVC Ha-S160-B-E biggest trade-off: On-ear pads sit against the ear rather than around it, and the noise control is passive only, so isolation depends entirely on the pad seal.
• Sony Dynamic Closed-Type Headphones biggest strength: A sealed, closed-back over-ear design with 98 dB/mW sensitivity and a 10 Hz low-end reach — it's built to be easy to drive and to keep sound in and outside noise out.
• Sony Dynamic Closed-Type Headphones biggest trade-off: At roughly 125 g it's close to double the JVC's weight, and the plastic enclosure doesn't have the same metal feel as the JVC's stainless band.
• Who the JVC is for: commuters, students and light travellers who want something small, light and simple.
• Who the Sony is for: listeners who want a full over-ear fit, better passive blocking and a more sensitive, sealed driver.
The JVC Ha-S160-B-E is a wired, on-ear headphone built around a 30 mm dynamic driver with neodymium magnets, and its whole personality comes from one number: 66 g. That's the headline. The stainless steel headband gives it a bit of structure without adding bulk, and the flat foldable design means it collapses into something you can slide into a jacket pocket or the front of a backpack without thinking about it.
The frequency response is listed at 12–24,000 Hz, which is a wide, honest range for a driver this size — it covers the audible spectrum with room to spare at both ends. The ear pads are described as soft, doing double duty for comfort and for the passive isolation that on-ear headphones rely on. There's no active noise cancellation here, just the seal the pads create, so how quiet your commute feels will depend on how well they sit on your ears.
The cable is 1.2 m with a gold-plated slim plug that's described as iPhone-compatible, which tells you the plug housing is slim enough to fit through a phone case opening. There's also a media control on the cable with a remote control method, so you can handle playback without pulling the phone out. It ships with the cable and ear cushions.
Who should buy it? If you want a light, wired, throw-in-the-bag headphone for podcasts, calls and casual listening, this is the more sensible of the two. Who should skip it? If you need serious isolation on a loud train, or you prefer the feel of a full over-ear cup, the on-ear fit will frustrate you. I'd also skip it if you want the more sensitive, easier-to-drive spec sheet — that's not what this one is optimised for.
The Sony MDR-ZX310-B is a sealed dynamic over-ear headphone with a 30 mm dome driver using CCAW voice coil wire — the same driver diameter as the JVC, but in a closed-back, over-ear housing. That difference in enclosure is the whole story. Sealed over-ear cups surround your ear and trap sound inside the cup, which is why Sony lists highly airtight ear pads as a feature and why the noise control is simply "none" — it doesn't need electronics, the physical seal does the work.
The numbers back up the design intent. Sensitivity is rated at 98 dB/mW, which is high enough that a phone or laptop headphone jack will drive it to a comfortable volume without strain. The frequency response reaches down to 10 Hz, lower than the JVC's 12 Hz, so bass-heavy material has more room to breathe. Maximum input is 1,000 mW, giving you headroom if you ever plug into something more powerful than a phone.
Two specs in the sheet need a caveat, and I'd rather flag them than paper over them. The impedance is listed as both 24 Ω (1 kHz) in the feature list and 65 ohm in the product information, and the sensitivity appears as 98 dB/mW in one place and 24 db in another. Those are inconsistent within the sheet itself, so I'd treat the headline figure — 24 Ω and 98 dB/mW — as the intended spec and not build a buying decision on the conflicting entries.
Physically it's about 125 g with a plastic enclosure, an over-ear fit and a quick folding mechanism. The cord is 1.2 m, Y-type, with a gold-plated L-shaped stereo mini plug and a serrated cord described as hard to tangle. The L-plug is a small but real advantage if you plug into a phone in your pocket.
Who should buy it? Anyone who wants a sealed, over-ear headphone that blocks more ambient sound passively, plays loud easily off a phone, and folds for transport. Who should skip it? If weight is your priority, 125 g is roughly twice the JVC, and you'll feel it on longer sessions. Skip it too if you want a metal headband — this one is plastic.
• Best for all-day light wear → JVC Ha-S160-B-E. 66 g versus roughly 125 g is not a small gap on your head.
• Best for passive noise blocking → Sony Dynamic Closed-Type Headphones. A sealed over-ear cup with airtight pads blocks more than an on-ear pad resting against your ear.
• Best for packing small → JVC Ha-S160-B-E. The flat foldable design is built specifically for that.
• Best for low-end reach → Sony Dynamic Closed-Type Headphones. 10 Hz versus 12 Hz, plus a sealed cup that reinforces bass.
• Best for easy volume from a phone → Sony Dynamic Closed-Type Headphones. 98 dB/mW sensitivity means it gets loud without help.
• Best for headband feel → JVC Ha-S160-B-E. Stainless steel versus plastic.
• Best for cable convenience → Sony Dynamic Closed-Type Headphones. The L-shaped gold-plated plug and tangle-resistant serrated cord are genuinely practical.
• Best for the simplest possible setup → JVC Ha-S160-B-E. Wired, on-ear, fold-flat, done.
If I were buying one, I'd take the Sony Dynamic Closed-Type Headphones. In my opinion the sealed over-ear design, the higher sensitivity and the lower 10 Hz reach make it the more capable headphone for actual listening — more isolation, more bass extension, less effort needed from your phone. The JVC wins on weight and packability, and if you genuinely hate the feeling of a full cup on your ears, that's a real reason to pick it. But for most people, most of the time, I'd go Sony.
FAQ
It depends on what your commute looks like. The JVC is lighter and folds flat, which suits short trips and carrying it around. The Sony's sealed over-ear cups block more ambient noise, so on a loud train or bus I'd lean Sony.
No. Neither has active noise cancellation. The JVC uses passive noise cancellation from its soft ear pads, and the Sony relies on its highly airtight ear pads and sealed closed-back design. Both reduce noise physically, not electronically.
The Sony. Its sensitivity is rated at 98 dB/mW, which is high for a wired headphone, so it reaches a comfortable volume with less power. The JVC doesn't publish a sensitivity figure, so I can't compare it directly on that spec.
I don't quote prices here — check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page. On specs alone, the Sony's sealed over-ear design and higher sensitivity justify a premium to me; the JVC's case is its 66 g weight and foldable body.
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