How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-05 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
• Sony ZX Series biggest strength: a real music-first design — 30 mm dynamic drivers, a wide frequency range, swiveling earcups, and an inline mic on the cord.
• Sony ZX Series biggest trade-off: the mic lives on the cable with no boom arm, no mute button, and no noise-control feature, so it's a convenience mic rather than a call-center tool.
• New Bee USB Headset biggest strength: it's purpose-built for talking — a rotatable boom mic, in-line volume with mic mute and speaker mute, and 3.5 mm, USB-A, and USB-C connections in one package.
• New Bee USB Headset biggest trade-off: it's a single-ear, wired desk headset with sound isolation rather than noise cancellation, and it's not the pick for immersive music listening.
• Who each is for: Sony ZX Series for someone who wants one lightweight pair for music plus occasional hands-free calls; New Bee USB Headset for anyone whose day revolves around calls, meetings, or online classes.
The Sony ZX Series (MDR-ZX110AP) reads like a portable music headphone that happens to include a microphone. The specs tell that story clearly: 30 mm neodymium dynamic drivers, a 12 Hz to 22 kHz range, 24 ohm impedance, and 100 dB sensitivity. Low impedance like that means it doesn't demand much from a phone or laptop headphone jack, so it works as an everyday plug-in pair. The closed-back, on-ear design with cushioned earpads is aimed at comfort and at keeping your audio in rather than leaking it into the room.
Where the mic comes in matters for anyone shopping for headphones with mic. There's an inline remote and a built-in microphone on the cord, described for hands-free calls from selected smartphones while you're listening to music. That's a genuinely useful setup for a commute, a walk, or a quick call from a laptop — you press the inline control, talk toward the cable, and carry on. But it is not a boom mic. There's no adjustable arm, no mute switch on the housing, and no noise-control feature listed. If your calls happen in a quiet room and your voice carries, that's fine. If you're taking back-to-back calls in a busy space, it will show its limits.
The other half of the story is portability. The earcups swivel and fold, the cable is a 1.2 m y-type design meant to resist snags and tangles, and the whole thing weighs just 4.16 ounces. The plug is an L-shaped 3.5 mm stereo mini jack, which is friendlier to pockets and phone cases than a straight plug. Connection is wired only — no wireless technology here.
Who should buy it: someone who wants one light, foldable pair for music first and occasional hands-free calls second, and who prefers a plain 3.5 mm jack over dongles or drivers.
New Bee USB Headset: Who It's For
The New Bee H365 is the opposite kind of product — a communication tool first. It's a single-ear, on-ear wired headset with a rotatable boom microphone, and every feature on the sheet points at talking rather than listening for pleasure. The boom arm is the giveaway: it's there so the mic sits near your mouth, which is exactly what you want when the call is the point.
The controls are the second giveaway. There's in-line volume up and down, answer and end call, plus mic mute with indicators and speaker mute. Anyone who has fumbled to mute during a meeting knows why that matters. The connection options are the third: a 3.5 mm audio cable plus USB-C and USB-A plugs, with a combined cord length of roughly 5 + 5 feet, and no driver installation needed for PC, computer, laptop, or Mac. Plug and play across most computers, laptops, phones, and tablets is the whole pitch.
The design leans toward long wearing sessions. The ear cushion is soft foam, the headband adjusts to fit both adults and kids, and the earpiece is listed as over-ear with faux leather and TPE materials. Audio is listed with 140 ohm impedance and a 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz range — a standard voice-and-music range, and a higher impedance than the Sony, which is typical of headsets tuned for speech clarity rather than punchy bass. The listed noise control is sound isolation, not active noise cancellation, so it reduces what reaches your ear rather than electronically cancelling it.
Who should buy it: call center staff, remote workers, students in online courses, anyone running Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, or tele-conference calls, and people who need a headset that fits more than one device without hunting for adapters.
Who should skip it: anyone who wants a single headset for serious music listening, or who needs a wireless, cable-free setup — this is a wired headset.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for music first, calls second → Sony ZX Series. The 30 mm dynamic drivers, wide frequency range, and closed-back on-ear design are tuned for listening.
• Best for portability → Sony ZX Series. Swiveling, folding earcups, a tangle-resistant 1.2 m cable, and 4.16 ounces.
• Best for plug-and-play across devices → New Bee USB Headset. 3.5 mm, USB-A, and USB-C in one package with no drivers needed.
• Best for a boom mic that sits at your mouth → New Bee USB Headset. The Sony's mic is inline on the cord, with no adjustable arm.
• Best for fitting different people → New Bee USB Headset. The adjustable headband is listed as fitting both adults and kids.
• Best for low-impedance, easy-to-drive listening → Sony ZX Series. 24 ohm versus 140 ohm on the New Bee.
• Best for a lightweight travel pair → Sony ZX Series. Nothing on the New Bee sheet suggests it's meant to fold into a bag.
If I were buying for a job that runs on calls — support, sales, teaching, or a calendar full of video meetings — I'd buy the New Bee USB Headset. The boom mic, the mute controls, and the three connection types are the features I'd actually use every hour, and the adjustable headband and soft foam cushion are built for wearing through a long shift. If, on the other hand, I wanted one pair for music on the move with occasional hands-free calls, I'd buy the Sony ZX Series instead: it's lighter, it folds, and it's tuned for listening. For calls as the main event, my pick is the New Bee.
how to use headphones with mic on pc
Plug the headset in, then open your sound settings and select it as both the input and output device. With the New Bee USB Headset you can use the USB-A or USB-C plug with no driver installation for PC, computer, laptop, or Mac; with the Sony ZX Series you use the 3.5 mm jack, and on many laptops that jack handles both audio and mic. Then pick the headset in your call app's own audio menu.
how to connect headphones with mic on pc
For the New Bee, connect via USB-A, USB-C, or the 3.5 mm cable — the in-line control carries volume, answer/end call, and mic mute, so once it's plugged in you're ready. For the Sony ZX Series, plug the L-shaped 3.5 mm mini plug into the headphone jack; the inline remote and built-in mic work with selected smartphones and are also usable on computers with a combined jack. If your PC has separate mic and headphone ports, a splitter may be needed.
how to use headphones with mic on phone
The Sony ZX Series is described for hands-free calls from selected smartphones while listening to music, so the inline mic on the cord is the part that does the work. The New Bee USB Headset is listed as compatible with most cell phones, and its 3.5 mm cable is the plug you'd use on a phone with a headphone jack. On phones without a jack, use whatever adapter your phone requires.
how to test headphones with mic
Play a track and confirm both earcups produce sound, then open a voice recorder or a call app and speak while watching the input level meter. On the New Bee USB Headset you can also check the in-line mic mute indicator and speaker mute to confirm the controls respond. On the Sony ZX Series, test the inline remote by taking a call and confirming the other person hears you.
One practical note before you decide: both of these are wired, and neither is a wireless option, so if you were searching for the best bluetooth headphones for calls, neither fits that need. If price is the deciding factor for you, check the current price on Amazon for each — this page has a button for that — and weigh it against the features above.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.
See also: ASKUBSKU USB C Headphones vs Wewow Sleep Headphones, Hidizs MS1 vs H HIFIHEAR CCZ NC02 comparison, WASRUYI Lightning vs VBANU Replacement Charging Cable, PROHEAR 032 vs JabNecter Open Ear Headphones