Pretty much this. I’d take Sony’s over Bose any day.
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Review: Sony's WH-1000XM3 Headphones are the Best Noise-Canceling Cans You Can Get
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Pretty much this. I’d take Sony’s over Bose any day.
The air of pretension is real with that one. Almost makes the esoterica a little less palatable. Cursory google search sorta backs his claim of 1975 though. The wiki on the MDR V6 has a lineage list. Says the 7506 was intro'd in 1975. Grain of salt and all with wikipedia.
Why are you basing your review on a comparison with the previous gen model ? This review is about the new gen x3 model with a whole host of improvements. Confused what the relevance is to this articleThe review somehow seems just too cheerfully positive.
Anyway, I was also considering between the previous-gen Sonys (MDR-1000something) and the Bose QC35II. The Sonys deliver considerably more bass and overall oomph than the Bose. The Bose seemed more comfortable to wear, had better-balanced sound for what I normally listen to and were clearly superior to the Sonys in terms of noise cancellation.
Overall, I went with the Bose, even though I mostly prefer Sony for personal audio (I had a cassette Walkman, a Discman, two mp3 players (one being with their OpenMagicGate DRM and one without), and a waterproof Walkman that I use to this day).
When looking for headphones, it's very important to prioritize your needs and to have a clear idea what you're going to be listening to. For example, before the Bose I had wired Sennheiser Momentums and while I loved the style (oh the questions and compliments that they get – I had two people off the street asking me about them and one friend offering me to buy them right off me) and really enjoyed the detailed highs, but getting them to exhibit *anything* in the low range was a problem and required a separate, equalized sound source. So jazz and classical music sounded just awesome in the Sennheisers, but anything with a beat or bass line was just bland.
The wired QC Bose were soooo comfortable, but now with the 35s I find they are just a little too heavy to feel as comfortable on a Marathon flight. I was excited to hear Sony is lighter but sounds like people are saying they’re still not more comfortable. I love wireless so much, but I’m starting to think of gettting out the old QC25s, as much as it pains me to waste that QC35 money
To those of you complaining about dynamic switching, yes, it sucks that the Sonys don’t have it. But for me, an easier workaround than disconnecting them on the device side is to just hold down the power and ambient button until the led flashes blue, which resets the headphones to factory default. Then pair them back to the device you want to use.
It’s a little annoying but it only takes a few seconds.
As to comfort, I agree the Bose are mighty comfy, but for me, the lack of touch gesture controls negates any comfort benefits. Touch controls are the lie flat first class bed of headphone features. Once you experience it, there’s no other way.
As to styling, I find the Sonys much sleeker. The tufted edges of the Bose ear pads remind me of the fabric on the top of a jar of strawberry preserves. Plus, anytime I see someone wearing them, they’re invariably carrying a Targus nylon briefcase and wearing Rockport mailman shoes. Bose is kinda (wanna) yacht-rock middle management. That’s not a dis. Most people who buy them are old enough to be immune to style trends and want comfort and performance above all, that’s all.
It’s a little annoying but it only takes a few seconds.
As to comfort, I agree the Bose are mighty comfy, but for me, the lack of touch gesture controls negates any comfort benefits. Touch controls are the lie flat first class bed of headphone features. Once you experience it, there’s no other way.
As to styling, I find the Sonys much sleeker. The tufted edges of the Bose ear pads remind me of the fabric on the top of a jar of strawberry preserves. Plus, anytime I see someone wearing them, they’re invariably carrying a Targus nylon briefcase and wearing Rockport mailman shoes. Bose is kinda (wanna) yacht-rock middle management. That’s not a dis. Most people who buy them are old enough to be immune to style trends and want comfort and performance above all, that’s all.
It would be nice to have the option, but I think there are pros and cons to both. I own the Bose SoundSport headphones (love them more than the AirPods), and I don’t like how they auto connect to all the devices they’ve been paired to. If I’m at home I usually have to go into the Bose Connect app and disconnect from what I’m not using, which isn’t all that different from the occasional repairing.
It would be for me as well. I’m picking up a pair later today, so I’ll let you know what I think. I’m looking for some bass but want balanced and accurate sound quality on the whole.
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My issue with products like these is one of value. The Bose QC headphones I’ve owned failed shortly after the warranty expired. After that experience I’m reluctant to shell out $250+ to give the Sony headphones a try. Simple earbuds for $15 seem to block most objectionable noise, and when they inevitably fail, it’s no big deal to replace them.
I had these and ended up returning them after upgrading the firmware to version 4.1.1. The newest firmware actually decreases the noise canceling significantly. There's lots of threads on Reddit and Sony's forums stating this. Sony hasn't issued a fix (or even acknowledged the issue). So if you have these, stay on firmware 2.0.0 until they fix the newest firmware
I have the Bose QC25, my wife has the Bose QC35. I’ve compared them a bunch. The 35 has a slightly roomier ear cup, which is nice for my tallish ears. Also the sound profile is more neutral on the 25 - I adjust it with the EQ in music settings to make it sound a little more exciting. The 35 has a bit stronger bass and brighter treble by default - just a bit - but it’s enough that I don’t feel the need to use the EQ, it sounds really nice by default. I’m sticking with my 25s for now, I only use them for plane flights so I don’t mind the cord, and I like that I can use rechargeable AAA batteries - I always have a spare in the case.
I’ve read that the Sony headphones have a boomy, exaggerated bass, sort of like Beats. I’m really not into that, so I’ve stuck with Bose.
I’ve read that the Sony headphones have a boomy, exaggerated bass, sort of like Beats. I’m really not into that, so I’ve stuck with Bose.
Can confirm you're right. Some domestic US carriers USED TO do it, but now they don't seem to at all. In fact for the past couple years I've not heard it in the US at all.
Bose and B&W are very similar. They both have a unique sound that people either love or hate.
It seems all tech reviewers are single. I bought these based on this kind of fawning reviews from many sources, but it turns out sharing them in a family is essentially impossible, because "Lacks dynamic audio device switching." When they switch on, they connect to some bluetooth source, but you don't know which, and you cannot switch. Did it connect to my wife's computer, or her iPhone, or my daugther's iPad etc...? Only way is to switch off bluetooth in ALL devices except the one you want to connect to (or go out on the street with your device and the headphones and switch them on there)!!! Forget it.
In the end we just use them as wired headphones. Crazy.
In the end we just use them as wired headphones. Crazy.
...which you yourself freely admitted are not anywhere online, making it somewhat difficult to do so.
I guess it's my fault for not having a Grammy award winning master engineer as a father; that's one thing that can't be changed. Your conceit, however, definitely can be. It's possible to impart facts without belittling people.
Agreed. I also fly for work, Nationally and internationally and have never had a flight attendant ask me about my Bluetooth headphones. I have the QC35 (few years old now) and AirPods. Never been questioned about either.
Not even a family-related problem. I use my headphones both with my MacBook and my iPhone and that's pretty much already complicated enough to annoy me on a relatively regular basis. So I guess the tech reviewers are apparently single and have an overly simple setup (i.e. their smartphones replaced everything).
This is totally true about the cold. I own them and in the cold they trigger randomly.
Even more troubling is the lack of multipoint. Just insane in 2018 or 2019 for $350 headphones. This is table stakes. Shame on Sony.
i have/had the original 1000x and picked up the xm3 a couple months ago. my thoughts:
- wish it would connect to multiple devices like the bose. this is the only aspect where the bose wins, for me.
- the touch controls on the earcup are terrible. were terrible on the 1000x and equally awful on the xm3. i never use it.
- the move to usb-c is welcome. bigger hole and orientation-agnostic FTW.
- sound is much improved over the 1000x...1000x went to my wife, who enjoys them on her flights. they're perfectly fine as noise-canceling devices, but the sound is so much better on the xm3
- the weight difference is noticeable and lighter does help in long uses...the shape is debatable. the 1000x shape fits better on my wife's head.
- Siri is NOT one of the assistants that can be connected. only alexa and google.
- battery life is phenomenal.
- don't understand the problems with connecting...mine always connects to the last device it was connected to (assuming it's turned on)...i use mine at home mostly with my AppleTV.
the xm3 are now available as refurb for $230 on ebay...not sure about the seller, but these are a great price if it's a good seller.
- wish it would connect to multiple devices like the bose. this is the only aspect where the bose wins, for me.
- the touch controls on the earcup are terrible. were terrible on the 1000x and equally awful on the xm3. i never use it.
- the move to usb-c is welcome. bigger hole and orientation-agnostic FTW.
- sound is much improved over the 1000x...1000x went to my wife, who enjoys them on her flights. they're perfectly fine as noise-canceling devices, but the sound is so much better on the xm3
- the weight difference is noticeable and lighter does help in long uses...the shape is debatable. the 1000x shape fits better on my wife's head.
- Siri is NOT one of the assistants that can be connected. only alexa and google.
- battery life is phenomenal.
- don't understand the problems with connecting...mine always connects to the last device it was connected to (assuming it's turned on)...i use mine at home mostly with my AppleTV.
the xm3 are now available as refurb for $230 on ebay...not sure about the seller, but these are a great price if it's a good seller.