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Sony MDR-1000X Review: Wireless Hi-Res Headphones Offer Next-Level Noise Canceling

Does it display battery status over Bluetooth?
I have a Sony MDR-ZX770BN and that's the first thing I would improve.
 
I picked a pair of these up from Best Buy earlier this week. I had been wanting a pair of nose canceling headphones for a while and had purchased the Bose qc35s, but found the noise canceling to create a weird pressure sensation over my eardrums for some reason. I'm happy to report these Sony's don't have that problem, though I can't begin to understand what's responsible for the difference. It's also worth mentioning that, at least to me, the noise canceling is also a bit better than the Bose. The sound quality is, too, though the Bose does have a bigger soundstage. The build quality, too, is also much better than the Bose.

Overall, I'm quite happy with Sony's offering, here. It's definitely worth the $50 premium in my opinion. What surprised me the most, as the article points out, is how good the bluetooth range is. I have had quite a few bluetooth devices over the years but none even come close to the range and connection these have. Again, I'm not sure what the difference is, but I'm impressed. That being said, I'll probably keep it in wired mode most of the time as the sound quality is noticeably better.
 
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Blackstick said:
No W1 easy pairing process is gonna be a shame. Eventually buyers will come to expect that ease.
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Audio-, ANC-, build-quality and battery life would probably be most people's criteria when comparing $400 wireless headphones. But yeah, maybe some folks are more concerned with those five seconds of the initial pairing process...

That said, they do offer the ease of NFC pairing, which might be even faster.
 
McScooby said:
Hi-Res to Sony now means 40KHz?:eek:
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I just bought these and I have to admit, these are definitely not audiophile grade cans. But honestly, at this price and with all these features, can you really expect them to be? If all you care about is sound quality, for $400 you can get a pair of planar magnetic Oppo PM3s or Audeze Sines. You'll lose bluetooth and noise canceling, but you'll gain quite a bit in fidelity.

That being said, the Sony's don't sound bad at all. Better than Bose and other NC headphones I've tried, imo.
 
BreadofWonder said:
I just bought these and I have to admit, these are definitely not audiophile grade cans. But honestly, at this price and with all these features, can you really expect them to be? If all you care about is sound quality, for $400 you can get a pair of planar magnetic Oppo PM3s or Audeze Sines. You'll lose bluetooth and noise canceling, but you'll gain quite a bit in fidelity.

That being said, the Sony's don't sound bad at all. Better than Bose and other NC headphones I've tried, imo.
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Could you elaborate a bit on how this is better than bose qc35s? I've been planning to buy one of those...
 
di1in said:
Could you elaborate a bit on how this is better than bose qc35s? I've been planning to buy one of those...
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Well, sound quality is subjective so I really recommend you find a place you can test them both out. You might prefer the things I don't like. And to be fair, they both sound pretty good. But to my ears, the Bose had a bit harsher treble. They were also a bit muddy on the low end (not terribly so, though. For some genres you might prefer it that way). The Sony's, on the other hand, are quite a bit warmer sounding and have very smooth treble, which means you probably won't get sound fatigue after listening for an extended period. Honestly, it just seemed to me the Sony's were more meticulously tuned. On the other hand, the Bose had a bigger soundstage, meaning the instruments sounded a more separated from each other than they do on the Sony. So, that's definitely a win for Bose. Overall, however, I prefer the Sony's sound.

It's also worth noting that the Sony's noise canceling is better, so if you're getting headphones for that reason, get the Sony's. The build quality is better, too, though at the expense of weight and some comfort.
 
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BreadofWonder said:
Well, sound quality is subjective so I really recommend you find a place you can test them both out. You might prefer the things I don't like. And to be fair, they both sound pretty good. But to my ears, the Bose had a bit harsher treble. They were also a bit muddy on the low end (not terribly so, though. For some genres you might prefer it that way). The Sony's, on the other hand, are quite a bit warmer sounding and have very smooth treble, which means you probably won't get sound fatigue after listening for an extended period. Honestly, it just seemed to me the Sony's were more meticulously tuned. On the other hand, the Bose had a bigger soundstage, meaning the instruments sounded a more separated from each other than they do on the Sony. So, that's definitely a win for Bose. Overall, however, I prefer the Sony's sound.

It's also worth noting that the Sony's noise canceling is better, so if you're getting headphones for that reason, get the Sony's. The build quality is better, too, though at the expense of weight and some comfort.
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The primary reason for me to consider a NC earphone is that, I want to concentrate my work while the people around me is talking. Normally I do not have anything to listen (because music or songs will distract me). A pair of foam ear plug is in-fact works better than my Parrot Zig 3, but to take out and put them in just for a short conversation is annoying enough. However, all the reviewing articles I read do not give concrete conclusion to how well they are capable of canceling human voices. Would those who have test it give me some hints on Sony's performance in that particular aspect?

Thank you in advance.
 
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Ming-wai TSE said:
The primary reason for me to consider a NC earphone is that, I want to concentrate my work while the people around me is talking. Normally I do not have anything to listen (because music or songs will distract me). A pair of foam ear plug is in-fact works better than my Parrot Zig 3, but to take out and put them in just for a short conversation is annoying enough. However, all the reviewing articles I read do not give concrete conclusion to how well they are capable of canceling human voices. Would those who have test it give me some hints on Sony's performance in that particular aspect?

Thank you in advance.
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No noise canceling headphone I've ever used has been able to completely cancel out voices without music playing. This Sony does very slightly better than Bose in that regard (never tried Parrot), but it is still noticeable. However, with music it drowns them out completely. If you don't want to play music, try playing some kind of white noise in your NC headphones. I imagine it would work just as well as music without being distracting.
 
BreadofWonder said:
No noise canceling headphone I've ever used has been able to completely cancel out voices without music playing. This Sony does very slightly better than Bose in that regard (never tried Parrot), but it is still noticeable. However, with music it drowns them out completely. If you don't want to play music, try playing some kind of white noise in your NC headphones. I imagine it would work just as well as music without being distracting.
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Thank you for your info.
 
ayala421 said:
Sticking with Bose, they sound fantastic and very comfortable.
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_______________________________
Sony is now designed and built in China with parts from Chinese manufactures.....before the warranty is over...it will fail to connect and worse....NO MORE SONY.
 
kingpushup said:
I have the Bose because I want the best. So, I will need to hunt down a Sony store to see just how unrivaled.

I won't be burying my head in the sand, which is warm but not state-of-the-art. (lolz, groaner of a joke)
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lol bose isn't even in the running for quality sounding headphones.
 
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BreadofWonder said:
Well, sound quality is subjective so I really recommend you find a place you can test them both out. You might prefer the things I don't like. And to be fair, they both sound pretty good. But to my ears, the Bose had a bit harsher treble. They were also a bit muddy on the low end (not terribly so, though. For some genres you might prefer it that way). The Sony's, on the other hand, are quite a bit warmer sounding and have very smooth treble, which means you probably won't get sound fatigue after listening for an extended period. Honestly, it just seemed to me the Sony's were more meticulously tuned. On the other hand, the Bose had a bigger soundstage, meaning the instruments sounded a more separated from each other than they do on the Sony. So, that's definitely a win for Bose. Overall, however, I prefer the Sony's sound.

It's also worth noting that the Sony's noise canceling is better, so if you're getting headphones for that reason, get the Sony's. The build quality is better, too, though at the expense of weight and some comfort.
Click to expand...

I haven't heard the Sonys but your comment on the Bose QC35 soundstage is exactly what I noticed. Instrument separation is very good. I also like the quality and depth of the bass.
 
Best pair of wireless over-ear/on-ear headphones I have tried yet.

As of late, I've used:

Beats Studio 2.0 Wireless (decent headphones for the sale price -- $180).
Beats Solo 3 Wireless (the W1 chip is really cool, but on-ear headphones hurt my head and no NC)
Bose QuietComfort 35 (fantastic NC but the build quality leaves a bit to be desired -- very plastic-y)

I use Bose Soundsport Wireless headphones as my gym set so I do normally like Bose products. But these new Sonys really blew them away. The build quality feels just like it is on a whole different level in comparison. The noise cancellation is amazing, frankly. I don't notice the pressure feeling I'd get with the Bose when I had them. It's a lot more subtle, frankly. I love the ability to put my right hand over the can to allow sound through for conversation. I also love the voice pass-through as well. I assume Sony will work to update it to better filter in the future. The NC mapping feature is neat, but I haven't noticed it making a big difference.

The sound on these is a really big step up from the Bose, IMO. The Bose almost felt sort of harsh.
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BreadofWonder said:
Well, sound quality is subjective so I really recommend you find a place you can test them both out. You might prefer the things I don't like. And to be fair, they both sound pretty good. But to my ears, the Bose had a bit harsher treble. They were also a bit muddy on the low end (not terribly so, though. For some genres you might prefer it that way). The Sony's, on the other hand, are quite a bit warmer sounding and have very smooth treble, which means you probably won't get sound fatigue after listening for an extended period. Honestly, it just seemed to me the Sony's were more meticulously tuned. On the other hand, the Bose had a bigger soundstage, meaning the instruments sounded a more separated from each other than they do on the Sony. So, that's definitely a win for Bose. Overall, however, I prefer the Sony's sound.

It's also worth noting that the Sony's noise canceling is better, so if you're getting headphones for that reason, get the Sony's. The build quality is better, too, though at the expense of weight and some comfort.
Click to expand...

Agreed with almost all of this. I thought the Sony's had a very nice soundstage that was juuuuuuuuuuuust ever so below the Bose in that regard. A difference, but not a big one to me.

I will say that I like the Bose app. Wish Sony had something similar.
 
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