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Successor to Sony's Flagship WH-1000XM3 Wireless Headphones Spotted in FCC Filing

ginkobiloba said:
If the Sony’s didn’t have that horrible bloated bass , they would be an amazing package.
Click to expand...
I've read that Sony's new 910 (WH-H910N) has the same noise reduction chip as the XM3, uses BT5, and has a much more neutral sound. Still not able to easily switch between devices though, although it can (apparently) connect to one device for music and one for calls.

I almost bought a pair in a one-day sale here, but returning would be difficult and I've not read any in-depth reviews yet. It's the new tech in the 25mm drivers (as against the 40mm drivers in the XM3) that I need to read about before buying.
 
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s54 said:
Not sure if I should pick the Bose 700 over the QC35?

I hear so many conflicting reports about each one. It’s so hard to decide.

I’m guessing the 700 won’t be replaced by a newer model anytime soon?
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I returned the 700s. The mic is hugely better than the QC35s, if that’s a priority then the 700 is for you.

Otherwise, I wasn’t impressed.

The ANC is better than the QC35 but not better than the XM3s.

The sound quality seemed worse than the QC35, sounding slightly muddier.

They’re heavier, they’re less comfortable (subjective), touch controls instead of physical (I prefer physical).

They don’t fold nearly as small so the case is bigger, and the gliding mechanism for fit is smooth, but the click/ratchet design of the older one is easier to set to your preferred size quickly. I put mine back in case quite a lot. 3 clicks either side on the 35s and it’s a perfect fit for my head. The 700 requires more trial and error adjustment each time.

Seem like a sideways, borderline regressive update to the QC35s to me, and at a heck of a premium given the price the 35s can be had for.
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SgtPepper12 said:
Turns out, that feature is only available for the XM3, not for the XM2.
Click to expand...

Oh right, sorry, thought the XM3s were what you were referring too.
 
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DinkThifferent said:
Seriously, who came up with the 'name' "WH-1000XM3"? Oh, I really enjoy my "WH-1000XM3"? said no one ever.

I love my "AirPods Pro" sounds so much better.
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But you're not comparing apples to apples (no pun intended). The equivalent to the Airpods Pro is not the WH-1000XM3, it's the WF-1000XM3. Doesn't that trip off the tongue so much better?

Yes I'd agree the naming is dreadful. The headphones however (the WH ones) are amazing; I work with the noisiest group of people you could ever imagine and when I put those on .. total silence. The WF... aren't quite as good, perhaps the technology works better for over the ear than in-ear, but they are far from bad. Having seen the review here the other day that the Airpods Pro offer even better noise cancelling .. I'll probably have to try dropping my Sonys a few times to give me an excuse to buy them.
 
rom3o said:
Fun fact: This logic doesn’t work for the TWS model, the WF-1000XM3 (WF = wireless freedom), which are actually the very first generation of that model. Sony likely realised that the majority of people where referring to the later generations of the 1000X headset as ‘XM2’ and ‘XM3’ and wanted to position the new product on par with the well known headset.
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I love when "fun facts" aren't actually factual!

The WF-1000XM3 is the second generation. There was a WF-1000X https://www.sony.com/electronics/truly-wireless/wf-1000x
 
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ginkobiloba said:
I had these for a while. The frequency balance was terrible. I absolutely hated that bloated bass that overwhelmed everything. I found them totally unlistenable unless the bass was reduced using the (very good) eq in their app. The Eq unfortunately doesn’t work if you use the cable, and wont work with anything but the iOS devices, so no Mac, no AppleTv.
However, the noise reduction was STUNNING, there is no other way to describe it. I never heard anything that matches it.

In the end i sold them and bought the Bose Qc35 Ii . Much better balanced sound right of the box. Average noise reduction. Useless app.
If the Sony’s didn’t have that horrible bloated bass , they would be an amazing package.
Click to expand...

I have the WH1000XM3s and love everything about them apart from their very warm sound. I don't find them too bassy at all, but they certainly lack clarity for high frequencies. Classical music often needs a boost with the EQ settings in the app, and tape his is almost completely missing in playback for older recordings.

I hope the WH1000XM4s will address this.
 
rom3o said:
Fun fact: This logic doesn’t work for the TWS model, the WF-1000XM3 (WF = wireless freedom), which are actually the very first generation of that model. Sony likely realised that the majority of people where referring to the later generations of the 1000X headset as ‘XM2’ and ‘XM3’ and wanted to position the new product on par with the well known headset.
Click to expand...

Facts are fun when they ARE facts. You don't seem to know the facts.

The first generation was actually the WF-1000X. I have those as well as the WF-1000XM3.


SBlue1 said:
Cans? Non American here. Is this slang of any kind?
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"Cans" is the term most often used for "headphones" in all professional broadcasting and recording studio environments, and has been for decades, all over the world, and especially in the USA. I've been performing professionally for more than 35 years and it's just as valid today as it was in the 70's.
 
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These are my favorite headphones. I have the QC35’s as well which are much better (all around) than this Sony’s. But for music, the Sonys sound far better. QC35’s offer good battery/sound/mic but are a smidge less in the music department. Also depends on the type of music you listen to but, the Sony’s sound more richer/fuller than the Q35’s. I think the mic on the Sony’s are bad (when taking phone calls) so I generally don’t use them for conference calls.
 
ginkobiloba said:
I had these for a while. The frequency balance was terrible. I absolutely hated that bloated bass that overwhelmed everything. I found them totally unlistenable unless the bass was reduced using the (very good) eq in their app. The Eq unfortunately doesn’t work if you use the cable, and wont work with anything but the iOS devices, so no Mac, no AppleTv.
However, the noise reduction was STUNNING, there is no other way to describe it. I never heard anything that matches it.

In the end i sold them and bought the Bose Qc35 Ii . Much better balanced sound right of the box. Average noise reduction. Useless app.
If the Sony’s didn’t have that horrible bloated bass , they would be an amazing package.
Click to expand...

I was recently somehow able to use the EQ app on my phone while using these headphones with my AppleTV....somehow they were connected to both but it was something I randomly noticed and I can’t duplicate it when I actually try. It’s bugging the crap out of me.
 
What about the looks?
Do the current generation look good??Would you like to have them prettier???
A more radical design????

Or you would rather have them stick with the same form factor “ like Apple “ ..wink ..for a third iteration?????
 
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Shame. I was ready to buy if the reviews were ok. I won't buy the XM3s as I've read too many reports of bad call quality. When I tested a pair, bluetooth'd to my phone, I recorded a voice memo and it sounded awful.
 
Not exciting.


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Tulani said:
Not exciting.


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Click to expand...

Interesting. If it offered seamless transitioning between two devices like Bose models, I’d be interested. It’s the ONLY thing that really annoys me about the XM3’s. And the poor mic of course, but I don’t use it much for calls, that’s usually via Airpods.

My ideal wireless headphones would be a hybrid of;

-QC35 physical design, the comfiest cans for my head and fold down well
-Physical buttons
-Bose 700 mic quality
-Bose seamless connection of two devices at same time
-Sony XM3 NC or better, and sound quality (I like it with EQ set to Bright, too bassy at default)

I don’t like;

-touch controls
-the adjustment mechanism on the Bose 700, much prefer the click design, can nail the fit first time every time

Regardless, I’ll wait a couple of months to see if Apple release “Headpods”. Not convinced the NC would be as good as Sony, plus I don’t like the auto update of firmware - my AirPods Pro were marginally better at launch. I still run ancient firmware on my XM3’s and QC35’s.
 
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yegon said:
Interesting. If it offered seamless transitioning between two devices like Bose models, I’d be interested. It’s the ONLY thing that really annoys me about the XM3’s. And the poor mic of course, but I don’t use it much for calls, that’s usually via Airpods.

My ideal wireless headphones would be a hybrid of;

-QC35 physical design, the comfiest cans for my head and fold down well
-Physical buttons
-Bose 700 mic quality
-Bose seamless connection of two devices at same time
-Sony XM3 NC or better, and sound quality (I like it with EQ set to Bright, too bassy at default)

I don’t like;

-touch controls
-the adjustment mechanism on the Bose 700, much prefer the click design, can nail the fit first time every time

Regardless, I’ll wait a couple of months to see if Apple release “Headpods”. Not convinced the NC would be as good as Sony, plus I don’t like the auto update of firmware - my AirPods Pro were marginally better at launch. I still run ancient firmware on my XM3’s and QC35’s.
Click to expand...

Some reddit comment says

“The Bose headphones are like the Apple of the sound industry while Sony is the Android.

Bose doesnt give you much options but works out of the box with their own designated sound signature and premium experience.

Sony gives you great options through EQ and a bunch of high end features / hardware just like an android phone. It is fun and alive.

Even the marketing of the two companies is akin to Apple vs Android”

Agree?
 
Yeah possibly. Bose clearly wants to be considered in the same conversation as Apple.
 
Tulani said:
Not exciting.


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Click to expand...
Darn, I’m an audiophile (sort of) and was hoping that the next generation would allow you to use the headphones in a wired configuration using a USB-C cable rather than a traditional 3.5mm plug.
 
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Double-A said:
Darn, I’m an audiophile (sort of) and was hoping that the next generation would allow you to use the headphones in a wired configuration using a USB-C cable rather than a traditional 3.5mm plug.
Click to expand...

if you’re an audiophile you’d probably see/know that balanced audio via analog or 3.5mm headset still outperforms USB-C audio connection (this maybe use to some phone using digital sound to a converter then again to digital output to USB-C).

I’m not one yet a read a great link somewhere that had some great insight and tests. I’ll see if I can find it and update.
 
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