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Sony WH1000XM3 Noise Cancelling Headphones, Wireless Bluetooth Over the Ear Headset – Black (2018 Version)

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Condition: Used - Like New
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At a glance

Condition
Used - Like New
Color
Black
Model
WH1000XM3/B
Weight
8.99 oz
Ear Placement
Over Ear
Impedance
32 ohm
Age Range Description
Adult
Warranty
1 Year
Works with
Alexa, Google Assistant

Features 10

  • DIGITAL NOISE CANCELING: Industry leading ANC lends a personalized, virtually soundproof experience
  • PHONE CALL: A built-in mic enables you to take hands-free calls.
  • VOICE ASSISTANT: Alexa enabled for voice access to music, information and more. Activate with a simple touch
  • QUICK ATTENTION MODE: Cover the right ear cup to turn down your music for instant, easy conversation

Description

Sony industry-leading noise cancellation evolves to further immerse you in your music. The addition of Sony proprietary HD noise canceling processor Qn1 masterfully eliminates the noise around you. Listen all day with up to 30 hours of battery life. Quick charging gives five hours of playback with just a 10-minute charge. Cord Length: Headphone cable (approx. 3.94 ft, OFC strands, gold-plated stereo mini plug); Frequency Response: 4 Hz-40,000 Hz; NFC: Yes; Cord Type: Single-sided (detachable); Volume Sensor: Touch Sensor. Diaphragm - Aluminium-coated LCP.

Specs 47

Brand Sony
Color Black
Ear Placement Over Ear
Form Factor Over Ear
Impedance 32 ohm
Brand Name Sony
Model Number WH1000XM3/B
Model Name WH-1000XM3

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Top Amazon Reviews

Bose has been decisively dethroned (Update)
Color: Black
I currently own about 30 headphones of various brands and types. I have tried many Bluetooth headphones and own the Bose QC35 II and Bowers and Wilkins PX. I bought both the Sony WH-1000x MKI & MKII but returned them after weighing the shortcomings vs the cost, my main complaints being comfort and sound (the ANC was always good). My portable-everyday-beat-them-up headphones were the Bose QC 35 II. I liked them primarily for the comfort and ANC. The sound on the Bose can best be described as adequate but generally lifeless. Always in search of something better I read a couple of “First Look” articles about the Sony WH-MX1000M3 and decided to pull the plug on the first day that they were available on Amazon. When I received the Sony’s I was pleased to see that the case was similar to the Bose QC 35, a little bigger but shaped well enough to fit comfortably in my backpack. When I removed the headphones and put them on my head I realized immediately that these would be as comfortable as the Bose. Good job Sony. After charging for a couple of hours I paired them to my phone and went to my headphone test playlist on Spotify. My main complaint with the previous Sony model's sound was that they had very little soundstage (defined as perceived distance between your ears and the music) and little definition (defined as the clarity and separation of the various instruments in a piece of music). The M3 sounded better than the previous Sony’s and better than the Bose, but the highs appeared to be quite subdued and overwhelmed by the bass. This was disappointing. But, Sony has a phone app that allows for EQ so I go download the app. Frustration. The app did not recognize the MK3. Patience. I figure that Sony has not updated the app yet. So I wait a day and see that the Sony app has automatically updated on my phone. I open and hurray! It is recognizing the MK3 now. Now I can play with EQ: -1 on 400 Hz. +1 on 1K. +2 on 2.5K. +3 on 6K. +4 on 16K and “Clear Bass” remains at 0. Play music and now were talking! I’m not going to say that these sound nearly as good as most of my wired headphones, but for everyday-on-the-go-beat-them-up-with-ANC these are exciting. They blow the Bose away. The Bowers and Wilkins PX which weigh about three times more than the Sony’s have decent BT sound when the ANC is off but the sound changes considerably and not for the better when you apply one of three ANC modes. They PX is OK for about an hour of no ANC listening while sitting at home, but after that my ears and the top of my head hurt. The noise cancellation of the Sony is a generation ahead of Bose. There, I said it. Most reviewers crown the Bose as the best ANC you can get. Well, Sony has just showed Bose that they are the new big boy on the block. I did some A/B comparisons with both headphones and realized that the Sony not only cancels steady noise like jet engines or the sound of the air conditioning intake in my condo, but it does a great job of virtually eliminating all other sounds, including television voices and even other people, as my wife can attest to when she had to stand in front of me and wave her hands to get my attention because I could not hear her talking (so, if you want to block out your wife’s talking… LOL!). And this is without even messing with the settings in the app. Others reviewer here have not had the same experience, stating that it does not cancel voices. I frankly did not expect it to cancel voices, but I must say that the Sony comes as close as anything I have ever not heard. So, if you want very comfortable headphones with the best sound and Active Noise Cancelling that you can expect with wireless Bluetooth in 2018 get these. They will not sound as good as wired closed back or open back headphones, but “you can’t always get what you want”, “nothing is perfect”, and “everybody is different”. In addition to the Sony WH-1000XM3 during this review period I used: Bose QC 35 II Bowers & Wilkins PX Bang and Olufsen H6 (wired) Sennheiser HD650 (wired) AKG 7KXX (wired) Spotify Flac files on phone and desktop computer UPDATE 2018-09-21: I did experience an issue with phone calls where people at the other end were hearing an echo of their voice. I tested the headphones with three different phones and the problem occurred with all three. So I replaced them through Amazon. I am glad to say that the new pair does not have the issue. After some tests with phone calls I will say that Sony still needs to do some work on the call quality at the other end of the call (the call sounds fine in the Sony itself). In this regard, the Bose QC 35 is better. I think the call quality is really with the sound processing that Sony has implemented and not the hardware. Hopefully this will be improved in future firmware upgrades. Another minor con that the Bose handles better is the support for multiple BT sources. But this is a minor annoyance and I only use the Sony's for my phone anyway, so I am not constantly switching sources. Small price to pay for better ANC and musical sound. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2018 by Deep Spaceus
After 20 years of using Bose (and 2 Bose headsets at home), moved to Sony 1000XM3
Color: Black
I had Bose headsets for travel for over 20 years. I had Bose QC-1, QC-2; I still have QC-20 wired earbuds and aviation headset A20. Recently, I had a challenge of finding headset which not only works to cancel noise in an airplane, but which also works better than earplugs at home, especially to reduce noise of piano played in a different room. I compared Sony 1000XM3 with Bose QC35 and 700 at a store, bought two pairs of Sony, and compared them with Bose QC-20 and A20. On top of that, I did tons of research. To begin with, Bose used to be "the king of noise cancellation" for many years. This reign is coming to an end: the competition is fierce. In pro aviation world, Lightspeed created a strong competition to Bose, while in the consumer world, Sony came up with a product widely superior in noise cancellation. Bose tried to answer Sony with Bose 700, but it is still inferior in noise cancellation and usability and features of the phone app. According to independent testing data available on the internet, Sony's noise cancellation is up to 6 dB better than Bose. If you are not familiar with dB scale, it is a log scale, and 6 dB is a little more than a factor of 2. Noise cancellation efficiency is frequency dependent, so it is hard to compare apples to apples. Power spectrum across all frequency gives an about 2 dB advantage to Sony (29 dB compared to 27 dB of Bose 700), in low frequency range Sony beats Bose with a high margin (about 6 dB), in high frequency range Bose appears to be better. Yet, when you put Sony on your head, followed by Bose, and switch back and forth, Sony is impressively better. Like, way better. Tons better. So much better that you sometimes wonder if Bose is turned on at all. Comparing Sony XM3 with Bose QC20, Sony is better in all respects other than small size and weight of QC20. Noise cancellation is better, and sound quality is better. Comparison with aviation headset A20 shows that A20 is slightly superior in terms of noise cancellation (and, surprisingly, even in sound quality), probably due to a passive noise cancellation component - but A20 is a $1100 headset with a massive wire and console, and connectors are not compatible with consumer electronics. You would never consider it unless you fly an airplane as a pilot. High frequency hissing, which existed up to QC15 and still present in A20 (introduced in 2015) is almost gone in both newer Bose and in Sony. Difference in noise cancellation quality between Bose A20 and Sony XM3 is worth maybe $50, but not $800. I think we are talking about several dB, nothing major. Sound quality is subjective. Neither Sony nor Bose 700 are audiophile grade. One cannot tell the difference while playing music via Bluetooth from a phone, but plug them with a cable into a headphone amplifier and play 24/96 music, compare with Hi-Fi headphones (I have good old Sennheiser HD-620 which used to be in the top 10 best some 20 years ago; not anymore, but they are still great sounding high end headphones) - and you can tell immediately that these are not Hi-Fi headphones. Not even close. With a good sound source, they sound dull and sound stage is not there. But they sound well enough for daily use, for playing music from the phone, certainly better than most earbuds. Sony sounds a little better than Bose 700 to my taste, but it is close, very close, there are small difference in color of the sound which are very subjective. I rated the sound five stars because this is not a Hi-Fi headset, it is a noise cancelling headset, and the price is determined primarily by its noise cancellation abilities. As long as you can listen to music and enjoy it, as long as it does not sound like cheap earbuds, it is OK. For really high quality of sound without noise cancellation, there are much better options in the same price range. App is not required with Sony and Bose (despite misleading information on the web, either headset can be used without the app), but Sony app is much better. It does not require registration and has many more features, including adjustment of noise cancellation to ambient pressure. Sony, to my surprise, works very well for phone calls in the office environment. There were many reports that Bose was vastly superior, perhaps this is the case when one needs aggressive noise cancellation, like on the street among cars and people. Or maybe Sony made updates to firmware which fixed the issues which they had. When answering calls at home, the sound quality on the other end of the line is excellent. People cannot tell I am wearing a headset. Comfort is purely subjective and depends on one's head size and shape. I have a big head, so most headphones exert some pressure. Sony is no exception, but I am fine with that. I must say, the most comfortable headset for my head is Bose QC 35 II, followed by Sony XM3 and followed by Bose 700. Bose 700 feels a tad cooler on the ears. A20 creates too much pressure on my ears. For travel (e.g., vacation) QC20 is hard to beat, due to their very small size. They are inferior to XM3 or latest Bose, but do their job well enough. For use at home or in the office, bluetooth headsets with better noise cancellation and better sound and with the ability to make calls are the way to go. Finally, cancellation of piano sounds. My wife teaches piano full time from home. Sound is a problem in our home. When I am in the same room as our grand piano, I can hear it loud and clear, although much less loud than without the headset. However, when I go to my office and close the door (which is a glass door which only partially blocks the sounds), I can barely hear it and can focus on whatever I am doing without distraction from the sounds. I tried QC20 for this purpose, and they were not quite up to the task. I got the 33 NRR rated 3M earplugs, and they also were not perfect either. I can tell that Sony XM3 works better. I would not use XM3 to work with power tools, though. They are too expensive and possibly too fragile for a workshop, and the benefit is not large enough to warrant the difference in price. Build quality of Sony seems to be better than Bose (and less expensive, too). The headset is made in Malaysia. Bose, I must say, can make great quality headsets (A20, with 5 years warranty, is an evidence to that), but consumer grade headsets always had an almost marginal quality. Bose, by the way, does not repair them once they are out of warranty. They make you buy new ones with a discount. Two of my old Bose headphones broke and I had to replace them because repair option was not offered, and lifetime of synthetic leather ear pads was too short for a quality product. It is too early to say how well Sony would last - we will see. After buying the first headset on Amazon, I got another one for my son. My son absolutely wanted Bose, but after comparing them side by side in a store, and listening to mine, he said, I still like Bose, but I recognize that Sony is better in all respects... So we got him Sony from a local store. The only frustrating part is that Amazon has dropped the price by $50 after I bought both pairs! What a bummer - but now, Bose is completely not competitive. The only downside which I found so far... Sony can connect to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously, but it is confusing how the preference works (the one connected last has the higher preference for audio), and there is no easy way to change the preference or even disconnect a specific sound source. You cannot do it in the app. I think Bose is the same way. I also struggled with connecting to my desktop PC for audio and gave up attempts to set up the audio preference correctly. Either I did not figure out how to do it correctly, or something can be improved in the next releases of the App and firmware. I am sure it will be done, eventually. For what it is worth, competition between suppliers is good - it drives features and quality up and prices down. I hope, Bose will catch up eventually - they missed the opportunity to do it with the 700. Sony 1000XM3 remains the best product in this class for second year in a row. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2020 by A.I.
Very good for the Money
Color: Silver
Review Image by Amazon Customer
Review Image by Amazon Customer
Review Image by Amazon Customer
Review Image by Amazon Customer
Review Image by Amazon Customer
Review Image by Amazon Customer
All right. I figure it's about time to write up a review of these headphones, seeing as I've spent some decent time with them and the Christmas sales should be happening and some of you may be wondering if you should spring for these - OR - wait it out until the next model Mk IV eventually shows up. The most frequent question I get is "How long do these last with Noise Cancellation on?" With the ANC (active noise cancellation) function ON - I've seen about 22-24 hours or so of Bluetooth-connected operation with these. The noise cancellation operation / ambient sound mode of these headphones are run entirely by the internal charged battery. Someone asked me a while back if with the headphones connected to your phone via the headphone cable, if they would still have noise cancellation / ambient sound mode even if the battery was dead and the answer is no, no they will not. You can still listen to music through the 3.5 mm physical cable with a depleted battery, but noise cancellation will not be available. Actually, you also can't use Bluetooth / noise cancellation when even in the process of charging these headphones… (see "gripes" towards end of review).. so I guess it's good Sony decided to bestow a quick-charge 5-hour use time after a 10-minute charge function into these (using a wall receptacle USB adapter of course). Basically how it works is if you have an energized battery in the headphones you can use the noise cancellation and the Bluetooth connection - which also serves to activate the right ear cup touch-pad to perform functions on the headset. If you have an energized battery and decide to use the direct 3.5mm headphone cable to connect to your phone or computer instead, you can still use the noise cancellation, but the touch-pad will not be available to utilize as the cord now takes over for Bluetooth to serve music (and as it depends upon the Bluetooth connection to "talk" to the paired device for functions, the touch-pad is disabled). If you have a depleted battery you cannot use noise cancellation or the touch-pad but you can still get sound out of them like a regular pair of headphones by using the 3.5mm cable plugged into your phone or computer. The connectivity through Bluetooth seems really robust. I have had only one minor issue since owning these where the sound of what I was listening to hiccupped out for a fraction of a second a couple times, but I think it had more to do with my phone not behaving at that moment and not the headphones themselves causing the problem. Walking around inside or outside or for traveling, the connection has remained stable since. How "Good" the active noise cancellation works in any pair of headphones is somewhat subjective... but I can say these work really well, bearing a few things in mind and that we've not quite reached the technological level yet of producing truly silent headphones the quiets absolutely everything. Not for $350 dollars anyway. The headphone Manual itself states that "Noise Cancellation" works primarily in the low frequency band and that although noise is reduced, it is not completely cancelled. I can best equate the effect with just the active noise cancellation mode on and with nothing playing through them, to having a good set of hearing protection earplugs in your ears. Everything sounds reduced, especially things like dronning, humming, knocking and footsteps...there is a general quieter sound you experience, but you're not left completely oblivious to some noise coming through a little. These headphones will not surround you in a magical protective vacuum bubble when you have them on. However: The real magic happens when you start playing music through these headphones or listening to a movie or such. With the active noise cancellation diminishing the outside sound pretty well all on its own, the sonic enjoyment of what is playing through the headphones is not restricted at all... you get full volume, clarity and bass and that simply causes the outside world to melt away, leaving you with a little comfort-cocoon that really does impress. I have had very good success with these headphones canceling out unwanted noises and / or being able to enjoy what I want to listen to across a range of scenarios: Noisy Neighbors next door doing noisy things, kids pounding around upstairs in the house, traveling in the car (as a passenger of course - not driving!), a couple bus commutes, and so forth. As for the sound quality, I will say that they are very good. These are not high-end audiophile reference headphones costing thousands of dollars, but there is definitely high-quality audio out of these with a nice sound stage and separation with additional tweeking you can do through Sony's Headphone Connect application to adjust equalization and bass. These are not the loudest headphones I've ever used... I've had models that are almost obnoxious in their power delivery, to the point of being painful to listen to with the volume all the way up. I am the type of listener who likes a bit of punchiness in their music, but also appreciates nuances over ham-fisted bass slamming into my ear canals at the expense of everything else...and I will say that with the noise cancellation feature turned on, I'm actually enjoying music at a lower volume level than I'd need with other headphones. The WH-1000XM3's ability to effectively mute the outside distractions allows me to concentrate on what I'm listening to, and I don't need the volume cranked up to enjoy a range of music. I did have to tweek a few things with the app to suit my preferences, but I am left very happy with what these can deliver. Of note, you can set two "Custom" EQ settings in the app, so one you might use for punchier bass and the other for higher treble or vocal listening. The weight of these is impressively light. I might have been initially expecting them to have a weightier feel... maybe because I was thinking that with the added components necessary for noise cancellation, those would increase the headphone weight by several ounces. I'm happy to report that these headphones are able to be worn comfortably for extended duration with no feeling of pinched ears or sore spots. The ear cups on the WH-1000XM3's are of a more oval design than circular as found on my older Sony MDR-XB950BT headphones, and this makes them very comfortable to wear even laying back on a pillow or car seat. The thick padded circular ear cups on other headphones tends to press up against the back of a pillow or seat, and causes some pressure and discomfort against the back of my ears if worn too long when reclined. No such issues with these. I have seen a few complaints online about people reporting that their ears get warm after wearing these for a while. Having spent some time with these, I personally think it's the effect of just wearing a pair of closed-back headphones with snug-fitting padded ear cups causing this. Every pair of closed-back headphones I've worn with padding that encapsulate your ears will get to feeling a little warm after extended sessions with them on. For me personally, I have not had discomfort with these on even after a few hours of listening to music and watching a movie with the noise cancellation activated. The Phone Call microphone is something that many people seem to have initially hated on these headphones - many comments about how "it's garbage" and so on, reside on the internet. I am not sure where the hate is coming from, as I've had no issues making or taking phone calls with these, and nobody has complained about the call / microphone quality. Maybe Sony updated something in later production runs, but for whatever reason, the microphone seems fine on my pair. Certainly no worse than other headphones I've used. I will note that I did update the firmware to version 4.2.2 when I first fired-up the Sony App and when I used the headphones for the first time, so possibly that update may have corrected previous microphone problems. I have tested charging the WH-1000XM3's using an Anker PowerCore II 20000 battery bank and with a longer Anker USB-C to USB-A type cable than what Sony provides (see quibbles below), and they work together fine. The Anker battery bank will certainly output a 1.5 A current or more easily, which is what these headphones require for standard charging times. In conclusion, I am very happy with the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones. Some people may consider these to be really expensive at $350 dollars US, but I don't think thats necessarily true. They're about $100 dollars more than other good quality headphones with similar performance sans active noise cancellation. Is the extra $100 bucks for having ANC worth it? To me, Yes. Definitely. The noise cancellation ability of these has allowed me to enjoy quiet time and listening pleasure that otherwise I wouldn't be able to have with regular headphones. You'll have to decide for yourself, but in a world with an ever increasingly loud and invasive noises you have to contend with daily, I've really really gotten to love using these, despite a few issues I don't really like. **************************************************** Some minor quibbles: A literally 6-inch long USB-C to USB-A power cable, Sony? I just shelled out $350 bucks for a set of your headphones and you stuck me with a barely-useable power cable, never mind no included USB power adapter? You couldn't get the bean counters to authorize even a foot of cable? Jeeze. If you buy these headphones you are going to for sure want a longer USB-C to USB-A cable to charge these with. Anker has some nice ones you can get right here on Amazon. The right-hand ear cup touch-pad is novel, and it has worked for me fine. My only little grumble about it, is the function to pause the music or accept a phone call requires you to do a quick double-tap with your finger on the center of the ear cup touch-pad. Problem is, my ear is in there and the sound of my finger quickly tapping it makes a loud "Thump-Thump!" sound I find annoying. I would have MUCH preferred a physical button instead. I picked the "silver / grey" model color of these headphones, simply because they looked a bit different than the boring ol' black every other headphone comes in. I have noticed that depending on the color temperature of the surrounding light, they can appear to look anywhere from a silver / grey coloration to more of a champagne / very light tan in color. It's not off-putting, and I do like the color of the headphones... but some of you may not appreciate the reactive effect these have in either cool or warm colored light. Figured I'd mention it. My big gripe: You cannot CHARGE these headphones and at the same time, listen with them using Bluetooth or with the ANC on. That seems backwards as Hell to me, considering I probably own at least 10 other electronic devices that CAN be used WHILE they are charging. My Smart Phone, yup. DSLR camera, sure. Voice Recorder, indeed. Graphing Calculator, Uh-huh. Sony MiniDisc Player from literally 15 YEARS ago? YES. So why is it that with these modern $350 headphones, you can't plug them into a usb wall adapter, laptop, or battery bank with a USB-C cable and keep enjoying ANC and Bluetooth connection and listening enjoyment while charging? The moment you plug the USB-C charging cable into these, you lose all Bluetooth and ANC, and the sound shuts off until you stick the physical corded 3.5mm cable into the audio source…which at this point means you're now using a pair of regular headphones because again: No Bluetooth, no Active Noise Cancellation going on. Very very strange, and although with 20+ hours of listening on tap with a full charge, I still question if this isn't something that really should be improved upon with version Mark IV. Wishes for FUTURE: Improved ANC with better elimination of higher pitched / sharp noises, maybe an available headphone stand that can provide the headphones with some type of inductive charging might be nice. Oh, and let us be able to charge AND listen to these with Bluetooth / ANC active at the same time please, Sony. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2019 by Amazon Customer
Excellent Noise Cancellation, Great Sound Quality
Color: Black
I'll preface my review by stating that these are my first pair of bluetooth cans, as well as first pair with noise cancellation. I travel for work quite frequently and have been wanting a pair of noise cancelling headphones for quite some time. Like most, I was between the Bose QC35 ii's and these Sony WH-1000xM3s. I visited a local store and tried out both. My initial conclusion was that the Bose cans are more comfortable (lighter, deeper ear cups), but with weaker NC and a more neutral sound signature. I ended up ordering the Sony's and now have used them for 3-4 hours/day since receiving them. Build Quality/Materials - Initial thoughts upon unboxing - these are solid. The soft touch plastics used feels durable and of good quality. These do not feel cheap to me whatsoever. The detents on the headband are well defined and feel like they'll hold up to daily adjustment. Sufficient padding on the headband as well. The ear cups are well padded and the synthetic leather feels of high quality. No creaking or odd sounds when flexing these way past what normal on/off the head use subjects them to. Only time will tell how these hold up to daily use, but I'm happy with the build quality out of the box. Fit - I have a large head. I wear a size 7-5/8 fitted baseball cap. My longest continuous listening session with these thus far was ~4 hours. No major discomfort to report. I had no fatigue along my jawline from the ear cup clamping force, and zero discomfort along the crown of my head. I will say, my ears/head get warm with these on for extended periods of time, even while stationary. When moving around the house, I started to sweat a bit. I do tend to run hot but regardless, these are a warm set of cans. I do think these will be just fine for stationary use (such as on a plane) and that's how I intend to use them 95% of the time. Noise Cancellation - One word: Wow. As mentioned above, this is my first pair of headphones with noise cancellation. I fly a lot for work and wanted the best of the best in this category. My old Sennheiser HD 429s, which are over ear/closed back, but have no noise cancellation, only really drown out ambient noise when listening at 80+% volume, which is not ideal for hours long flights. After watching the numerous comparison review videos on YouTube, and trying both the Bose QC35 ii's and these cans in store, I feel I made the right choice. The noise cancellation is truly remarkable. The quick attention feature works great as well. I can cover the right ear cup and ambient noise/voices become almost immediately audible. I've tried the Ambient Sound Mode around the house and I will say, that even with "Focus on Voice" selected, I have a hard time hearing someone speaking to me if the music volume is above ~20%. I have a flight next week and will amend this section of my review after with my thoughts on the NC on a plane. Sound Quality - I've been leary of bluetooth headphones for fear of sound degradation due to the wireless connection. My iPhone 8 Plus doesn't have a headphone jack and I've been forced to use the dongle to listen to my Sennheisers, which is less than ideal. After my first listening session with the Sonys, I can confidently say that to my untrained ears, the 1000xM3s absolutely blow my wired Sennheisers out of the water in terms of sound quality. Yes, these are 3x the cost, but I'm still incredibly impressed with the sound quality here. As others have mentioned, these were a bit bass heavy for my tastes out of the box. However, the Sony Connect app gives full EQ control over the sound profile of these cans. In my opinion, the user control available in the app truly pushes these headphones to the next level. Everyone's musical preference is different, and you have full control of the sound with this app. I'm all over the place with my music - from progressive jazz such as Pat Metheny, to the fast and furious riffs of Mastodon, to the undulating bass lines of Flamingosis and Jazzinuff. These headphones deliver! The bass is punchy (and heavy at the upper EQ levels), mids and highs come through prominently and clear, and the soundstage is spot on for my ears. Pairing & Battery Life - After unboxing, I powered on the headphones and connected them to my iPhone. Pairing was quick and painless. Battery life was at 60% out of the box. I plugged them into a 5V, 1.5 amp power adapter for 10 minutes, using the included USB-C cable, and the headphones were bumped up to 80% battery level. It seems the quick charge claims of 5 hours playback in 10 minutes of charge are valid. I've since listened to them for a total of ~15 hours, and the battery level is showing 30%. The battery level changes in 10% increments. So for my use case, 50% battery loss over 15 hours of listening = 30 hours assumed playback with a full charge. Bang on to Sony's claims. All of my listening has been with Noise Cancelling active, and anywhere from 30 - 70% volume. I'll top these up to 100% battery prior to travelling and will report back with observed battery life for a full charge. Included Accessories - The carrying case is what I expected. I see it holding up to travel just fine. The internal cable pocket is a bit tight but fits the included cables without much fuss. The included USB-C cable is shorter than I'd like, but seems to be of good quality. The included 3.5mm cable has a straight male connector at one end (for connection to the headphones) and a 90 degree connector at the opposite end. It's an acceptable length. Other Notes - I've yet to make or receive a phone call with these on. One of the most talked about negatives, at least in the reviews I've read, is how poor the microphone quality is on these headphones. I don't ever plan to take phone calls with these on, so this was never a factor in my purchasing consideration for these. But, I'm sure at some point I'll test out the mic and will report back. Lastly, single device connectivity - I only ever listen to music from my phone so this is another non issue for me. Just to try it out, I did switch listening from my phone to my laptop, and it took maybe 45 seconds to disconnect from one device, connect to the other and then start playing music again. In conclusion, I'm VERY impressed with these headphones. The noise cancellation is top notch, sound quality for a music enthusiast (read: NOT an audiophile) is excellent, the Sony Connect app is feature rich and gives the user full control, the carrying case is sufficient/in line with other headphones of this class and the build quality is great as well. Only time and use will tell how these hold up in the long run, but so far, these are hands down the best headphones I've ever had the pleasure of owning. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2019 by GR
A review from the average university student
Color: Black
So I am going to preface this by saying that if you are looking for audiophile grade cans, turn away now. Go get a pair of sennheisers and an amp. I am a student at the University of Central Florida, so I will be writing this for my university homies, hopefully this helps, and note my inexperience with every set in this class. I have only use the QC 35's and surface headphones briefly. So basically, we've got 5 important things for these headphones, as compared to something like the Bose QC 35 series II, which are the other leading headphones in this segment and price range. Sound, comfort, quality and reliablity, features, battery life, and value. I use these almost all day with my OnePlus 6t and have no issues at all, and when I get home I plug the aux into my gaming PC and it works amazingly for gaming, music, and noise cancelling all around. Now, for the specifics: Sound - 10/10 - The sound is great, very punchy bass as one would expect, while still keeping clarity in the mids and highs. Honestly its a pair of headphones the average person would absolutely love. I wont even put the likes of beats or anything in here because they don't compare. I know some have complained about the sound quality not being as balanced as the Bose QC 35 series II, but I also want to counter that by saying that the Sony app has an equalizer built in that really helps balance out the sound. When I hook them up to my computer, the EQ on my soundcard allows me to make them sound natural, and does not make the sound feel very fake, as it happens when you mess with the natural sound of headphones. Honestly just a great sound and fantastic listening experience. Comfort - 8/10 - There isn't much to say here, the Bose QC 35 series II would be an easy 10/10 here. Those feel like you are wearing pillows. As a Florida man, it gets pretty hot here, and my ears do sweat when wearing the XM3's. Apart from the sweating (which never happens to me if I'm not outside in the heat), they are super comfortable. And they even keep your ears warm when it's colder outside, they're like earmuffs. Quality and reliability - 7/10, ?/10 - This was a tough one, since I have not had them for very long. Its been about 3 weeks now and they are already creaking and making sounds when I move them around, though they do feel very nice to touch and though they are made of primarily plastic, the quality of the headphones is pretty good. I can't give a reliability score because I am not sure whether these will have the headband snapping issue that the previous versions have had, but the creaking is not a good sign. If you're going to buy these, buy the protection plan. Features - 10/10 - Great features! I can't say enough good about the features for these headphones. Noise cancellation is the best in the segment, works without even having to be connected to bluetooth. The Sony app gives you TWENTY ONE LEVELS of noise cancellation. It's absolutely insane, and it works so incredibly well. I honestly can't hear a thing with the noise canceling on and music at about 30%. If i'm too lazy to take them off in class, I just turn the noise cancelling down to 16 (open mics) and can hear my professors very well. The touch pad controls are weird at first, but I have gotten used to them and they work consistently. Putting my hand over the earcup comes in handy when ordering food or thanking my shuttle driver, since it instantly turns off the noise cancellation and opens the mics so you can hear. Best features in the segment, amazing for use at university, and easy to use and control. The case for these is also great, and is very good at keeping the headphones safe and tucked away. Battery life - 10/10 - Can't argue with the battery life on these. 10 minues and you get 5 hours of playback time with noise cancellation on and they will even charge to full in around 3 hours, which is absolutely mad. (Tested with a wall plug and charger, not on a laptop/PC). USB type C, which some care about, I do. Best battery in the segment, and I really have no complaints. Value - 7/10 - Being the best headphones in this segment isn't easy. I can't give this a higher score because of reliability issues that have happened in the past, along with the creaking I am currently experiencing, but if it wasn't for reliability issues this would be an easy 9/10. The fact that one would also feel inclined to buy the 3 or 4 year warranty because of these reliability questions also knocks off a point. But these are definitely best in class, and even better if you can catch them on sale. Tl;dr, great headphones. Would recommend them if you're a university student who travels on shuttle or bus, or if you just like to isolate yourself and listen to music, podcasts, or videos in crowded or noisy places. They charge fast, sound great, are comfortable enough, and have best in class features. If comfort and pure sound are your two priorities and you don't care about extreme noise cancellation, usb C charging, don't want to spend ~$15 on a 4 year warranty, and don't care at all about modern features, get the Bose QC 35. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2019 by Amazon Customer
Masterpieces: A comparison between Sony WH1000MX3 and Bose QuietComfort 35 II
Color: Black
Around the holidays, I decided to treat myself to a pair of high quality headphones. I live in the central area of a major US city, and to be frank the noise pollution was driving me a little crazy. I was interested in a pair of headphones that would give me some peace and quiet, so I spent a lot of time looking at ANC (active noise-Cancelling) options and the Sony WH1000MX3 and Bose QuietComfort 35 II were easily the top picks among reviews. However, there were a lot of different opinions about which was better. The split was pretty 50/50 between the Sony and Bose, so I was pretty torn. Even though they were heavily discounted for the holidays ($300 each after taxes), that's a lot of money considering I generally never spend more than $50 for headphones. So I bought them both as an experiment, with the plan to return one after I made a decision. Let me get this out of the way now, because I'm going to get pretty detailed below. Ultimately, I understand why there's such a debate about whether the Sony or Bose is better. They are both fantastic headphones and I love them both. I love them so much, that I made the probably financially irresponsible decision to keep them both! They were both so good, but in better than the other in completely unique ways. For that reason, there is no dealbreaker that makes one better than the other -- I believe it comes down completely to personal preference and that's why there is so much debate on which is better. The TL;DR of this review is that you should buy the Sony if you value sound quality most, and don't plan to wear them for long periods of time (i.e. over 5-6 hours per session). You should buy the Bose if you value comfort the most, and if you're planning to use them for phone calls. If you're interested in a bit more detail, I'll give my opinions on these aspects: ANC, Sound, Comfort, Versatility ANC The noise-cancelling on both of these is phenomenal. I had assumed Bose would do better at this since it's what they're known for, but I'm surprised to say the Sony's ANC is slightly better. It does a bit better blocking out non-drone sounds (i.e. people talking, sharp noises, etc) compared to the Bose. With that said, they both are practically equal and I don't think the Sony ANC is so much better than the Bose that it would justify buying them on that factor alone. When wearing either pair, I sometimes feel like a spaceman walking around my apartment because everything is so quiet. SOUND This is a clear winner for Sony. No questions asked, the sound is clearer, crisper, and deeper. This is especially noticeable when watching movies/TV shows or playing video games. With the Sony, I feel like I can hear each individual sound clearly, whereas with the Bose everything is a little more muddled together. With that being said, the Bose sound is perfectly acceptable and even 'good'. It's just that for a $300 pair of headphones I'd expect a more premium quality where I am amazed at how clear the sound is. The Sony does that; the Bose are a tier below. COMFORT Hands down, the Bose are better. I can literally wear them for 14 hours and they don't bother me except for needing to give my ears a little air every once in a while. I have never, ever worn a pair of headphones this comfortable before. I'm especially grateful for this comfort now that I'm working from home all day because of COVID-19. The Sony headphones are a bit heavier and clamp on your head a little bit more tightly. They also press down on your ears, whereas the Bose are deep enough that my ears don't even touch the inside of the cans. The Sony are still definitely comfortable, but a tier below the Bose. I can still wear them for about 6 hours before they bother me, so if you don't wear headphones that long it might not be a problem for you. VERSATILITY This is just a catch-all for all the other aspects of the headphones. Nothing here I would consider a selling point strong enough for most people to make a final decision, but if you have specific needs then this might be helpful. 1. I like the physical buttons on the Bose more than the touch buttons on the Sony. They just work better, and I make mistakes with them less often. 2. Sony has better technology. They use USB-C so the headphones charge faster than the Bose mini-hdmi. They also have better bluetooth connection technology, which lets a higher bitrate of audio transfer wirelessly. Without getting too technical, I think this is a major reason why the sound quality on the Sony is better. 3. Bose is better if you want to connect to multiple devices. Bose can connect to two devices simultaneously, but Sony can connect to only 1 device at a time. For example, if I am listening to music on my computer and I get a phone call, if I'm wearing the Bose, I can answer and talk on the call through my headset, and when I hang up music will resume. With the Sony, I'd either have to disconnect from my computer, then reconnect to my phone before the call ended, or take off the headphones completely and answer the phone separately. 4. Sony looks a little more stylish and futuristic. The Bose look like an ordinary pair of headphones. Build quality is identical though CONCLUSION 5 months after buying these, do I regret keeping them both? NO! They are absolutely worth the money if you have it. Generally, I find that I wear the Bose throughout the day as I'm working from home. They're really comfortable to wear all day long, if I get a call from a co-worker I don't need to take them off, and I'm just listening to music as background noise while I work so sound quality isn't important. After dinner, it's always the Sony. When I'm focusing on a new album, watching a movie, or playing a video game, I really value how good the sound is. And generally I only wear them for 3-4 hours at this point so discomfort is never an issue. If you twist my arm about it and made me pick only one pair to own the rest of my life? I'd probably take the Bose just because I wear them so much while working from home. But that's not a fair metric, and each individual will have a different primary purpose for these and that should be your guiding principal when making the choice. Good luck! (longest review over) ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2020 by Dr. Fishopolis
Surpasses BOSE in both noise cancelling and audio quality
Color: Black
Bluetooth audio has come a long way since the olden days. With new codec technologies like aptx and ldac, audio transmission over Bluetooth is slowly reaching fidelity levels that are comparable to that of a wired connection. That's of course taking into consideration the source and quality of amplification on wired setups. But considering the fact that the trade off in having no cables comes at a sacrifice in sound quality, these Sony's do make that sacrifice a very small and one that is worthwhile. Traveling with studio gear meant that I have to drown nosies by cranking up the volume which is not a good solution long term as it can potentially damage your hearing. One could argue that IEMs tend to solve that problem and that is true for those that are able to wear them comfortably for long periods of time. Unfortunately that had never been the case for me. My ear canals are rather small and I can only wear the smallest IEMs for less than an hour before itching and irritation occurs. Having custom IEMs built meant I would spend over $1000 for something worthwhile so I ditched them and moved on to cans early down the road. I owned a pair of Bose quiet comforts for 5+ years and for the longest time they were my only option for noise cancelling. The only other option was the PXC550s that came down the road. I always knew that by taking my Bose with me it meant that I sacrifice sound quality for the sake of noise cancelling as my quiet comforts simply were no match to anything else studio level I listened to such as HD6xx, HD800s (granted both are open back) and the Fostex TH-X00's which are closed backs. I started shopping for an alternative and just as I was getting ready to pull the trigger on the PXC550s I saw the announcement that Sony was planning to release the XM3s. I had shyed away from the XM2s due to the scares of build quality and lack of USB-C support, the same reason I was reluctant to get the PXC500s. I decided to take a chance and get these and honestly I couldn't be any happier. These headphones do two things very well. One is I find their noise cancelling ability much better than BOSE's. There's an odd feeling with BOSE that I don't get with the XM3s almost like a vacuum sensation. The second is their audio quality is not even comparable to the QCs by BOSE. BOSE's QC2.5 has a very muffled sound. Highs are very subdued, mids are grainy and lows are weak. The XM3s on the other hand provide a balanced but rather veiled sound. I find them a lot more enjoyable to listen to for long periods of time. Mids come off as a bit receded, highs are clear and lows are more refined. No these are not a bassheads dream but they hold their own fairly well for what they are aimed at. They are no match for the soundstage of something like the HD6xx or HD800s but those headphones also aren't closed back or noise cancelling so you are making a huge trade off. The strong noise cancelling more than makes up for that in my opinion. One key note for anyone considering getting these is that you want to be running Android 8.0 with LDAC support. I don't own any Apple devices so I can't speak to that as far as compatibility. But in order to get the most out of the sound codec you want to be running 32bit ~900k 96khz LDAC streaming over Bluetooth. If you're in the market for Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones that utilize USB-C, these should be an insta-buy. You won't regret the premium investment. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019 by Shaz
Beat the Bose, but only barely!
Color: Silver
I bought both these and the Bose QuietComfort 35 ii headphones to test. If you’re deciding between the two, here’s a few of my thoughts and why I ultimately went with the Sony headphones: Bose Pros: - Absolutely incredible sound quality for anything vocals-related or for classical/acoustic instruments. If you listen to predominately classical, opera, jazz, or acoustic music, stop reading here and get the Bose. - Slightly better sound cancellation in office-type environments or when you’re trying to drown out conversation. - Slightly lighter, which is worth considering if you have neck problems. - More comfortable fit. I barely noticed that I was wearing these and the fit was almost perfect. Bose Cons: - Weak bass. And I mean WEAK. Audiophiles will talk about how “true sound quality” generally has less pronounced bass, and that may be absolutely true, but when I listen to rock or EMD I like my earlobes to vibrate a little. These did not deliver there. - Inability to change the equalizer. Bose claims to automatically adjust the equalizer based on what is being played, but that often leads to the lack of bass issue described above. Everyone has different listening preferences and being able to adjust what you hear can be huge. - Suede-type headband material. I have extremely curly hair and use a lot of hair product to keep it from being an explosion of frizz. I needed something that can be easily wiped down and cleaned. Sony Pros: - Better overall sound balance. They have never made me feel like I’m standing in the middle of an orchestra like the Bose did for classical pieces, but I listen to every genre under the sun and needed something that could perform for all music and not just shine for a minority of pieces and be lackluster for the rest. - Ability to change the equalizer - Ability to temporarily pause the noise cancelling by touching the right ear cup to listen to outside noise. This was a huge help when traveling. - Better noise cancellation for traveling/commuting noise. These are fantastic when on the train or when flying- flying especially, since you can optimize the noise cancellation based on atmospheric pressure and background noise. I sat a few seats away from a screaming baby and barely heard anything. - Better packaging. The case has a strip of soft material running through the middle to keep your headphone cups from scratching against each other and designated pockets for charging cords. The Bose does not. - Touch capabilities if that’s something you use/care about. I generally control music using my phone regardless, so it doesn’t matter much to me. - Quickcharge ability. Plugging these in for 10 minutes when the battery is low will give you 5 hours or so of listening time. Sony Cons: - Slightly heavier and fit a little tighter. They’re a bit more uncomfortable to wear if you wear earrings or glasses. I almost always have to take earrings out when I work with them on, which can be annoying. - Sound quality may be more balanced, but it doesn’t shine in any particular areas. Overall I thought the Bose fit better and had better sound quality for vocal/classical pieces, but almost every other genre lacked an enjoyable bass. I also had concerns with keeping the material clean. I ultimately went with the Sonys because they were more balanced overall. I valued sound over all other characteristics, but your own mileage may vary. As a note, I also use an iPhone so I was less concerned with the audio file capabilities. It was a very tight race that was won by millimeters, so I do recommend trying both if you have the opportunity before making a decision. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2020 by Allison Smith
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