Sony 1000X The Collexion Review These Luxurious Headphones Are Serious AirPods Max 2 Rivals

These are Sony's new higher-end noise cancelling headphones called WH-1000X The Collection. And yes, I am pronouncing collection with an X in the middle of it, can't you tell? If you're looking for a pair of headphones that offer the sort of expansiveness that Apple's AirPods Max 2 can, with the same kind of cutting edge features, but you don't want the restrictions that Apple's headphones impose on non-Apple devices, then these are really the closest thing available. However they're lighter weight and more comfortable at the same time in true Sony style. The collection costs $649 or £549 so they are a big step up over the $459 or £349 that you officially pay for the Sony WH-1000XM6. But they have a new audio driver, new processor, new features and a new design and engineering over the XM6. So are they worth the extra price? Well, yes and no. These headphones do deserve their premium price, but you actually might still be better off paying less. So let's get into the details. Unsurprisingly, the collection have a very similar feature set to the XM6 headphones, although there are some things that are exclusive to this new model, and some things it doesn't do quite as well as the XM6. Let's start with the new stuff. One great addition is the DSEE Ultimate. This technology has never featured in a pair of Sony headphones until now. It had only been used in Sony's music players, which have more powerful processors. But there is a new integrated processor V3 chip inside these cans that can run it. DSEE Ultimate uses supposedly AI-powered tech to upscale the sample rate of an audio file to 96kHz. When using this on Spotify, we found that a lot of tracks we listened to regularly did sound a touch more detailed and we highly recommend keeping this setting on it is actually not enabled out of the box so fire up the Sony SoundConnect app and find it. On top of this the collection bring native Hi-Res listening to the table via wireless and wired means. There's LDAC for Hi-Res Bluetooth listening but that is still lossy and doesn't work for Apple devices so you can also connect these via USB-C for lossless digital sound or over a 3.5 millimeter jack naturally. Also enabled by the new V3 chip I mentioned before are the collection's new 360 upmix modes providing spatial audio from any source. There's no Dolby Atmos support and Sony told me when I asked about this that this is because it wants everyone to have the same experience no matter the device. So there are music, cinema and game modes all of which take a basic audio signal and up convert it into a more expansive format moving the sound beyond the speakers being right on your head. Unfortunately we found that these up-mixed spatial modes produced poorer audio quality, which I'll come back to later, but it meant that we didn't really want to use them. Although I think that the background music mode is one that deservedly has its fans for using while working, creating the vibe of just listening to ambient sound in the room around you. But that is also available on the XM6 anyway. When it comes to active noise cancellation you get the choice to use full ANC, no ANC at all or a transparent ambient sound mode and the adaptive sound control feature can switch settings depending on your environment and your behavior. So just how good is the ANC here? Well Sony was clear with me that the collection is not expected to be as strong as the XM6 for noise blocking. That's because the collection have a bit more of a focus on comfort and the softer ear pads and lower clamping pressure can affect the seal around the ears. And yes, it means that while the noise cancelling is still very good on the collection headphones, even at medium listening volumes, we could tell the difference against the XM6. While listening to music, some higher pitch sounds and louder sounds broke through more often wearing these than the XM6. If you want best in class ANC, I would stick with the Sony XM6 or the Bose Ultra headphones. But to be clear, these are still great and better than similarly priced audiophile wireless headphones such as the DALI IO-8 when it comes to noise cancellation and are about at the same level as AirPods Max 2. One other feature that has received a downgrade from the XM6 is the battery life. You only get 24 hours here compared to 30 in Sony's previous headphones including the XM6. The flatter design of the ear cups here compared to the bulkier design on the XM6 is the reason for the drop Sony told me. Let's be frank 24 hours is disappointing. It's enough for a long flight, it'll get you through a few days at the office, but it absolutely means you're gonna need to charge more often and you'll notice it. Ultimately the standard, the average really, in this bracket is 30 hours. Although Sony still outdoes Apple with the AirPods Max 2 only managing 20 hours. There are plenty more great features on board though, such as the collection's top tier touch controls. These are the same as the XM6. You can simply swipe to skip tracks and adjust the volume. You can cover the right ear cup to enable transparency mode just for a moment so you can speak to someone. And you can double tap to play or pause your music. The touch controls are super responsive and using double tap to play and pause means that we never accidentally triggered anything we didn't mean to. There's a new button on them as well but this is used to switch to spatial modes and as I said we didn't largely want to use those so eh, fine. Within the app you have a 10 band equalizer and presets for personalized audio plus multi-point connectivity that is actually turned on by default unlike a lot of its competitors. There's also voice assistant compatibility and third-party software integrations such as Spotify tap and YouTube music quick access. A lot of these settings are available through Sony's SoundConnect app which is relatively easy to use but so many key settings are buried way too deep in numerous sub-menus which can be kind of annoying at times. It's an ongoing irritation we have with Sony's headphones. Finally, call quality is great on these. They are perfect for speaking to people. The collection conjures up an incredibly wide and spacious soundstage. Using them feels as if you're listening to music from speakers away from you, even without engaging the spatial audio modes. They use a new 30mm driver which has been redeveloped with softer edges and a harder center. Using a higher proportion of carbon fibre than in Sony's previous drivers for enhanced detail and balance. In Voyager by Daft Punk, airy synths sounded pleasantly forward while percussion occupied its own individual pocket with plenty of room to express itself. Bass then enters the fray with tremendous impact and came through with an almost three-dimensional quality while guitar licks danced away in the backdrop. Everything has room to exist just the way it should. They performed really well no matter what genre we threw at them. With a deep house track like Planet 34 by Jesse Moss, bass came through with admirable depth and agility, meaning the low end sounded really full and energetic rather than lethargic and booming. Higher pitched percussion in the treble range also maintained tight control but never sounded blunt or underpowered. Just generally there is a really pleasant balance right across the frequency range and instrument separation is incredibly refined. Pair that with the headphones great attention to detail and you're in for a truly nuanced listening experience. However, I want to note clearly that these headphones are absolutely at their best with some form of higher res mode of listening. We found in a lot of tracks that using LDAC made a noticeable difference over standard Bluetooth. Vocals came through more naturally and articulately while instruments such as soft acoustic guitars sounded a little more expressive. Tunes often just had a more open detailed sound overall in high res listening. This was also the case when using the wired high res connection so for the collection to really feel like their best value for sound use one of those options LDAC or USB-C. You might think well duh isn't it obvious that high res would be better but to be clear we had the DSEE Ultimate turned on for regular Bluetooth listening but it didn't bridge the gap like you might hope it would. And not all high-end wireless headphones have such a clear gap between high-res and regular Bluetooth. AirPods Max 2's sound is competitive with the higher quality version of what the collection can do just from regular AAC Bluetooth quality. But you're surely wondering how the collection compare to the XM6 for sounds. The collection go for a more expansive and spacious sound than the XM6, while the XM6 offer a tighter, punchier interpretation. In Satoru Watanabe's Down East we could tell a huge difference in the way that they handled the funky bass. On the XM6 it was by no means overwhelming but certainly quite impactful and slightly forward. There was still a solid amount of low end weight on the collection but it had a more spacious quality. You could actually say that the track lost a bit of its bite as a result of that. There's no doubt that the collection are capable of offering more space for individual instrumental elements to work their magic over what the XM6 can do. And these are more revealing overall, but in some tracks some may actually prefer the slightly tighter approach of the XM6. One thing that did disappoint us however, as I mentioned earlier, was the quality of the 360 upmix modes. When using the music mode, tracks sounded glaringly worse. Vocals lost clarity, drums had a tinier edge, and keys in the mid-range lost their tonal accuracy. The cinema mode was a bit better but we still found speech to be less clear and defined making for a weaker overall viewing experience with movies than just watching regularly. This is a shame given that the 360 up mix modes are a major feature of this pair and even have that dedicated button but we just don't think they're good enough to really warrant using. The collection headphones look in the same family and yet strikingly different in person from the Sony XM6 and the XM5. Even when using the touch controls the textured feel of the faux leather is incredibly satisfying and small satisfaction goes a long way when you are spending this much on headphones. Where the XM6 went for an ultra fluid singular design the collection goes for more of a contrasting look. We've always thought that the XM6 headphones have slightly bulky looking ear cups but the collections are much flatter and slimmer similar to that of the Sonos Ace which these headphones generally bear a really strong resemblance to, which is no bad thing. They look fantastic overall. Most importantly, we love how they feel in use. Their plush ear cups, cushioned headband, and low pressure feel on the sides of the head are all sensational and make for an incredibly comfortable listening session no matter how long it is. There's a wider headband on this model than we saw on the XM6, which also means the headphones won't clamp too hard if you place them around your neck the weight is also a big factor here at 320 grams they are heavier than the xm6 but the change in cushioning and clamping force means they're still super comfortable and they are considerably lighter than the 380 grams of the airpods max 2. all that said the collection do have a few potential drawbacks worth pointing to in the design the first is that they are not foldable. Although Sony said that making the ear cups slimmer was part of making them still very portable. But we really love foldable headphones. They are also not officially waterproof. Although not that many over ear headphones are so I don't hold that massively against them. But to be clear there is no IP rating at all so be careful if you want something that also works for exercise. The last is the case design which looks like a handbag this time. I actually quite like it because it takes up as little space as it can and the handle is quite practical for grabbing it quickly. I think it's exactly what the AirPods Max's little smart case is trying to be and failing. However, I have colleagues on TechRadar who much prefer the simple rounder case of the Sony XM6 and I'm sure that's going to be true for others as well. The collection have a very high asking price and in many areas this feels absolutely justified. The design feels premium enough to the price, the comfort is outstanding and for those who wanted more nuance from their headphones sound compared to the XM6 the audio has taken a clear step up as well. But on features overall they have few differences to the XM6 that we actually love and are weaker when it comes to noise cancellation and battery life. So it'll come down to whether you're on the same train as Sony for these. Is it worth paying the extra for a higher quality build and extra comfort and the more spacious sound? We think overall they do earn their price but you know kind of just about. As a kind of Android friendly alternative to the AirPods Max 2 they absolutely do that job and look especially nice while achieving it. If you're an Apple user though is it worth having these over the AirPods Max 2? Well that depends. The Macs have enough features and genuinely great spatial audio that they are probably just about better value overall. However the Sony headphones are a lot more universally comfortable. Not everyone loves the strong clamp of the AirPods but we haven't met a single person who didn't love sinking into the Sony's. So if comfort is your priority these would be our pick. So that is our review of the Sony WH-1000X The Collection. If you've got any questions about them, want to ask about more comparisons with other headphones please let us know in the comments below