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Sony's New Luxury Headphones: Are They Its Best Yet?
Sony has prioritised sound and comfort for its latest pair of headphones as it looks to take on the likes of Bang & Olufsen. Alex Lee, Senior Tech Critic, reports.
It is hard to believe it has only been 10 years since Sony first launched the MDR-1000X wireless headphones, with their active noise-cancellation taking the world by storm. Since then, there have been five successors; each new model upping the ante. There has never been a generation that has not topped my list of the best wireless headphones since I started reviewing them almost a decade ago, with Sony's latest flagship WH-1000XM6 cans continuing to lead the pack.
But to celebrate 10 years of the 1000X-series, Sony has done something a little different. While the 1000X headphones have always been premium, they have never really been luxury. Think Bang & Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins or Master & Dynamic.
That is the market Sony is hoping to crack with its 1000X the collexion, an all-new pair of headphones that prioritise craftsmanship, comfort and sound quality above all else. While the cans still feature active noise cancellation, Sony has made it clear that the focus this time is luxury rather than outright ANC performance. With an all-metal design, thinner ear cups and a stronger emphasis on premium materials and sound, can the premium price tag be justified? I have been putting them to the test for the past three weeks to find out, including on a 14-hour flight to Japan.
Sony 1000X the collexion: Design and comfort
Unbox the Sony 1000X the collexion and it is instantly clear that these headphones are a notch above the WH-1000XM6 in terms of quality. Sitting comfortably inside a woven fabric carry case with a soft-touch handle, the presentation of the collexion headphones alone feels considered, especially compared to Sony's often utilitarian approach to design.
Open the case up and the headphones practically ooze luxury. I have been testing the black pair, but you can also get them in platinum (basically white). The whole thing is constructed out of hand-polished metal and soft faux leather, and it all feels much sturdier and padded than the XM6. It is gorgeous, particularly the matte sandblasted metal frame, which subtly catches the light without looking overly glossy.
I am not a huge fan of the bulbous ear cups on the XM6, so the slimmer design here is appreciated, and the exposed metal frame and polished stainless steel sliders are so visually satisfying. There is barely any visible stitching either.
What is really interesting is that Sony has even split the battery into two sections internally to reduce the ear cup size and create a slimmer silhouette.
Most of the controls are the same as on the XM6, but alongside the pairing/power button and ANC/ambient mode buttons on the left ear cup, you also have an all-new button that lets you switch between different modes (more on that below). If you are anything like me and absolutely loathe having to take out your phone to rummage through the settings in the app, it is a definite game-changer. The touch controls for playback on the right ear cup are similar to those on the XM6. They are not always massively responsive – you do have to be quite firm with your swipes and taps, but I have got used to this over the years, and I have not had to repeat gestures too many times. It is the volume-up gesture I still have the most issues with, requiring the most intentional swipes. I am also a little disappointed that there is still no haptic feedback to the swipes and touches, but you do get sound effects, so you know when taps are registered.
Despite looking thinner and more elegant than the XM6, where the collexion really shines is in comfort. I get ear fatigue when I wear most over-ear headphones, but that has not been the case here. These are the most comfortable Sony headphones I have ever worn. The wider ear cups fully surround your ears rather than resting against them and the plush faux-leather padding feels super-soft. They also do not clamp as hard as the XM6, so if you are like me and get ear fatigue from extended pressure, these will be much more relieving. While that does mean they are not quite as secure as the XM6, and do move if you lie down or run about, I would happily trade that in for better comfort. The looser fit does mean that ANC does take a hit, but not a big one.
There is also a wider cushioned headband, which spreads the weight more evenly across your head. I have worn them for entire work days and long-haul listening sessions without needing to take them off once.
There are definitely a few compromises in pursuit of the slimmer design. The headphones no longer fold like the WH-1000XM6, so it is a little trickier to chuck in a bag. That said, the case is actually only a touch larger than the one that comes with the XM6, so it is not a deal-breaker. After going from unfolding with the XM5 to folding with the XM6 and then back to unfolded with The Collexion, I think I am on the side of unfolded, simply because they feel more comfortable to wear.
Sony 1000X the collexion: Features
Like every pair of headphones I have tested, these are crammed full of features. They inherit almost everything from Sony's flagship XM6 headphones, including on-ear detection (so playback pauses when you take them off), a 10-band equaliser for fine-tuning the sound profile, equaliser presets for heavy, clear, hard, soft and gaming, ambient sound controls, and adaptive listening modes that automatically adjust settings depending on where you are and what you are doing.
You can also customise the touch controls, tweak playback settings and adjust how the headphones respond when you start speaking or walking around. I still love the background music mode, which makes it feel like you are listening to your tunes in a cafe by pushing sound out and away from your head. As always, you get features like speak-to-chat (thankfully still off by default), which automatically pauses playback when you start talking (though it is annoying if you like to sing to your favourite tunes), quick attention mode for temporarily letting outside noise in and multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, letting you connect to two devices at once.
They still miss out on one thing I appreciate about the AirPods Pro 3: live translation, but that might be trickier for Sony to implement, especially because it is a feature that is fairly device-dependent. There is plenty more besides, but it is the range of new 360 Upmix listening modes, controllable from the all-new listening mode button, that have completely changed the way I listen to pretty much anything. It removes the need for controlling what you are listening to on your phone. By default, you can cycle between standard mode, which uses Sony's default tuning (or your own EQ settings if you have customised them), 360 upmix for music and 360 upmix for cinema.
You can also add 360 upmix for gaming and the background music mode to the button. I toggled all five on immediately, so I could click through the various listening profiles whenever I wanted (without ever having to touch my phone).
Sony 1000X the collexion: Sound
Probably the biggest upgrade over the XM6 is the sound. The collexion headphones are all about audio, prioritising audio quality and comfort over everything else, which is apparent the minute you put these on your head. The dedicated upmix modes have completely changed the way I listen to music, watch movies and TV shows, and even play games.
Sony's standard tuning is at its best when listening to music. While XM6 brought a more forceful low end while improving separation and clarity, the collexion sound simply sublime, delivering more space, restraint and depth.
Sub-bass is still present, but it is more restrained than on the XM6. It sounds weighty but not dominant like on the flagship pair. Listening to Grimes' Oblivion, the synth bassline is controlled enough not to overpower the whole thing.
The mid-range is just as impressive. The layered synths and piano in Lorde's Green Light sit nicely around her vocals, without getting drowned by the production. Wet Leg's Chaise Longue also sounded fantastic, with the guitars and vocals feeling more separated and spacious than on the XM6.
That wider soundstage is something you will notice with every track you listen to. Songs by Purity Ring, for instance, really take advantage of the spaciousness, especially in the higher frequencies.
Sony has redeveloped the 30mm driver here using a new carbon composite dome, and I think it shows. Treble is more detailed than on the XM6, but never really sharp or fatiguing. Molly Rankin's softer vocals and shimmering guitars on Dreams Tonite have a lot more texture generally.
Sony added a new integrated V3 processor, which sits alongside the QN3 chip used for noise cancellation. The V3 processor is all about sound and powers the new 360 upmix listening modes, including music, cinema and gaming.
While I still prefer to listen to my music in the standard listening mode, the new 360 upmix music mode has been great with acoustic tracks and Live Lounge pieces. What 360 upmix for music does is widen things out, making it sound a little bit like you are listening to someone singing in a studio, or at an intimate gig. It kind of surrounds you – super lovely when listening to artists like Ed Sheeran.
One interesting use I found for 360 upmix for music was not even music at all. I have actually loved listening to podcasts and audiobooks with the collexion – I have been listening to the Harry Potter full cast edition audiobooks on Audible and they have actually been more enjoyable with it turned on.
But my absolute favourite mode has to be the 360 upmix cinema mode – it has completely ruined the way I watch TV shows and films on my iPad (in a good way). I simply cannot watch content without it turned on anymore. It makes you feel like you are sitting in the cinema, with the bass rumbling in your ears and the action flying around you from all directions. It is absolutely divine if you love action films or big, bombastic set pieces. Watching Inception was just fantastic.
The 360 gaming mode is the last new addition, improving positional audio and immersion. I really enjoyed playing first-person shooters with this turned on. While I do not think it is quite as good as a dedicated gaming headset just yet, I was not rushing to swap them out. The V3 processor is also responsible for DSEE Ultimate, which replaces the DSEE Extreme technology found on the XM6. Like DSEE Extreme, it uses AI to improve compressed music from streaming services like Spotify by restoring details lost during compression. But Ultimate goes a step further by expanding the bit depth and sample rate, making lower-quality music sound a lot richer and more detailed. Whether you will notice the difference completely depends on the source material.
Sony 1000X the collexion: Active noise cancellation and call quality
Now, this is quite interesting. While Sony says the ANC on the collexion headphones is not a priority, instead focusing on sound and comfort, that does not mean the ANC is bad at all. Sony has brought over almost all of the ANC tech from the WH-1000XM6, including the same QN3 processor, 12-microphone setup and adaptive optimiser, which automatically adjusts noise cancellation depending on your surroundings and even the shape of your head.
I wore them on a 14-hour flight to Japan, and they blocked out a huge amount of the background sound, the whir of the engine and air conditioning. Sure, maybe it is not quite as good as the active noise cancellation on the XM6, but that is more down to the looser clamping force on the collexion headphones rather than the actual strength of the ANC. The noise cancellation is still excellent.
Ambient mode is decent, though I still think there is better out there. You can hear conversations and environmental sounds clearly enough that I never felt the need to take the headphones off. I still think Apple edges it with the AirPods Max and AirPods Pro 3, though – there is something almost uncanny about how natural Apple's transparency mode sounds that Sony has not yet cracked.
As for call quality? These are some of the best headphones I have tested if you are a chatterbox. They use the same beamforming microphones and AI-powered voice isolation as the XM6, and it works brilliantly. Background sound is negligible, and friends could hear me nattering away perfectly. Zero complaints from anyone – in fact, I was apparently crystal clear.
Sony 1000X The Collexion: Battery life
The only disappointing thing about these headphones is the battery life. As mentioned, Sony has split the battery internally to create the slimmer ear cups and more compact design, but it comes at a cost. You get 24 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation turned on – that is less than the 30 hours offered by the WH-1000XM6.
In fairness, 24 hours is still enough for me. I never came close to running them flat in normal use, even while swapping between music, films and calls. It was still enough to comfortably cover a full long-haul flight to Japan and several days of listening.
That said, at £550, I expected more. Battery life has become one of the main battlegrounds for premium headphones, with many pushing beyond 30 hours. They are not as expensive as some Bowers & Wilkins or Bang & Olufsen headphones, which is nice, but they are pricier than the AirPods Max. The collexion headphones do support fast charging, however, with a quick top-up giving you around an hour of listening in roughly five minutes, which is always nice to have.
Key specifications
- Type: Over-ear headphones
- Noise cancellation: Yes
- Weight: 320g
- Battery life: 24 hours with ANC on, 32 hours with ANC off
- Connection type: Bluetooth 6.0 with multipoint, Bluetooth LE Audio, USB-C, 3.5mm jack
- Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3
- Voice control: Yes, supports Siri and Google Assistant
- Included removable cable: Yes, 3.5mm
- Waterproof: No
- Drivers: 30mm carbon composite driver
- Hi-res audio: Yes, Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless certified
£549 from Sony.co.uk
Should you buy the Sony 1000X the collexion headphones?
The 1000X the collexion are unlike any Sony headphones I have tested before. Unlike every 1000X that has come before them, Sony is not prioritising active noise cancellation. Instead, Sony has gone all in on luxury, comfort and sound quality, and I think it has paid off. These are the most comfortable Sony headphones I have ever worn, with the softer clamp and wider ear cups making them far more comfortable to wear for long sessions than the XM6. The sound is sublime too, delivering a wider soundstage, less in-your-face bass and better instrument separation than Sony's flagship pair. The new upmix modes are absolutely brilliant for all the various audio mediums I like to listen to, and I really cannot watch films without putting these headphones on my head anymore (thanks, Sony).
There are a couple of compromises. The battery life is not as long, they do not fold and ANC is not quite as strong as the XM6 because of the looser fit, but if you are like me and care more about being comfortable and having perfect sound quality, these might be the headphones you have been waiting for. In fact, I think Sony finally has a rival to Bang & Olufsen and Bowers & Wilkins, and they do not cost as much as those two either.
How I tested
I tested the Sony 1000X the collexion headphones for three weeks while travelling, working and everyday listening. That included a 14-hour flight to Japan, busy streets in Tokyo, as well as full work days and listening sessions at home. I have looked at their new features, new upmix modes, how they feel on the head and their build quality.
I also compared them directly against the WH-1000XM6, testing music, films, TV shows and gaming, while listening to podcasts, several different genres, audiobooks and films.
