I regret a little that I tested the Sony WH-1000XM3. Review of new headphones from ANC

I've checked how the new Sony WH-1000XM3 works - headphones with active noise reduction. I have a comparison because I am a satisfied user of the previous generation. Is it worth to pay a few hundred zlotys and buy a new version of headphones?

Headphones for around 1,600 PLN are a huge expense for many. Is it really worth spending so much? It's good to think twice. Headphones at this price should really meet all expectations and be very polished. Is this the Sony WH-1000XM3?

Or maybe it is better to save about PLN 400 (in promotions, even more) and reach the model of the previous generation? It's definitely worth it if we were talking about competing Bose QC35 Mark II , where the second-generation handsets only have minor improvements.

[caption id = "attachment_856571" align = "alignnone" width = "2400"] Sony WH-1000XM3 (left) and Sony WH-1000XM2 (right) [/ caption]

In the case of Sony WH-1000XM3 we are talking about a virtually completely new product. I have the impression that the manufacturer has improved almost everything that has troubled the predecessor, creating headphones that competition in this class will be difficult to break through.

The headphones have been redesigned to provide better comfort. And they provide.

Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones have a mass of 255 g, which is 20 g less than the WH-1000XM2. I had the opportunity to compare both devices - the difference is clearly perceptible. And not just in bulk.

WH-1000 third generation have a different shape of the headband with earflaps, and the larger part of it has now a foam covered with delicate skin. In addition, the MX3 have definitely wider ear muffs. This all makes the headphones fit better on the head and ears. The headphones make you feel light, delicate, non-invasive.

XM2 in this respect are much less comfortable, too narrow and oppressive. After prolonged use I felt discomfort. Here, after 4 hours of listening to music on the plane, I felt relaxed.

The manufacturer also took care of the better performance Sony WH-1000XM3. First of all, the headphones will not squeak, which happens in the XM2 version when applying. The whole structure is made of a matt, pleasant to the touch material. The sides of the ear defenders are no longer covered with a rough plastic imitating the skin, but with identical matt plastic.

WH-1000XM2 looks good, but it has the character of a technological device, a bit clumsy. WH-1000MX3 is closer to the nature of racial headphones for lovers of good music, they are a premium device - elegant, more sophisticated, refined. The eye is even pleased with trinkets, such as the inscription and outer edges of copper microphones.

Two buttons have been removed from each other, which have a different, more ergonomic shape and protrude gently. Thanks to this, the buttons not only look better, but you can easily feel them with your fingers without looking. In XM2, I often have a problem with differentiating both buttons.

[caption id = "attachment_856574" align = "alignnone" width = "2400"] Sony WH-1000XM3 (left) and Sony WH-1000XM32 (right). [/ Caption]

When the headphones are unloaded after 30 hours, charging takes place via the USB-C connector, which means that we do not have to bring a separate charger with us. During a few days trip I did not have to load them, but if it was necessary, I could connect them to a MacBook Pro or Samsung Galaxy Note 9 charger that I had with me.

Better sound, best ANC.

Sony WH-1000XM3 becomes addictive to listening to music. They offer a clean, deep and warm sound with a strong but unbreaking bass. They have a good middle, a cool mountain, and offer transparent details.

For me, this is the best sound from all wireless headphones from ANC, although of course it is quite subjective. The headphones have proven themselves in a whole range of types of music that I listen to: from quiet jazz, through world music, to electronic music full of strong bits and bass. They probably play the best on songs where you can experience more bass.

WH-1000XM3 have improved noise reduction system, which, after all, was great at the predecessor. ANC works even better, which I could see during the 8 hours of flight, sitting next to the Boeing 737 engines. The turbine work was almost completely silent. You can hear that the engines were working, but it was just a soft background signal that kept me in the sound, that I was in the plane at all.

A good example of the effectiveness of the ANC should be the situation when I was sitting at the window and photocopied on the laptop, listening to music. Two seats next to a group of people, talking loudly, laughing every now and then. Being focused on the images on the screen, I realized that friends are standing around after about 10 minutes. I heard some soft sounds, I knew that there were people nearby, I had contact with reality, but their conversations did not bother me completely and did not distract me from work. That's what this system is for, it should work.

Sony WH-1000XM3 perfectly cuts off from the environment - not only in the aforementioned plane, where the sound is fairly even. The handset also works well in public transport, where it is also loud, but the noises are diverse, often short but intense.

The new Sony headphones will appeal to people working at the computer, especially in a noisy office with open space. XM3 can effectively cut off from constant conversations overhead, but also clicking on the keyboard. And now the icing on the cake.

If someone came up and wanted to ask a short question, just put your hand on the right earpiece. The headphones will automatically pause the playback, turn on the external microphones and make us hear the speaker perfectly. After the conversation, all you have to do is take your hand to restore the device and the ANC system. You can also flatten the right panel and stop / resume the sound, and by moving your finger up / down adjust the volume.

[caption id = "attachment_856589" align = "alignnone" width = "2400"] In addition to the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, the kit also includes a hard case, a USB-C cable, a mini-jack cable and a plug-in for listening on the plane. [/ Caption]

Improving the effectiveness of ANC is ensured primarily by the new QN1 HD processor. According to the manufacturer, the chip is four times more effective than the chip used in the previous generation of headphones. QN1 HD significantly increases the efficiency of the noise reduction function, but also reduces the noise that can be heard when the ANC is turned on without sound reproduction. In XM2 this noise is clearly heard, in XM3 you can hardly hear it.

In addition, it relieves the components responsible for sound processing. The larger and better-fitting earmuffs also have an effect on improving the quality of the ANC system.

The quality of the ANC is not everything, however. The headphones offer a lot of intelligent personalizing solutions. After installing the dedicated Sony Headphones Connect application, we have the option of optimizing the atmospheric pressure.

After its launch, the handsets perform a few second test and adapt the ANC system to the conditions. The function works best on the plane when the pressure changes.

In addition, we also have a personal NC optimizer, which analyzes factors such as the size of the head, glasses and hair to match the type of sound to our head. The application also offers a quite effective sound equalizer, it can simulate different effects (eg a concert on a big stage or in a club) or pretend the direction from which we hear the sound.

The practical mode is Ambient Sound, which can be activated by pressing the button on the earpiece. This mode reproduces some of the sound from the surroundings. Small enough that it does not interfere with comfortable listening, but also sufficient to be aware of what is going on around. Just in time when, for example, we cross a pedestrian crossing.

Bluetooth unchanged - you can connect only to one device at a time.

So much praise, but there is also something I want to criticize WH-1000XM3. The biggest disadvantage of the WH-1000XM2 is the inability to connect headphones via Bluetooth to many different devices. It happens to me notoriously - once I listen to music from the MacBook Pro, then I go out and want to listen on the iPhone while driving around the city by tram. And in free time, watch the NBA match on the iPad. To connect headphones to a new device, I need to reset them.

The reset and connection process is time-consuming and a bit annoying. You have to press two more buttons until the LED blinks, then turn on the headphones, forget their Bluetooth profile in the iPhone settings and connect again. Also, devices do not always detect them at once, sometimes you need to turn Bluetooth on and off.

Sony WH-1000XM2 or WH-1000XM3? Is it worth paying extra?

It's worth, how rarely. The Sony WH-1000XM2 can be purchased for around PLN 1,200, and the WH-1000XM3 is an expense of about PLN 1,600. The newer model is definitely worth the extra PLN 400. The third generation of headphones is better in almost every way. If the budget allows, it is worth reaching for a newer model.

I regret a little that I tested the Sony WH-1000XM3.

I regret, because now, after sending them back, I'm no longer happy with my Sony WH-1000XM2. And I was very much.

I tested various headphones, from the Samsung Samsung Level On, by Bose QC35 and Bose QC35 II , after the Sennheiser PCX 550 . None of these headphones are close to the Sony WH-1000XM3.

[caption id = "attachment_856598" align = "alignnone" width = "2400"] Fig. M. Basel [/ caption]

The Sony WH-1000XM3 are so good that I'm thinking about replacing the XM2 model with XM3, even though I was delighted with them. In my opinion, it's the best headphones with active noise suppression on the market.

I regret a little that I tested the Sony WH-1000XM3. Review of new headphones from ANC