[warmtone]

My experience is quite the opposite:

After using a pair of Bose QC25's. For a couple of years I have purchased the new Sony MDR 1000x
The QC25's have been pleasant and enjoyable but a fairly polite sound. if I am critical is the sound is ultimately lacking in resolution and notably bass.
But 4 years is a long time in audio and things have moved on.

In my opinion, Sony have also done a great job of improving noise reduction performance over the Bose QC25 by a significant margin and at the same time reproduction has moved forward a long way:

I have been particularly impressed with a smooth and organic mid range & surprisingly good bass extension,
whilst the treble is detailed and smooth contributing to great imaging. I rate the sound as exceptionally good at AU$518

I am using the Sony's with my an iPad Pro listening to Tidal hi res.

The inbuilt DAC must also be reasonably good as I compared performance with a dragonfly red.
Surprisingly the Sony headphone via inbuilt USB was almost as good! So for once Bluetooth has been well executed.

As I write this I'm listening to a Blank & Jones track off "What we do at night" and these things really boogie on well recorded high res electronic music. Macro and micro dynamics are very good without being too analytical with complex passages handled well. Most importantly these headphones are musically coherent and Fatigue free.

Incidentally, my Ref point is a pair of Stax Sr 009 /007tii so I am fussy about sound reproduction!

 

[andrenb]

I'm contemplating buying these today as a replacement for my Bose QC35's.
 
How do they work for making phone calls through bluetooth in noisy enviroments (walking around the city, sometimes a bit windy conditions, on public transport etc)? The Bose work remarkebly well for this usage, I almost never get any complaints when making calls from it in all kinds of conditions.

 

[Pass]

My experience is quite the opposite:

After using a pair of Bose QC25's. For a couple of years I have purchased the new Sony MDR 1000x
The QC25's have been pleasant and enjoyable but a fairly polite sound. if I am critical is the sound is ultimately lacking in resolution and notably bass.
But 4 years is a long time in audio and things have moved on.

In my opinion, Sony have also done a great job of improving noise reduction performance over the Bose QC25 by a significant margin and at the same time reproduction has moved forward a long way:

I have been particularly impressed with a smooth and organic mid range & surprisingly good bass extension,
whilst the treble is detailed and smooth contributing to great imaging. I rate the sound as exceptionally good at AU$518

I am using the Sony's with my an iPad Pro listening to Tidal hi res.

The inbuilt DAC must also be reasonably good as I compared performance with a dragonfly red.
Surprisingly the Sony headphone via inbuilt USB was almost as good! So for once Bluetooth has been well executed.

As I write this I'm listening to a Blank & Jones track off "What we do at night" and these things really boogie on well recorded high res electronic music. Macro and micro dynamics are very good without being too analytical with complex passages handled well. Most importantly these headphones are musically coherent and Fatigue free.

Incidentally, my Ref point is a pair of Stax Sr 009 /007tii so I am fussy about sound reproduction!

I'm curious... are your listenings only via Bluetooth? If yes, just try them wired. That makes a HUGE difference. Really!

 

[Pass]

As a student, my budget was limited. After reading lots of review, I pull the trigger to buy it. But am having an issue with it not sure if it just me or normal. While there is still creaking issue, but it only occur if I tilt my head forward down or upwards 90 degree. Jaw movement and walking don't cause the creaky sound. I have two issue. One is when I extend the headphone, at the 4th level it feels abit rough. And when playing music, usually the vocal is at center but mdr 1000x gave me sense that the vocal is that slightly to the right. Happen to all instruments that usually placed in the middle. I can verify is not my ear as when I switched back to V moda XS. The sound location are placed correctly. What could have caused this?

Product batch is January 2017.

I find the consistency of build quality of this headset is bad. I tried 3 set and all 3 set gives different issue. One bad sound, one headphone extender is rough, one is super tight.

I'm sorry for your bad experiences. I've got mine used, and they are in perfect shape, with perfect sound and noise canceling, and absolutely nothing wrong. Buying used may sometime be a good choice...

 

[MrExistor]

yea that's quite unfortunate. I let the store staff to listen but they say no issue with the sound. Maybe because to avoid exchange but am not sure. I suppose i have to bare with this right tilted sound.

 

[warmtone]

I'm curious... are your listenings only via Bluetooth? If yes, just try them wired. That makes a HUGE difference. Really!

I listen both direct and with Bluetooth - I agree direct wired is a step up but Bluetooth is more than passable for casual listening and commuting.

 

[aertus]

you need a sony xperia to take advantage of the LDAC. has anyone used this with LDAC ?

 

[nguyenlethanh]

Hi guys,
I'm interested in buying this pair of headphones as it will be the first ANC headphones I'll ever get my hands on. For this reason I signed up as a member here.
I was dead set on buying it today until I checked amazon's review and saw yet another case of broken hinge. Someone is this thread has already linked their case a few months back.
http://imgur.com/TrARcs2
And there's the one i found on amazon's customer reviews which has the same exact problem.
I'm now skeptical about getting this. Can any long-term owners attest to its build quality?
Thanks in advance.

 

[BenKatz]

I'm reading this thread and I can't believe my ears ) or eyes. First, let me talk about my setup:
 
Fiio E17K DAC
MDR 1A headset
MDR 1000X headset
Sennheiser Momentum 2 Android version (wired) headset
Xperia XZ Smartphone (LDAC codec)
 
I've written on this site in the past, especially about the MDR 1A. I bought it 2 years ago, after almost a month of A/B/C/D testing between the OPPO PM-3, Senn M2, MDR 1-A, B&W P7 and the AT MSR 7. I ended up buying the MDR 1A for it's smooth, but precise sound and really good separation. A few months back I got the 1000x (I actually got them at launch).
 
In short, I found out that (after 1 month of burn in) the MDR 1000X, paired via LDAC bt with my XZ, sounds more precise, forward, with tighter but nearly as full bass, and a bit narrower soudstage than the MDR 1A (wired). Wire, (with NC on) the 1000X gains a bit of separation and bass fullness (but not much, definitely not enough to justify going back to wires). With the E17K, which I actually don't like, the MDR 1A sound louder(obviously), more forward and with less soundstage than directly in my XZ, while the 1000X (powered off) sound tighter, louder, but a bit too offensive/ mid forward than the MDR 1A. Basically more precise, but a bit less separation. 
 
Basicall, judging by what many of you wrote regarding  1000X's performance is very alien to me. Granted, maybe most of the people testing the 1000x didn't test them properly/burned in/only in-store (maybe), and probably with no LDAC (maybe even without Apt-x, meaning more compressed-sounding, if tested with the iPhone 7 for example).
 
Are there any long time 1000X users here that concur with what I wrote? Or are my ears broken, and the 1000x (properly tested, long time used/burned in, and at least with aptx - non iPhone BT - ) really sounds as bad as many say here?
 
I must also note that when buying the 1000X, i tested them against the M2 wireless, MDR 100ABN, QC35 and MDR 1ABT (all wireless). My impression was that the 1000X sounds fuller, louder and with better separation than the M2 (let's say 20% better), uncomparably better in all aspects than the QC35 which sound really compressed, tinny, and uninvolving to my ears, 20-30% better in all aspects than the 100ABN, and similar but definitely louder than the 1ABT. 

 

[Pass]

  Hi guys,
I'm interested in buying this pair of headphones as it will be the first ANC headphones I'll ever get my hands on. For this reason I signed up as a member here.
I was dead set on buying it today until I checked amazon's review and saw yet another case of broken hinge. Someone is this thread has already linked their case a few months back.
http://imgur.com/TrARcs2
And there's the one i found on amazon's customer reviews which has the same exact problem.
I'm now skeptical about getting this. Can any long-term owners attest to its build quality?
Thanks in advance.

The person from the picture must have wanted to break his headphones! As I previously said, I got mine used from a guy who had them for some months. They showed some usage when they arrived (mostly dust and dirt), but the hinges are in perfect looking and working condition. I can't imagine breaking the hinges easily, except if I really want to (by sitting on them or putting them in a sack without their case). I use mine daily, bringing them to work, at girlfriend's place, etc. (always in their protective case), and I'm sure they will last for years.
 
Negative reviews will always be more impressive than positive reviews, so take a look at this with some reserve. No product get a full 5/5 on amazon. It will always be someone, somewhere, who will post a negative review, stating that he got a major fault, even if the product is rated 4.9/5.
 
By the way, if you're looking into an ANC headphones, these are without a doubt the best you could get.

 

[Pass]

  yea that's quite unfortunate. I let the store staff to listen but they say no issue with the sound. Maybe because to avoid exchange but am not sure. I suppose i have to bare with this right tilted sound.

Staff in-store are the worst people to discuss a product problem/defectuosity, since they want to keep a good sale number (sale vs. return).
 
In this case, I'd rather write directly to Sony. They will try to accommodate you.
And if they admit the fault is their, I wouldn't be surprised if they even pay the shipping.

 

[MrExistor]

Staff in-store are the worst people to discuss a product problem/defectuosity, since they want to keep a good sale number (sale vs. return).

In this case, I'd rather write directly to Sony. They will try to accommodate you.
And if they admit the fault is their, I wouldn't be surprised if they even pay the shipping.

Heh I seriously considered my ear might have problems but I have an idea to try out mic volume recoding. I think I'm not crazy Lel. As you can see, left side and right side have different volume output. These are tested about 20 second each side and 5 repeating test are done to ensure consistency. Used a white noise which have equal output to both side for test. These screen shot are from the 5th test.

Left Side stable 78-79 dB


Right Side stable 80-81 dB


I manage to balance the sound and make the supposedly center vocal and instrument at the right location by doing L2 in channel balance on my Shanling M1.


Can human hear 1-2 dB difference? Can these 1 - 2 dB enough to cause shift in vocal positioning?

Anyone with the batch P/D 01 2017 have same issue? Wish to know as I know two unit already have the same issue.

Wonder will burn in balance out the sound.

 

[aertus]

  I'm reading this thread and I can't believe my ears ) or eyes. First, let me talk about my setup:
 
Fiio E17K DAC
MDR 1A headset
MDR 1000X headset
Sennheiser Momentum 2 Android version (wired) headset
Xperia XZ Smartphone (LDAC codec)
 
I've written on this site in the past, especially about the MDR 1A. I bought it 2 years ago, after almost a month of A/B/C/D testing between the OPPO PM-3, Senn M2, MDR 1-A, B&W P7 and the AT MSR 7. I ended up buying the MDR 1A for it's smooth, but precise sound and really good separation. A few months back I got the 1000x (I actually got them at launch).
 
In short, I found out that (after 1 month of burn in) the MDR 1000X, paired via LDAC bt with my XZ, sounds more precise, forward, with tighter but nearly as full bass, and a bit narrower soudstage than the MDR 1A (wired). Wire, (with NC on) the 1000X gains a bit of separation and bass fullness (but not much, definitely not enough to justify going back to wires). With the E17K, which I actually don't like, the MDR 1A sound louder(obviously), more forward and with less soundstage than directly in my XZ, while the 1000X (powered off) sound tighter, louder, but a bit too offensive/ mid forward than the MDR 1A. Basically more precise, but a bit less separation. 
 
Basicall, judging by what many of you wrote regarding  1000X's performance is very alien to me. Granted, maybe most of the people testing the 1000x didn't test them properly/burned in/only in-store (maybe), and probably with no LDAC (maybe even without Apt-x, meaning more compressed-sounding, if tested with the iPhone 7 for example).
 
Are there any long time 1000X users here that concur with what I wrote? Or are my ears broken, and the 1000x (properly tested, long time used/burned in, and at least with aptx - non iPhone BT - ) really sounds as bad as many say here?
 
I must also note that when buying the 1000X, i tested them against the M2 wireless, MDR 100ABN, QC35 and MDR 1ABT (all wireless). My impression was that the 1000X sounds fuller, louder and with better separation than the M2 (let's say 20% better), uncomparably better in all aspects than the QC35 which sound really compressed, tinny, and uninvolving to my ears, 20-30% better in all aspects than the 100ABN, and similar but definitely louder than the 1ABT. 

nice to see someone who has the XZ man. How is the overall headphone jack quality coming out of the XZ? Also, I reckon that quality gain is due to the LDAC which does wonders it seems to work doesnt it? it comes close to wired as far as I can tell and its a real big advantage if you own an xperia phone. Basically since LDAC is ahead of other bluetooth it makes buying an LDAC headphone a no brainer for xperia users over other brands. 
 
generally would you recommend the mdr1a or the 1000x?

 

[meringo]

  you need a sony xperia to take advantage of the LDAC. has anyone used this with LDAC ?

Yup. I bought a Sony NW-A35 for that specifically. The quality is quite good. As others have mentioned, the MDR-1000x has excellent built-in amplification which makes even standard BT connections sound pretty good. Imagine that, combined with LDAC -- The combo was worth every penny.

 

[aertus]

  Yup. I bought a Sony NW-A35 for that specifically. The quality is quite good. As others have mentioned, the MDR-1000x has excellent built-in amplification which makes even standard BT connections sound pretty good. Imagine that, combined with LDAC -- The combo was worth every penny.

i heard APTxhd might compete with ldac. but I believe ldac is still superior due to the higher kbs at 960. Nice their DAP are quite good. I have the sony z3 myself which was the best phone when it came out in 2014 boht for sound quality and everything else.