[rlanger]

Taking price and ANC out of the equation, as only the 1000MX2 have it, which one would you purchase, and why?

Looking for a little insight from you kind folk who may have spent some time with both of these headphones, to help me with my purchase decision.

For what it's worth, I have a Samsung Galaxy S8 that I will stream from. I'm hopeful to get LDAC support in the upcoming OREO upgrade.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Peddler]

I can't comment on the MDR-1ABT but I do own the 1000X2m headphones and I have to say that they're fantastic.

I must admit I've become a bit of a purist over the years when it comes to headphone listening. Other headphones in my collection include the following:

Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10
Sennheiser 598SE
Apple Airpods (which are excellent btw)
1More Triple Driver IEM

and so on.

In my opinion the Sony's can stand up to them all. Their sound isn't as flat as the Sennheiser's but they're also not terribly coloured in their sound either. They have a fairly 'punchy' sound with a nice top-end and yet are not even slightly fatiguing to listen to. I don't actually use the active noise cancelling or the 'sound aware' mode very often - they isolate enough for me not to bother.

Interestingly, when you consider what's going on with these headphones, they're as far from purist as you can actually get. Their sound quality comes from the built-in DSP processing rather from the quality of the drivers (you only have to try them in passive mode with a cable to realise this). They're currently my favourite headphones and I tend to always use them wirelessly using APTX-HD from my LG V20.

I haven't experienced any problems with cracking on this model but I must admit I do handle them very carefully. They have definitely become more comfortable over time - whether this is me adjusting to them or them adjusting to me I cannot honestly say. I would definitely be interested in reading anyone else's opinion on these headphones but I personally think they're a winner - damned expensive but a winner nonetheless.

 

[rlanger]

Thanks Peddler. Yes, from everything I've read, and the short time I got a chance to listen to them, I believe that they are quite capable.

Haven't had the chance to listen to the 1ABTs yet which is why I'm interested in comparisons.

I personally prefer the looks of the 1ABTs and from what I've read they are more comfortable than the 1000s, but I'm willing to forego that if they don't sounds as good.