Sony WF-1000XM3

This is going to be a different type of review, one where I mostly focus on the functionality of these IEMs and what I think about them.

The Good

Sound Quality

There are no shortage of opinions on how the WF-1000XM3 but if you're only interested in how they sound, here's what I think: they have a fun warm tuning that will be appealing to most people, unless you are seeking for something with a more neutral response. They have good tonality and timbre and I'd argue that, in that aspect, they are slightly better than my Galaxy Buds+, which can sometimes have a slightly wonky or nasal tonality, and they have a good amount of detail.

Build Quality

Now, I am no stranger to Sony's excellent build quality, particularly when it comes to audio products. My Sony IER-M9 are built like a tank and the packaging has more thought put into its origami construction than some companies put into their actual products. I expect these earphones to last well past their warranty, should the battery last that long (more on that later). Sony is very good at making you feel like you are getting your money's worth when you purchase one of their premium products.

Battery Life

I have never run into any battery problems with these Sony. I don't expect this to be the case with every one that owns these and my use case may vary, but my work often requires that I drive so I tend to keep them in my ear sometimes throughout most of a morning and I do about an hour's worth, at least, of continuous music listening during my lunch break. I don't remember ever having a time where I wanted to use them and lacked the battery life to do so.

Another great positive about the battery is that, as far as I know, this is one of the very TWS that you can purchase replaceable batteries for. They are readily available even from average hardware stores which is something that is not true for a lot of other competitor products. I am of the opinion that TWS should be built with longevity in mind, with easy battery replacement being a part of that and in that aspect, the Sony stand head and shoulders above most, if not all of their competitors.

The Bad

Fit

There's no two ways about this... you will have fit and isolation issues with these TWS which is ironic because they were one of the first good noise-cancelling TWS but that is a fact that is held back by the fact that unless you choose rubberized tips or have some special ears that just happen to magically fit these perfectly, you will find that these don't isolate or sit nearly as snugly as some other TWS.

Now, I've never had an issue with them falling out of my ear, outside of when I accidentally knock them out of one, and I don't think they are particularly uncomfortable to wear, I don't, but I do think that achieving a comfortable seal with a silicone tip will be a tall order for many people.

Noise Cancelling

I just want to make a small side note about the Sony's NC capabilities because I feel they go hand in hand with the Fit. The Noise Cancelling is mediocre. Admittedly, I did not expect anything as good as the Sony H.Ear On 2 I have, but I did expect something slightly better than barely being noticeable though, admittedly, that is partially due to the fit issues which I previously mentioned.

Connectivity

When the first generation of TWS products came out, many of them were plagued with connectivity issues where it would be frequent for one or both sides to dropout, for the sound to be out of sync or failing to connect altogether. Over time these issues were ironed out and when the second wave of products came along, of which I consider the WF-1000XM3 to be a part of, many of these issues were ironed out. Unfortunately, when it comes to the WF-1000XM3, not all of them were.

Over the time I've owned mine I experience with regularity: failing to connect to my phone, connecting but not becoming the default speaker of my device or being detected by my phone. Being connected during a call but with no sound being output. Randomly being disconnected for no discernable reason.

For the record, I do most of my listening of the WF-1000XM3 with a Pixel 6 and I am well aware that this phone has had Bluetooth issues since it launched which is why I'm sad to report that when I tried using my old phone, a One Plus 6 for a day I had exactly the same issues. Also worth noting that I did not experience any such issues with my Galaxy Buds+ or the Google Buds A Series, or whatever they call them.

I gave the Sony the benefit of the doubt and I lost.

The Ugly

Wind Noise

When I read any general review of the WF-1000XM3 and don't see anyone mentioning the wind noise issue I feel that's some degree of deceit with it. I don't know whether it is because of their shape, or where the microphones are positioned but the Sony pick up a lot of wind noise. Yes, before you ask, I am aware that Sony has a setting for noise-cancelling that reduces wind noise and to some degree it works and improves the issue, but it is prevalent enough for me to consider it one of the worst aspects of the device which leads me to voice calls.

Voice Calls

Now, I understand that for some people this is a negligible aspect since they may have bought these mainly to serve as a nice pair of earphones to wear outside so feel free to ignore this point if you wish but I have never had more issues making phonecalls with any bluetooth headset or headphone or whatever than I have with the WF-1000XM3.

The slightest breeze can be enough to make caller wince because of how it is caught by the microphones. The person on the other side will often sound either very very quiet or robotic, despite having perfect cellphone signal and it has a really hard time picking up my voice on the other side of the call if anything more than a gentle breeze brushes the Sony.

I will often have to turn my head or seek "shelter" from the wind just to be able to have a normal conversation with someone which is something that I find absurd and even when I am in ideal conditions, in a room, with perfect reception, they are still prone to sound quality issues and the other connectivity issues I previously mentioned.

In Conclusion

At this point I feel like I've probably alienated most people that shower these TWS with lavish praise and to some degree I understand that praise. Under ideal circumstances the Sony are some of the best sounding TWS with great specs and I love listening to music with them but as an outdoor device and one I hoped and expected to be reliable, with good battery life and good sound quality for when I listen to music, they only really scratch one of those boxes.

I really wish they were as good as other people find them to be. I love the way music sounds on them, but when you add up all the small issues I have with them, they add up what I feel is a below-average product that is only good in a couple of the things that it sets out to do and below average or just outright terrible in some others.

I would not recommend them to almost anyone despite agreeing that they are one of the best sounding TWS on the market. There are just better products on the market.

Sony, a brand which needs no introduction at all in the first place since even a child knows the brand. It’s the brand headquartered in Japan producing a wide range of electronic gadgets which we can’t number since they are numerous in quantity. From a small memory card, camera, music players to the high end television, household items and the infamous PLAYSTATION!

The WF-1000XM3 is their 2 year old product launched worldwide but got released in India after a year since that’s what Sony does every time ☺. This Is their previous flagship Truly Wireless Earbuds featuring a lot of features and now the XM4 has been launched and yet to release in india. In this review let’s see whether this 2 year old flagship still retains its value in this current time.


SPECIFICATIONS:

DRIVER UNIT – 6 mm, dome type (CCAW Voice coil)

DSEE HX – Yes

FREQUENCY RESPONSE – 20 Hz–20,000 Hz (44.1 kHz Sampling)

NFC – Yes (Case)

BATTERY LIFE (CONTINUOUS MUSIC PLAYBACK TIME – Max. 6 hrs (NC ON)/Max. 8 hrs (NC OFF)

BATTERY LIFE(CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION TIME) – Max. 4 hrs (NC ON)/Max. 4.5 hrs (NC OFF)

BATTERY LIFE (WAITING TIME) – Max. 9 hrs (NC ON)/Max. 15 hrs (NC OFF)

BLUETOOTH® VERSION – Bluetooth Specification Version 5.0

EFFECTIVE RANGE – Line of sight approx. 10 m (30 ft)

FREQUENCY RANGE – 2.4 GHz band (2.4000 GHz–2.4835 GHz)

PROFILE – A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP

SUPPORTED AUDIO FORMAT(S) – SBC, AAC

Noise Cancelling – Yes

Auto Play/Pause: Has the proximity sensors to automatically play or pause the song and works on both the android and Apple devices.

Connectivity: One gripe I have with the connectivity is that the earbuds don’t get connected to the smartphone when the lid is opened where you need to take any one of the buds out to establish the connection which is kind of a let down for me.

The other good thing with it is that after taking any of the buds out of the case the connection gets established very faster hence this nullifies that con.

DESIGN AND FIT:​

The design of the XM3 looks industrious and professional to me. Ofcourse the size of the earbuds are pretty big but they look completely different from the other products in the market which created that unique factor. The whole construction is made of plastic which all the tws in the market utilise the same thing but in hands they don’t feel cheap at all. They feel premium in hand and looks. The Sony branding is done on the faceplate along with a vent for the Mic to ensure the effective noise cancellation. The earbuds are matt finished hence scratches are very minimal to occur. The nozzle area has a bulge on the top end consisting of the driver which also gives good grip in the fit. The grill is covered by the sponge and they do have the ear tip lock seal for secure placement. The touch sensor is pretty big hence can be easily accessed and has a disadvantage too since its very big while adjusting the earbuds the accidental touches may occur.

The build of the case is the same plastic but feels premium in the hands. The hinge is ofcourse metallic hence the durability will be good. The hinge closes and opens smoothly and no problem in opening the lid using one hand. The lid and the case have dual tone contrast colours where the case is rubberised finish in black and the lid is shiny matt gold finished with branding in gold lettered.

The led indicator is situated in a nice position and looks futuristic where it is neatly embedded in between the lid and the body of the case. The earbuds too have the led lights and they will blink only when the earbuds are not in ears and while in the case which is nice since this will attract the viewers while wearing it in your ears.

At the bottom of the case there is the Type C port for charging the earbuds and there is no wireless charging coil on the back of the case. The case won’t stand upright which is a con for me.

FIT:​

Fit wise I have no complaints with the XM3. Even though they are bulky and pretty big they didn’t cause any discomfort while wearing it even for more than 2-3 hours which shows the ergonomics of the earbuds. Sony claims that they have designed it using the tri support system where the earbuds have contact with the natural ergonomic shape of the ear hence the comfort will not be an issue. But if you have pretty small ears then this might cause you discomfort. I have used this in the gym and even after intense deadlifts the earbuds securely stayed in my ears. Due to its size of course they sometimes dangle in your ears but they never come out of your ear which is more than enough for me.

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SOUND:​

The sound signature of the XM3 is pretty much balanced in all the three frequency ranges which is quite interesting to see from the sony audio gears. I had a bad experience with the Sony in my previous purchase with the XB55 wired earphones where the bass is too excessive and the other frequencies are completely out of focus which made me to never buy any sony audio gears. After a long time I reconsidered it and bought the 2 year old model from Sony to see what the actual sound was and when I plugged them into my ears the rest of the moments were filled with AWW!!!!!! IT’S FANTASTIC!. In this review let’s dive into the sound section of the XM3 in detail.

SOUND EQUALISATION:​

This review is done using the stock equaliser setting to get the idea of the sound out of the box. You can change the sound to your liking via the app. My settings are the ANC turned on with the CLEAR BASS to +7.

NOTE: The XM3 has no background hiss issue thankfully which is present in lot on TWS in this budget range and even above the price point. The background hiss is one of the most annoying issues that ruins my listening experience which is thankfully not present in the XM3! This just shows the quality of DSP the brand uses.

BASS:​

The Bass in this XM3 is just marvellous! The out of the box sound signature is pretty balanced and the bass is never overpowering the mid section. They sounded like a wired iem with nice impact and resolution. The separation and texture are above average for a TWS and even they are pretty much comparable to the wired high end iems. The sub bass and the mid bass are well controlled and sounded very tight. No bleed of the mid bass into the mid section which is very nice to hear.

There is an option called the CLEAR BASS which is the ultimate game changer here. It’s a slider where you can adjust the level of bass you need which is quite interesting where adjusting them really makes a difference. They don’t sound like the usual EQ’ed bass boost instead they just sound pretty clear even after sliding to max and looks like a hardware based bass boost which we see in the High end DAC AMPS. I kept it at +5 which is a sweet spot of bass for me by providing me with enough rumble in the low end with a nice mid bass body overall.

Both the sub bass and the mid bass impact are delivered beautifully and it’s very addictive to hear. The resolution is great with above average texture and separation. The bass has that nice 3D effect by providing nice rumble and width to the overall track. In conclusion the bass in the XM3 is just Fantastic. I got addicted to this bass over any wired iem i have ever tried.

Tracks Used:

1. Madness – Muse

The sub bass presence is felt evidently here, at the start of the track the low end kicks in very deep with nice texture and separation from the mid and sub bass. The vocals the proceeds which sounds very nice without any scooping out due to that excessive bass which i liked the most in this TWS. The bass never overshadowed the Mid section which I liked a lot. The low end drops along with the sub bass rumble sounded very sweet without any distortion.

1. The Demon Dance – Julian Winding

Those sub bass drops literally just hit your eardrums deeper and rattles your entire skull! Excellent control with nice separation from the drums and the low beats. The piano notes are heard very well with nice separation

1. SHED MY SKIN – WITHIN TEMPTATION

At the start of the track you can feel the expansive soundstage where the bass just resonates in your eardrums which is quite satisfying to hear. The drums and the electric guitar are separated very well. The imaging is spot on and sounds very precise. The vocal sounds at a sweet spot; it’s neither forward or laid back. The soundstage is very evident here where it has such a nice expansive stage with 3 dimensional imaging. Mesmerised with its ability of bass reproduction. At 2:39 the depth of the soundstage is awesome, the instruments just go and hit deeper creating that nice depth effect.

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MID SECTION:​

The Mid section is done beautifully here with nice clarity and the full bodied vocals. I’m a fan of full bodied vocals rather than the thin sounding one. The vocals are very nice getting that warmth from the mid bass and neatly separated out from the rest of the frequencies. The taylor swift voice is very sweet to hear and both the male and female vocal sounds very nice. No graininess is observed in the vocal section. The drums sound impactful yet maintain that texture and preciseness. The guitar and piano tones sounds as natural as possible

The tonality of the XM3 is pretty realistic with slight warmth and the timbre has no issues and sounds natural. The guitar strings sound beautiful. The background instruments are clearly heard without the need of raising the volume. The full bodied vocals along with some warmth gave me that engaging and forward mid section and that’s a full 10/10 from my side.

Tracks Used:

1. Point Of No Return – Expose

In this track the drums sound clean and tight while the piano notes in the background are playing. The vocals sound centered and has a nice distance between the instruments and the vocalists. The piano notes are natural and the drums sound realistic and nice. The electric guitar at 2:35 sounds very realistic with natural tonality overall.

1. Long Long Time – Linds Ronstadt

The acoustic guitar sounds very natural and realistic. The vocal is nicely centered while the violin in the background sounding sweetly and the acoustics on the left sounding beautifully. This track is very nice to listen to on XM3. This track just made me realise how versatile the XM3 is, whatever the genre you throw at it!

1. HOSPITAL(LIVE VERSION) – Jonathan Richman

The acoustic guitar accompanied with the vocals is very sweet to listen to and it’s just a perfect track to relax with the XM3. This thing just sounds amazing in all genres.

TREBLE:​

The treble has enough sparkle and if you want more just choose the bright preset in the EQ which just makes the highs even more crispier and nice. In the stock settings the highs are really good and in my opinion they don’t have any harshness or sibilant issues in the upper end. They sound very clean and it’s not ear piercing. The treble is smoothly done yet maintaining that airiness in the upper end. The female vocals especially sound very nice with no graininess. Those full bodied vocals along with the sparkly treble sounded very nice giving life to the track.

The cymbal strike is very natural and very smooth yet detailed to hear. Even at higher volumes the highs are not very disturbing to my ears and myself restricted to 60 percent volume which is more than enough to hear since the headroom for the volume is more than adequate.

Tracks Used:

1. Love Story – Taylor Swift

This track has varied high pitched instruments but the XM3 handled this very well providing nice detailed separation and airiness. The cymbal strikes are very natural with a good amount of air presence in between the instruments. The electric guitar strings are harsh and the overall track is very pleasing to hear.

1. Dreams – Fleetwood Mac

The cymbal crashes here in this track are very pleasing to hear and nothing harsh at all. I loved the way that XM3 sounds, which is very versatile and furnished. The vocal sounds full bodied and the accompanied sparkly treble with null harshness is a treat to hear for longer periods of time.

1. Suffer – The Smashing Pumpkins

The guitar strings and the cymbal strikes are very nice and harsh. They sound nice and smooth and make this even a better pair for relaxing sessions. The thumpy low end along with the sparkly yet harshness highs are the perfect pair for the relaxing sessions.

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TECHNICALITIES:​

When it comes to technicalities I usually don’t have any high expectations with the Truly Wireless Earbuds since there are limitations in the Bluetooth. But surprisingly this product has above average technicalities which is very nice to see in a wireless product range. The DSEE HX helped a lot in bringing out the best from the XM3 mainly in terms of technicalities.

SOUNDSTAGE: The soundstage is pretty impressive here where they have enough width with above average height and depth. The soundstage gets even improved when some app changes are done . After turning on the ambient mode to +1 and the voice focus mode the soundstage got improved a lot by providing some open back headphone kind of experience.

1. HANS ZIMMER LIVE IN PRAGUE

There are several tracks in the live album but everything depicts the expansive soundstage. The audience clapping in the background while the instruments playing at varied distances clearly depicts the soundstage size. In all the dimensions the XM3 is expansive and sounds very spacious.

1. Global Gear (Instrumental) – Punya Srinivas

Her vocal in front while the instruments in the background are depicted vey well and has excellent separation between each instrument. The air in between the instrument is very good in quantity thus providing that nice and wide spacious soundstage.

IMAGING: The imaging is pretty impressive here. The surprising fact is that most bass heavy earphones tend to have a hazy imaging due to the masking of other frequencies by the bass. The instruments can be easily pointed out even in busy tracks. The transition between the channels is pretty smooth and nice.

1. Murphy’s Law – Recondite

The piano notes just move nicely from one channel to the other smoothly at 3:00. The whole track depicts the imaging quality. This track is mastered very well producing a wide variety of sounds with exceptional imaging capability and the XM3 perfectly executed this track.

TOUCH CONTROLS:​

The touch controls can be altered to your taste through the app. You can keep one set of controls for each earbud. For example it comes with playback controls for right and ANC controls for left earbuds as a default. You can change to your liking by adding the volume controls too but you need to compromise on any of the other two controls mentioned above.

One other thing that I noticed in the touch sensor area is that the sensing takes around 3 seconds to react which looks weird but sony intentionally did this to make the operator sure about the taps he did.

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ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION:​

The ANC is the prime feature in the XM3 and it’s the one Sony advertised very much. The noise cancelling technology in the WF-1000XM3 is the most advanced ever in truly wireless headphones, with our HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1e. So you can lose yourself completely in your music.

The ANC is pretty good in this XM3 cancelling out most of the low frequency noises but when it comes to the mid and high pitched noises they are still not upto the level of Airpods Pro. The ANC is the feature that I don’t use frequently since they are not of use when you are listening to music at moderate volume since the earbuds and the volume itself will block out most of the noises. The advanced ANC chip in the XM3 does its job well and I am quite impressed with it.

AMBIENT MODE: Now this is the feature that I use frequently since they help in a lot of situations for example while taking phone calls and talking to people while listening to music. The ambient mode has 20 levels of control and you can slide level by level to attain greater precision. Surprisingly the ambient mode helped in opening up the soundstage and the bass resolution along with the voice focus feature turned on. The Voice Focus is the other feature where even after turning on the Ambient Mode this additional mode will allow only the voices to be heard and the rest of the unwanted noises are blocked out.

QUICK ATTENTION: This is one of the prime features I used most. Tap and hold on to the left earbud to activate this mode and this works instantly. They just activate the ambient mode and lower your song volume hence you can have conversation without taking out the earbuds or pausing the music.

ADAPTIVE SOUND: This is another unique feature in the XM3 where the app utilises your location and your movements and based on that it analyses your patterns to optimally activate the ANC and ambient mode at certain situations. I mostly turned it off since it continuously tracks my locations which of course will drain the battery a lot.

CALL QUALITY:​

The call quality in the XM3 is pretty good in the indoor environment but this thing changes in the outdoor surroundings. In the indoors the receiver can hear me clearly without any disturbance and sounds very natural. Tin the xm3 however makes your tone very warm hence if you already have a bold tone then this might even make it warmer. The connection quality is good too and I did not experience any call drop outs during my calling session.

In the outdoors the XM3 struggles to cancel out the external noises. It picks up a lot of external noises and amplifies to the receiver though the voice is also picked up very well. Mostly i won’t recommend taking calls via the XM3 outdoors and using your smartphone itself.

Sony claims that they have used an array of mic systems creating a tripod effect but in reality they are OK but nothing extraordinary in the calling department.

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BATTERY:​

The brand claims that it will last 6 hours with ANC turned on and 8 hours with ANC turned off and in my experience this lasted to true with a half to 1 hour shortage in ANC mode and the same to ANC mode off which is pretty impressive.

The charging is supported by the TYPE C hence no more cable fuss searching for the Micro USB. The earbuds charge very fast in the case where placing them for 10 minutes will provide you 90 minutes of listening.

With ANC turned On you will be getting 24 hours usage with the case and 32 hours with the case if ANC is turned off

Charging the case with Type C cable will take upto 1.5hrs to charge fully and unfortunately there is no wireless charging support which I never use in the first place since they will heat up the gadgets very sooner and degrade the battery of it.

The idle battery drain of the case when it is not in use is very minimal and due to this i charge my xm3 only once a week even after using 2-3 hours everyday which is very impressive comparing the other brands because most of the brands fail in this.

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APP FUNCTIONALITY:​

The Sony app is one of the best furnished and functional apps I have ever used in my opinion. The full controls of the earbuds are present in it and it’s very intuitive to use. The custom eq band is very useful to change the sound signature. The clear bass works marvelously and the control for ambient mode levels are freaking insane. The earbuds are updated via the app and also displays the battery stats of the earbuds and the case.

The one gripe I have with the battery stats is that they don’t show the real time value whereas they have some fixed value like 5, 30, 70, 100 ( in the multiples of 5) . These are the values they will display and cant display the accurate real time time stats.

CONNECTIVITY:​

The connectivity is pretty strong and i have used it with only iPhone hence the mileage may vary to your android usage. The connection is very stable even after going beyond the recommended limit range and even with several wall blockages there are no interruptions in the connection which is really better than the other brands like the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.

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VERDICT:​

WF 1000XM3, a two year old audio product from Sony is still very much relevant in this current period purely because of its exceptional sound quality even after the release of their successor XM4. The sound is pretty balanced out of the box and can be tuned to your liking with its companion sony app which is one of the best highly customisable apps in my opinion. The CLEAR BASS slider just works magically by boosting the low end evidently without masking the mids and highs. The DSEE HX does its job by nealty upscaling the lossy file to give a nice audio experience. The overall sound signature may not be a DF neutral or pure audiophile grade but as an overall package the XM3 sounds way better than many wired iem at its price point especially in tonality. The overall sound signature is pretty fatigue free and very much enjoyable. For unmatched pure sound quality this is the DARTH WADER of TWS!

I'll mostly present my review as to why I came back to these after almost 2 years, through the lens of the headphones I've owned in the meantime, since this might offer a different perspective, seeing as the internet is abundant of "classic" reviews.

I've had the WF-1000XM3 a while back (the first time), namely in mid 2019 when they came out, and I got them with my Xperia 5 smartphone. I had them after owning the WH-1000XM2 (over ear) and the MDR-1AM2 (over ear, wired).

At the time, although they didn't really match up to either the WH XM2 or the 1AM2, the freedom of true-wireless earbuds + functionalities was a big advantage. I liked the sound, but I always found the fit not that great, and the sound was i'd say a 3.5/5. It simply sounded a bit dull compared to what I was expecting, but it's very important to not that for some reason (probably Android's fault), back then, even with priority on sound quality and DSEE on, the connection was ALWAYS SBC, never AAC.

Half a year later I sold it and I've owned a few headphone since (especially after I got my Xperia 1 II smartphone, which brought back the headphone jack). The headphones were another pair of Sony 1AM2, quickly replaced by Sony N1-AP IEM, and later with a quite expensive pair of Campfire Audio Polaris 2 IEMs + Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt USB DAC-AMP. These I've owned for quite a few months and I was very much in-love with the sound quality - they had an exaggerated bass response with excellent sub-bass extension, but very much a hi-fi sound.

At one point, recently, I simply got so tired of wires and decided to get some true wireless headphones to test vs the Campfire Audio - my goal was not to find something that sounds as good, because I simply wasn't expecting to find 2-300 USD bluetooth TW headphones to sound as good as wired 500 USD ones (especially in combination with a 300 USD portable DAC). I intentionally avoided the 1000xm3s due to my past experience, and went on a shopping spree - I ordered the Momentum TWS2, the Technics eah-AZ70 and the Audio Technica (forgot their model number).

After a 2 day comparison, I ended up keeping the Technics since I found them sounding better and more hi-fi (better sub-bass extension, more neutral sound, wider soundstage and separation) than the Sennheiser and Audio Technica. I actually found them sounding more open and more pleasing on different genres than the Campfire Polaris 2 (yeah, I compared them extensively) and was very happy with my decision - decided to sell the Audioquest Cobalt DAC and Campfire Polaris 2 IEMs, and have even change in my pocket.

After this short (long) story, the 1000XM3 starts to show it's face. The reason? Simple - I've been seeing more and more online recent comparison with the XM3s where people were comparing them (with the latest sf updates) to many other wireless IEMs, especially the Sennheiser, saying they sounded better. I had to scratch this itch and get it over with - are they better than the Technics?!

I found them heavily discounted (150USD) online at my local store, and ordered them, since I could still return either one after comparison (Sony or Technics).

And what do you think? After setting them up, it's important to note that unlike 2 years ago, the XM3s now connect to my Xperia phone via AAC, not SBC (this might be the biggest SQ change factor). After a few hours of comparing with the Technics I found the following:

The Sony have :

a much better and pleasing response across the entire frequency response, especially the bass and mids.
a much better noise cancelling, with no hiss, and very little affect on SQ comparted to the Technics (the Technics narrow the soundstage and introduce a bass bump)

In short, with the exception of the sub-bass extension which still goes to the Technics, the Sony sound hands down better, more balanced and more enjoyable, all the while having much better NC, better functionalities, and better comfort (although the Technics do have an IP rating).

So, in conclusion, I give the WF-1000XM3 a solid 5/5 in March 2021 (almost 2 years after launch) because, overall, they simply sound better and more enjoyable than:

1) a 500 USD "audiophile" IEM, the Campfire Audio Polaris v2 (ping me if you're interested, I'm selling them)
2) The Sony XBA-N1AP IEMs
2) The Sennheiser Momentum TWS2, the Technics AZ70 TWS, and the Audio Technica ANC300TW

Since they sound better than basically all of their direct competition, and in many aspects better than some 500 USD Campfire IEMs i own, + the much improved functionality and excellent NC (when it's needed, sound is better, wider and nicer with NC off), there's no way the XM3 are not worth -at least- 5/5 stars in 2021.

Important to note that I'm a 34 year old man, and I have very good hearing (tested).

All I want now is to see what Sony can possibly do with the XM4 since there area already leaks online .

A NOTE ON COMFORT AND FIT: I've been through quite some tips with these: Standard silcone ones, Sony triple comfort, SpinFit 360, Spin Fit 500, Final and Campfire Audio Foam tips. The only ones that fit me best for sound quality and especially stability are the STANDARD ones that came on the earphones, Medium-Large. And when I say that, I mean that with any other type of tip from all the aforementioned, the fit/stability and/or the sound suffered A LOT, negatively. So for example the Spin Fit 360 were horrible and sounded much worse, the triple comfort wouldn't stay in my ear at all, the Final ones the same with muffled sound, etc. Your mileage may vary, but for me, the standard ones (medium-large for my ears) are not the best, BY far the best, night-and-day, make or break.

*Disclaimer :
This is my personal opinion on my set, which was bought directly from SONY Singapore.

• Non-Sound Impressions :

The Sony WF-1000XM3 has a elegant design, definitely standing out from the crowd. Opening the box immediately reveals the earphones as well as a charging case. The charging case has a tacky feeling to it and feels good in hand. But it's prone to scratches from keys and rough surface, hence for my set, i got a casing for it.

The earphones have a bulge which houses the 6mm dynamic driver, which for me, it allows the earphone to stay in my ear without much discomfort(At first). After wearing it for 2hrs on the train, i do feel discomfort on both of my ears, which turns into pain as time continue passes. I find that the eartips which sony provides provides a deeper insertion and seal as compared to other eartips i've tried. Such as spinfit and ultimate ears eartips.

The connection of this earphone is no doubt, really good. It did not even once disconnect on a really packed train. With so many other individuals using TWS as well. Thumbs up for that. Even so, it's still flawed, with frequent disconnection at shopping malls and nearing PA sound systems. Just try to avoid using at this areas if you can.

• Sound Impressions :

The isolation of the earphones are already very good itself, making the noise cancelling a bit overkill here. Even on a really packed train where people are chatting away. In my opinion, i never felt the need of the noise cancelling, hence most of the time, i turned it off. This also eliminate a con of the earphone, which is present on my set, turning on the noise cancelling actually makes the sound stage so much narrower, making the singer seems like singing directly at your face. I'm not sure if this happens to others, but as for me, turning off the noise cancelling actually fixed the issue for me.
Pixel 3(AAC) :
Wide. Really wide. On a scale for TWS of course, as compared to other TWS of similar pricing i've tested such as Aviot and Jabra. I've always enjoyed listening it to pop songs such as Maroon 5 - V, and most of my mandopop songs with it. Vocals sounded really natural and it's by far the best as compared to others. Separation is good in which i can easily identify the instruments in their respective positions.

Sony ZX300(SBC) :
Slightly narrower as compared to AAC. Vocals pretty much remains unchanged with it's natural sounding. 1 difference which is feel is the fuller bodied sound probably by the more presence of mid bass.
Pixel 3(AAC) :
Punchy sub-bass but not boomy. Bass is well controlled but not well textured. Lacks mid bass which made some songs such as Hotel California sounds flat. A complete opposite of the first generation. Nevertheless, it's more than sufficient for most of my genre of songs.

Sony ZX300(SBC) :
Retains it punchy sub-bass. With elevated mid-bass, the earphone now have a more full bodied sound as compared to listen on AAC, as mentioned in the soundstage. The bass is also more textured as compared to AAC.
Pixel 3(AAC)/Sony ZX300(SBC) :
Wow.Both player sounded really similar, This is where the strength of the earphones are unleashed. Sweet sweet natural vocals. especially for female voices. Really smooth with characteristics from my ultimate ears reference remastered.
Pixel 3(AAC) :
Bad. Almost unlistenable. Distortion and grain throughout when used with wifi. What? Even when turned off, it still happens on and off, I can't seem to fix this, sony support merely mentioned not the use near interference such as router. Not very useful. Anyway, treble is really tamed that it sounded rolled off, doesn't extend well but better than when used with SBC.

Sony ZX300(SBC) :
At least it doesn't have weird issues and i'm able to listen to it, just fine. But, it just sounded empty. Treble is even more tamed, really lacks extension.
Its a Sony, its a TWS, unparalleled convenience and it looks cool. Your friends are gonna love it. Currently the best on the market with competitive price point. But I believe Sony can do better than this. We know it.

Over the past few years, Sony's line of wireless products has had a very big presence in the market, especially here in Asia, where Sony claimed that their wireless headphones, WH-1000XM3, has reached the highest sales amongst other brands. As the wireless trend continues, TWS earbuds are gaining in popularity, with many companies joining the game, such as the Apple and Sennheiser, amongst others. Here, Sony tries to set themselves apart, by incorporating noise-cancelling technology into their TWS earphones. The WF-1000XM3 is the latest member to Sony's wide range of wireless audio products, taking over its predecessor, the WF-1000X. Do not be fooled by the "M3" labelling, which insinuates a 3rd generation product, the WF-1000XM3 is actually a second gen successor.


Disclaimer
Sony has provided me with a sample unit for the purpose of this review. I am neither a paid affiliate nor an employee of Sony.


The WF-1000XM3 comes in a neat package, and the unboxing experience is straightforward yet elegant. You can pull out the box from the side to reveal all its contents. You'll immediately see the charging case and the earphones. The included accessories are:

1. Charging Case with in built battery
2. USB-C Charging Cable
3. S/M/L Silicon Tips
4. S/M/L Foam Tips

So altogether I've found the accessories given to be very sufficient, after all it's meant to be a portable product, I wouldn't want to carry too many accessories with it other than the charging case and the earphones. I've also found the range of ear tips to be very agreeable. The foam tips are similar to those found in the Sony M7's and M9's packaging, and are very comfortable from my experience. My preference still err towards the silicon ear tips for a clearer sound as I felt the foam tips toned down the treble slightly. Note that I've read accounts of users saying the case is unable to close fully when using other some large ear tips. I've not tried many different tips on it yet as I've been happy with the tips provided!

The WF-1000XM3 has gone for a more subtle look, with more of a matte finish, whereas its predecessor had a slight sheen to it. Definitely a plus in my book, as I've always felt that TWS earbuds are meant to be more inconspicuous and seamless. That being said, the WF-1000XM3 is not exactly small and unnoticeable. My sister, who uses the Apple AirPods, was not impressed by the size of the WF-1000XM3, saying that it juts out a fair bit. Similarly, the charging case is also not small, nearly doubling the size of the case of the AirPods. The case flips open very nicely to reveal the earphones, and the slots that hold the earphones also has a magnet that helps to secure the earphones as you're moving about. It also provides a very satisfying "click" when you slide the earphones back into their case.


Personally, I'm okay with its size, it fits well in my ear and does not drop off easily, even when I'm running to catch my bus. Sony uses this design called the tri-hold structure alongside high friction rubber surface for the earphones to get a good grip on your ear. This has worked well enough for me though after extended listening (i.e. 2hrs), my ears will start to itch.

Moving on to the internals, the driver unit is a 6mm dynamic driver, the same one as the original WF-1000X. The noise cancelling processor is QN1e, which is adapted from the QN1 from the headphone variant WH-1000XM3. The QN1e is present in both left and right earphones, and they carry out their noise cancelling autonomously. There are two microphones, one located on the outside of the earbuds, which is known as the feed forward mic. This mic attempts to predict noise that will reach your ear drum. The other microphone is known as the feed back mic, and it is located on the side of the earphone that leans into your ear. This mic will monitor the sound that leaks into your eardrum. The QN1e uses these two mics in tandem in order to invert the sound waves that cancel ambient noise.


Moreover, Sony's new bluetooth chip enables both earphones to receive signal from the bluetooth devices concurrently. This is supposed to significantly reduce latency compared to its predecessor, where only the left earbud could receive bluetooth signal, followed by a left to right audio relay (shown in the picture below). Sony claims the new latency is can be as low as 1/4 of the original model. I've had no issues watching YouTube and Netflix with the WF-1000XM3, which is very pleasing.

Both earphones also have a small circular surface that allows some touch control. On the left earphone, you can tap to turn ambient noise control on or off, or simply touch and hold it to allow you to hear your surroundings. On the right side, you can tap once to play or pause, twice to skip to the next track and thrice to go back. Sadly, you cannot control the volume using your earphones. The touch surface is significantly smaller than that of the headphone variant, and takes a while to get used to when trying to access the touch controls. Nevertheless, still a very useful feature and is much quicker than having to take your phone out to skip tracks.

There is also a proximity sensor located on the earphones that can detect when you are wearing your earphones. This means the earphones is always in a trichotomy: either they're in the case, in your ear, or neither. If you leave both earphones in the case, bluetooth disconnects and the earphones are turned off. If you take them out of the case and put it in your ear, the proximity sensor will wake the device and it connects to the bluetooth device automatically. If they aren't in either scenarios, then they disconnect and turn off after a period of time. Taking either or both earphones off from your ear automatically pauses your music, and wearing them again resumes it. Handy.

Battery life is also a crucial aspect that needs mentioning. As far as TWS earphones go, I would say the battery life is directly correlated to the longevity of the earphones. Once the battery has degraded, the earphones are no longer useful. On this end, I am glad to say Sony has given battery life a very high priority. With ANC turned on, each earphones can last at least 6hrs, with the battery case providing additional 18hrs. If ANC is turned off, each earphones can last at least 8hrs, with the battery case providing additional 24hrs. These are amongst the highest numbers for TWS earphones and would greatly help in the longevity of these earphones. Overall, I've had no issues with battery life.


Without a doubt, Sony's ability to implement all these features in such a small space is simply remarkable. However, the WF-1000XM3 is not without compromise. Firstly, they lack LDAC and any of the Aptx features, and rely solely on AAC. In an interview session, Sony's response to the lack of LDAC is that they were trying to find the best compromise between sound quality and battery life, and that currently, they felt that the gain in sound quality using LDAC was not worth the sacrifice in battery life. They were very insistent on obtaining at least 24hrs (6hrs + 18hrs) of total listening time. Also, since they were using a new bluetooth chip which does not support Qualcomm's Aptx.

There are no IPX ratings on this device, which is a bit of a bummer. When asked how these earphones would hold up to some levels of moisture such as perspiration, Sony replied saying they cannot give an official answer, but only said that many users have used the WF-1000XM3 for gym and exercise and none reported any issues.



I have to admit, coming into this review, I was a little skeptical of needing noise cancelling on an earphone. I've always felt that passive noise isolation is sufficient to block out ambient noise. The IEMs I use is the Etymotic Research ER4SR, and with the triple flange tip, I have always been able to block out most of the ambient noise. Nevertheless, the WF-1000XM3's noise cancelling are effective and I was drowned in my own music along the busy streets of Tokyo. After a week of using the WF-1000XM3, I have to say every bit of effort that blocks out ambient noise is greatly appreciated, as a darker background always helps you appreciate your music more. I've kept ANC on for the most part simply cause it is just more effective during my daily commutes.

In any case, I've found the WF-1000XM3's sound signature to be smooth and ever so mildly warm. It is a safe sound signature and generally works for most genres. In some sense, it's lacking the Sony's usual penchant for a generous amount of bass. The overall tuning is fairly tamed, without significant emphasis on any section of the frequency range, resulting in an inoffensive sound that is easy to listen to.

Soundstage/Imaging
The soundstage of the WF-1000XM3 is ample, and I've found the imaging to be good. In more acoustic songs, these earphones sound really enjoyable, with vocals sounding natural and instrument placement being rendered nicely. However, in more complex songs involving more instruments, the soundstage and imaging starts to suffer. In one example, "Sit Next to Me" by Foster the People, instruments throughout the song suffered from lack of separation and air, and it was hard to distinguish clearly the different instruments present in the song.

Bass
The bass on the WF-1000XM3 is well controlled, with good impact. Inherently, the quality of the bass is not very high quality, the mid bass is lacking texture and the sub-bass extension is rolled off. In this regard, I've found Sony's tuning to be very sensible; by controlling the bass quantity, the WF-1000XM3 does not have the bloomy mid-bass that plagues so many TWS earphones. There is also sufficient quantity to add body to the vocals.

Mids
The mids are probably where these earphones shine the most, providing sweet sounding vocals that has good body and clarity. "Crazy for You" by Madonna sounded great on the WF-1000XM3, and the vocal textures were rendered well. They are also smooth and pleasant for extended listening. Occasionally, I'd wish the sound was a little more energetic and a little faster, but thats a matter of preference and I've very much enjoyed the mids on these earphones.


Highs
The highs are tamed on these earphones. Perhaps even a little too tamed for my preference, lacking a certain brilliance in the upper frequency. The treble is a little rolled off, sometimes making vocals sound flat. Listening to "ocean eyes" by Billie Eilish, the earphones did not quite have the extension needed to portray her crisp vocals. Personally, I like to increase the treble slightly using the equaliser, to provide a more balanced tuning and increase the clarity of the earphones.

FINAL THOUGHTS
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TWS earphones have always intrigued me, but I've never liked how they sounded. However, after hearing the WF-1000XM3 and having used them for about two weeks, I'm happy to say that I'm satisfied with how they sound, given the sonic limitations of TWS. The smooth and easy sound signature works well with many genres, and its noise cancelling function is able to provide a blacker background when theres ambient sound. They have also checked important boxes, such as low latency and long battery life that altogether makes this set of earphones a very complete package.

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