[rotor2k]

The only reason I've stayed subscribed to this thread is to find out if there ever happens to be a firmware upgrade. I absolutely love my MDR-1000X but the negativity on this forum is just breathtaking. I feel sorry for the people who ever want to buy a pair of headphones and happen to come across this forum, because they will never want to buy anything based purely on what people write here. What a bunch of entitled whiners, half of whom don't even seem to own these headphones.

My headphones do have a slight amount of creak when things are completely silent (i.e. music paused), but I listen to music, I listen to podcasts, and I have nothing to complain about. The sound quality is absolutely marvellous, the comfort is fine (I've worn them on 10 hour flights), battery life is fantastic, the gesture swiping stuff to control them works flawlessly, cupping your hand to hear what is going on outside is brilliant and I use it all the time... I have literally zero complaints, and have no desire for improvement in any way for these fantastic headphones. I look after my property, so hopefully I will not have any breakages, but if I do, I trust the manufacturer and/or the retailer (who gave me an additional year's warranty) to sort it out. I wear them every weekday on my commute, so they get unfolded/folded at least 4-5 times a day.

 

[neil74]

Are there any theories as to what causes the cracking?

Whilst I'm sure there are many who have not seen the cracking there must be a design flaw of sorts for there to be this many cases so wondering what contributes e.g. is it the pressure from normal wear (which I guess would vary on head size!) or is it folding them down for the case, over-twisting of the pads etc

 

[neil74]

Does anyone know which serial number range that is known for the cracking problems? i think at 255 Euro on amazon it is hard not to consider it!

Best I could find was a post that referenced a reply from Sony Germany confirming problem was with models with serials no between 5000001-5256984

 

[Shinoke]

@rotor2k So people with genuine issues with their headphones are whiners, because they didn't want those issues for headphones over 300 bucks?

Nice to know you've been fortunate.

There's been tones of praise heaped on the 1000X

I think people with mechanical/build issues were just really disappointed to have those when they liked everything else so much.
That's understandable.

People here are trying to work out if their headphones are part of a recognised bad batch, to fix the issues etc.
People are more likely to report issues than lack of issues, that's how things work.

So seems you're whining about so called whining.

 

[BigPoppa99]

Are there any theories as to what causes the cracking?

Whilst I'm sure there are many who have not seen the cracking there must be a design flaw of sorts for there to be this many cases so wondering what contributes e.g. is it the pressure from normal wear (which I guess would vary on head size!) or is it folding them down for the case, over-twisting of the pads etc

Its the hinge where it folds in it was putting pressure on the plastic. Crack is right above that hinge

 

[bedlamite]

I enjoy my pair greatly (my 1000x is also faultless, luckily enough) but at the same time I recognize the cracking issue is a real thing. Perhaps if Sony had paid more attention to the construction of the headband, there'd be more positive discussion about these online. Really unfortunate, but you can't expect people to gush on about how awesome the ANC is or how great it sounds when the damn thing is near breaking in half

In any case, I'm selling off my 1000x and I'll be moving on to the M2. After all the negative feedback the original has received online, I can't imagine that Sony wouldn't make any changes to the headband.

 

[sosrah]

I must say i'm intrigued by all the features of the Sony 1000xm2(ANC ambient options and touch features) but when i tried both 1000x and Bose qc35 ,in the same shop here in Italy, two things made me doubt:
Bose feel more comfortable and stable on my head; 1000x materials seems to degrade more with use(something the owners can confirm or disprove)

 

[Shinoke]

I wish Sennheiser, Sony and Definitive Technology made a pair of wireless ANC headphones that fit like the Bose QC25/35
To be fair the Bose looked and felt cheap in comparison to me (when I checked the QC25) - they had a visible silver screw by the earcup, felt very lightweight, plastic, and not premium.
But they fit even big ears without looking big, and are really light and comfortable.
Just the sound quality is really average.

Can anyone share the internal dimensions of the Sony earcups?
I imagine this is unchanged for the M2?

I tried on the 1000X and I think the earcups were larger than the Sennheiser PXC 550, but still too small for large ears like mine.
I had to return the Sennheiser M2 wireless for that reason unfortunately - otherwise would have kept those and not got the Definitive Technology Symphony 1s - which I use now.

 

[bedlamite]

To be fair the Bose looked and felt cheap in comparison to me (when I checked the QC25) - they had a visible silver screw by the earcup, felt very lightweight, plastic, and not premium.
But they fit even big ears without looking big, and are really light and comfortable.
Just the sound quality is really average.

A lot of people complain about how cheap the QC35 looks, and I admit they aren't the sexiest cans out there, but they're built to take quite the beating. I saw a Youtube review where the reviewer stress tested the headband and bent them till they were almost flat; it was none the worse for wear. It's largely made out of glass-filled nylon, which I suppose gives it lightweight flexibility. They also don't look as dorky as the 1000x on the head so they've got that going for them as well. Really, in most respects the QC35 is a very hard headphone to beat. I just couldn't deal with the overwhelmingly mediocre sound signature.

 

[Shinoke]

Agreed. Yeah, that's the issue - ultimately they just don't sound great, so what's the point?
Uncomfortable headphones make no sense, but nor do expensive headphones that don't sound great - if they cost a lot and you want audio quality (rather than just noise cancellation).

Why can't they make them sound better? Decent drivers cost peanuts.
I looked at the spare parts prices of the Sennheiser M2 Wireless and the actual drivers were really cheap - you pay everything for the headband and the rest :|

http://headphonespares.sennheiser.co.uk/wireless-headphones/momentum-m2-aebt-black

Actually I don't see the drivers now, they were around £7 or £8 when I looked before I think, a small fraction of the headphone cost anyway.

Is the DAC/equaliser rubbish?

Do the competition weigh more because they have better drivers/electronics which lead to better sound?
Perhaps that's one of the trade offs for having such lightweight headphones.

My Symphony 1s are chunky and not lightweight, but arguably have the best sound and soundstage - although I've only tried the Sonys instore.

How is Sony with spare parts?

I'm new to the whole premium headphone scene, so I was a little surprised and very impressed by Sennheiser to be honest.
Excellent customer service as well (they sent me new ear pads for free).

You can maintain a pair of Sennheiser headphones for life it seems - just buy the parts you need (at quite reasonable prices).

Just wish they'd make their earcups larger!

 

[asoksevil]

They are launching a new version here

Sony WH-1000XM2

Anybody know what's the actual upgrades?

 

[Mortalcoil]

Thought I might chime in here. The new M2 as its being called apparently offers up some fixes for the ANC, mostly to do with mic sensitivity (wind). Version 2 of some Sony software pertaining to sound sculpting etc. It can tell the cabin pressure (lol...) of your flight, and make minute sonic adjustments to compensate.

Some speculation still wether they have finally addressed the dreaded headband extension crack / fracture issue. Better sound processing features, patched I guess and tightened up. We shall see

 

[richpjr]

The only reason I've stayed subscribed to this thread is to find out if there ever happens to be a firmware upgrade. I absolutely love my MDR-1000X but the negativity on this forum is just breathtaking. I feel sorry for the people who ever want to buy a pair of headphones and happen to come across this forum, because they will never want to buy anything based purely on what people write here. What a bunch of entitled whiners, half of whom don't even seem to own these headphones.

The people who bought these things, only to have them crack and even worse to have Sony give them the run around about getting them replaced/repaired will surely disagree with you. They aren't elitist whiners, they are normal people who bought a product that clearly had some kind of a manufacturing defect in at least one batch. Given the very large number of complaints about it over many forums this clearly was a pretty common issue. Hopefully the new M2 version addressed it.

 

[MGWS]

So far no cracks for my set with daily use. I bought a refurbished pair on amazon and got the 4 year warranty for $26. Right now they are on sale for $200 on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4BEKO1/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[329161]

For what it's worth, I'm a satisfied customer of the 1000x. Great build and sound for me. I suspect I'm in the overwhelming majority of users, as not one review I've read (both here on Headfi, and from professional sources, such as Whathifi, Hi-Fi Choice, Innerfidelity, etc) have mentioned any creaking, or build quality issues. I think people with issues are more likely to speak up rather than happy users. I feel for anyone out there with defective units, but for people contemplating buying, I would say, buy from a trusted source (preferably a bricks and mortar store) and you should be fine.