Sony MDR-1000X
Sep 2, 2018 at 11:48 PM Post #2,672 of 2,709

Better first impression with list of updates from the older ver
 
Sep 3, 2018 at 2:42 AM Post #2,673 of 2,709
ANC (isolation) is always quite affecting the sound quality you get tho, especially on part of detail as it won't be masked by the noise that is the buzz of real world.
I did not quite understand your comment. Does it mean ANC is good for sound quality? If yes, I strongly disagree as any ANC technology alters the sound.

I am still waiting for good sounding headphones that CAN have ANC enabled if required.
 
Sep 3, 2018 at 2:45 AM Post #2,674 of 2,709
I've owned it for almost a year, and it's definitely better than the Bose series in terms of the quality of the sound.
Relatively yes, but XM2 I tested sounded completely wrong on the records I know well, compared to Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless or any good wired headphones. They have their own signature I did not like at all. That is I why I hope that XM3 improves/changes.
 
Sep 3, 2018 at 3:49 AM Post #2,675 of 2,709
I bought XM2 after intensive testing of few ANC headphones (PX, QC35, M2AEBT) , as i believed those to the best all-rounder in terms of SQ, comfort and ANC. However after longer usage i found them to be fatiguing - Bose is still the king in this department. Unfortunately i do not like Bose sound signature, and therefore hope this XM3 model will improve the comfort. SQ of the XM2 was great for me, so any update here will be just a bonus.
 
Sep 3, 2018 at 4:13 AM Post #2,676 of 2,709
In my opinion from a heavily processed headphone like those with Anc you can't pretend realism of not processed headphones.
 
Sep 3, 2018 at 4:25 AM Post #2,677 of 2,709
I had a chance to try the XM3 model at IFA exhibition in Berlin. In my opinion, noise canceling is improved comparing to XM2 (I own the XM2 model). XM2 has excellent ANC, XM3 is even better. Can't say much about the audio quality, for sure it's not bad and similar to XM2, but I didn't have much time to play with this headset. I find the XM2 model very good in terms of sound quality, so I believe it's no worse in XM3.
 
Sep 3, 2018 at 7:26 PM Post #2,678 of 2,709
@chortya I'm just saying that with more isolation, you'd be able to hear the quietest detail on a music much easier.
 
Sep 3, 2018 at 7:39 PM Post #2,679 of 2,709

Better first impression with list of updates from the older ver
I just saw that review, and what I thought was interesting is the driver in the M3. He states the same driver as the Sony MDR 1AM2 for the M3. So, does this create much better SQ compared to M2? Also the new NC processor for this one for improved performance of NC. This maybe the best NC headphone beating QC 35 II.
 
Last edited:
Sep 4, 2018 at 2:29 AM Post #2,680 of 2,709
I think that had been stated for the M2 and the original also, that's not what changed for the M3, it's mostly the DAC chip, the ANC processing, plusher earpads, lighter build and more ergonomic Headband.
Also USB type C and Quick Charge.
 
Sep 7, 2018 at 2:47 PM Post #2,682 of 2,709
How many revisions does this one headphone need for Sony to get them right? I understand ANC headphones are evolving very rapidly, but this pace just signals mistakes made in the past to me.
 
Sep 7, 2018 at 4:11 PM Post #2,683 of 2,709
How many revisions does this one headphone need for Sony to get them right? I understand ANC headphones are evolving very rapidly, but this pace just signals mistakes made in the past to me.
I think it's a little bit of both; mistakes and progress.

Sony obviously took some feedback on the shortcomings of the M2, particularly comfort, build/style, and attempted to improve on those areas. For the most part, it looks like they succeeded.

Sound from the M2 is very good, in fact, I actually prefer the sound when ANC is on vs. off. Is it accurate? No. Am I going to master anything with it? No. But it's a fun sound that serves its purpose: good sound on the go. Does the new AMP/DAC make it sound sooo much better than the M2? Probably not. Are there likely some nuanced improvements? Sure. Keep in mind, the main use for most people will be wireless, so we're splitting hairs when taking about sound improvements within this medium.

From the business side, this segment is becoming more and more competitive, so you can't sit on you laurels. Bose has numerous patents and those guys will sue you all day long, so you have to find a way to work around that and Sony is the only company that seems to have succeeded in that regard. However, this likely requires more R&D, so once you have a marketable baseline product like the 1000X (no pun intended), you can improve upon the prior generation with subsequent innovations.
 
Sep 8, 2018 at 1:42 PM Post #2,684 of 2,709
How many revisions does this one headphone need for Sony to get them right? I understand ANC headphones are evolving very rapidly, but this pace just signals mistakes made in the past to me.

Often new versions have nothing/very little to do with the underlaying technology but very much to do with marketing. Who would speak about a 3-4-5 year old unchanged product in the deluge of product releases - even if the product still beats everyone else around? Nobody. Every time there is a mk2, MKII, v2, etc there's a lot of buzz (paid and free) go around.

Take etymotic's ER4 - everybody (?) knew they are the best around, but nobody spoke about them, because they were the same for decades. Now they released the ER3 family, hardly any change in the underlying technology, but there were quite some buzz.

This is not only in head-fi, but everywhere - most of all in the electronics gadget universe.
 
Sep 8, 2018 at 1:54 PM Post #2,685 of 2,709
Often new versions have nothing/very little to do with the underlaying technology but very much to do with marketing. Who would speak about a 3-4-5 year old unchanged product in the deluge of product releases - even if the product still beats everyone else around? Nobody. Every time there is a mk2, MKII, v2, etc there's a lot of buzz (paid and free) go around.

Take etymotic's ER4 - everybody (?) knew they are the best around, but nobody spoke about them, because they were the same for decades. Now they released the ER3 family, hardly any change in the underlying technology, but there were quite some buzz.

This is not only in head-fi, but everywhere - most of all in the electronics gadget universe.
Yeah, the companies are trying to make money, so they will come up with newer models touting improvements. It's up to the consumer to do the research to see if there is value in the product itself and if the improvements are real and enough to be a worthy purchase , that's what we are here for (by sharing our honest impressions and experiences), and hopefully we try to refrain from too much hype without the critical information initially (I usually wait until the hype fest dies down here as the real critical information comes out at some point, and I think it's due to people owning a product long enough to find the negatives).

So, the most useful information for us is from the reviewers that can provide insightful critical reviews that can point out the useful cons to the consumers.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top