Ok, so here's my amatuer review comparing the MDR-1000x to the Momentum 2 Wireless. I will say right of the bat that I primarily want ANC bluetooth headphones for plane flights. I commute via car and have 3 crazy kids at home, so there's not a lot of down time for me to sit and listen to good cans.
Personal biases/further context - In addition to the M2, I own PSB M4U-2 and the Bose QC20. In an ideal world, I'd want excellent ANC AND SQ, but we'll all know the holy grail doesn't exist quite yet. Therefore, I'll sacrifice some ANC for better SQ (M2) over great ANC and average SQ (QC35). I'll also admit a slight bias against the ubiquity of the QC35. Every middle-aged (as am I) business traveler sports them in the airport. My inner rebel steers me towards wanting something different. Finally, my primary sources are an Ipad Mini and Iphone 6s, so I don't take advantage of aptx or the Sony LDAC.
I'll likely gloss over details that are less important to me but here goes:
Build Quality/Fit/Features
1000x - I'll admit the plastic turned me off when I first opened them but the build quality is solid. Pads are nice and soft, but my ears feel warm after wearing the 1000x for more than 10 min. The clamp is noticeably stronger but that could just be a function of being new. I really don't like how big the M2s carry and appreciate the nifty folding and small carrying case of the 1000x. Quick Listen works by amplifying nearby sound and is as advertised. However, I'd just as soon move the ear pad to hear what someone is saying. I also noticed the vacuum seal feeling typical of ANC headphone whereas I don't with the M2. I can't stand the blinking blue blinking power light. It's obvious in a darkened room and would be in a darkened plane. Finally, they leak more sound than than the M2. My wife woke up while I was wearing them asking why I was playing music so loudly. Never happened with the M2.
M2 - I have a slight bias towards the M2's retro design and pads. I've owned them for a year and they look and feel new. The M2s are comfortable on long flights with the exception of the headband starts to rub against my scalp. I feel like the 1000x's better clamping might address this. The M2s small buttons are not nearly as convenient as the 1000x cup features. I've already complained about the size folded up. They carry twice as big as they need to be and take up too much room in my everyday bag.
ANC
1000x - Good to Very Good and on-par with the QC20 save for the fact that I haven't tested on a plane. Based on every review I read, no doubt they should outperform the M2.
M2 - 75% of what the 1000x does. I have a weird fit issue where the ANC is fine when facing forward but cancels out when I significantly move my head to the sides. Other than that, I can live with the M2's ANC.
Sound Quality
1000x - This is the deal killer. Maybe it's hype and not having much experience with Sonys, but I was expecting better. The sound is thin. Ok mid-bass presence but barely anything in the lower registers. I found myself upping the volume to get some bass and energy and I'm far from a bass-head. They are fairly revealing in that my crappier recordings sounded just that. Soundstage is decent and perhaps a touch airier than the M2 but I can't get past the overall poor SQ.
M2 - I've been fiddling with audio since the early 2000s and at this point in my life I just want to own stuff that let me enjoy music. I don't care if they aren't the most technically revealing or have the latest bells and whistles. The M2s tend to do that for me as did the M4U-2. I like what the M2 does with voices and there's just a nice weight to the sound. And the low end is good enough to keep my toes tapping.
That's all I can report on right now. I'll likely keep the 1000x another couple of weeks or at least until my next flight to see how they do on a plane, but likely to return these and wait for the holy grail.
