does 1000x suck at sound quality?
from whathifi.com:
Of course here, sound quality is king, but with headphones like the MDR-1000Xs, noise-cancelling has to be up to scratch. And in this respect we’re glad to report the Sonys are very good indeed. They are easily on a par with the Bose QC35s and better than the more expensive Momentum Wirelesses.
The MDR-1000Xs do a great job of cancelling out the drone and rumble of everyday life, whether in a busy office or on your daily commute – and with or without music playing, too.
The headphones use Sony’s DSEE HX audio processing, which the company claims will upscale compressed music to near hi-res quality. We always get a little nervy when processing tech starts messing around with the source material, but on this occasion the audio is pleasing.
With some Bluetooth headphones, we’ve experienced a slight brightness and hardness, but these Sonys sound anything but. There’s a silky smoothness and sense of refinement that leaves you purring for more.
Leading edges are still delivered with crispness and precision, though, and this smoothness doesn’t dumb down their dynamic ability. It’s a beautifully balanced sound too; highs and lows share equal status.
Play Rod Stewart’s
In A Broken Dream and the David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd fame) guitar solo intro wails with as much soul and power as you could want. There’s a cutting edge here, but it doesn’t sound too sharp nor cut too deep.
The Sonys manage to get the distinctive vocal spot on. Expressive and rich in detail, you can’t help but get caught up in the emotion of the track. It’s a different character to the QC35s, which sound a tad bright and hard in comparison.
Drop lower down the frequency range and there’s plenty of weight, but it’s tightly controlled, and measured in its deployment. Play Drake’s
Started From The Bottom and the bassline plummets to an impressive depth, but doesn’t sound overblown. You can almost feel the texture of each note as it reaches down and the Sonys dig out the detail.