[killfire72]

  I have a few pair of sony headphones ( 770BN 1ABT, 1A and now 1000x ) and the sound leaking is pretty much in the very same order from a some to none. I have been working in a open office (200+ people) and literally every direction to me someone is sitting and had zero complain about noise bleeding. I have fall in love with the NC features it offers, as I hate taking the headphones off for a few second conversation
ANC however can be a bit odd to use with wired in-line microphone ( V - Moda BoomPro ) during a conference calls, I have been listening some ambient music to release that pressure.
 
Also a question: anyone has a reasonably priced portable DAC recommendation to pair with 1000x and it's features? ( aptx/ldac ) on android phone and windows PCs 

These are a wireless headphone, so using a DAC would do absolutely nothing.

 

[theveterans]

In wired mode with ANC on DAC will matter

 

[StoneRoses]

I see little point using DAC or HP amp for ANC HP. If you care that much about DAC/Amp used wired headphone with no electronics in it
 
See below diagram:
 
Wireless
Music Sources (lossy or lossless) -> Decoding -> Resampling (if necessary) -> encoding (SBC/AptX/AAC/LDAC) -> BT Digital Transmission -> Decoding (SBC/AptX/AAC/LDAC) -> ANC/DSP/EQ in headphone electronics -> DAC (in headphone) -> Amplifying (in headphone) -> Drivers -> Sound wave
 
 
Wired (powered mode)
Music Sources (lossy or lossless) -> Decoding -> DAC (in phone, music player or USB DAC) -> Amplifying (in phone, music player or external amplifier) -> Electrical wire Analog transmission -> ADC  Analog to Digital (in headphone)  -> ANC/DSP/EQ in headphone electronics -> DAC (in headphone) -> Amplifying (in headphone) ->  Drivers -> Sound wave
 
 
Wired (passive mode)
Music Sources (lossy or lossless) -> Decoding -> DAC (in phone, music player or USB DAC) -> Amplifying (in phone, music player or external amplifier) ->  Electrical wire Analog transmission -> Drivers -> Sound wave

 

[Maukey]

I'm going to give my take the QC35s vs the MDR-1000X. I purchased the QC35s when they were first released by Bose. When the 1000X came out I read all of the glowing reviews here and around the Web. I believe all sites but CNET and PCMag rated the 1000X higher than the Bose for both Sound Quality and ANC. I had to try them for myself. So back in October, I purchased the 1000X from Best Buy. From first listen and experience I was blown away. After about a month of comparing the QC35s and 1000X, I sold my QC35s on EBay and kept the 1000X. Well fast forward to today, and let's just say that my 1000X have been given back to Best Buy, and I now own a set of Silver QC35s and $58 Best Buy Gift Card LOL. So you may ask, if I was blown away, why did I go back to the QC35s? It was not an easy decision, just like it wasn't an easy decision to give up my QC35s originally for the 1000X. I'll start by giving you the advantages of each headphone and then I'll tell you what ultimately led to me switching back.

MDR-1000X Advantages
- Slightly better muffling of voices
- Clearer, More Dynamic Sound at higher volumes (75% and Above on my iPad/iPhone). Very Detailed Highs and Mids at these volumes
- Support for AptX and LDAC
- More Advanced Features (Touch Controls, Ambient Sound, NC Optimizer, etc)
- Better Included Cable

QC35 Advantages
- More Comfortable
- Slightly Better ANC Tech (I hear less hiss)
- Cleaner, More Natural Sound with Greater Spaciousness/Soundstage
- Better Bass/Sub Bass
- Volume Optimized EQ (I like this and feel that because of it, the QC35s sound Fuller and Clearer than the 1000X in the 50 - 65% Volume Range)
- Better Bluetooth Connectivity with the Multi Pairing Ability and Bose Connect App
- Amazing Customer Service and Warranty Support

So, what lead to me switching back to the QC35s? First, the Multi Pairing Abilility w/ the Bose Connect App. I use my Bluetooth NC Headphones with my iPad and iPhone 90% of the time. I didn't realize how big this feature was for me until it was gone. Over time I became more and more frustrated with the 1000X's inability to multi pair. I can't tell you how often I would be on my iPad listening to music or watching videos and have a phone call come in and have to remove the 1000X so that I could answer the phone. Or, I'm sitting on my couch listening to music on my iPad and realize that I need to get some things done in the yard. Instead of just pausing the music on my iPad and picking up my iPhone and continuing my Jam Session as is the case with the QC35s, I'd have to disconnect my iPad and connect my iPhone by holding the power button on the 1000X for 7 seconds to enter pairing mode. May not be a big deal for some, but for me it is.

Second reason is low volume listening. I'm a person who doesn't always listen to his headphones at loud, jam session volumes. Especially at work, I prefer a low to moderate volume. Low to Moderate volume listening sounds better to my ears on the QC35s. The 1000X sound dull in the highs, and anemic in the bass in comparison. As a matter of fact, sound quality is very close between the two headphones overall. I honestly do not agree with those who say that the 1000X blows the QC35s away. I found myself preferring one over the other depending on track and volume, and whether I was watching a movie, gaming, or listening to music. I actually prefer the QC35s sound to the 1000X when it comes to Gaming and Movies. The Sub Bass and Soundstage make the experience more immersive for me. All in all I would rate the 1000X a 9.3 out of 10 for overall sound quality, and the QC35s a 9.1 out of 10. If I had an Android Device or a Sony LDAC player, maybe my experience would be differerent.

The final reason for my switch back is my experience with Bose's customer service. I own other Bose products, and despite how they are viewed as an audio company, their customer service has been stellar the couple of times I've had to use it. They've replaced products for me no questions asked even if it's after the 1 year warranty period. I do not trust Sony's customer service. And with the inability to replace the ear pads of the 1000X, and the creaking sound my unit was making, I did not have the same peace of mine that I have with the QC35s.

In the end, these are both amazing headphones and I really had a tough time deciding between the two, it literally took me months. In the end, the QC35s fit my needs better. But I'm quite sure that Bose is WELL AWARE of the competition at this point and this is great for us as the Consumers.

 

[Graham Baker]

(This is probably a bit off-topic here in this 1000x thread but I think that it might be useful info for anybody that is buying/returning either the Sony's or the Bose (will also post it on the QC35 thread) as the Sennheiser PXC550's are also a direct competitor to both these models)
 
 
I also sold my QC35's and bought PXC550's, both are very good but I am also considering going back to the QC35's...
In many ways the PXC550's are better than the QC35's, the main one (for me personally) is the better mid/highs of the 550's - much smoother and more coherent than the steely/gritty and 'detached' top end I was hearing from my QC35's.
BUT (there's always a BUT!) the 550's are a problem for me, the bass/sub-bass is not as good - they don't go loud enough with a lot of my music tracks and they are also not as comfortable as the QC35's, my ears must be larger than average as they don't fit completely into the cups, also the tension from the headband is higher, along with slightly harder padding on the band and cups.
 
I am really on the fence at the moment between the 550's & QC35. I will give them a bit more time and see if they become easier to wear for longer periods but then I still have the problem where I am running them at max vol most of the time.
 
Other problems with the 550's:
 
BT to my MacBook Pro is unusable - choppy/stuttering audio all the time. Mainly an Apple problem (many reports of similar with OSX10.10 onwards) but then I never had this problem with the QC35's - they connected to the MacBook Pro perfectly, as well as to my Note 3 at the same time - the QC35's also announced what device they were connected to instead of just 'phone 1' and/or 'phone 2' which is all I get on the 550's
 
USB connection to my Surface Pro (Windows 10) only shows them as a low audio quality headset, playback via USB is very poor quality
(BT connection to Surface Pro is great - they show as HQ stereo and they sound great)
Maybe I need different drivers for WIn10? Have contacted Sennheiser service about this, not heard back as yet
 
 
What I do love about the 550's and what may convince me to keep them:
I love the touch-pad control, it works very well and I especially like the double-tap to pause music and allow ambient sound to be miked through, allowing conversation without having to hold my hand over the ear-cup (like the Sony)
 
The USB cable connection that allows charging and USB playback at the same time (as well as still having the phone connected via BT) is brilliant (on the Macbook, and perhaps also on the Surface Pro with new drivers?)
 
It's great to be able to control the ANC, even turn it off completely when in a quite environment - but then again I was very happy with the QC35's ANC and they had quite a bit less background hiss than the 550's when the ANC is at 50% - 100% active....
 
They connect to two devices very well but not as good as the QC35's (they don't name the devices correctly) which always tell me exactly what device(s) are connected and switch between them very reliably...
 
So I just need more time to fine-tune/bed in these 550's and perhaps I might be keeping them but at the moment I am feeling that there are more negatives than there are plusses compared to the QC35's, if only I could live with the peaky/gritty/detached top end of the QC35's...

 

[dweaver]

I have been using the 550 with USB cable on my Surface Pro 3 at work. Let me check what the audio quality is tomorrow and get back to you about the quality level. Where are you going to check this level at?

 

[beowulf]

  (This is probably a bit off-topic here in this 1000x thread but I think that it might be useful info for anybody that is buying/returning either the Sony's or the Bose (will also post it on the QC35 thread) as the Sennheiser PXC550's are also a direct competitor to both these models)
[....]
So I just need more time to fine-tune/bed in these 550's and perhaps I might be keeping them but at the moment I am feeling that there are more negatives than there are plusses against the QC35's, if only I could live with the peaky/gritty/detached top end of the QC35's...

 
Far from offtopic. Very good impressions and comparison actually, quite useful to anyone comparing both.
 
I have to say that I share your opinion on some points, one being that the 1000X sound quite good (for what they are) at higher levels of volume, but can feel a bit thin and veiled at low levels. I also agree that Sony got it wrong when it comes to versatility when pairing with multiple devices. In my use cases, the annoyance I recall more was switching while doing a desktop<>phone transition. It should be simpler, much simpler.
 
Despite that, overall I think they are still a better offer due to the superior audio quality as a whole, but perhaps not for everyone given the drawbacks.

 

[kugino]

i love my 1000x a lot. but like some have mentioned, the fact that it cannot pair to more than one device simultaneously is a bit of a PITA. i have a jabra move and appreciate how it connects to both my iphone and macbook at the same time...

 

[Weatherlight]

Ordered one. 4 days to go.

 

[Graham Baker]

   
Far from offtopic. Very good impressions and comparison actually, quite useful to anyone comparing both.
 
 

Thanks.
An update - I have been reluctantly (reasons being I wish to keep using iPhoto and Aperture which actually do still work, for now) forced to upgrade my MacBook Pro from OSX 10.10.5 to the latest Sierra OSX 10.12.2 
It has fixed the BT stuttering with the PXC550 completely. The BT connection to the PXC550 is a rock-solid APTx format, even when the Macbook is connected via 2.4ghz wifi, something that was not possible on 10.10.5

 

[Graham Baker]

  i love my 1000x a lot. but like some have mentioned, the fact that it cannot pair to more than one device simultaneously is a bit of a PITA. i have a jabra move and appreciate how it connects to both my iphone and macbook at the same time...

 
I did read that the Japanese version is able to pair to two devices at the same time?
It's probably just an easy firmware upgrade - if enough people pester Sony....

 

[THFourteen]

They do leak sound. Not so much as to be annoying, in my experience, but certainly more than I expected before I bought them in October.

Thanks for the reply. I think this is me out then, I hate being "that" guy on the tube who has headphones hissing out tinny music that everyone can hear.

Shame as I was really interested in the ambient noise feature for use at home. I think I will go back to looking at the P7s or maybe waiting till CES is over to see if anything new is announced.

Always the problem with these things 90% perfect but there is always one killer thing that you can't live with for £300

 

[Graham Baker]

Thanks for the reply. I think this is me out then, I hate being "that" guy on the tube who has headphones hissing out tinny music that everyone can hear.

Shame as I was really interested in the ambient noise feature for use at home. I think I will go back to looking at the P7s or maybe waiting till CES is over to see if anything new is announced.

Always the problem with these things 90% perfect but there is always one killer thing that you can't live with for £300

 
Yes there will probably never be a *perfect* set of cans that do not have any small *but*...
The P7's are very good at not leaking, but then they are not ANC...
The passive isolation is very good but the low down groaning of the tube will probably not be eliminated as it (90%) would with ANC.
FWIW, the QC35's also leak out, more than the P7's which seem to have very good isolation from the pads, which is all they have...
My experience is that the P7's audio is way better than any of the ANC cans out there, I doubt you will be disappointed...

 

[aboom]

  Anyone else get any serious bass distortion? Or do I just have a bad set?
 
I get some distortion even at 50% volumes on some bassier songs but even some songs without strong or deep bass. Thoughts? Should I exchange?

 
My story with MDR-1000X in a nutshell: fantastic product, bad quality control and very bad customer service experience.
 
My experience with the headphones started when I tried them in a store in Germany. I have not tested that many headphones or speaker, but that said, I'm pretty sensitive to any distortions etc. in audio. Briefly said, I was very impressed by the noise cancelling in the store (I compared against QC35) and with a brief listening session, I also liked the sound quality a lot. I work in an open office, so I bought the headphones based on my test and the recommendation (best-in-the-market ANC was the key point).
 
However, in the evening, I noticed that the left element had some distortion in the bass, it sounded almost as if there was some part loose or leaking air from a small gap (think of a loose license plate in a car with a subwoofer), or something similar. This was even with very moderate volume levels. I could also hear it with the voice feedback (power on etc.), but not with all music. I confirmed that this was not due to poor sealing between the HP and my head, as when I flipped the headphones, I could hear the distortion on my right side. This sounds a bit similar as themancan posted (see quote above).
 
Unfortunately the store was already closed for the day, and the next day was Sunday, when I was going back to Finland, and the store is closed on Sundays. Thus I had no opportunity to return them to the store, and I checked that the headphones have an European-wide warranty. So didn't want to leave it to my friends to return to avoid shipping costs.
 
I shipped the headphones to a service workshop in Finland, where they indeed found a defect in the product. However, Sony's European warranty seems to be a bit "special" and not in a good way. Basically, they don't cover the shipping costs to service within Finland, which costs 36 euros to me. Also, Sony only has very minimal import itself, so I must wait for the spare parts for 2.5 months or for replacement headphones for 4.5 months (both are only estimates and not guaranteed to actualize) - I cannot change the headset myself, due to the different importer. They did offer some compensation for getting a temporary headphone. But I would like to have them now, not months later, since I bought the noise in our office is really driving me crazy.
 
At the moment I am waiting for a reply from the store in Germany (I only contacted them now that I have faced the problems with the European warranty in Finland).

 

[Chris Aubeck]

Thanks for the reply. I think this is me out then, I hate being "that" guy on the tube who has headphones hissing out tinny music that everyone can hear.

Shame as I was really interested in the ambient noise feature for use at home. I think I will go back to looking at the P7s or maybe waiting till CES is over to see if anything new is announced.

Always the problem with these things 90% perfect but there is always one killer thing that you can't live with for £300

There is a leak and I'm not the first to say so but it's nothing like what I hear other people's headphones doing on public transport. The only time anyone has heard these Sony headphones while they were on my head happened in a quiet room with the volume over 50%. Admittedly, when watching a movie at home I can follow the dialogue if the headphones are lying beside me and the volume is at about 75%.

Just to test the issue, I've placed them on the table before me and pressed play (One Day/Reckoning remix). I'm outside in a public place with a little background chatter. The volume is at 50%. I can't hear the music. If I turn the volume up to 75% I can distinguish the rhythm but not the song. At 100% I can sing along ("One day baby we'll be old, think of all the stories we could have told...").

I would never play music above about 50-60% so the sound leak is no problem for me, and I use them on public transport all the time. On overnight bus journeys I've actually used them to sleep, playing soft songs at about 40% volume, surrounded by fellow sleeping passengers. I'd give the headphones a go if I were you. I doubt you'll have my trouble on the tube unless you play them loud, but that's what NC helps to avoid.