[aertus]

 
I don't think it's a 'easy' as saying LDAC is 'better' than Apt-X.
IMO, my B&W P7W's via Apt-X sound much better than my MDR-1000X's via LDAC.
Discounting SBC (and maybe even AAC?), I think the actual headphones themselves, quality of drivers etc. have much more impact on the overall SQ than the BT codec used.

how is this an apt comparison? Two different headphones. To really test it out you'd have to use aptx on the mdr and then use ldac. or rather get a phone that doesnt haven LDAC play the track using the iphone for example using bluetooth. 
 
then play the same exact track using a sony device with LDAC. and then find out for yourself if it really makes a difference. 
 
Your comparison makes no sense since you're using different headphones. 

 

[BenKatz]

  The Sony is a great offering and if you need ANC (something I haven't tested as I don't need it frankly) apparently it is the best of the bunch currently available.

 
You mean you never used you 1000x with ANC? 

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
You mean you never used you 1000x with ANC? 

Nope, no need, I play music loudly enough that I don't get outside noise issues.

 

[BenKatz]

  Nope, no need, I play music loudly enough that I don't get outside noise issues.

Yes, but the thing is, the MDR 1000X sound way better when ANC is on. It's the way they're built, the circuitry (you can check out a lot of reviews explaining it, incluing the Innerfidelity one).
 
Basically, when the ANC is on, the sound is much more dynamic and fuller. That's how you should compare it against other headphones, like the P7 for instance, and you'll see it's true colors.
 
Give it a try. Listen to some familiar tunes with ANC off and on and you'll see quite a big difference in SQ, regardless if you're in a noisy environment or not . 
 
I do recommend using it wired though, there's a further bump in contrasting, dynamics and especially separation. You'll enjoy them immensely in this mode. Wired, powered on, ANC on (optimized), and you'll be amazed how good these cans actually sound. 

 

[meringo]

  Nope, no need, I play music loudly enough that I don't get outside noise issues.

 
lol then why go with an NC model? They typically don't sound as good and cost a lot -- despite how much I love my MDR-1000x.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  Yes, but the thing is, the MDR 1000X sound way better when ANC is on. It's the way they're built, the circuitry (you can check out a lot of reviews explaining it, incluing the Innerfidelity one).
 
Basically, when the ANC is on, the sound is much more dynamic and fuller. That's how you should compare it against other headphones, like the P7 for instance, and you'll see it's true colors.
 
Give it a try. Listen to some familiar tunes with ANC off and on and you'll see quite a big difference in SQ, regardless if you're in a noisy environment or not . 
 
I do recommend using it wired though, there's a further bump in contrasting, dynamics and especially separation. You'll enjoy them immensely in this mode. Wired, powered on, ANC on (optimized), and you'll be amazed how good these cans actually sound. 

I don't understand how from a physics standpoint this could be. ANC adds something to the sound, at least as I understand it to work. I don't want to add beyond the EQing that I do. When the ANC is defeated, it is just a normal headphone, which is all I need so I am hearing the drivers and the enclosures. I can't imagine how or why the headphone with ANC defeated would suffer any sound quality drop?
 
I also received these for free due to an arrangement with a dealer to complete a previous transaction that had gone a little off so this was offered as compensation. I like the 1000X, but I don't need them so I am selling them and have already found a buyer. I will actually miss them, but my H500BT satisfies all my current portable needs.
 
I also did use them wired (power off) through my NAD rig and there is no chance that the built in sound engine/DAC is going to be better or even as good at anything as the NAD rig. I drive the headphones right from a speaker tap cable used with the speaker terminals of a NAD M3 180 watt per channel, dual mono amp with the NAD M51 DAC. As good as Sony is, I don't think they are able to inside the cups of the 1000X beat those sonics. I'm not saying the 1000X used wired with power on doesn't sound great, I have no doubt that it does.

 

[meringo]

  I don't understand how from a physics standpoint this could be. ANC adds something to the sound, at least as I understand it to work. I don't want to add beyond the EQing that I do. When the ANC is defeated, it is just a normal headphone, which is all I need so I am hearing the drivers and the enclosures. I can't imagine how or why the headphone with ANC defeated would suffer any sound quality drop?
 
I also received these for free due to an arrangement with a dealer to complete a previous transaction that had gone a little off so this was offered as compensation. I like the 1000X, but I don't need them so I am selling them and have already found a buyer. I will actually miss them, but my H500BT satisfies all my current portable needs.
 
I also did use them wired (power off) through my NAD rig and there is no chance that the built in sound engine/DAC is going to be better or even as good at anything as the NAD rig. I drive the headphones right from a speaker tap cable used with the speaker terminals of a NAD M3 180 watt per channel, dual mono amp with the NAD M51 DAC. As good as Sony is, I don't think they are able to inside the cups of the 1000X beat those sonics. I'm not saying the 1000X used wired with power on doesn't sound great, I have no doubt that it does.

 
The MDR-1000x (and all NC models, for that matter) are engineered to be best used in NC mode. The choice of materials, size/space, and other various aspects are all done a certain way to make them sound the best they can. Want evidence? Compare the MDR-1A to the MDR-1000x in passive mode. Same driver, different sound. This is specifically why Bose prevented you from using them powered off -- so people didn't judge them if used the wrong way.
 
They sound dramatically different in full passive mode, and yes -- there is a huge chance the built-in electronics will sound better than our DAPs and DAC/amp stacks. digital amplification with direct delivery custom to that of the makers of the headphone = winning. It's not that our separates are not fantastic, but not the right tool for the job (wireless audio) I wish there were more non-NC active headphones. I see V-Moda just did that, maybe more now that wireless is gonna be huge with the arrival of Android O (LDAC, AptX)  
 
**edits for clarity**

 

[Pass]

 

  I don't understand how from a physics standpoint this could be. ANC adds something to the sound, at least as I understand it to work. I don't want to add beyond the EQing that I do. When the ANC is defeated, it is just a normal headphone, which is all I need so I am hearing the drivers and the enclosures. I can't imagine how or why the headphone with ANC defeated would suffer any sound quality drop?
 
I also received these for free due to an arrangement with a dealer to complete a previous transaction that had gone a little off so this was offered as compensation. I like the 1000X, but I don't need them so I am selling them and have already found a buyer. I will actually miss them, but my H500BT satisfies all my current portable needs.
 
I also did use them wired (power off) through my NAD rig and there is no chance that the built in sound engine/DAC is going to be better or even as good at anything as the NAD rig. I drive the headphones right from a speaker tap cable used with the speaker terminals of a NAD M3 180 watt per channel, dual mono amp with the NAD M51 DAC. As good as Sony is, I don't think they are able to inside the cups of the 1000X beat those sonics. I'm not saying the 1000X used wired with power on doesn't sound great, I have no doubt that it does.

You don't actually loose any sound quality when off, that's how they're tuned. Comparison to Bose is really accurate: you can't achieve to get a good sound out of QC25 amped with anything you want (even your NAD rig) if you don't power them on. The exact same thing is valid for 1000x. If you never used yours powered on, then please try them on your NAD with power on. Wired, of course. You will be pleased you did!
 
By the way, sound quality on 1000x is better when power is on, either with NC on or off. Need some input here tho. When listening in a quiet environment, I can't really tell the difference if NC is on or off. Is it just me? Furthermore, when powered on and NC off, you loose the slight hiss that NC induce in your ears.

 

[kelly200269]

lol then why go with an NC model? They typically don't sound as good and cost a lot -- despite how much I love my MDR-1000x.

+1 And I love my 1000X's too. Precisely for the ANC feature, and good SQ.
BUT the 1000X's are basically 1ABT's, but with ANC added.
NOT to use the ANC feature with 1000X's seems bizzare? You may as well to with a better sounding non-ANC set, such as the B&W P7W.

 

[BenKatz]

   
The MDR-1000x (and all NC models, for that matter) are engineered to be best used in NC mode. The choice of materials, size/space, and other various aspects are all done a certain way to make them sound the best they can. Want evidence? Compare the MDR-1A to the MDR-1000x in passive mode. Same driver, different sound. This is specifically why Bose prevented you from using them powered off -- so people didn't judge them if used the wrong way.
 
They sound dramatically different in full passive mode, and yes -- there is a huge chance the built-in electronics will sound better than our DAPs and DAC/amp stacks. digital amplification with direct delivery custom to that of the makers of the headphone = winning. It's not that our separates are not fantastic, but not the right tool for the job (wireless audio) I wish there were more non-NC active headphones. I see V-Moda just did that, maybe more now that wireless is gonna be huge with the arrival of Android O (LDAC, AptX)  
 
**edits for clarity**

 
True, I actually went with my 1000xs at the AVstore yesterday to do some tests after reading some reviews here on the website, critical of the 1000xs performance. Started doubting my initial decision a few months back. I used to have the MDR1A, and I ended up with the 1000x. I got the MDR 1A after testing against the ATH7, momentum 2.0, h6 and P7 to select a nice portable headphone, and had it paired up with a Fiio E17K, until I came in contact with the 1000X.
 
So i went to the shop to see if I can get smething on a similar budget as a 1000x. I'm talking good passive portable headphones with a portable flash sized DAC for optimum portability. Naturally I tested the excellent DragonFly RED. After going thrugh a few headphones I settled, unsurprisingly, with the 1A again. 
 
The MDR 1000x with the DragonflyRed powered OFF, sounds really bad, cannot compare it with the 1A, even though they have the exact same drivers. But powered ON it sounded extremely similar. Tighter soundstage, but crisper low and high ends, but overall similar in tonality and warmth. However the bass on the 1000X would start clipping and distorting after going 60% volume on the Dragonfly (which is in anyway beyond enjoyable), but the 1As started distorting at 90% (the 1A are really good).
 
Overall the 1A + Dragonfly sounds better, obviously, but by a suprisingly slim margin. I expected much more air to the sound, but no, just a bit more finesse, volume and soundstage. Dynamicly the 1000x is just as flexible powered on plugged into my Xperia XZ than plugged in the Dragonfly, or the 1A plugged in the Dragonfly for that matter.
 
Theres a much bigger difference in 1A + Xpeira XZ vs 1A + Dragonfly, than 1000x + XZ vx 1000X +Dragonfly, as in the 1000x sounds significantly better powered on in my XZ than the 1A, but when connected to the Dragonfly, it doesn't sound that much better, or vs the 1A plugged in the Dragonfly (except of Volume, i'm only talking about quality : dyamics, soundstage, smoothness). 
 
That proved to me one thing: a) I'd rather have the 1000x with their extra features (near high res wireless, touch controls, ANC) than a 1A (or equivalent) headphone with the excellent Dragonfly RED for roughly the same money (at the shop I went to, the 1000x was 20$ Short than the 1A + Dragonfly RED). Of course, If you get a more expensive headphone, like the Oppo PM3 which I tested and are 100$ more expensive than the 1000x, than it would sound much better with the Dragonfly red. But even the Oppo PM3 are not as advantageous, ignoring the ANC, buecause plugged directly in my XZ, for an optimal portable experience, they sounded way more anemic than the Powered on 1000Xs.
 
I must mention that I always use the DSEE HX option (under 24-bit music upscaling) ON on my Xperia XZ. 
 
And all this has to do with the way the XZ are tuned in harmony with the in built AMP (S-Master HX high res digital) and DAC. They are so well calibrated, and this must be valid to some other top ANC current era headphones. And that's why a 1000x with ANC on, and very likely something like the Sennheiser 550PX, etc, sound suprisingly good when plugged in.
 
Remember, 99% of the reviews talking about 1000x's, Q35s and 550PX's quality are judging it from a wireless point of view. I've seen remarkably few 1000x reviews that talk about the sound experienced when plugged in. And cosnidering Sony sells the 1000x with a 1,5 m OFC high quality 70$ cable, it's a bit surprising. Because that's when they shine and walk into premium wired headphone territory, not Wireless. It also ads to the versatility of high end wireless ANC headphones in this category. 

 

[skeevs]

Upgrading from the earlier released Sony MDR-100ABN was the best decision today. There's such a big difference between comfort , sound and gadgetry.
It retains the shape of the 100ABNs but adds a touch of class with metal and faux leather.
All the wind noise coming through the ANC mics are now gone, unless of course you enabled the Ambient noise mode.
In terms of comfort, you still won't have it disappear on your head like a Bose does. It is however still a lot more comfortable wearing this over the 100ABNs. It feels less clampy on the ears and seems to have a better weight / balance distribution. I always had a problem with the 100ABN where if not placed properly, it tends to slide when you move your head up/down. Also doesn't get as warm on your ears as the 100ABN.
ANC optimizer works just as it should. The fact that it comes with DSEE HX means I don't necessarily need to pair it with a Sony audio device to get upscaled audio quality. It is still dependent on the audio source however which from reading articles online, should be a minimum quality of 256kbps.

Touch controls are a tad sensitive as I tend to accidentally skip or pause the audio when just fiddling around.That is so far my only negative feedback.

 

[WilcoRoger]

I've now used the 1000X on a few longhaul flights and on the Tokyo subway/train system - they are good. The charge is good for a 8-9 flight and over.
 
The main selling point of these are the top shelf ANC - I have the QC15 and the M4U2 to compare, the 1000X beats them both in this. I measured the ambient noise level, on the planes and on the subways, the readings were 78-82db - that compares to "alarm clocks" and "power tools" on the app's scale. Now this is taken down to an erie far away hum with the ANC on. IT also means that I can listen to my Sony A25 at 10-11.
 
I find it hard to understand your comment that if you listen loud enough, you don't need ANC.  For starters, it could have a detrimental effect to your hearing.  And second, it negates the actual design of the headphones.  it just seems strange to me to pay a premium for a feature you won't use.
 
Also, not all ANC phones sound better with ANC on. Exhibit A: the M4U2. It sounds best with the built in amp on, but the ANC off. Obviously the QCs sound better with the ANC on, because there is no sound at all without it.

 

 

[aertus]

man this really cements the 1000x as amazing. Anyone else think sony should release a mini version fo the mdrz1r for 300 dollars being a good idea?
 
also, everyone is saying the bose are better in comfort. Im guessing thats the only advantage of it which Im sure they will take care of in their next model. But it seems that its not just sound quality, but also the ANC which is crazy. 
 
I wonder whats the actual advantage of ANC over passive cancellation. And i hear that headphones without ANC generally sound much better than headphones that have ANC. So im wondering when is ANC better than headphones with really good passive isolation.
 
If im traveling on the plane would passive cancellation from headphones not be enough?

 

[WilcoRoger]

  If im traveling on the plane would passive cancellation from headphones not be enough?

 
No, it won't. You can have industrial grade mufflers, that would do the job quite well, but no music

 
If you want to go passive, you'd have to look into noise isolating (vs cancellation) earbuds. I have the Etymotic HF5 with Comply foam tips - now that's bliss! If the 1000X reduces engine roar to a hum, the Ety's will put you in complete isolation - you won't hear the shrieking baby behind you, which all ANC is struggling to cancel. So much so, that I don't dare them using while driving/biking, because I don't hear anything from the environment. This is a good thing on a plane, not so good when a car is roaring down on you. The Etys provide excellent sound, are minimal size and weight and you can easily sleep with them. I consider their nose isolation on par with the best earplugs in general circulation (and which I normally use on overnight longhauls) They are a slight hassle to insert correctly - but once done, you're out of your environment. Of course you'll have to dig them out when the FA asks you if you'd like to have some more champaign

 
I'm telling this with 200+ hrs in the air every year.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I find it hard to understand your comment that if you listen loud enough, you don't need ANC.  For starters, it could have a detrimental effect to your hearing.  And second, it negates the actual design of the headphones.  it just seems strange to me to pay a premium for a feature you won't use.
 

It is my choice how loud I listen. I'm almost 49 and still have pretty good hearing because I'm not stupid. I typically listening for shorter durations. I'm also not one to have music one for hours a day, or hours at a time. I didn't spend money on technology I don't use, if you read my post these headphones were basically free, they cost me $68 Canadian with shipping so I couldn't care less about the technology I may not be using.