[329161]

Even Sennheiser Orpheus is light bass headphones.

BTW, how will you describe the bass play in a 5" woofer bookshelf speakers and the one play with 12" woofer floorstanding speakers? Balanced and Bloated bass?

It's all relative to how the system portrays the rest of the spectrum. That's the issue with the xm3. The bass is bloated relative to the rest of the spectrum, which makes it sound elevated period.
My main gripe with the xm3 isn't the elevated bass. I quite like an elevated bass when it's done well and separated well from the rest of the spectrum. The HDJ8 does this spectacularly well. The xm3's bass has poor resolution and affects the rest of the spectrum.
Btw, you didn't answer my initial question to you. Do all headphones that sound balanced with modern pop have low bass?

 

[NewForce]

Do all headphones that sound balanced with modern pop have low bass?

If you are talking your sound source are those Bass Head tuned modern pop songs and yet you still hear it balanced with particular headphones, yes the headphones are low bass.

 

[329161]

If you are talking your sound source are those Bass Head tuned modern pop songs and yet you still hear it balanced with particular headphones, yes the headphones are low bass.

As far as objective measurements go, a harmon or neutral bass is fine for all music no matter the period of mastering. The xm3's measure quite a few db above these measurments. You can have your opinion on what bass level you like, but the above statement holds true.
Also going back to your subwoofer analogy, a larger subwoofer is meant to reach further down in thw frequency and not necessarily to provide "more" bass. If properly tuned, any subwoofer should integrate into the rest of the musical spectrum in a balanced way.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Today I've crank the volume to the max, none of those original CD ripped flac tracks bass sounded bloated. So can confirm all the newer pop CD was Bass Head tunes. No wonder so many people who listening to those downloaded pop songs mostly keep complaining XM3 bass are heavy, the fault is actually the downloaded pop songs.

Not my experience sorry, anything with plenty of bass sounds bloated, sometimes so badly that it will be distorted. Try something like Pat Metheny like When we were free from the Album Day Trip. Listen to the bass line which is an acoustic bass. Then listen to it on a pair of headphones known to be neutral. If you can't hear a significant difference I can only say thanks for trying. Cheers.

 

[NewForce]

Not my experience sorry, anything with plenty of bass sounds bloated, sometimes so badly that it will be distorted. Try something like Pat Metheny like When we were free from the Album Day Trip. Listen to the bass line which is an acoustic bass. Then listen to it on a pair of headphones known to be neutral. If you can't hear a significant difference I can only say thanks for trying. Cheers.

Oh I've just review your post, did you ripped When We Were Free from Pat Metheny original Day Trip CD? Or which website you've downloaded it from? Asking you this as I want to do an apple to apple comparison, if I can. You know sometimes there's a difference with different source, even remaster CD sounded differently

 

[dubbzy104]

I recently bought a pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX, and these Sony XM3's. I utilized these forums a bunch, so thank you all very much! If people want, I can do a more detailed comparison to help me make my final decision (although my opinion really isn't worth much). I have only used the XM3s for a couple of days, mostly while riding on the bus or walking around downtown. I have a couple of questions/concerns about them:

1. Whenever the bus goes over a pothole or bump in the road, it sounds like thunder going off in the headphones. Like a very low boom. This is with noise cancellation turn on all the way. Does anyone else experience this, or is there a way to stop it? It's not super loud, but it is definitely annoying.

2. Is there a way to turn off noise cancellation or ambient sound control? Even with the ambient sound control at it's lowest setting, it feels like the headphones are re-creating the outside sounds, instead of just not actively blocking them. I usually make phone calls when I'm walking around, and it is weird to hear both the regular sounds around me (muffled from the passive noise cancellation of the earpads) and the "dubbing" from the headphones recreating the sound. I also notice that when I talk, with any level of noise/ambient cancellation, my voice echos in the headphones. Is that a feature, or a bug? Is there a way to turn it off?

I really want to choose these over the PX for a variety of factors that people have already mentioned (comfort, better noise cancellation, better case, etc). But the issues mentioned above (and the fact that the headphones don't auto turn off unless I disconnect bluetooth from my phone) are pretty big to me.

 

[Womaz]

I recently bought a pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX, and these Sony XM3's. I utilized these forums a bunch, so thank you all very much! If people want, I can do a more detailed comparison to help me make my final decision (although my opinion really isn't worth much). I have only used the XM3s for a couple of days, mostly while riding on the bus or walking around downtown. I have a couple of questions/concerns about them:

1. Whenever the bus goes over a pothole or bump in the road, it sounds like thunder going off in the headphones. Like a very low boom. This is with noise cancellation turn on all the way. Does anyone else experience this, or is there a way to stop it? It's not super loud, but it is definitely annoying.

2. Is there a way to turn off noise cancellation or ambient sound control? Even with the ambient sound control at it's lowest setting, it feels like the headphones are re-creating the outside sounds, instead of just not actively blocking them. I usually make phone calls when I'm walking around, and it is weird to hear both the regular sounds around me (muffled from the passive noise cancellation of the earpads) and the "dubbing" from the headphones recreating the sound. I also notice that when I talk, with any level of noise/ambient cancellation, my voice echos in the headphones. Is that a feature, or a bug? Is there a way to turn it off?

I really want to choose these over the PX for a variety of factors that people have already mentioned (comfort, better noise cancellation, better case, etc). But the issues mentioned above (and the fact that the headphones don't auto turn off unless I disconnect bluetooth from my phone) are pretty big to me.

You can turn both the NC and the Ambient sound control by using the Sony Headphone app on whatever device you are using

 

[dubbzy104]

You can turn both the NC and the Ambient sound control by using the Sony Headphone app on whatever device you are using

Ah, I see it now. Thank you!. It was "hidden" under the adaptive sound control setting. I'll try this and hopefully my situation changes. That being said, the recipients of my calls say that the microphone on these is better than the one on the PX, at least walking around a crowded city

 

[hifi80sman]

Ah, I see it now. Thank you!. It was "hidden" under the adaptive sound control setting. I'll try this and hopefully my situation changes. That being said, the recipients of my calls say that the microphone on these is better than the one on the PX, at least walking around a crowded city

What do you think in terms of sound comparison between the two (ANC off on the PX)? The passive isolation of the PX is very good, so in a typical office setting, I do not turn on ANC, which does affect the sound on the PX (sadly).

 

[robodelfy]

I recently bought a pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX, and these Sony XM3's. I utilized these forums a bunch, so thank you all very much! If people want, I can do a more detailed comparison to help me make my final decision (although my opinion really isn't worth much). I have only used the XM3s for a couple of days, mostly while riding on the bus or walking around downtown. I have a couple of questions/concerns about them:

1. Whenever the bus goes over a pothole or bump in the road, it sounds like thunder going off in the headphones. Like a very low boom. This is with noise cancellation turn on all the way. Does anyone else experience this, or is there a way to stop it? It's not super loud, but it is definitely annoying.

2. Is there a way to turn off noise cancellation or ambient sound control? Even with the ambient sound control at it's lowest setting, it feels like the headphones are re-creating the outside sounds, instead of just not actively blocking them. I usually make phone calls when I'm walking around, and it is weird to hear both the regular sounds around me (muffled from the passive noise cancellation of the earpads) and the "dubbing" from the headphones recreating the sound. I also notice that when I talk, with any level of noise/ambient cancellation, my voice echos in the headphones. Is that a feature, or a bug? Is there a way to turn it off?

I really want to choose these over the PX for a variety of factors that people have already mentioned (comfort, better noise cancellation, better case, etc). But the issues mentioned above (and the fact that the headphones don't auto turn off unless I disconnect bluetooth from my phone) are pretty big to me.

Hi

I bought a pair recently and had a popping noise in the left ear whenever I moved or touched the ear cup. It wasn't loud, but I'd describe it as a popping/clicking, not like thunder. It has been reported by variou others on reddit. It seems that the first batch of these headphones has various problems like this and ones with the microphone. I send mine back and I'm waiting for them to be back in stock to try again! It doesnt fill me with hope regardingh their quality control, but I will only buy from a good shop with a 2 year warranty, so its not a huge problem, good luck

 

[dubbzy104]

What do you think in terms of sound comparison between the two (ANC off on the PX)? The passive isolation of the PX is very good, so in a typical office setting, I do not turn on ANC, which does affect the sound on the PX (sadly).

I'm certainly not an "audio expert" or anything, so apologies if I'm not super descriptive, or use wrong terminology. I agree that the PX's passive cancellation is great; I use "office" while on the bus, and I only hear a minor hum of the engine. As for sound quality, I have to agree with what has already been said in this thread and the PX one: the XM3s are more bass-heavy, while the PX produce a flatter "curve". In my opinion, the PXs have a better soundstage, and I feel "surrounded" by the music, whereas the XM3s feel like a driver on my left ear and one on the right (if that makes sense). I'm mostly using spotify, or the Relisten app for live shows (with FLAC audio files, but I don't know if/what Relisten is re-encoding them) from an iPhone 7, so AAC. I haven't tried playing straight FLAC files over cable. Once I burned in the PXs, they sound phenomenal, but its hard to keep the perfect seal required (I chew a lot of gum, or moving my head to do chores). I felt like I constantly needed to re-adjust them just to be safe, or maybe it's from being uncomfortable. I barely notice the XM3s when I wear them, but I do worry that they bleed out a lot of sound. I wish there was an easier way to adjust the bass (since the app equalizer only goes to 400Hz, and who knows what exactly clearbass changes). That being said, the extra bass isn't too bad or overpowering, and it is kind of growing on me. Maybe that's just because I'm used to the PX's sound. I think the XM3s sound "better" just because I can fully block out everything around me, but when listening at home I prefer the PX. It certainly isn't easy picking between the two. For me, it definitely will come down to the non-audio features

As for the booming noise I'm hearing, it's definitely not a "pop", and it doesn't happen when I touch the cup. I was worried about the popping noise and microphone, but I must have lucked out in the headphone lottery

 

[hifi80sman]

Hi

I bought a pair recently and had a popping noise in the left ear whenever I moved or touched the ear cup. It wasn't loud, but I'd describe it as a popping/clicking, not like thunder. It has been reported by variou others on reddit. It seems that the first batch of these headphones has various problems like this and ones with the microphone. I send mine back and I'm waiting for them to be back in stock to try again! It doesnt fill me with hope regardingh their quality control, but I will only buy from a good shop with a 2 year warranty, so its not a huge problem, good luck

Sounds like driver flex from air pressure. Anyone have this issue with the 2nd batch that just came out? Not a fan of driver flex, especially when it's just from one side. If it's going to be there, it's gotta be equal on both sides, dagnabit!

 

[robodelfy]

I

Sounds like driver flex from air pressure. Anyone have this issue with the 2nd batch that just came out? Not a fan of driver flex, especially when it's just from one side. If it's going to be there, it's gotta be equal on both sides, dagnabit!

I didn't know it was called that.

I've read many people complaining about it. It seems like a defect as others say they down have it, and the ones in the shop I tried didn't. You would think for their top end ANC headphones they wouldn't have these kinds fo quality issues. Its not exactly a subtle problem

 

[rkw]

Ah, I see it now. Thank you!. It was "hidden" under the adaptive sound control setting.

Or press the button on the left earcup above the power button. It cycles the headphone between the 3 modes:
ambient — NC off — NC on

 

[dubbzy104]

So it turns out that it wasn't the headphones. I turned off ANC and everything was fine. It was only when I made the call (using Whatsapp, if that matters), that the echoing starts, regardless if ANC is off or on. I guess I'll have to troubleshoot to see if it's an issue with the app, phone, or headphones. Thanks everyone for your help!