[openbaffle9978]

Doing some comparisons tonight between the XM3, HD650 and Earsonics Velvet...

First impressions of the XM3 is that the fit is very good. When I had tried out the 35 II there was a pain spot on the top of my head. None of that discomfort is there with the HD 650 (my daily driver). The pad of the 650 does a good job not putting pressure on the top of the head.

The XM3 is very good in that regard as well. Very comfortable. I do like the weight of the cans and the ear cups are big enough to not touch my ears.

In my quiet office, I can hear the hiss of the ANC working (to be expected, but should be noted). Pairing with the app was quite easy. The first thing it did was update the firmware, which took about 10 minutes, but was pretty painless.

I am comparing the Sony headphones to the HD650s tonight as well as my current travel headphones, the Earsonics Velvet V1 (clear). I love the way the ES sound, but they don't cancel adequately out the drone of an airplane, nor are they comfortable for a flight > 3 hrs, unfortunately.

 

[davidmthekidd]

Doing some comparisons tonight between the XM3, HD650 and Earsonics Velvet...

First impressions of the XM3 is that the fit is very good. When I had tried out the 35 II there was a pain spot on the top of my head. None of that discomfort is there with the HD 650 (my daily driver). The pad of the 650 does a good job not putting pressure on the top of the head.

The XM3 is very good in that regard as well. Very comfortable. I do like the weight of the cans and the ear cups are big enough to not touch my ears.

In my quiet office, I can hear the hiss of the ANC working (to be expected, but should be noted). Pairing with the app was quite easy. The first thing it did was update the firmware, which took about 10 minutes, but was pretty painless.

I am comparing the Sony headphones to the HD650s tonight as well as my current travel headphones, the Earsonics Velvet V1 (clear). I love the way the ES sound, but they don't cancel adequately out the drone of an airplane, nor are they comfortable for a flight > 3 hrs, unfortunately.

Burn the xm3's for a few hours.

 

[tcellguy]

I already showed the xm3 chart - put it was ignored.
https://www.lesnumeriques.com/casque-audio/sony-wh-1000xm3-p45685/test.html

Better isolation without ANC in the hiher frequencies

That's a cool review. If I'm reading the French correctly in the last figure it looks like the ANC doesn't really contribute to any frequencies above 800 Hz

 

[Hubert481]

Burnin headphones might be a risk
https://www.n-tv.de/technik/Kopfhoerer-in-Flugzeug-explodiert-article19746656.html

Ist funny, that some people hear a hiss when ANC is turned in, some hear nothing.
Do so many people have bad ears - so they hear no anc-hiss and even no voices beside them talking.

At all people who do not hear any hiss, when anc is turned of - please check your ears at the nearest doctor.

 

[scarfacegt]

When im using ANC i can still hear people talking sometimes.But of course,i cant hear what they are saying.I can also hear some other noises.But if i turn the volume up,then it becomes dead silent.But i want to listening to music when i get old to,so i dont play that load.But i think the ANC is good.

 

[openbaffle9978]

re: Why some people can hear the ANC hiss and some cannot: look into age-related hearing loss. As we age, we lose sensitivity in the high frequencies. The self-noise of the XM2 is about 22 dB, I'd have to look at the frequency response, but I suspect most of it is centered around 10-15k. Perceptually to me band-limited high-frequency noise. As soon as the music starts playing, it gets masked.

re: 800 Hz. That seems to be consistent with the measurements of rtings.com and others with these headphones and similar headphone designs like it. 800 Hz or so is where the the ANC runs out of steam and the passive isolation takes over. @Hubert481: Thanks for the review and measurement. Graphs are too smoothed for my taste, but it is a good start -- I'll look forward to when rtings posts their measurements of this.

 

[pan mores]

Here's a nice real-world XM3 review, agree with the author, great overall package!

https://the.me/sonys-new-wh-1000xm3...he-best-overall-audio-experience-you-can-get/

 

[natalieann]

Here's a nice real-world XM3 review, agree with the author, great overall package!

https://the.me/sonys-new-wh-1000xm3...he-best-overall-audio-experience-you-can-get/

While I don’t believe you can compare these to the 1990 accurately, I’m going to purchase the Sony tomorrow to see about the hype

 

[Bytor123]

Just got these today.
I've not used ANC before so don't have anything to compare that aspect of them to. I've only used them at home - I have the washing machine on nearby - I can't hear it. I'll be able to try them on a flight on Wednesday.
I found connecting to the app a bit of a fiddle to start with but eventually got there. I haven't done a lot with it yet - the EQ settings are entertaining enough.
They sound great so far. I have the B&W P7 wireless - to my 'cloth ears' (I'm 54) they sound equally lovely.
Sonys are maybe a bit more comfy, but I've not used them for long.
They look sweet. Very different to the P7's - both are very pleasing to the eye.
I think I'm going to like them!

 

[openbaffle9978]

Looks like rtings.com purchased the WH1000XM3. So that's good news! A couple of impressions about the XM3 after today's listening session:

• They fold the wrong way. Every time I take them off my ears, I want to turn them counter clockwise to make them lay flat, but they fold the other way. It is going to take some time to get used to it.
  
• I've settled on -4 for the bass setting in the app. At 0, they are too bass-lifted.
  
• I'm annoyed by the hissing of the ANC. I need to compare them the QC35 II to see if they hiss less. I should say that I am SUPER sensitive to hiss.
  
• Sound quality is very good. They are not embarrassed by the HD650s. The HD650s are in a different league, but the XM3s are not close behind and on some tracks they are definitely more "fun" sounding.
  
• The latency is real. Video is definitely in front of the dialog when checking streaming video.

Unfortunately, I don't have my next flight until after the 30-day return period is over on my XM3s. But I will get a chance to test them out in some other noisy environments this week.

 

[davidmthekidd]

I made a 10 min video comparing the M2's vs the M3', this is my personal Opinion and experience with these two.

 

[openbaffle9978]

@davidmthekidd -- looking forward to your video. Thanks for posting the two boxes, you really see the differences between the two ear cups on the boxes. The XM3s are much bigger and at a different angle.

 

[dweaver]

I am also a Sony fan so my comments need to weighed with that in mind. I currently own the Sony MDR Z7, WF-700N, WI-1000X, 100ABN and if you appreciate the Sony sound the 1000XM3 is the new king with the WI-1000X being a good runner up especially if you want more portability and a less obvious look. The WF-700N on the other hand is great for sports related activity where you nèed less hassle and sweat resistance.

I will have to spend some time A/B the Z7 versus the 1000XM3 but I do think they sound quality may be close enough that I might decide to sell my Z7''s. I will post my findings later.

Just tried the wired connection today with my S9 and the added detail is apparent. Will be interesting to see how they work with my gaming laptop in wired mode as I find the S9 to be a bit on the warm side sound wise whereas my laptop is more neutral.

 

[davidmthekidd]

I am also a Sony fan so my comments need to weighed with that in mind. I currently own the Sony MDR Z7, WF-700N, WI-1000X, 100ABN and if you appreciate the Sony sound the 1000XM3 is the new king withers WI-1000X being a good runner up especially if you want more portability and a less obvious look. The WF-700N on the other hand is great for sports related activity where you nèed less hassle and sweat resistance.

I will have to spend some time A/B the Z7 versus the 1000XM3 but I do think they sound quality may be close enough that I might decide to sell my Z7''s. I will post my findings later.

Just tried the wired connection today with my S9 and the added detail is apparent. Will be interesting to see how they work with my gaming laptop in wired mode as I find the S9 to be a bit on the warm side sound wise whereas my laptop is more neutral.

I agree with your post, I sold my MDR-Z1R a while back, and I do prefer the portability and sound of the m3s. When wired, they're superb.

 

[openbaffle9978]

Putting together my thoughts on the Sony WH-1000XM3...