[duaned]

So Sony knock it out of the park yet again by releasing another over-ear headphone with lousy treble response!

 

[openbaffle9978]

It's regrettable that the equalizer's lowest octave band center is 400 Hz. After listening these for another day, they are way too bass heavy. I'd like to knock 5 dB off at 63 Hz and 125 Hz. Best I can do is turn the clear bass setting down to -5, I'd like to shelve the whole LF response down.

These also don't pass the "interstellar" test. Torture test for headphones begins at about 41:30 into the movie during the launch scene. The XM3s crap out and during the organ and launch. To be fair my HD650s also fail these. My IEMs, the Earsonics Velvets pass with flying colors.

Things I am listening for:

• Reproduction of organ.
• Breakup of rocket engine sounds as it takes off.
• Holdup of the whole auditory scene.

ETA: it's a little better with the "clear bass" setting on -5.

 

[hallucynogenyc]

I bought these a week ago and have been restraining myself from commenting on the audio to see if the can grow on me. So far, it hasn't happened. I already wrote a quite critical review on Amazon mainly about the software/firmware being terrible, but I'm now on the verge of returning them. They are way too bass heavy and while it's true that changing the clear bass setting to -4/-5 makes it better, it's still not as good as the now almost falling apart QC25s I was trying to replace and on top of that, you have to give up LDAC for it. So I end up with a frustrating experience, mediocre sound that feels like it's trying to mimic Beats and SBC Bluetooth for £330.

Should I just wait for the QC45s? I'm going to give these another week and make a decision

Edit: I should also add, the headband is too loose and I constantly have to readjust it. I thought too this would maybe imprive as the issue seems to be the ratcheting is "too smoth" but that's not happening...

 

[Sven2015]

Is the EQ setting transferred to the headphones or is that just a gimmick by the app itself?

 

[Asspirin]

I bought these a week ago and have been restraining myself from commenting on the audio to see if the can grow on me. So far, it hasn't happened. I already wrote a quite critical review on Amazon mainly about the software/firmware being terrible, but I'm now on the verge of returning them. They are way too bass heavy and while it's true that changing the clear bass setting to -4/-5 makes it better, it's still not as good as the now almost falling apart QC25s I was trying to replace and on top of that, you have to give up LDAC for it. So I end up with a frustrating experience, mediocre sound that feels like it's trying to mimic Beats and SBC Bluetooth for £330.

Should I just wait for the QC45s? I'm going to give these another week and make a decision

Edit: I should also add, the headband is too loose and I constantly have to readjust it. I thought too this would maybe imprive as the issue seems to be the ratcheting is "too smoth" but that's not happening...

Tried the Bowers & Wilkins PX?

Can anyone comment on the ambience mode? I'm using my B&W PX at work during night shifts (I work in a laboratory, quite noisy work environment). I must be able to hear the telephone ring and the alarm sound when new blood samples have been delivered. The adjustable pass-through function of the PX works perfectly for that. How do the Sonys compare in this regard?

 

[lifeinabox]

I bought these a week ago and have been restraining myself from commenting on the audio to see if the can grow on me. So far, it hasn't happened. I already wrote a quite critical review on Amazon mainly about the software/firmware being terrible, but I'm now on the verge of returning them. They are way too bass heavy and while it's true that changing the clear bass setting to -4/-5 makes it better, it's still not as good as the now almost falling apart QC25s I was trying to replace and on top of that, you have to give up LDAC for it. So I end up with a frustrating experience, mediocre sound that feels like it's trying to mimic Beats and SBC Bluetooth for £330.

Should I just wait for the QC45s? I'm going to give these another week and make a decision

Edit: I should also add, the headband is too loose and I constantly have to readjust it. I thought too this would maybe imprive as the issue seems to be the ratcheting is "too smoth" but that's not happening...

Sorry to hear the sound isn't for you. Are you getting a good seal with the headband issue? That will impact sound quality as much as anything. I have the opposite issue where the headband is putting pressure at the top of my head just like the PX did for me. Never had that issue with the M1 or M2.

 

[ryanmatic]

Is the EQ setting transferred to the headphones or is that just a gimmick by the app itself?

The headphones remember the EQ setting, even after powering off.

Can anyone comment on the ambience mode? I'm using my B&W PX at work during night shifts (I work in a laboratory, quite noisy work environment). I must be able to hear the telephone ring and the alarm sound when new blood samples have been delivered. The adjustable pass-through function of the PX works perfectly for that. How do the Sonys compare in this regard?

The Sonys have a similar sliding scale for amount of ambient noise they’ll let in, so they should easily match the performance of the PX (though TBH, I haven’t used ambient mode much at all on either).

Sorry to hear the sound isn't for you. Are you getting a good seal with the headband issue? That will impact sound quality as much as anything. I have the opposite issue where the headband is putting pressure at the top of my head just like the PX did for me. Never had that issue with the M1 or M2.

Keeping the headband one or two notches tighter than it needs to be usually helps, with both the XM3 and the PX. I think it shifts a little more of the force to the earcups, vs. the top of the head.

 

[natalieann]

I’m not feeling these at all...going back

 

[Tro95]

I've had my XM3s for a few days now using them to both commute and at work in an office environment. The ANC is generally very impressive, although it's definitely not foolproof. Something that's important to me is the sound/noise leakage, and thankfully I can listen to these at fairly high volumes without my coworkers being able to hear anything, although if you take them off they are quite audible to anyone around you so make sure you pause before taking them off! I find I'm getting mild fatigue from wearing these in noisy environments (such as on the bus/train), but in the office I'm happily wearing these for hours without issue.

 

[SubSTI]

Interested in these for commuting purposes, currently using Sony's MDR-1A for this, which is quite ok with two caveats:
Does anyone know if the cups are bigger and deeper than those of the MDR-1A? These touch my ears slightly.
Is the ear padding real leather indeed, the 'artificial leather' of the MDR-1A gets a bit to warm to my liking.

Is the sound signature a bit comparable to the MDR-1A?
Can you connect and use 2 separate BT devices simultaneously, eg. my XDP-300R for music and my phone for calls.

 

[ryanmatic]

Is the ear padding real leather indeed, the 'artificial leather' of the MDR-1A gets a bit to warm to my liking.

I think the padding is leatherette—it’s soft and comfy but it gets pretty warm, especially when worn in sunlight.

Can you connect and use 2 separate BT devices simultaneously, eg. my XDP-300R for music and my phone for calls.

Not really. You’ll need to disconnect from device A in order to connect to device B. I think someone mentioned that the headphones can maintain two simultaneous connections if the BT profiles are different (eg. phone for calls vs. tablet for music), but I’m not sure if that’s true.

 

[SubSTI]

I think the padding is leatherette—it’s soft and comfy but it gets pretty warm, especially when worn in sunlight.

Thanks, that's a shame.

Not really. You’ll need to disconnect from device A in order to connect to device B. I think someone mentioned that the headphones can maintain two simultaneous connections if the BT profiles are different (eg. phone for calls vs. tablet for music), but I’m not sure if that’s true.

That would be a dealbreaker for me.....really like my XDP-300R with 2x 200GB and spotify for casual playback. Would be great if these 2 BT streams could co-exists next to each other, even my 8 year old Volvo can do this.

 

[ryanmatic]

8 year old Volvo? Why not STi?

Yeah it sucks. I can’t imagine why they would’ve intentionally limited the active connection to a single device at a time.

 

[AaaBaa]

Thanks, that's a shame.

That would be a dealbreaker for me.....really like my XDP-300R with 2x 200GB and spotify for casual playback. Would be great if these 2 BT streams could co-exists next to each other, even my 8 year old Volvo can do this.

You can connect phone audio to your phone, and media audio to your notebook. This is what I am doing as I write (S8 for phone audio, and Dell XPS13 for media).

And it works -- but not perfectly, mind you, i.e. if you're listening to media on the notebook and someone calls on the phone, it won't pause the notebook media for the duration of the phone call.

Lack of multiple device support becomes annoying when you have tablets and other phones connected. No way to switch like the Bose app allows you to.

This is definitely a shortcoming.

 

[SubSTI]

8 year old Volvo? Why not STi?

Yeah it sucks. I can’t imagine why they would’ve intentionally limited the active connection to a single device at a time.

I sold my '06 Hawkeye STI to buy the Volvo, a bit more practical and economical, unfortunately....