[dweaver]

I hear you about using a full size headphones in the winter, great ear muffs .

To bad your in BC and I'm in AB or I could let you try my collection. I suggest hitting Bestbuy and having a listen to the 1000xm3 and if your able to go the Headphone Bar have a listen to the HP70 and Space One. If you sweet talk a Best Rep they might open the AKG and let you have a listen or if your really luck they might have one setup for demo.

 

[dweaver]

If you like AT go to bestbuy and check out the BT version!

 

[Shadowpug]

they don't fall apart on me

The first pair of sonys I got had a creaking issue. Demo unit at best buy didn't even have creaking. Build quality is an issue with this headphone, just look at the reddit Sony page. My personal experience with Sony electronics is you gotta play hot potatoe a few times to get the right one.

 

[hifi80sman]

The first pair of sonys I got had a creaking issue. Demo unit at best buy didn't even have creaking. Build quality is an issue with this headphone, just look at the reddit Sony page. My personal experience with Sony electronics is you gotta play hot potatoe a few times to get the right one.

Depends how picky you are. I think for most of the people on this forum, they will look at nuances far more closely vs. the typical consumer.

Me, for instance, I had to return 2 pairs before I found an XM3 without driver flex issues in the left speaker. They did function as intended, so it likely wouldn't have even been an issue for most people, but for me, it was a constant irritant.

All that said, I do enjoy the headphones and use them for travel. I baby my stuff, so I don't tend to experience build quality issues unless they are truly deficient (vs. merely irritating).

 

[Yreme]

While I'm sure the solution you've offered is a good one, I'm looking for a more complete, all in one headphone, rather than needing to clip a receiver to my shirt and hide a wire while still eq'ing the entire setup.

In addition, part of why I'm looking for over ear headphones is to keep my ears warm in fall, winter, and spring, something my FiiO FH5 Quad Driver Hybrid In-Ears don't do - even though they sound great and I'll be keeping them for summer use.

Given your criteria I would return these to BestBuy and then re-buy them from Amazon so you can return them after actually trying them. They will keep your ears warm, but if you get into sub-zero temperature land you may start experiencing the random Siri/Google Assistant invocations which I found incredibly annoying.

For me, these headphones sounded great, but it’s the ancillary issues that caused me to return them. They’re not the all-in-one wireless headphones I was hoping them to be. You don’t want to be in a situation where you have to convince yourself that they are because you can’t return them.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[Shadowpug]

All that said, I do enjoy the headphones and use them for travel

They are really easy headphones to enjoy for what they do. It sounds like I'm complaining, but I do love them. Started off with the ath ws990bt originally. The anc is just a game changer in loud environment. Being able to listen to music at lower volumes in loud environments is highly satisfying.

 

[NewForce]

To begin, aside from being over-ear and wireless, my main focuses right now are the following, roughly in order from most to least important:

1. Comfort
2. Sound Quality in Wireless Mode
3. Sound Signature (*See Below)
4. Features & ANC Quality
5. Sound Quality in Wired Mode

*As far as sound signature goes, I'm looking for a Light-to-Medium V/U Sound Signature with controlled but elevated, impactful Bass, flat or minimally recessed mid-range, and detailed highs. If I can EQ the Sony WH-1000XM3's to be like this relatively easily, consistently, and reliably - and they don't fall apart on me - they should be fine for my needs. (Can I do this?) For reference, I liked what i heard when I demoed them at Best Buy, but I fully plan to eq them if possible to dial down the bass slightly and maybe clean up the mids/highs.)

Currently - based on the alternatives you've mentioned - I'm most curious about the AKG N700NC and the KEF Space One Wireless as alternatives, especially because the latter is $399 at the Headphone Bar right now. (Though the 330g weight, minimal headband padding, Bluetooth 4.2 w/o LDAC have me wary.)

Not sure whats your music genre type, but as all understanding by now, XM3 having slight bass boost from +2=+4dB at 250Hz toward 20Hz, so if you are listening mostly Hip-Hop or many newer release dance songs, most of them are tuned to Bass-Head grade SQ, so it's going to be trouble using XM3 listening to them.

If you are listening to older released which having more balance SQ recordings, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Jazz, Fushion Jazz, Folks, Classical, Instrumentals play, "Breakin movie era Rap", British New Romantic pop and those older pops like Michael Jackson, Prince, Elton John, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and so on type of musics, XM3 sounded just nice, especially in lower to mid high volume.

I have suggestions as per your main focus.

1. Comfort - XM3 with ANC-On are not pressurize like most thus better comfort. Or course like all others closed type design headphones, better sealed less leakage, XM3 tend to get a bit warm when wearing it at longer timing.
2. Sound Quality in Wireless Mode - XM3 with ANC-On sounded more energy at lower bass, especially with newer Bass-Head tuned Hip-Hop music.
3. Sound Signature (*See Below)
4. Features & ANC Quality - XM3 features rich than many and ANC quality are the best at the moment (which make Bose QC35II ANC sounded sub-par), as oppose to others which comfort and SQ will suffered when ANC kick in.
5. Sound Quality in Wired Mode - Ah... this is where XM3 SQ really rock and shine. XM3 sounded absolutely fantastic when use it in wired mode, way better than wireless mode. I'll rank XM3 SQ at best to worst order below,

• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to High-end DAP, DAC to Discman
• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to DAC to mid-end DAP, smartphones
• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to Discman
• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to smartphones
  
• Active, wireless mode with smartphone and LDAC codec connection
• Passive, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to discman, dap, smartphones
• Passive, wired with XM3 original headphone cable to discman, dap, smartphones

 

[darkwing]

They are really easy headphones to enjoy for what they do. It sounds like I'm complaining, but I do love them. Started off with the ath ws990bt originally. The anc is just a game changer in loud environment. Being able to listen to music at lower volumes in loud environments is highly satisfying.

yup, this is really a set for going out of the house

 

[dweaver]

Grabbed the 1000XM3 today and tried them for a while and their bass is just to much for me. Switched back to the AKG N700NC and it was just more balanced and enjoyable. I actually was surprised how close the ANC was between the AKG and Sony.

Someone mentioned sub zero temperature issues with the 1000XM3 and I too had those issues.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

I hear you about using a full size headphones in the winter, great ear muffs .

To bad your in BC and I'm in AB or I could let you try my collection. I suggest hitting Bestbuy and having a listen to the 1000xm3 and if your able to go the Headphone Bar have a listen to the HP70 and Space One. If you sweet talk a Best Rep they might open the AKG and let you have a listen or if your really luck they might have one setup for demo.

If you like AT go to bestbuy and check out the BT version!

I have tried the XM3's at best buy and that's what made them so tempting to me - but I decided to read through this thread and and a good chunk of what I see is people complaining about the bass, half EQ'ing it and the other half saying EQ'ing doesn't fix it and they're not worth it.

I'll try going by and listening to them again, but in the meantime should I jump on this deal? Would it be a better set for my tastes and needs? (The Headphone bar seems to only offer exchanges which worries me.)

The first pair of sonys I got had a creaking issue. Demo unit at best buy didn't even have creaking. Build quality is an issue with this headphone, just look at the reddit Sony page. My personal experience with Sony electronics is you gotta play hot potatoe a few times to get the right one.

Ugh, I was hoping I wouldn't need to worry about the creaking or cracking issues from the XM2 with these, since the demo was absolutely fine. Would Best Buy even accept creaking as a defect if I wanted to exchange them? They don't accept opened headphone returns.

Depends how picky you are. I think for most of the people on this forum, they will look at nuances far more closely vs. the typical consumer.

Me, for instance, I had to return 2 pairs before I found an XM3 without driver flex issues in the left speaker. They did function as intended, so it likely wouldn't have even been an issue for most people, but for me, it was a constant irritant.

All that said, I do enjoy the headphones and use them for travel. I baby my stuff, so I don't tend to experience build quality issues unless they are truly deficient (vs. merely irritating).

I am pretty OCD and picky when I spend this kind of money on anything - be it driver flex, creaking, dead pixels, scuff marks, you name it - if I'm spending this much I want them to be perfect.

That said, if I got a perfect pair and kept them, then I'd baby them and keep them in the case when not in use.

Given your criteria I would return these to BestBuy and then re-buy them from Amazon so you can return them after actually trying them. They will keep your ears warm, but if you get into sub-zero temperature land you may start experiencing the random Siri/Google Assistant invocations which I found incredibly annoying.

For me, these headphones sounded great, but it’s the ancillary issues that caused me to return them. They’re not the all-in-one wireless headphones I was hoping them to be. You don’t want to be in a situation where you have to convince yourself that they are because you can’t return them.

Just my 2 cents!

I can try the demo at the best buy and decide from that, right? It seems to pair fine with my phone, and with the headphone connect app I hope I can EQ the bass down and see what works best for me, no?

I fail to see how buying and returning to Amazon would be any easier, since I'd have to pay for postage if I return them and wait for them to arrive. I also hadn't heard about the cold weather issue - which, if consistent, would make all sound quality discussions pointless. Is it that widespread and common?

All that said, I do understand what you mean by convincing yourself, and I will be sure to take a step back and consider any alternatives that may fit my use cases better. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Not sure whats your music genre type, but as all understanding by now, XM3 having slight bass boost from +2=+4dB at 250Hz toward 20Hz, so if you are listening mostly Hip-Hop or many newer release dance songs, most of them are tuned to Bass-Head grade SQ, so it's going to be trouble using XM3 listening to them.

If you are listening to older released which having more balance SQ recordings, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Jazz, Fushion Jazz, Folks, Classical, Instrumentals play, "Breakin movie era Rap", British New Romantic pop and those older pops like Michael Jackson, Prince, Elton John, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and so on type of musics, XM3 sounded just nice, especially in lower to mid high volume.

You can see my a general rundown of my genres in my profile info, but it has changed somewhat to be more alternative, rock, jazz, and funk now.

I have suggestions as per your main focus.

1. Comfort - XM3 with ANC-On are not pressurize like most thus better comfort. Or course like all others closed type design headphones, better sealed less leakage, XM3 tend to get a bit warm when wearing it at longer timing.
2. Sound Quality in Wireless Mode - XM3 with ANC-On sounded more energy at lower bass, especially with newer Bass-Head tuned Hip-Hop music.
3. Sound Signature (*See Below)
4. Features & ANC Quality - XM3 features rich than many and ANC quality are the best at the moment (which make Bose QC35II ANC sounded sub-par), as oppose to others which comfort and SQ will suffered when ANC kick in.
5. Sound Quality in Wired Mode - Ah... this is where XM3 SQ really rock and shine. XM3 sounded absolutely fantastic when use it in wired mode, way better than wireless mode. I'll rank XM3 SQ at best to worst order below,

• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to High-end DAP, DAC to Discman
• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to DAC to mid-end DAP, smartphones
• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to Discman
• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to smartphones
  
• Active, wireless mode with smartphone and LDAC codec connection
• Passive, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to discman, dap, smartphones
• Passive, wired with XM3 original headphone cable to discman, dap, smartphones

So actively, they sound worst in the mode (wireless LDAC) that I plan to use them in. That's not great...

Grabbed the 1000XM3 today and tried them for a while and their bass is just to much for me. Switched back to the AKG N700NC and it was just more balanced and enjoyable. I actually was surprised how close the ANC was between the AKG and Sony.

Someone mentioned sub zero temperature issues with the 1000XM3 and I too had those issues.

Yikes, it's begining to look like I really shouldn't keep these...

Would the KEF Space One Wireless be my best alternative, or is there another premium-ish wireless over ear set aside from Bose that I'm missing? (Wish the BW PX's had better active sound quality and MUCH better comfort - this would be so much easier.)

 

[NewForce]

Not sure whats your music genre type, but as all understanding by now, XM3 having slight bass boost from +2=+4dB at 250Hz toward 20Hz, so if you are listening mostly Hip-Hop or many newer release dance songs, most of them are tuned to Bass-Head grade SQ, so it's going to be trouble using XM3 listening to them.

If you are listening to older released which having more balance SQ recordings, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Jazz, Fushion Jazz, Folks, Classical, Instrumentals play, "Breakin movie era Rap", British New Romantic pop and those older pops like Michael Jackson, Prince, Elton John, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and so on type of musics, XM3 sounded just nice, especially in lower to mid high volume.

I have suggestions as per your main focus.

1. Comfort - XM3 with ANC-On are not pressurize like most thus better comfort. Or course like all others closed type design headphones, better sealed less leakage, XM3 tend to get a bit warm when wearing it at longer timing.
2. Sound Quality in Wireless Mode - XM3 with ANC-On sounded more energy at lower bass, especially with newer Bass-Head tuned Hip-Hop music.
3. Sound Signature (*See Below)
4. Features & ANC Quality - XM3 features rich than many and ANC quality are the best at the moment (which make Bose QC35II ANC sounded sub-par), as oppose to others which comfort and SQ will suffered when ANC kick in.
5. Sound Quality in Wired Mode - Ah... this is where XM3 SQ really rock and shine. XM3 sounded absolutely fantastic when use it in wired mode, way better than wireless mode. I'll rank XM3 SQ at best to worst order below,

• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to High-end DAP, DAC to Discman
• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to DAC to mid-end DAP, smartphones
• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to Discman
• Active, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to smartphones
  
• Active, wireless mode with smartphone and LDAC codec connection
• Passive, wired with good silver coated headphone cable to discman, dap, smartphones
• Passive, wired with XM3 original headphone cable to discman, dap, smartphones

Oops.. I've forgotten to say, XM3 in wired mode sound balance, much better treble clarity, more airiness and wider soundstage

 

[Yreme]

I fail to see how buying and returning to Amazon would be any easier, since I'd have to pay for postage if I return them and wait for them to arrive. I also hadn't heard about the cold weather issue - which, if consistent, would make all sound quality discussions pointless. Is it that widespread and common?

As you already pointed out, once you open them from BestBuy you can’t return them. You’re already waiting for people on here to give you enough information in doing research to make a decision before opening the cans. Why not return them and wait a little bit longer to get them from Amazon? That way you can try for yourself. Paying for postage is going to be far cheaper than having to take a loss on selling them if it doesn’t work out. I’m surprised BestBuy charges you for return postage. I’ve never had to pay anything to return a package to Amazon.

As for the temperature issue, there have been a number of people on this thread reporting issues with the touch controls in cold weather. I probably wouldn’t have put much stock in it myself if I hadn’t experienced it first hand. Maybe it’s a certain batch of them that has this problem, or maybe it’s wide-spread, I don’t know. You’ll have to do some reading but if you scroll back a number of pages you’ll see the comments (I only know because I went back to the beginning and read every post, and have been following every post since).

Good luck!

 

[Pro-Jules]

Only connecting to one device (Sony 1000xm3) is a problem for me.

Bose headphones (and the ES100 I am pushing Above) can connect to laptop AND phone without the need to un-pair and re-pair. This makes it good for us mobile office / coffee shop warrior types. (Take phone calls on mobile and Skype or Slack calls on laptop.)

But I am down on Bose Bluetooth models. They still use the old school Bluetooth codecs. This is poor. I hope at CES or sometime early this year they will announce AptX HD capability. They cost so much they should at least be able to receive audio at CD quality. LDAC would be better - or perhaps some new hi res BT5 codec that transmits 96k 24 bit will emerge. The situation is really not helped with every new iPhone being a big disappointment for hi res audio fans.

The LG V30 running the latest Android does hi res and even detects the impedance of wired headphones plugged into it and adjusts it's power amp stage accordingly to match it.

 

[Pro-Jules]

a good chunk of what I see is people complaining about the bass, half EQ'ing it and the other half saying EQ'ing doesn't fix it and they're not worth it.

I can try the demo at the best buy and decide from that, right? It seems to pair fine with my phone, and with the headphone connect app I hope I can EQ the bass down and see what works best for me, no?

I can try the demo at the best buy and decide from that, right? It seems to pair fine with my phone, and with the headphone connect app I hope I can EQ the bass down and see what works best for me, no?

The companion app eq is a bit weird to use. So I tried another.

Here are some eq curves I made to make the M3's "workable" (before I sent them back)

That is a LOT of corrective eq!

 

[Sonic Defender]

Yes, the equalizing is something that ideally we would not have to do, but really it is not particularly difficult or time consuming to accomplish. Everyone here knows that after the EQ correction I am a huge fan of the xM3, and I remain that way still. It is the combination of very good sound quality (post equalization) and comfort that made me keep the xM3. I would prefer to not use any equalizing ever, but I have found that with virtually every headphone that I have owned some degree of adjustment was required for my tastes so from my perspective it isn't per say a mark of discredit that the xM3 requires the adjustment. I will say, however, that the amount of the adjustment to get the tuning to suit my tastes was more than I typically have had to do, but again I really don't see it as a big deal.