[jnak00]

After eyeing these for a while and listening to them several times in-store, I picked up pair yesterday. I updated to the new firmware, but maybe I shouldn't have. They still sound good, but I prefer a little more bass and the update seems to have sucked the bass out a little compared to what I heard in the store. I know I can EQ it but that drops the Bluetooth stream to SBC vs LDAC. I also notice a slight hiss when ANC is on, but not enough to really complain about.

So be warned - the in-store demos might sound different from the ones you buy, especially if you update!

Does anyone know if there's a way to factory reset these back to the original firmware?

 

[falcones]

I’m actually enjoying it’s new signature mor update. Beforei had to tinker too much with EQ to find a good enough balance, now i feel i can listen to it as it is and not feel too annoyed by the muddy bass.

 

[darkwing]

After eyeing these for a while and listening to them several times in-store, I picked up pair yesterday. I updated to the new firmware, but maybe I shouldn't have. They still sound good, but I prefer a little more bass and the update seems to have sucked the bass out a little compared to what I heard in the store. I know I can EQ it but that drops the Bluetooth stream to SBC vs LDAC. I also notice a slight hiss when ANC is on, but not enough to really complain about.

So be warned - the in-store demos might sound different from the ones you buy, especially if you update!

Does anyone know if there's a way to factory reset these back to the original firmware?

are you using your phone? you might want to try the Sonarworks app, there is a bass setting you can adjust without affecting the BT codec

 

[Fabdube]

Using the EQ changes the actual codec ?? It goes from AAC to SBC on iPhone ?
Source ?

 

[frustration101]

Using the EQ changes the actual codec ?? It goes from AAC to SBC on iPhone ?
Source ?

On my iPhone the codec stays AAC if the EQ is used. It does not stay on LDAC on my DAP. So I use the DAP’s EQ.

 

[BobJS]

I’m actually enjoying it’s new signature mor update. Beforei had to tinker too much with EQ to find a good enough balance, now i feel i can listen to it as it is and not feel too annoyed by the muddy bass.

That's interesting. Since I'm happy now, I won't update. But if I reach a point where I feel the bass is overdone (it's been known to happen!) I'll know what to do.

 

[leo253]

So, I actually bought these about 6 weeks ago. I spent $200 shipped to get one pre-owned (but in great condition) from eBay. They took 1-2 weeks to break in, as before that I was getting this pressure/pain on the top/crown of my head, but ever since then, I've been so happy about my purchase. The claim that ANC is worse after the firmware update is pretty interesting - I haven't found that to be the case. I'm going to go to some Targets/Best Buys today to check out their demo models...Seems like a pretty clear-cut way to compare ANC pre/post update, as I highly doubt those models would have received the firmware updates.

 

[Dougeefresh]

I got this a couple of days ago and now I am charging it for the first time. I was not able to listen to music through Bluetooth while charging. Is this how it's meant to be or am I doing something wrong? It wouldn't even turn on when connected to a USB cable. Also, when I connected it to an iMac Pro using the included cable the sound coming out of it was horrible. A lot of static and random pops. Lastly, it seems to take really long to charge. The B&W P7W (better sounding than XM3 but no ANC) I had worked just fine while charging via a USB cable and it charged up much faster than the Sony... Since I listen to these constantly at work these issues are making it a less attractive option...

 

[Graham Baker]

That’s the way this headset is designed - plug in the USB C to charge and nothing works....

Maybe the Sennheiser PXC550 would have been a better choice for your use - they work via BT whilst charging and also work as USB headphones as they charge, no audio cable required (may be better option to listen to audio via imac)
Only downside to the 550’s is the ANC is not quite as good as the Sony’s...
Audio is very close between the two, once you set up the equaliser (Director mode) in the 550’s

 

[Dougeefresh]

One thing that I like is how comfortable it is on my head.

I just found out that automatic off doesn't work. I have it set for 5 mins in the app but it doesn't turn off. What gives?

 

[Graham Baker]

Another stupid design quirk, the auto off only works when there is no BT connection which usually means you have to turn BT off at the phone/tablet first...

 

[Dougeefresh]

Whhaaaa...?  That makes no sense...

 

[Graham Baker]

I suspect these quirks will be fixed in the mk4 version, later this year....

 

[ryanmatic]

Lastly, it seems to take really long to charge.

Don’t use the included USB C to USB A cable. They charge much faster when using a USB C to C cable, connected to a good power brick (eg. one that supports USB Power Delivery). As in, 10 minutes should get you several hours of charge.

Also, when I connected it to an iMac Pro using the included cable the sound coming out of it was horrible.

Make sure they’re powered on when you have an aux cable plugged in; otherwise you get the un-EQ’d sound from the raw drivers, which is pretty awful (as is the case with most ANC headphones). Not sure about the popping noise you mentioned, though. Does that happen with the same cable in other aux sources?

The B&W P7W (better sounding than XM3 but no ANC)

I highly encourage you to play around with a good EQ—with some effort, the XM3 can be made to sound as good as the P7W. (In my humble opinion, with a good EQ profile they actually sound better than the stock P7W signature.)

 

[Dougeefresh]

Thank you for the tips!