[leo253]

So my XM3 is now starting to creak when I spread it apart to put it on my head. Not badly, but annoying enough. The hinges between the earcups are putting pressure on the inner plastic plate causing it to separate a bit form the actual headband, causing the creak, which tells me it's not secure enough. I'll try and find a cheap solution to minimise the creaking and hopefully stop the inner plastic plate to separate too much from the headband.

I was having the same thing, and was even getting creaking when I was walking outside with them (posted about it on this thread). Just letting you know that it has mostly gone away on its own.

 

[leo253]

So, I was in a Microsoft Store yesterday. I will first of all say that my Sony headphones are amazing, and there is no doubt they were worth every penny I spent on them. With that said, sometimes the noise cancelling feels like it's amazing and otherworldly...and other times, it seems just Ok.

I was switching off between the Surface and my Sony's, and honestly, in that loud mall environment, the noise cancelling seemed pretty much the same. I also noticed that the Surface seemed tighter over my ears. The Surface also sounded pretty good, although I would probably still take my Sonys (better bass). This was a relatively short comparison b/w the two headphones, but MS has a nice product there, no doubt better than the Bose.

 

[dubbzy104]

Not sure of a fix for it, but changing the ANC settings sometimes seems to help. In the app, try moving the slider down one notch from full ANC, to “wind noise reduction”. This setting (which works wonders when it’s actually windy outside) seems to be make the ANC a bit more forgiving on busses and shuttles.

TBH though, when this is happening consistently (usually on mostly empty large shuttles, often when any windows are rolled down) I’ll just turn off ANC and wait until I’m outside to re-activate it.

I turned ANC off/down on the bus this morning, and I believe the popping went away. I'm not 100% sure, as it could've just been the road/engine noise were loud enough to block it out. It was still there in Wind Noise Reduction mode (which I also love on windy days), but not as bad. I pulled the left headphone further down and to the back of my ear, and re-ran the ANC optimizer, and I think that helped a lot. The popping was still there, but not as bad. But that could've been because the bus left the freeway and entered city streets...

 

[miguelito]

Firmware v4.1.1 has destroyed ANC. The update came around in Jan 2019, and it has made the two WH-1000xm3 and one WI-1000x ANC much much worse. There is a long list of people complaining about this but Sony has done nothing so far to address the issue.

Is there a way to roll back the firmware to a previous version?

 

[nc8000]

Firmware v4.1.1 has destroyed ANC. The update came around in Jan 2019, and it has made the two WH-1000xm3 and one WI-1000x ANC much much worse. There is a long list of people complaining about this but Sony has done nothing so far to address the issue.

Is there a way to roll back the firmware to a previous version?

I don’t think there is any way to roll back. I’m on 4.1.1 and find the ANC excelent but I have not tried what it was like on earlier FW as I immediately updated to 4.1.1 when I got the XM3

 

[miguelito]

I have owned all versions of this headphone. The WH-1000xm3 version was far and away the best in terms of noise cancelling. It is now worse than the MDR-1000x (version 1 of this headphone). I still own that version and can compare side by side, it is objectively worse.

This is not a fluke of my particular unit: I own two WH-1000xm3 and one WI-1000x - in all cases the ANC was greatly diminished after updating to firmware v4.1.1.

Consider these threads where everyone is raising this issue:

https://us.community.sony.com/s/que...ated-after-firmware-411-update?language=en_US

https://community.sonylatvija.com/t5/portable-audio/wh-1000xm3-issues-after-update-to-4-1-1/m-p/2563348?advanced=false&collapse_discussion=true&filter=location&location=category:en&q=WH-1000xm3 4.1.1&search_type=thread

https://community.sonylatvija.com/t5/portable-audio/wh-1000xm3-firmware-4-1-1-issue/m-p/2585230?advanced=false&collapse_discussion=true&filter=location&location=category:en&q=WH-1000xm3 4.1.1&search_type=thread

https://community.sonylatvija.com/t5/portable-audio/wh-1000xm3-noise-cancelling-performance-ruined-by-v4-1-1-firmware/m-p/2592166?advanced=false&collapse_discussion=true&filter=location&location=category:en&q=WH-1000xm3 4.1.1&search_type=thread

 

[nc8000]

I have owned all versions of this headphone. The mk3 version was far and away the best in terms of noise cancelling. It is now worse than v1 (the MDR-1000x) - I still own that version and can compare side by side. Also, it is not a fluke of my particular unit: I own two mk3 and one WI-1000x - in all cases the ANC was greatly diminished.

Consider this thread: https://us.community.sony.com/s/que...ated-after-firmware-411-update?language=en_US

You can also do a Youtube search and find all sorts of complaints.

With no music playing but anc enabled I can barely hear the sound from the tv in the room my wife is watching and neither can I at all hear the heater fan running in the room so can’t imagine how the anc could be better or more effective

 

[miguelito]

With no music playing but anc enabled I can barely hear the sound from the tv in the room my wife is watching and neither can I at all hear the heater fan running in the room so can’t imagine how the anc could be better or more effective

It was a LOT better. As you said, you upgraded before listening, so you can't tell. I can and I can also compare to v1.

 

[Womaz]

Hi guys looking for some guidance . I hit the 1000XM2 in October and thought it would be for occasional use as I have my andromeda’s for portable use. However I am amazed at how much I use these now. They sound great, they do lack the detail and dynamics on the Andros but they have great bass and punch for music on the go.

They hold their value well so I can sell on eBay and would only have to find £100 or so to upgrade to the XM3. I\

Would this be worth it, is their much of a step up ?

 

[YateEscucho]

Hi all. Let's see if you can help me out.

Yesterday afternoon I tried in a mall WH-1000xm3 Sony and connected to my mobile, a Xiaomi Mi 9 with Android P (9) but I was not able to connect them in LDAC mode, the connection at all times was SBC . In settings of the bluetooth of my phone I put "WH-1000xm3 DEMO" and I do not know if the reason is because in demo mode these headphones only transmit in SBC quality or because my Xiaomi Mi 9 is not compatible with the LDAC codec. I even tried to change the configuration by choosing the LDAC codec from the developer menu but I was still in SBC without being able to do anything to solve it. He also would not let me put them in aptX HD or in any other way.

I need to find out if I can buy them or not. Has anyone had problems with your phone and Android 9 when connecting headphones in LDAC mode?

Another question I have is that I have read comments on the equalization that if activated, you can not use LDAC. Does this happen with all the equalizers of any music player application? or only with the equalization of the Sony app.

Thank you very much to all.

 

[songoftime11]

I'm considering the Sony wm 10000xm3 since a person stole my Bowers & Wilkins PX.
The most scary things are:
- the cracks on the plastic many people have experienced
- the recent firmware which seems to make the anc much worse

Would you suggest me these headphones or you think I should go for something else like another B&W PX or B&O H9i? B&W felt a little bit muddy to me

 

[duppex]

I'm considering the Sony wm 10000xm3 since a person stole my Bowers & Wilkins PX.
The most scary things are:
- the cracks on the plastic many people have experienced
- the recent firmware which seems to make the anc much worse

Would you suggest me these headphones or you think I should go for something else like another B&W PX or B&O H9i? B&W felt a little bit muddy to me

I had the same worries just before purchasing the XM3, around a month ago but I can tell you these Headphones are Great and if you use but don't abuse them, you will not have any build quality problems.

Also here in the UK, John Lewis Warranty covers any Hinge problems. You could also get them from Amazon with extended any Damage 2 years warranty for around an extra £25

I prefer the XM3 much more than my QB35, also Sennheiser Momentum 2.0.

Took me a little while to get used to the Noise Cancellation vacuum feeling, but if you are a Bass head and also like Electronic Music/Sounds, you are going to be very impressed with the XM3.

I did not update the firmware, I already made a post about my reasons also link to a youtube video where a guy does a detailed breakdown on the sound difference of the 2 firmwares and why it's not worth updating.

Extra Volume Tip/Hack - Use with caution (Do Not Damage Your Ears)
I mostly use/Bluetooth my Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Phone with these Headphones and sometimes the volume is not loud enough for my liking. I was looking for a volume booster but must of them did not work or was rubbish.
I ended finding the following App which works great.
Volume Booster GOODEV

 

[Steve999]

I've found the Sony XM3s to be noticably better than the Bose QC35s for noise cancelling, and the Sony's to have less of a vacuum effect at the same time. I feel that the Bose QC35s have better sound quality out of the box, but using the Sony EQ for the Sony headphones it's easy for me to get them to sound about the same as the QC35s for overall sound quality, so it's a pick 'em.

I have noticed that when you turn on many of the firmware / software features of the Sony XM3s you lose the priority on sound quality option and are limited to the priority on stable connection option. If you have third-party EQ on your device (not part of the Sony headphone firmware / software) I think you'd still have the option for the Sony emphasis on sound quality (LDAC, etc.) setting.

On the subway I find the QC35s try to suck my eardrums out whereas the Sony's are not so quick to do this and I can lessen the N/C effect on the Sony's a little (such as with the wind setting) to take the edge off of anything like that. Also, I can use the Sony's on the treadmill and not hear much of the noise from the treadmill--that's really nice.

Thanks everyone for the info on the firmware update for the Sony's. I use them with an IPad rather than an Android device--I wonder if that makes a difference.

Either way I consider both headphones to be premium products, but for me EQ'ing the out of box sound for the Sony's is pretty much a must to get them to be the equal for sound quality of the QC35s, since I have a preference for a little less bass than the Sony's have out of the box.

Hope this helps. I'm waiting for some people to quit arguing in other threads so I was browsing around. Interesting thread and very helpful! Thanks!

 

[TooFrank]

I'm considering the Sony wm 10000xm3 since a person stole my Bowers & Wilkins PX.
The most scary things are:
- the cracks on the plastic many people have experienced
- the recent firmware which seems to make the anc much worse

Would you suggest me these headphones or you think I should go for something else like another B&W PX or B&O H9i? B&W felt a little bit muddy to me

Like previously replies in this thread: for me, these guys are great - also after the firmware update. No vacuum feeling on my ears and you can EQ the sound to your liking. No cracks yet for me...But try them first. WRT the H9i, I think the build quality is superior. I have the H7 too and love them when I don’t need ANC.

 

[Gayron]

I bought these in order to mute my wife's watching her videos on YouTube when we are in the same room and I need to concentrate, and I was appalled to find out that these don't mute voices from her videos almost at all. Is it normal? Also it feels a bit weird in the head with ANC on, like very slight dizziness. So disappointing.