[chinmie]

well, i've mistakenly plugged other headphones in the line out multiple times over the years, and it never happened. It actually always sounded quieter than the HP out at the same volume level, for some reason.
If that's the only reason to be weary of it, i don't see a problem with going with the line out, i could even set a lower max volume on the x3ii to be even safer.

there's always a risk of short circuiting the headphones. as long as you don't mind the risk, by all means. but i personally would never recommend plugging anything other than line input level devices to a line out

 

[Coldheart29]

there's always a risk of short circuiting the headphones. as long as you don't mind the risk, by all means. but i personally would never recommend plugging anything other than line input level devices to a line out

Allright, if we're talking about a short circuit risk things are different then, i thought it'was just a volume level concern.
Yeah, if that's the case i'd rather avoid the line out then.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Brave Heart]

OK, thanks to hifi80sman I finally found out the Sony 910N (h.ear on 3) is available in Costco US and Canada for $199 and $250 respectively. Between his glowing impressions and my curiosity how this new middle model would do with a new 25mm driver I bought a pair today.

I have to blunt here. These kick the 1000XM3 square in the @$$ musically speaking assuming have the same gripes I have about the 1000XM3. Ie. That they are to dark sounding, to smoothed out, lacking sparkle and air. If you feel that way about your 1000XM3 or have a oided buying a pair for those reasons. Then run and buy a pair of the 910N as they suffer from ZERO of those issue. I have heard they won't be as good for ANC but if they hit 75-85% of the ANC I will be more than happy with that result.

They are comfortable, and sonically one of the best Sony headphones I have heard in years and the best Sony ANC model I have heard period.

I own the 1000XM3, the old 100ABN and at least 1 other ANC BT Sony product and they best all of them easily. Some aspects that stand out, tonally accurate, great dynamics especially since that is an area most ANC headphone struggle with, and they also have a great sense of air another area ANC struggles with.

I believe Sony deliberately held these back to sell the flagship 1000XM3 but now that they are here I think audiophiles may just have found their best ANC option, certainly their most affordable option.

I've never tried the 910n, but IMO both the 900n and the 700n have better sound than the 1000xm3.

 

[Sonic Defender]

25mm is a very small driver and for bass reproduction it would struggle. At low volumes you might not notice as much. The XM3 can sound brilliant once you trim the bass bloat. Shame that Sony voiced it to be such a muddy mess stock, it is terrible unadjusted, but once corrected very different story. Sony seriously, how could you think that the level of bass stock was anything but bad? Thankfully the driver and enclosure design is quite good so that when adjusted the true potential can shine.

 

[dweaver]

That 25mm drivers is actually pretty darn capable. I own both models and the bass can hit almost as deep as the 1000XM3 it is just not over pronounced all the time like the XM3.

I found even when I EQ the XM3 I can never get the treble to sound right because driver is just not tuned to allow the treble to shine. So I have to crank the treble which then can cause the music to sound staticky when this is all done digitally.

The 910N on the other hand just sound balanced across the board and manages the dynamics very well. There is a thread for the 910N and one of the posters tried the new 710 and he wasn't as impressed with it. I owned the older 700 model a d was likewise not as happy with it as the older H.ear models. So I am probably a bit of a fanboy of that model line. But the 910N really is the pinnacle of the line and I think part of that is due to the new 25mm driver versus rehashing the old 40mm driver over and over again. The new driver really sounds good.

Anyway enough said since this is the 1000XM3 thread.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Any thread is ok to talk about related information in and I appreciate the perspective. There is a relationship between driver size and ability to generate bass so that smaller driver will struggle with reproducing deeper bass and it either rolls it off aggressively or it distorts. If you find it sounds clean that is good. Do you listen to music fairly quietly? What styles of music do you play? I'm still thinking that with bass centric music the 910N won't be able to do much below 60Hz with any amplitude, but I could be wrong. I do find that the treble on the XM3 once liberated from the bass bloat sounds quite competent, even if a little soft. On the plus side it will never be fatiguing and with bright recordings it is quite forgiving.

 

[dweaver]

I listen at low to mid volume levels. Mostly classic rock, jazz, classical, folk, and a bit of everything else including EDM such as Infected Mushroom.

I love a big deep bass and the 910N gets there but just barely so might not be the right headphone if you want more. I would say it is not as deep as the XM3. So it would depend if you find the XM3 to deep i.e. you remove some of the bass in your EQ setting. For I get just enough that songs that really depend on you feeling some of the sub bass to sound right manage to sound good on the 910N for me.

 

[Brave Heart]

That 25mm drivers is actually pretty darn capable. I own both models and the bass can hit almost as deep as the 1000XM3 it is just not over pronounced all the time like the XM3.

I found even when I EQ the XM3 I can never get the treble to sound right because driver is just not tuned to allow the treble to shine. So I have to crank the treble which then can cause the music to sound staticky when this is all done digitally.

The 910N on the other hand just sound balanced across the board and manages the dynamics very well. There is a thread for the 910N and one of the posters tried the new 710 and he wasn't as impressed with it. I owned the older 700 model a d was likewise not as happy with it as the older H.ear models. So I am probably a bit of a fanboy of that model line. But the 910N really is the pinnacle of the line and I think part of that is due to the new 25mm driver versus rehashing the old 40mm driver over and over again. The new driver really sounds good.

Anyway enough said since this is the 1000XM3 thread.

Is it possible to turn the touch controls off on the WH910n? It wasn't possible on the WH900n.

 

[dweaver]

Not sure what you mean? If you disable touch controls how do you control the headphone?

Only function I can change is the noise cancelling button, so guess not. The touch controls are better than my 1000XM3 though easy less fussy.

 

[aredien]

Anyone using viper4android or usb audio player pro for xm3?

I would be very happy if you share the settings

Thank you!

 

[XDT]

Some information for anyone looking at the Dekoni pads (leather/suede). I bought the leather ones first hoping to get more clearance for my ears - they do a much better job than stock but I still felt some soreness after a few hours on the plane. The suede ones seem to have more clearance than the leather and did a good job on a long flight (14hrs). The suede are not as plush and a have more pressure on the side of your head / glasses (hence the better ear clearance), but overall prefer the suede ones.

 

[Luis Mad]

Hi all,
i bought the xm3 last Black Friday. I had a trip in January, 8 flights, more than 30 hours flying. Just for that they were worth it. Anyway, I love them for their excellent noise cancelling, confort and sound. I also bought the dekoni leather pads, not as warm, big advantage in my country.
i have used the xm3 with my iphone, sony nwa-55L (great pair with the xm3) and since recently an A&K SR25. At home in silence, I prefer my Senns HD599, open cans, very different product. I listen mainly to classical music.
With the SR25, I use the xm3 sometimes at home with cable and anc on when I have outside noise, in the morning windows open and mainly traffic noise. While I love the cans for pop or rock, I find the bass overwhelming as has been previously mentioned here, in my case specially for classical music. I have read the whole thread and tried with several suggestions to tame the bass.
The SR25 has an equalizer that has 20 bands from 30 to 18k. I have tried some of the suggestions but I only seem to muddle and worsen the sound. I really have no idea what I’m doing, I have 0 experience with EQ. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Hi all,
i bought the xm3 last Black Friday. I had a trip in January, 8 flights, more than 30 hours flying. Just for that they were worth it. Anyway, I love them for their excellent noise cancelling, confort and sound. I also bought the dekoni leather pads, not as warm, big advantage in my country.
i have used the xm3 with my iphone, sony nwa-55L (great pair with the xm3) and since recently an A&K SR25. At home in silence, I prefer my Senns HD599, open cans, very different product. I listen mainly to classical music.
With the SR25, I use the xm3 sometimes at home with cable and anc on when I have outside noise, in the morning windows open and mainly traffic noise. While I love the cans for pop or rock, I find the bass overwhelming as has been previously mentioned here, in my case specially for classical music. I have read the whole thread and tried with several suggestions to tame the bass.
The SR25 has an equalizer that has 20 bands from 30 to 18k. I have tried some of the suggestions but I only seem to muddle and worsen the sound. I really have no idea what I’m doing, I have 0 experience with EQ. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I think the problem is likely in a range from about 60Hz through to around 125Hz. My equalizer is a FIR type in Onkyo HF Player so I have a scoop out that looks like a deep spoon and it starts at around 30Hz (very little attenuation there) and goes deepest around 90Hz if I remember correctly (about -4dB) and then rises with a tapering cut that ends at as high up as 225Hz. I have liked the effect. You need should try a similar tapering scoop cut and see. It really is a messy lower end response and why I favour a tapering adjustment that moves through the entire region with the greatest effect being around the range 90 through 125Hz where lots of muddy bass can live. Try and see if that can help, but think about the adjustment as a scoop with the deepest part of the scoop around 90Hz. Your preferences and sensitivities may be different than mine so your needs may be different. Good luck.

 

[Luis Mad]

I think the problem is likely in a range from about 60Hz through to around 125Hz. My equalizer is a FIR type in Onkyo HF Player so I have a scoop out that looks like a deep spoon and it starts at around 30Hz (very little attenuation there) and goes deepest around 90Hz if I remember correctly (about -4dB) and then rises with a tapering cut that ends at as high up as 225Hz. I have liked the effect. You need should try a similar tapering scoop cut and see. It really is a messy lower end response and why I favour a tapering adjustment that moves through the entire region with the greatest effect being around the range 90 through 125Hz where lots of muddy bass can live. Try and see if that can help, but think about the adjustment as a scoop with the deepest part of the scoop around 90Hz. Your preferences and sensitivities may be different than mine so your needs may be different. Good luck.

Many thanks Sonic Defender, I have just tried and it is definitely a big improvement and more balanced response to my ears. I have to play a little bit louder but the bass is certainly more to my liking and the music as a whole sounds better to me. I will continue trying but the end result will not be very different to what you proposed.
I’m happy, I‘ll continue digging my xm3!

 

[Sonic Defender]

Many thanks Sonic Defender, I have just tried and it is definitely a big improvement and more balanced response to my ears. I have to play a little bit louder but the bass is certainly more to my liking and the music as a whole sounds better to me. I will continue trying but the end result will not be very different to what you proposed.
I’m happy, I‘ll continue digging my xm3!

Glad to hear it, and truly when you find the right attenuation levels I think that you will hear that the XM3 is actually quite good. I have no idea why Sony cooked the bass to some stupid teenager idea of what bass should be. Thankfully, the driver seems well done as is the enclosure which means once the adjustment is made the driver is liberated from the terrible stock tuning. Seriously Sony, no idea how any company could think that the stock tuning was anything but wretched. I would fire the managers that signed off on that for sure. When I first purchased the XM3 I was ready to send it back to Amazon but decided to try equalization as I loved the comfort and felt that the build, fit and finish was quite good so I wanted to give it a chance. Pretty happy that I did. I hope that you continue to experiment until you find your perfect tuning with the XM3.