Hands on: Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Headphones review

At IFA 2018 Sony unveiled its new WH-1000XM3 noise-canceling headphones, the follow-up to the award-winning Sony WH-1000XM2.

According to Sony, the headphones are at least four times better than the M2 when it comes to noise-canceling performance.

Considering the M2 are one of our favorite pairs of noise-canceling headphones to date, and received a 5-star review when we first tried them out, we were glad to be on the showfloor at IFA 2018 to get a first-hand look at the new over-ears to see if they live up to the M2’s high standards.

According to Sony, the WH-1000XM3 headphones price will be approximately $349.99/£300 and the release date will start in September.

Performance

These headphones have a newly developed HD Noise Canceling Processor Q1 baked-in. Not only is this meant to deliver four times the performance of the M2’s processor when it comes to blocking out ambient sounds, it also offers a number of key differences to your listening experience.

For starters, the processor isn’t just built to negate transport noises, which was the M2’s USP, it’s also capable of canceling out all background noises, particularly traffic sounds and human voices.

This was really evident on the busy showfloor at IFA. In fact, the level of noise cancellation was so impressive that at times it even felt eerie being surrounded by so many people, but feeling completely transported somewhere else.

When it comes to noise-canceling smarts, there are three different settings to choose from, all of which you can click through with the button on the back of the left cup.

The first option keeps ambient sound on, which is good for if you’re walking around and need to be alert. The second turns ambient sound off, but we found we could still hear louder announcements, so that would be great for commuting. 

The final setting was full noise cancellation and we doubt anything would get through that.

Importantly, each setting was markedly different. This isn’t just a marketing gimmick, but instead three really handy settings that will have you covered for all situations.

The WH-1000MX3 also now feature dual noise sensor technology. What this means is that two microphones can pick up ambient sounds, which the processor then cancels out.

Despite the noise-canceling technology feeling like a solid improvement, audio quality seemed similar, if not the same, in comparison to the M2. It’s still got great definition, clarity and solid bass.

If the M2 weren’t such an impressive pair of headphones in their own right, that might have been a disappointment, but given they’re so capable, we can’t complain that Sony has delivered great sound yet again.

Design

Like Sony’s previous 1000X models, the M3 has a headband-style, around or over-ear design.

When we tried the headphones we chatted with Sony about the subtle yet significant redesign of the band. We were told that despite the fact the XM2 were popular, some users didn’t like the way the band sat on top of their head.

So, to combat that problem, the XM3 have been designed to be more ergonomical and should sit flush against your head. When we tried the headphones, the fit was comfortable and easily adjustable, which is likely down to both a deeper ear cup and slightly thicker headband cushion.

Apart from a slightly slimmer and lighter frame, the M3 hasn’t had a dramatic redesign, which doesn’t bother us in the slightest.

Early verdict

Athough audio quality remains similar, the WH-1000XM3 headphones are a clear evolution of the M2 headphones, which is great news for those who already considered them one of the best pairs of noise-canceling headphones on the market. 

We’ll need longer with the headphones to decide whether their built-in noise-canceling technology really is four times better performance-wise than the M2 pair, and we’re not sure exactly how we’d measure that, but we’re pretty confident Sony’s estimation will prove to deliver.

The design changes provide a greater level of comfort, which means Sony could well be competing with Bose for the best sound and best fit from a pair of noise-canceling over-ear phones.

It’s worth mentioning there are a few other key features that we’re keen to try, but didn’t get a chance to at IFA, like a Quick Charging function that provides 5 hours of playback after only 10 minutes of charging, as well as voice calls with greater clarity thanks to the introduction of multiple microphones.

https://ift.tt/2MCj4FP Hands on: Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Headphones review