Had these for almost a month now and here’s what I think: BUILD QUALITY: both sturdy and flexible; feels premium as you would expect from Sony. 10/10. SOUND QUALITY: these are no joke. Highs, mids, and lows are all well balanced. Hip-hop will be very slightly on the bass side but it’s not over powering.10/10. ACTIVE NOISE CANCELING: best ANC I’ve ever experienced hands down.10/10. DESIGN: they are comfortable, convenient, and they look great. Comes with a hard case and a lot of accessories. 10/10. PRICE: it’s a steep price sure, but it’s worth it. $349.99 full price and $299.99 when they’re on sale. You get what you pay for though. Sony did a phenomenal job with this product. 10/10. If you can afford these, get them. You won’t regret it!

I went into the store determined to buy the sky blue beats that were on sale, but I’ve always loved Sony products and was really interested in their options. I spoke to a couple of staff members in the area who were very helpful, before choosing these. It was the week of thanksgiving, so both were on sale. The beats display doesn’t really work for comparison and is extremely frustrating when trying to put on the headphones. I had to contort around the display and barely had enough slack to put them on my head (not enough slack to accommodate someone 5’6” - please figure out a better setup). They were actually too big for my head and wouldn’t stay on at all. The Sony display was easy to access and provided a better experience for trying them on - the band had a slightly oval shape (which fit my head perfectly). Very comfortable on and impressive sound. Most impressive is the noise-canceling feature. It’s so effective, that I can sit in silence beside my three Great Danes while they bark their little heads off. I’m prone to severe headaches and don’t do well with in-ear styles - and don’t like anything on my head, especially around my temples. These are soft and well-padded and have been comfortable to wear for a few hours at a time. They’re pretty secure on and have made my yard work and exercise more enjoyable. I’ll definitely appreciate them on my next flight. Excellent carrying case design and long battery life. Wish there were other color options, but these are perfect for my needs and have a great sound. I haven’t even used all the built-in features and am completely satisfied. Highly recommend!

==== Summmary ==== Sony has hit it out of the park again with the new 1000XM3 ANC headphones. The new design is sturdier, more comfortable, better looking, and most importantly, the sound quality is fantastic~! With new hardware and software, the already great Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology has gotten even better compared to last year's model as well as the competition. Home run from Sony~! **Pros: -Superb sound quality. -Fantastic ANC performance. -Comfortable & durable design. -Lighter than the previous model (0.56 lbs/254 grams). -Touch-gesture volume and track controls work very well. -30-hour battery life. -Quick-charging technology. -USB Type C charging port is more future-proof & easier to plug in. -Useful Sony hardware & software optimizations (Atmospheric Pressure Optimizing, Personal NC Optimizer). -Google Assistant. **Cons: -None ==== Design & Comfort ==== Being an owner of the great Sony 1000XM2, I appreciate and approve the design changes made to the new 1000XM3. The plastic parts of the headphones feel softer and more premium to the touch. The leather padding with urethane foam inside the earbuds and the headrest are better cushioned, softer, and more comfortable. The fantastic touch-gesture controls are back and they're just as easy to use and work very well (e.g., volume & track control, Quick Attention mode). The new color scheme is nice too with bronze accents mixed in with the black. The headphones look sleek and modern. A very welcome addition is the inclusion of the newer and more future-proof USB Type C charging port (Yes~!!). No more fumbling around with which direction to plug in the charging cable and the headphone works with other USB Type C chargers from other modern hardware such as smartphones. 10 out of 10~!! ==== Controls ==== The buttons are located at easy to reach places and work well. On the left earbud is the Power Button and the NC/Google Assistant Button. Also on the left earmuff is the NFC module which allows for quick pairing to your smartphone. If you don't want to use NFC to make the pairing connection, you can initiate Bluetooth pairing by pressing and holding down on the Power Button then selecting the 1000XM3 on your PC's or smartphone's Bluetooth setting page. Pressing the NC Button toggles between three modes - Ambient Sound (default level 20 with Focus on Voice set to Off), Ambient Sound Off, and Noise Cancellation. The Ambient Sound mode can be adjusted between Level 1 to Level 20 inside the Sony Headphone app. The higher you go on the scale between 1 to 20, the more ambient sound around you gets in such as traffic and people sounds. You can also check off on the "Focus on Voice" option to let in voices more easily. For absolute isolation from the outside world, you would choose the "Noise Cancellation" option. If one assigns the NC Button to use Google Assistant instead within the Sony app, then pressing the NC Button triggers Google Assistant who will then speak aloud notifications and tell you the time. In addition, you can hold down the Google Assistant button, speak a command, let go of the button, and the Google Assistant will respond to your query or command. My FAVORITE control feature of the 1000XM3, however, is the touch-gesture controls located on the right earmuff. Swipe Up or Down for volume control, swipe Back or Forward for track control, Double-Tap to pause & resume music, and cup the earmuff with the palm of your hand to allow ambient noise to come through so you can hear and talk to people. Sony continues its excellent ergonomic design with the 1000XM3. Another 10 out of 10. ==== Sound Quality ==== The Sony 1000XM3 sounds good - really good. It plays all types of audio excellently - hip-hop, pop, alternative, rock, vocals, instrumentals, bass-heavy songs. It is truly a jack of all trades and master of all. Bass is GREAT and it delivers it in a deep, punchy, and visceral manner. Even the low rumbly bass is handled superbly. The headphones also deliver a dynamic and wide soundstage with clear vocal separations, range, spatial distribution and balance. In addition to listening to music, I also used the 1000XM3 when playing games on my PC. Sound quality during gaming was also fantastic. Unlike last year's 1000XM2 which didn't sound that great out-of-the-box until I played around with some settings, the 1000XM3 comes out sounding great from first power-on. I connected the 1000XM3 to my Samsung Galaxy S9+ and adjusted only one setting inside the Sony Headphones app - Noise Cancelling Optimizer. The Noise Cancelling Optimizer configures the 1000XM3 to your head physiology to make audio and noise cancelling more efficient and effective. To be honest, I didn't notice much sound quality difference between the older 1000XM2 and this 1000XM3. But that's not a bad thing as the 1000XM2 was already great and the 1000XM3 just maintains the quality and fidelity. 10 out of 10~! ==== Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) ==== With Sony's new HD Noise Canceling QN1 Processor and multiple microphones, the ANC works very well and consistently. All kinds of sounds were deftly cancelled out by the 1000XM3 - traffic noise, barking dogs, chirping birds, lawn mowers, all conversations inside a coffee shop, and background TV and radio noise. With a 3-year-old around the house who might need my attention at any time, my preferred ANC mode was "Ambient Sound On" at Level 1 with "Focus on Voice" checked off. That way, if my daughter seeked my attention, I could hear and respond to her in a timely fashion. When I'm by myself or in a place where I don't expect to interact with anyone else, I then set the ANC mode to "Noise Cancellation" for maximum isolation from the world. I don't know if the performance of the ANC technology is really 4 times improved compared to the 1000XM2 (per Sony), but I do know that it is better and works very well. As you guessed it, it's another 10 out of 10. ==== Conclusion ==== For the absolute best in sound quality and noise cancellation, I honestly don't think there is any other product on the market that is better than the Sony 1000XM3. Everything is just so well-balanced - sound quality, ANC performance, battery life, ergonomics, comfort, and app customization. Sony has created a tremendously well-executed and high-performing product.

The Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless noise canceling headphones are the most incredible headphones I have ever used! Not only are they supremely comfortable to wear, but the sound quality and active noise canceling are far superior to any other premium headsets that I have used. Sound Quality: Sound quality is a critical aspect for headphones, and fortunately they do not disappoint. The sound is very detailed and full range. If you have been using lesser headphones, you will really hear what you have been missing. The bass is tight and defined which is perfect for my tastes, because I don’t like bass that is bloated and muddy The active noise cancellation is phenomenal! When activated it seems like the whole outside world is turned off and that I was in a perfect bubble of silence. I really like that the noise cancellation effect is adjustable so that you can chose to not use it, or partially use it depending on your circumstances. This is a very nice touch because there may be times when you can’t be sonically cut off from the outside world. Another important feature is that it is compatible with high bit rate Bluetooth versions such as aptX HD and AAC. This is important because these standards provide a signal that will sound better because it is less compressed than the previous Bluetooth standard. Design and Comfort It is immediately apparent that these headphones are designed with an emphasis on visual appeal. They are a pleasure to hold and wear, with an attention to detail that showcases the premium design. This is without a doubt the most comfortable headset that I have ever worn. It is so comfortable and lightweight that you can even forget you are even wearing it. So not only do they feel good on your head, but you will love how you look wearing them. I especially like the hard carrying case which is an included accessory. It matches the build quality of the headphones, which will be well protected will traveling. Usage and Controls The right ear pad is a cleverly designed touch pad that allows you to control the headphones intuitively without even looking. It makes raising/lowering the volume, skipping forward/back, answering/ending calls, as simple as flicking a finger. You can also temporarily deactivate the noise canceling by holding your hand on the control panel, so you don’t have to take the headphones completely off to hear something. When you remove your hand the noise cancellation reengages. This is an amazing feature that I will be using frequently. These headphones use a USB Type C connector for charging. USB C is the most recent USB standard, and it is the second device that I have owned that uses it. It is the latest USB standard and it is superior to the older version due to improved charging time and data transfer capability. In fact, a quick 10 minute charge can power these headphones for an incredible 5 hours. Verdict If it were possible to give these outstanding headphones more than 5 stars I would. Yes, the price is high, but they are certainly worth it. If you want the best noise canceling wireless headphones on the market, then the Sony WH-1000XM3 are the ones to get. Once you use them, it will be very hard to use anything else. In fact, my wife loves them so much I am going to get another pair so we each have our own.

I did quite a bit of research before making this purchase, and after seeing such great reviews for the previous model (last years), I went ahead and took a blind leap expecting Sony to move things in the right direction. Not only do these sound better than my Bose Quiet Comforts, they also rival them in comfort, and ALSO cancel out sound better. The app lets you personalize your music depending on what genre you’re listening to, and is phenomenal with the amount of customization added for ambient sound and noise canceling. If you’re a frequent traveler, or a music audiophile, I think these are the headphones for you. $349.99 is a hefty price, but I don’t regret the decision a single bit. The ability to cup the right side of the headphones and have the music dimmed to bear silence, is such a great feature... I can’t believe how many times it’s came in handy. ***Also, I was super hesitant on buying the gray pair... wanted the black and settled after they were back ordered on their release date. The off-white color is awesome! Way better than I was expecting.