Customer Ratings & Reviews

I've used these for several days now in different environment, and purchased for $199 (for the "full price" of $350, the MX3 would be better) I can say for the price I paid, there are no better headphones- * Sony app works well on my Moto G5 Plus and on my wife's Pixel3 * Noise cancelling- excellent! Also like the "opposite feature" in that you can intentionally amply your surrounding, which is great for some situations (DID YOU HEAR ME !! YES WIFE!) The Sony app does let you customize a lot of settings, including the Noise Cancelling (NC) amount in different situations. Also the equalizer function is nice. Now, plugged in as a set of wired headphones..... oh boy. These are great for that purpose. Keep in mind that you can buy better sounding headphones that will be permanently wired, but they will not be noise cancelling. Turning them on, turning on NC, or not using it- does not affect the audio quality. KEEP IN MIND that while used as a wired headset, there is no more Sony app to help you- you're at the mercy of your source! I'm finding myself jamming out more on the work computer and home computer while connected with a wire. In summary- IF YOU CAN GET THESE FOR THE $199 PRICE SOMEHOW DO IT!! However, if you cannot, for $350 I did try on the MX3 in store, and they were more comfortable- with larger earpads.

I like all the options built into this set. Long battery life Great sound. Just what I wanted in a set of headphones.

Let's be real: if you're looking at these headphones, you've also researched the Bose QC35. I've now used both and I've grown to love them each in different ways. Here's my take on the Sony WH-1000XM2 headphones: BUILD QUALITY AND COMFORT (4 Stars): - Sturdy build quality. The black version has a gun metal finish that looks really sleek. The headphones feel substantial and don't squeak or make any noise when you flex them. - The plush padding around the 1000XM2's ear cups is very soft, but it's not as plush as the QC35's ear cups. Furthermore, the QC35's ear cups seem to stay cooler for a longer period of time compared to Sony's. - Compared to the QC35s, the 1000XM2s have smaller ear cups. If you have larger ears, the 1000XM2s may not encase your whole ear and the part of the ear cup might rest on your ear lobe. - This will vary from person to person, but I prefer the feel of the QC35s on my head over the 1000XM2s. The QC35s feel lighter and offer more padding on the headband. But the 1000XM2s are also very comfortable -- just not AS comfortable for me. - Advantage: Bose, but I've used the Sony 1000XM2s for many hours and they never felt uncomfortable or annoying. NOISE CANCELLATION (5 Stars): - The 1000XM2s offer several two of noise cancellation: Normal and Ambient Sound. With Ambient Sound mode switched on, you can choose to allow some external sounds to filter into your music so you're not completely cut off from the world. Likewise, you can also choose to allow only nearby voices to come through. - All modes work perfectly, and it's by far the best noise cancellation I've ever experienced from any headphones. The QC35s are great, but the amount of customization offered by the 1000XM2s brings noise cancellation to a whole new level. - There is a button on the left ear cup that allows you to quickly adjust the noise cancellation settings. - Advantage: Sony, mainly because of the incredible level of customization that is offered. FEATURES AND OPTIONS (5 Stars): - Sony offers an app called Headphones Connect for iOS and Android that offers noise cancellation control, sound position control, equalizer settings, and much more. By comparison, Bose's app doesn't offer nearly as much control. - The 1000XM2s have a feature called Quick Attention, which is probably my favorite part of these headphones. If someone starts talking to you and you want to hear what they're saying without pausing your music or taking the headphones off, you can simply cover the touch pad of the right ear cup. The headphones will automatically lower the volume, reduce noise cancellation, and allow you to hear the voices and sounds around you. I love it and it's great for being able to talk with a flight attendant or seatmate on the plane. - The QC35s use a standard 3-button setup for volume and device control. On the 1000XM2s the entire right ear cup is a touch pad. You swipe up or down for volume control, left or right for track control, double-tap to play or pause, and a long press to activate Siri/Google Assistant. It's extremely intuitive and easy to use. - Battery life on the 1000XM2s is rated at 30 hours, compared to the 20 hours of the QC35s. - Advantage: Sony -- better control and customization, Quick Attention, easy-to-use touch pad, and better battery life. Hard to argue with any of that. SOUND QUALITY (4.5 Stars): - I'm no expert on audio quality or "highs" vs. "lows" and all of that lingo. But to me, the 1000XM2s sound excellent. Out of the box, they seem to deliver a bit too much bass for my taste, but that was easily adjusted through Sony's app. Vocals are clear and crisp. - Vocal and instrument separation is also great. Percussion instruments are not drowned out; vocals sit nicely in the foreground of music. - Apart from the increased bass on the 1000XM2s, sound quality between the two headphones is very comparable. And I'm sure many people will appreciated the punchier bass on the 1000XMs. - Advantage: TIE, at least for me. ACCESSORIES (5 Stars): - Sony gives you: a hard travel case, a 3.5mm aux cable for a wired connection, a micro-USB cable for charging, and an airline adapter. All of the accessories are of a sturdy, premium quality. - Bose gives the same accessories, but with the new QC35II model, they appear to have removed the airline adapter. I've never used it anyways, so not a huge loss. - Advantage: TIE. OVERALL: Sony has delivered an amazing pair of headphones. The noise cancellation is arguably the best in the business. The level of customization offered is great for audiophiles. Additions like the touch pad and Quick Attention make these stand out even more in a crowded market. However, compared to the QC35s, the comfort of the 1000XM2s leaves something to be desired. Bottom line: if comfort is your main concern, try on the offerings from Bose and Sony before committing to a purchase. If cutting-edge features and noise cancellation are important to you, you can't go wrong with Sony's WH-1000XM2 headphones.

No doubt, these Sony cans have the best sound and noise cancellation on the planet. As a former Bose officianado, it’s a tough pill to swallow!

Excellent sound, noise canceling is on point, when you put them on its like your in your own world cause no outside noise, easy to connect, like the pouch that comes to store it in and comfortable around the ears.

I work with commercial pressure washers 21hp to 27 hp and they make a lot noise I was using before the beats solo 2 wireless they sound pretty good but still hear the noise of the gun when I wash ,now i get the Sony - 1000XM2 Premium Wireless Noise Cancelling what a big difference I can hear my music and the noise it makes the gun when I wash, i hear but is low i can concentrate on the music and Not on the noise of the machine

I was waiting for an offer on these heasphones. I bought them for thanksgiving and they are really great in both comfort wise and sound quality wise.

I was going to bust out my thesaurus and drop a bunch of $.50 words that all mean awesome, fantastic, outstanding, superlative, etc... but I decided to spare you (I could have gone on for several paragraphs). I have always had a love/hate relationship with noise cancelling headphones. I have always loved the IDEA of having them, but every pair I have ever tried or owned I ended up hating very quickly. With the Sony WH-1000XM2s, I finally have a love/love relationship. My issue with noise cancelling (NC from now on because otherwise I'm going to be typing too much), has always revolved around two things: 1: The 'pressure' you get from the NC signal. I could never wear a pair of these type of headphones for more than an hour before it would feel so uncomfortable on my eardrums that I had to rip them off my head. 2: What NC does to music. I'm an audiophile, and while I understand the give and take with ANY headphone, the wholesale slaughter of the songs I know and love just made me upset while I was wearing them. While I wasn't being distracted by office noise or engine sounds, I could never really concentrate on what I wanted because I would always get caught up in the changes to the sound of my favorite tracks. Now this isn't any different than hating the sound signature of certain brands of headphones but with NC headphones it was guaranteed to happen. The Sony WH-100XM2s are the FIRST headphone that addressed both of those problems and didn't just make it so they were OK, it blew both of those problems up, to where they don't even exist on any level for me. I had heard some spectacular things about the first iteration of these headphones and some short sessions listening in the stores was always good but not a REAL test, so I had a very hard time deciding whether or not I wanted to risk getting burned again. When the early reviews of XM2s came out and said that they blew the first generation away, I knew I had to give them a shot and boy am I glad I did. While going through my 4-hour headphone test (I told you, I'm an audiophile), I didn't feel the need to rip these off my head once due to ear pressure. They did get a bit hot but that is to be expected with many headphones that use a leather/protein leather covering for their earpads and that are also closed back. My longest stretch with them now is six hours while at work, and while they did get popped off for short runs away from my desk (a little rude to talk to co-workers while keeping headphones on, or so they tell me), for the 97% of that time, they were on my head. They also didn't feel as hot, now whether that is because of the short breaks or the fact that it is like an icebox in my office, I don't care because they are going to spend most of their life in the office. I have someone who listens to their music JUST loud enough to bug the rest of us but not enough for us to enjoy with them (her music taste is pretty bad anyway). I also have a couple of people who eat their lunch over a period of two hours and I would swear that they were polishing off a bag of chips (family sized, not individual sized) every day. Oh, and they both chew with their mouth open! As for the sound quality, I ran them through my battery of tests including my list of songs from every genre listening for all the subtle cues I know are there (singer taking a breath, catching some background conversation in the intro/outro). I also use the Sound Check and Dr. Chesky suite of headphone/speaker testing tracks to run them through the frequency sweeps and the tracks specifically recorded to test depth, spatialization, atmosphere, transparency, and presence. Also, I can determine the 'tightness' of the bass or if the headphone displays any sibilance. It may sound like a lot, but I have owned some seriously expensive headphones in the past and when you are dropping that kind of coin on a headphone, you want to be sure. So, my suite of songs are as follows: Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (because this song has everything) Massive Attack - Teardrop (nice blend of bass and highs) Enya - Caribbean Blue (perfect for voice and presence) Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey (it is a mix of a lot and it is kind of 'sloppy', you will notice with good headphones but not bad ones) Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower (great punch and highs, as well as a lot of back and forth between left and right channels, plus it's Jimi) Gladiator Soundtrack - Now We Are Free (again a wide range but really great for sibilance, which by the way is an over-exaggeration or sharpness to the 'S' sound) Ottmar Lieber - Barcelona Nights (perfect for checking that notes sound clear, precise, and sharp. The speed of the flamenco guitar can make some headphones sound a bit muddy when the notes kind of blend) Led Zeppelin - When the Levee Breaks (Robert Plant can really test a set of headphones) Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me (purely for the visceral response you get with the screaming guitars and drums) I've got a lot more in my list but that is a good sampling if you want to do a test yourself. Across the board, the Sony's did a fabulous job and in fact, some of the songs I feel sounded better with the NC on vs. off. The Sony's have a pretty pure and clean sound with the NC turned off and can actually sound a bit sharp and sibilant but the NC adds a bit of warmth to the track that kind of mellows those out. I prefer this since I tend to be pretty sensitive to the higher frequency range and Some Songs Send Shooting Screaming pain into my ears with certain brands of headphones. In addition bass seems to be tight and well controlled and not 'flabby' at all, with plenty of 'punch' that I would kind of expect from them and especially from a closed back set. As for the noise cancelling, these do an extremely good job, and while it may not be the freakishly quiet you may get from Bose, I actually prefer the Sony system, because they don't cause my eardrums to ache and it sounds more natural. The ambient mode is good for just knocking down some major noise while still being able to keep your wits about you. In the end though, they are going to help me keep my job that I love because I won't be choking the life out of some of my office-mates (a win - win for everyone). The iPhone app for the headphones lets you do some neat things such as optimizing the NC settings just for you by sending out a series of tones and then detecting how they come back and with that information the software can come up with the best way to maximize the noise cancelation. You can also add some 'surround' features but I will never use this feature because it does some really weird things to the music and to me none of the settings really approximates the set-up it says it is. The headphone controls are sharp, intuitive, and very responsive. It is really easy to raise and lower the volume, switch tracks, and even answer the phone. The built in mic also does a great job and my wife said I sounded better than just talking into the phone. The 'Quick Attention' feature also works well when you just put you hand up to the right ear cup and the music pauses so you can talk to someone quickly and then can go back to your music. I have only one gripe about the headphones and that is the case. While I love how compact it holds everything, I would really have liked an internal storage area for the cables. There is a little slot in the divider between the ear cups for the airplane adaptor (which I haven't used in YEARS) but no place for the cords. There is a little pouch on the outside but that kind of ruins the nice and compact shape of the case if you just shove the cords in there. That is seriously my ONLY complaint and that is such an incredibly minute detail, that I contemplated leaving it out but I didn't want this to be too positive! Anyway, these are fabulous noise cancelling headphones, and even just headphones in general. They beat the heck out of some wildly popular brand that all the kiddies seem to love but really are all hype. They even beat the heck out of some headphones that are several hundred dollars more than these. The fact that Sony took what were already very highly reviewed headphones, amped them up even more and also dropped the price by $50, makes these a no brainer. Seriously, these should take over as THE flagship noise canceling headphones over Bose. It's not even a question in my mind.

Let's just say that I am honestly blown away by the noise cancelling on this headphones. Holy crap Sony has done it. I put them on before even playing any music and I jumped for a second, I was sitting next to my air conditioner and kids where playing loud as heck outside of my house, I put this bad boys on and is like the world ended. Nothing but silence.

Sony WH-1000XM2 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones - Black Premium Bluetooth Headphones w/Impressive Sound/NC Quality OVERALL: These are premium over-the-ear headphones that provide both excellent sound quality & excellent noise canceling (NC). They’re worth every penny of the modest investment required to purchase them. UNBOXING: I felt like I was opening a box that contained a nice piece of jewelry. Sony’s packaging set my expectations high from the start, & I wasn’t disappointed. This is my 3rd pair of Sony wireless headphones, & these are by far the most impressive. They’re beautiful, sleek, & understated, w/a finish that looks like a cross between gunmetal gray & black nickel. In addition to the ample padding, Sony upgraded the materials used for the headband & ear enclosures, resulting in a most comfortable fit, even after many hrs. of use. SOUND QUALITY: Sony’s Smart Listening w/Adaptive Sound Control auto-detects your activity, whether you’re flying, riding on the train or in the car, walking, or just waiting. Then it adjusts the ambient sound settings to ensure a fully immersive sound. For example, when I walk at the local college track, I can enjoy my music & podcasts while simultaneously maintaining awareness of everything & everyone around me, incl. other walkers/joggers who’re approaching from behind. And when I’m working on my laptop or my phone at the airport, I can still hear important boarding announcements w/reduced background noise. The Sony Headphones Connect App lets you customize your preferences for the finest definition & balance. And w/EQ adjustments, my music is taken to another whole level. But even before EQ tweaking, I experienced refined, smooth highs w/lots of detail, great mids, & good punchy bass. The powerful 40mm driver w/LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) diaphragm handles heavy beats & can reproduce a full range of frequencies up to 40kHz. And when I used the supplied 3.5mm wired connection to my laptop—wow! The Hi-Res Audio amplifier w/S-Master HX reduces distortion & reveals orchestral subtleties that I’ve never heard thru other headphones. And w/Sound Position Control, I can choose the direction that I want the sound to come from, just like w/a wireless speaker. So, if I’m sitting down w/a friend to my L & I want to move the music to my R, I can reposition the sound w/2 taps in the App. To control music playback, I just use the touch panel on the side of the headphones. I can change the music track, turn the volume up/down, & take/make calls by tapping or swiping the earcup panel w/my fingertip. And w/Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE HX), all my compressed digital music files (lossy MP3’s, MP4’s, & AACs) are upscaled so that the high ranges sound rich & clear, bringing them closer to the quality of Hi-Res Audio. Finally, Sony’s new LDAC audio coding technology transmits 3x more wireless data than conventional Bluetooth; so, I can enjoy the exceptional sound quality of Hi-Res Audio content like it’s meant to be heard w/a bit rate of up to 990kbps supported. NOISE CANCELING (NC): 5-star feature! Sony’s adaptive/dynamic digital NC is optimizable. Sony’s Sense Engine ambient noise control system gives you different settings to block out loud sounds while still allowing you to hear voices. The Sense Engine uses feedback microphones on the inside/outside of the earcups so that you can tune in/out of your music w/just a touch of the earcup. Auto-calibration software pings out test tones w/resulting adjustments to deliver optimal sound. Sony’s Personal Optimizing scans the side of your head to measure how good the seal is. It analyzes your personal characteristics (head size, glasses/sunglasses, hair thickness, etc.). Sony’s Atmospheric Pressure Optimizing uses an atmospheric pressure sensor in the L ear to measure the barometric pressure in your immediate surroundings. Otherwise, a shift in atmosphere can reduce the sensitivity of the mics used for NC & upset the frequency balance. Instead, when the sensor detects such changes in atmosphere, Sony’s software applies a filter to compensate. So, whether you’re on a train or flying at high altitude, you get optimized results. In my everyday real work world, the NC features of these premium headphones allow me to get lost in my work & remain oblivious to all the chatter & distracting noises outside my office. For anyone who works in close adjoining offices, & especially for anyone working in a cubicle, these are a must-have. With my previous headphones, I was sometimes forced to increase the volume to the ‘danger zone’ when in a loud environment, but not w/these. Now, I can keep my music at a consistent level whether entering/exiting loud rooms. And I love the “Quick Attention” feature! If someone needs to speak to you, just cup your hand over the R earpiece to mute what you’re listening to, & you’ll immediately hear the ambient sound & be able to engage in clear conversation. No more ripping off the headset or fumbling to mute your phone/laptop. Once the conversation is over, move your hand away, & the music, podcast, or broadcast volume returns to its previous level. HANDS-FREE PHONE CALLING: This was amazing. Even when I’m in a space w/heavy background noise, the caller on the other end sounds crystal clear to me, as though I’m listening to him in an enclosed sound booth. The call quality is so high, I wish could take every phone call this way. The microphones (on both ears) are very good. In my tests, every caller said that I could be heard clearly. APP: Sony’s mobile Headphones Connect App for Android/iOS w/Smart Listening technology works seamlessly w/the headset so that I can customize my headphones & adjust the level of NC/ambient sound that I want to hear. I can even disable NC entirely. The App works w/the accelerometers in your phone to determine whether you’re at rest (sitting/standing at your desk, etc.), in motion (walking; forget running w/these), or in transit (in a car/on a train)—& Sony’s Smart Auto-settings can adjust levels accordingly. Within the App, there are 4 different surround modes: Arena, Club, Outdoor Stage, & Concert Hall. I can also prioritize connection stability over sound quality (or vice versa) if I’m in an office or other environment in which there are competing wireless signals/devices. While the App allows me to do a lot of tweaking, I discovered that I’d often rather control the ambient sound manually, as the App seemed to lag ~10sec behind my changing activity or sound environment. Sometimes, the App even made a counterproductive change, & I’d have to change it back. But I’d still definitely download the App just for the benefits of the Equalizer. Note: The App works only w/your phone, not computers & Chromebooks, etc. INTERFACE: Simple, intuitive, & easy to use. Playback is controlled by the touchpad’s touch sensors built into the surface of the R earpiece. The new added texture on the surface is more tactile & makes swiping sideways to change tracks & sliding up/down to change volume more certain. Even the double-tap required to play/pause music feels better. And you can control your phone’s voice asst. w/a quick touch. Sony has even reduced the button count on the edge of the L earpiece so that both the Ambient Sound & NC features are controllable by just 1 button instead of 2. BLUETOOTH 4.1: I had no trouble switching between paired devices. There’s an NFC (Near-Field Communications) chip in the L ear for quick pairing. Just tap the L earcup w/your phone & it connects. No need to go thru the traditional Bluetooth menus to scan & select device. I get great reception & clarity at extended distances up to 33ft away. Supports HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP Bluetooth profiles & even aptX HD & LDAC codecs for the phones that support it. CONNECTIVITY: Includes a 6ft 3.5mm cable for wired connectivity. COMFORT: Very comfortable, good cushioning, & light over-the-ear wear. Clamp force is just about right; they hold the sides of my head but don’t squeeze or feel vice-like. The texture of the outer earpiece covers is a little rougher than my last pair & helps the touch controls feel more tactile. CHARGING: Includes short 3ft. micro-USB charging cable for lithium-ion battery. Unfortunately, you can’t use Bluetooth while headphones are charging. After a 4hr initial charge, I got ~30hr of use over a 1wk period while in wireless mode w/NC enabled. You can get up to 40hr in wired mode. You can also get 70min of play from just a 10min quick-charge. To help conserve battery life, the headphones automatically power down after 5min of inactivity. CARRY CASE: The swivel designed earcups & cables fold neatly into the carry case for easy storage. AIRPLANE ADAPTER PLUG: Plug the cable jack into the airplane adapter plug for easy in-flight listening. CONS CONNECTIVITY: Sony needs to upgrade these headphones from the older micro-USB charging std. to the newer USB-C charging & USB-C audio pass-thru for USB-C smartphones. Also, these cans don’t offer true Bluetooth multi-pt. connectivity. These headphones can make an audio connection w/1 device & a simultaneous connection w/another device, but they can’t make 2 audio connections at the same time. So, if I want to connect my larger-display tablet (for, say, Skype or Facetime, etc.) & simultaneously connect my smaller-display phone for phone calls, I can’t enjoy mic-activated conversations w/both. One device will be connected in headphone mode (no mic) & the other will be connected in headset mode. Sony needs to add this capability in its next headphone iteration. INSTRUCTIONS: Although there’s a web-based interactive manual, the included instructions are so sparse that they’re practically non-existent. And not all of us speak electronics “iconography”.

The Sony WH-1000XM2 heaphones are a great way to listen to your favorite sounds. I do think they need to find a better name for them though, but besides that they are just about perfect. Fit is nice and snug and the ear cushions are very soft and supple and feel great on your ears. The headphones themselves are a bit on the heavy size, but even after a few prolonged listening sessions the weight didn't bother me that much. They are a bit on the large size too, but Sony has packed a bunch of features onto these things. Pairing up with my Galaxy Note8 was a breeze using NFC to pair it up. Pairing it with my laptop via BT was pretty simple as well. However, I was not able to pair it up to more than one device at a time. Another feature that would have been nice would be if the headphones told you what device they were connected to and not just say "Bluetooth connected", but if you only pair it to one device then you may not be bothered by that as much as I was...maybe a software fix could add that feature. The app to fine tune the headphones is fantastic. Very easy to use and has more settings then you can change a stick at. Adaptive sound control will automatically detect what you are doing and your environment and make the changes to handle that via Noise cancelling or letting you hear the outside noise. Very handy to stay safe while walking around, cars, people talking, ect can be heard to some extent while you are listening to your tunes so you are somewhat aware of your surroundings. The noise cancelling feature is pretty good as well. I tested them out while mowing my lawn and i could barely hear my lawnmower. The app has a noise canceling optimizer to fine tune that as well. Battery life is rated at 30 hours and I have no doubt that I will see pretty close to that mark. Touch features are also included in these headphones. The right side acts as a control interface that is easy to use. For example, you can double tap the center and it will pause your music, hold down on the center with one finger for a few seconds and the voice assistant living in your phone, I tested it with bixby and google assistant. Swiping up or down will adjust he volume and swiping forward or back will skip ahead or rewind your music. The best touch feature is being able to mute all sounds when you cover the entire right side with the palm of your hand, music is muted and you can hear the outside world perfectly, that can come in handy on an airplane when its time for your drink order. Call quality has been awesome as well. Overall, these headphones will not disappoint you if you get them.

======= Summary ======= The Sony 1000XM2 headphones are excellent~! It delivers great sound, dynamic range, punchy bass, and spectacular Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). The Sony "Headphones" app allows for great customization for your musical needs. ======= Design & Comfort ======= I have the black and gunmetal 1000XM2 and it looks great! It's sleek and modern-looking with great comfort. The ear padding is foamy and soft and didn't cause any long-term fatigue or discomfort. The clamping force is just right - not too tight and not too weak. The earbuds easily pivot and twist so you can easily stow it away in its soft-touch hardshell carrying case. Very convenient. ======= Controls ======= All the buttons and gesture-based controls are easy-to-use, well-placed, and intuitive to figure out. On your left earmuff, you have the NFC module that allows for quick connection to your smartphone or device. Just place the back of your smartphone over the NFC symbol and you'll be connected in no time. You'll also find the Power button as well as the Noise Cancellation (NC) button. By pressing & continuing to hold the Power button after the unit has been turned on, you can set the 1000XM2 into bluetooth pairing mode. Pressing the NC Button will toggle the Noise Cancellation between different modes - Ambient Sound On, Ambient Sound Off, Noise Cancellation On. My FAVORITE control feature of the 1000XM2 is the gesture controls located on the right earmuff. I love how I can swipe Up or Down for volume control, swipe Left or Right to skip tracks, Double-Tap to pause the music, and cup the right earmuff with the palm of my hand to allow ambient noise to come through (Sony calls this the Quick Attention Mode). There is hardly any lag entering and exiting the Quick Attention Mode and I find this feature to be very helpful and thoughtful. This is a killer feature I hope other manufacturers can copy because it's so intuitive and useful. ======= Audio Quality ======= The Sony 1000XM2 delivered excellent sound in all the different songs I've played - rap, hip hop, rock, instruments, vocals, country, choir, etc. Bass is GREAT and the 1000XM2 can deliver it in a deep and rumbly manner. It also feels punchy and visceral. Also excellent are the vocal separations, dynamic range, spatial distribution and balance, and the little details in the instruments. To achieve this level of hearing satisfaction, however, I did have to tweak the 1000XM2 inside Sony's "Headphones" app first. Here is how I have my 1000XM2 configured: * Adaptive Sound Control = Off * Ambient Sound Control = On * Noise Cancelling Optimizer = Ran through the setup process to optimize for my head physiology * Sound Position Control = Off * Surround (VPT) = Off * Equalizer = Off * Sound Quality Mode = Priority on Sound Quality * DSEE HX = Off Once I setup my 1000XM2 with the settings above, the sound quality became great. The initial out-of-the-box sound was just so-so and sounded worse than my Bose QC35 Series II headphones by a noticeable margin. After the configuration, both headphones sound equally great now and I cannot really distinguish between them. I was surprised by what a huge difference it made in audio quality just by adjusting a few settings inside the app. ======= Noise Cancellation ======= Sony's active noise cancellation (ANC) is very good. In fact, it performed better for me than the Bose QC 35 II in certain circumstances. When it comes filtering out the usual noise makers such as trucks driving by, idling car engine sounds, lawn mowers, and ambient animal sounds, both headphones filtered them out equally well. But when it came to filtering out higher-pitched voices (like my 2-yr-old toddler girl and the cartoons she watches on TV), the Sony 1000XM2 performed better. I also did not experience any weird "delayed voice echos" on the 1000XM2 that I experience on the QC 35 II. If you want to customize what sound types get filtered out by the ANC while letting certain sounds to come through, you can configure it inside Sony's "Headphones" app. What worked the best for me was to set Adaptive Sound Control to Off and Ambient Sound Control to On (with "Focus on Voice" not checked off). Overall, Sony's ANC implementation was quite impressive and worked very well. ======= So is it any good? Is it a good buy? ======= Most definitely~! With the 1000XM2's great design, build quality, comfort, excellent audio quality, superb ANC, and its super-convenient touch gesture controls, I consider it to be the best wireless BT headphones on the market right now.

I'll start by saying this one of, if not THE best headphones you can buy right now. They may be a bit pricier than others, but you definitely get what you pay for. Superb noise cancelling, great sound, excellent battery life, user-friendly and easy-to-use features - and stylish to boot. You seriously have to look to find any problems with these headphones. They will hold a charge for what seems like forever. The noise cancelling works so well in these, and they are so comfortable, that you can easily wear them for hours and escape in your work, or whatever else you may be using them for. They sound great, and I have yet to experience any issues with them. They touch controls are an excellent feature as well. Simply swipe forward or back to control tracks, a quick double-tap to pause or play, or just cup your hand over the earpiece to temporarily turn the volume down where you can hear your surroundings - brilliant. If you're even considering these as an option, just buy them. You won't regret it. Pros: Sound quality, noise cancelling, touch controls, battery life Cons: I really had to nit pick to find something I didn't like, but the charging cable is very short (probably ~1 foot or so).

As far as Noise cancelling headphones go, these are second to none. After trying out many sets of noise cancelling headphones over the past couple years, I can easily say that these are the best overall. First, the design. Minimalist, but they definitely have a premium feel. Ear cups are very comfortable for long listening sessions and backs of the ear cups have a texture almost like leather. Head strap is cushioned and easily adjustable as well. Headphones fold up for compact transport and a hard carrying case is included as well. Noise cancelling is as good or better than any other pair of headphones out there. Sony has made the noise cancelling level completely adjustable via the Sony app, so when you want to have some awareness of what is happening around you, you can without removing your headphones. The most innovative feature is the ability to cover the right ear cup with your hand which turns down the volume of what your are listening too and uses the mics to allow you to hear what is going on around you. This is especially useful if you want to have a brief conversation without having to take off your earphones - for example if you are getting a drink on a flight. There is also a noise cancelling optimizer built in to calibrate noise cancelling for how you are wearing your headphones and for air pressure. Control is also very innovative. There are only 2 physical buttons on the head set, one for power and another one that controls noise cancelling. The rest of the control is performed via swipes and taps on the right earcup. Play/pause is done by a double tap on the right earcup, next or previous track is done by a swipe forward or backward on the right earcup, volume up/down is done by a swipe up or down on the right earcup. Double tap also used to answer and end calls. After you get used to this, it becomes very intuitive. You can also issue a voice command to google assistant (on android devices) by tapping 1 finger on the right earcup for 3 seconds. Finally, sound quality is fantastic. The app has many options to optimize the equalizer for your taste, but even the default sounds great. No distortion even at high volumes, clear sound, lows and highs all sound great. For wireless noise cancelling headphones, I don't think you can do better than these right now, they are totally worth it.

These headphones are my first choice when it comes to the controls! Just 2 buttons on the left headphone - power and noise cancelling control, that's it, all other functions are performed via the intuitive touch interface on the right headphone. Double tap anywhere on the outside surface is play/pause, swipe up or down is a volume control, swipe forward or backward is a next/previous track selection. My favorite feature is an Attention mode which is activated when you press the right headphone with at least 2 fingers and hold them - volume goes down, noise cancelling deactivates so you can talk to someone freely without setting pause or taking headphones off. Headphones are designed with travel in mind, up to 30 hours battery life should be sufficient even for a long trip, carrying case (for some odd reason there are no inside pocket for the cords in the case, outside pocket only) and airline adapter are included. Headphones can function as wired (5ft good quality, thick 3.5mm cord is included) for the cases when you want the best quality audio or you battery is dead. Short power button press makes headphones tell the battery charge status, but it's only within Low/Med/High, not actual percentage. Audio quality - real good via Bluetooth with deep lows and crisp highs, but headphones really opened up when I used a wired connection! Noise cancelling - Sony uses innovative approach - noise cancelling is ambient aware and if you choose to - you can select an option to allow human voice thru which is useful when you expect someone to talk to you. Noise cancelling level is conveniently controlled by the button on the left headphone or thru the mobile app (button gives you 3 levels - Off, Ambient Aware and Full Noise cancelling, and you get 20 different noise cancelling levels via the App control!). There is a slight static noise that noise cancelling introduces on very low volume levels but it's not audible when music is playing. Mobile application provides a number of other functions as well - balance control, equalizer and a small DSP (you can switch between DSP modes to give you a concert hall or opera effect), I did not find that very useful since I prefer to listen to my music as it was recorded. The only snag I had - was Bluetooth pairing with 2 devices (phone and laptop) at the same time, Sony does not seem to handle it very well. I also did have an issue where headphones would pair to the phone and play music, but mobile app won't see them completely. Overall - I love these! Hope that few Bluetooth snags I had will be fixed in the future firmware update.

The headphones are very comfy and even wearing them almost the entire time during a 9h flight is not a problem. It cancels out the noise of the aircraft very well, to a level where it's very quiet in the background. I've also tried it in a car and the noise of the wheels / or other noises in the car become super quiet. You will still be able to hear noises, but on a very low level. Initially I didn't think I would use the swiping on the side to increase/decrease volume that much or skip a song, but it actually works quite well and I like it. The headphones come in a nice travel case with an audio cable and the weird airplane audio plug (if needed). The audio cable is handy if you want to listen to audio of a device that doesn't have bluetooth. To use them with multiple devices I usually re-pair them with every device. I don't have a number for the battery time, but it lasted me the entire flight and I think I still hat a lot of juice left. I haven't measured it, so please look at other reviews.

There are three things to consider with these phones: 1. Bluetooth 2. Noise cancelation. 3. Conventional wired use. I have owned several bluetooth headphones. Most recently two Bose models. One on ear and the other sport type in ear. They work well, but I've always felt that the frequency response was limited. Bluetooth bandwidth is limited by definition, but new codecs like aptX claim to expand this to "near CD" quality. These Sony phones offer this codec. I recently purchased a FiiO X5 MkIII music player that offers aptX so I decided to get these phones to take advantage of this feature. AptX is an advance over SBC. It does sound better to my ears. If you have a device that can take advantage of aptX, these are great phones. Note that neither Bose nor Apple support aptX. The Sony's also offer AAC which iPhones do support. I think AAC is not as good as aptX, but it is better than SBC. The phones paired easily and can support more than one connection. Thus, I can listen to music on my player and take phone calls on my iPhone at the same time. What about noise cancelation? I think it is excellent. As good a Bose? I have never owned Bose noise cancelling phones. The aptX support sold me rather than a couple of dB of noise cancellation. Sony has an active noise analysis routine built into the phones that measures ambient noise and atmospheric pressure and your activity like sitting or walking etc. I'm flying to Japan in a couple of weeks and I'll probably take the Sonys for a test drive. They have a 30 hour battery life for long flights. The Sony's come with a cord to allow them to be used as conventional headphones (with or without noise reduction). How do they sound? I'm a headphone junky and I used to be in the music production business. I own quite a few phones and I've owned dozens over the last 50 years. These phones are very pleasing to listen to. I would not classify them as studio monitors, but they are excellent. The bass is solid and not boomy. The midrange is good, but not as forward as professional phones. The high end lacks a little definition. Nevertheless, they are fine sounding and enjoyable. The main selling points for me were bluetooth and noise cancellation. Almost forgot. They do a good job on phone calls. People seem to like the audio quality from my end. Coupled with noise cancellation they work well on the receiving end too. One last features worth mentioning are the touch controls. Tap the right earphone once to pause music, touch again to resume. Tap twice to answer the phone and slide your finger up or down to change volume. Cup you hand over the right earpiece to turn off the noise reduction and hear normally. Remove your hand to resume. These take some practice.. In summary, you are paying a premium for the advanced bluetooth and noise cancellation features. For the same price you can get professional monitoring phones that may sound a little better. It all depends on your priorities.

I work in an open office environment, and travel occasionally. I was frankly surprised anyone would want to spend that much on a pair of headphones. But then a friend (and nearby co-worker) let me try his, the previous generation. I was amazed (and slightly disoriented) by how the noise cancelling dimmed out the rest of the world. When I got to the store, I tried out several, including also the Bose and the Sony Xtra Bass models. I preferred these for the fit, the battery life, and the ability to control playback by touching the earcups. It's also really cool that there's an app for tuning and controling them. Finally, they come with a nice carrying case. I have also heard that the microphone quality is good, which has been a complaint on these kind of devices in the past.

I have been comparing these headphones to B&W PX and Sennheiser's HD1. Build: B&Ws have the best quality build, but the Sony is still very comfortable and light weight compared to the other two. Controls: I found the Sennheisers easiest to use and the B&W controls the most frustrating. The Sony controls are simple to use (touch control on the right ear cup). The downloadable app for the Sony is a HUGE plus that the Sennheiser doesn't have and the B&W app is very limited. Battery: They are all good to me...anything over ten hours and I'm happy; so I am not sure which headphones last the longest. Noise Cancelling: I really don't care about this feature either. Having said that, it is easy to tell that the Sonys have the best noise cancelling (comparable to the Bose if not better). Comfort: They are all comfortable and it's really not an issue for any of the headphones I use. If I had to pick, I would say the Sonys are the most comfortable. SOUND: sound quality and cutting the cord are really the only reasons I bought all of these headphones. The B&Ws have the clearest, and most detailed sound - but it's the soundstage the is most impressive with the B&Ws. If you are a bass hungry listener I would definitely get the Sonys and avoid the B&Ws. The sennheisers are the best of both worlds, accurate and well balanced and clear mid to bass. I find myself wearing the Sennheisers the most. For acoustic, live jazz, and some classical music I use the B&Ws. For music I want to pull a lot of bass out of I will use the Sonys. For everything else I use the sennheisers. So, the Sony 1000x mk2 headphones are a very good all rounder for the price (being the least expensive of the three). It wins out on comfort and noise cancelling, but is very close in sound quality as well.

I previously owned the MDR-1000X, and while the WH1000Xm2 is an incremental upgrade, it's worth it. Most reviews stated that the new model's comfort level was essentially unchanged, but I find it to be more comfortable. There seem to be subtle changes in the earpads, as they feel cushier and better-fitting. Audio sounds essentially the same to me, which is a good thing. The Bowers & Wilkins PX sound better with certain genres/tracks (electronic and jazz, especially), but the PX also reveals production weaknesses in other genres/tracks. The 1000X doesn't soar quite to the same heights in those select files, but performs more consistently across your entire music collection. Noise cancelling is still top-notch. The companion app is a nice bonus, though I'm disappointed that you need to switch from AptX HD to standard Bluetooth to use any of the EQ effects. Fortunately a flat/unaltered presentation with AptX HD sounds terrific, but it would have been nice to have the option of using the high-res codec and equalizer simultaneously. With longer battery life, greater comfort, and leading audio and NC, the WH1000Xm2 is the pair of headphones I've been looking for.