Customer Ratings & Reviews

These are great headphones. The noise cancelling is excellent and customizable, which I don't believe is an option with the other big names in this space. Battery is rated to last 30 hours, though I haven't even come close to hitting that limit yet. The earcups are extraordinarily comfortable, on the same level with or besting the other big names. Overall, very happy with these headphones.

Great quality cans with annoying limitations like pairing it with only one device at a time.

These headphones are not very bass heavy. I was expecting decent bass based off of so many reviews but unfortunately these fail in that category. The sound was very muddy and popping noises constantly on any bass heavy track. Anc was great, but phone calls were really poor. I might stick with Nura or Sennheiser.

Was ok . I think the beats was a better bet but for the budget it worked.

The Sony - WH-1000XM3 Have good noise cancelling but sound like $10 headphones.

I've had the first version, 1000X, the XM2s, and now the XM3s along with the Bose QC35 and Sennheiser PXC 550. These are great headphones, but the XM3s just aren't enough of an improvement so far to justify the purchase. On various noise cancelling tests at home (using fans, AC, fridge hum, dryer) they were different, but on some things quite a bit worse. Haven't tested on flights or with conversation around me yet. One clear improvement is that the 3s lack the very slight hiss of the 2s, which is only noticeable if no audio is playing, and certainly can't be heard over a plane's noises. The NC, as with earlier versions, doesn't negatively impact the sound. I never use the adaptive NC, as there is no disadvantage to having NC at 100% all the time. No better to my ears with it off or using corded connection. The 2s were far better than the 1000X and XM3s on calls. The 3s are unusable for calls. In my quiet home with no background noise, call recipient immediately complained he couldn't hear me well. Put the 550s on and no problem. So Sony really failed here by creating a problem that was previously solved. The other issue is inability to connect to more than one device at a time. I have 6 devices I use regularly. The Senns and Bose are much older models and they can both connect to 2 devices at once. Even the 1000X (2 versions/years ago) were far better at noise cancelling in every test I did vs. the Bose and so are the 3s. Not even close. Out of the box they sounded awful vs. all the others, but after a week of use, they're as good as the 2s, just different. Plan to break them in first. Definitely improved at highest volume, where the 2s have much more distortion. They're lighter, but feel cheaper, and are slightly more comfortable but still way too hot. I thought the 2s were already very comfortable, just too heavy. If you live in warm weather you're ears will sweat quickly. The much faster charging is great. The ridiculously short charging cable works at least. The annoying, always on, blinking lights are gone fortunately. The power light still blinks, but less than before. The light for NC is gone. No lights would be best. Still more annoying to turn on/off than the Bose or Senns. If sound quality is your main concern, get the 550s. If noise cancelling is, then get these or the 2s. Can't see any reason to buy the Bose. They sound the worst of the 5 models I've owned, though they are comfortable. The noise cancelling on the Bose are no longer very impressive, and not much better than the 550s overall and actually let more annoying sound through on a plane. I bought the alleged "silver" model. Hideous! If you have a 84-97 era Mac I guess you'll be happy that you have matching beige headphones. Was hoping they'd be like the silver Bose. They are more beige than in any of the official pics. I'm hoping they blow me away on a plane. I've read they cancel voices better so I hope that's the case. The 2s, which can be found for $200 refurbished now are a much better deal than these for $350. When the difference gets down to $50, go for the 3s. Pros: Great NC & sound, but not much better than XM2. Lighter and more comfortable. Improved fast charging. No hiss. AAC (for iphones), Apt-X & other good streaming protocols. Good app allows lots of tweaking/customization. Firmware upgradable. Good bluetooth range and stability of connection. Cons: Unusable on calls. Too hot. No APT-LL. Only 1 device at a time. No dramatic improvement in sound and NC over XM2 (2s were a much bigger improvement over 1000x especially in NC). "Silver" isn't silver but an ugly beige.

I will preface this rating by saying that I am not an Audiophile. I just know what I like to hear. When I adjust any of the preset amplifier settings on the ap, it’s either too low to hear or the bassline sucks. Additionally, I’ve had issues with a rattle sound while listening to podcasts while walking. Not to mention that the touch feature rarely works. I mean to the point that I’ve given up even trying to use it. I’ve found it frustratingly easier to just use my phone. I’ve had much cheaper headphones sound and perform much better. I would just warn anybody that pays $348 to research first. I thought when they said you get what you pay for, I was reasonably investing in quality...

The noise cancellation just really hurt my ears I couldn’t stand it anymore and had to return it

I have to sometimes but my hand over my mouth in order for people to hear me clear. Why?

Great sound. Not the best for talking on the phone. Don’t recommend

Good solid construction. a bit pricey compared to competitors with better noise cancellation ability.

Was told by at least three Best Buy associates that head phones would work at the same time with my surround sound system. The G Squad said no—unable to use headphones and surround sound at the same time. So, I returned the headphones. I understand they are great—just did not work for me.

This sound is not so good. I am disappointed with the product

I was positive nothing could beat the QC35, then the QC35 IIs came out and figured nothing could possibly top that. Well Sony did it, they actually did it. These are the ultimate, best noise canceling over the ear headphones you can possibly get and at the same price point as QC35 IIs. They look great, feel great, and are of high quality. The noise canceling is so good that I do not recommend using them in public transportation if you're afraid of losing awareness of your surroundings because these headphones will bring you into another world of sound. These are great to use at work if you don't want to be bothered while working on something, or at school in a library, or any setting where you want excellent noise canceling. Not just for music either, your movies and YouTube videos will be dramatically clearer and crisper as well. They are super comfortable and don't squeeze your head, so you can listen for hour on end. If you're in a hot/warm environment, you may start to sweat around the ears due to the totally sealed cups, but other than that they're just overall really great. If you don't believe me, go test some out in store and give them a try before buying. You'll see how amazing these are.

I bought this and compared with Bose. I returned and bought the Bose.

I purchased these because of all of the great reviews for their sound. My primary use was going to be at my home office with a Mac. They easily connected via bluetooth, but the sound is horribly low. I have searched all forums, changed the Codec to APT, AAC, updated firmware, ensured all settings on prefs in Mac and on the ?Sony phone app, but still the max the volume will go on the Mac is extremely low. They work fine solely using the phone to play audio or other devices, but not a Mac. Searching sites, this seems to be a common issue. Also, when listening to audio via the phone, whatever volume you were listening now becomes the max volume when you switch over to a Mac. There are issues and bugs. Continue on, nothing to see here if you are looking to use on Mac. You would think this would have been worked out prior to launch, or firmware update, but nope. Never will I buy Sony.

I prefer the XM2. volume on here isn't as loud like the XM2

This is the only headset that I have ever owned so I can't compare it to anything else.

Nice headphones but the pairing is a nightmare. Other than that it’s nice.

I’m very impressed with the touch control options. The right side of the headphones controls almost all your needs. Place your palm over the right side and it mutes and pause your music so you can hear outside noise. It was a little weird to get used to but eventually I got the hang of it pretty quick. You’ll have to download an app to take advantage of all the options (equalizer, pre adjust options). The headphones are light, and comfortable. I normally used these for my college studies or sometimes I even use them on silent with the noise cancellation, it works like a charm. These headphones are very light and include a carrying case, so no need to purchase any cases. The battery last up to 30 hrs and I believe on a quick charge lasts 1-3 hrs which is awesome. One thing I didn’t like was the bass. I mean it’s good but isn’t A super bass headphones either it wasn’t a big deal eventually I didn’t really care because everything sounded clear, nothing was drown out. I recommend these headphones. They are very light, have great sound, noise cancellation works great, and long battery life.