Sony - WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear Headphones - Black

Sony has gone all-in on its wireless headphone lineup over the past couple of years. With the new WF-1000XM3, Sony aims to replicate the success of their excellent over-ear noise cancelling headphones. They have largely succeeded -- these are by far the best noise cancelling earbuds on the market -- but there are a few downfalls to be aware of. === DESIGN AND COMFORT (4.5 Stars) === - The earbuds aren't exactly small, and they resemble miniature versions of modern Bluetooth headsets. Likewise, the charging case is a little bulky -- almost twice the size of an AirPods case. - Regardless of their perceived size, the earbuds are surprisingly comfortable once in your ears. They sit flush against your ear and don't protrude out like the Bose Soundsport Free earbuds. - Seven pairs of ear tips are included in various sizes: four pairs of silicone tips and three pairs of foam tips. The default medium tips work well for me, but it's great to have so many options for different ear shapes and sizes. I wish Sony would have included an area in the charging case to store an extra pair of tips. - Summary: These aren't the smallest earbuds on the market, but given the technology packed into them, it's no surprise they they're a bit larger than others. At the end of the day, they're perfectly comfortable. === NOISE CANCELLATION (5 Stars) === - Sony has added its "HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1e" to the WF-1000XM3 earbuds, which they claim cancels "significantly more noise across all frequencies" compared to the previous model. - So far, I've used the headphones in two very situations: at my desk in a busy office and while walking on the sidewalk of a busy street. At my office, I alternate between noise cancelling mode and ambient sound mode. The noise cancelling is so good that when people enter my office and start talking to me, I don't realize it until they tap me on the shoulder. With ambient sound mode turned on, co-workers approach my desk from behind me and I can hear their voice when they get within a few feet of me. It's an excellent feature and works better than I expected. While walking on the sidewalk, the noise cancellation tunes out almost all traces of car traffic and wind. - The Sony Connect app also has a feature that can detect when you are walking, sitting still, running, or commuting. It then automatically adjusts the noise cancellation level to allow in certain sounds such as car horns or voices if necessary. If you wear your earbuds around the city or while running, this could be an invaluable feature. - Summary: While not quite as good as the noise cancellation you'd get from over-ear headphones, I'm still absolutely amazed at what Sony has accomplished with such a small form factor. === FEATURES (4 Stars) === - Like other Sony headphones, these have a feature called Quick Attention, which is one of my favorite features. If someone starts talking to you and you want to hear what they're saying without pausing your music or taking the earbuds off, you can simply place your hand over the left earbud. The volume will lower, noise cancellation is will be paused, and you can 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 right earbud has a touchpad that allows you to pause music, skip between tracks, and activate Siri/Google Assistant. The touchpad is fairly responsive, but I sometimes find that it takes a second or two for my taps to register. Amazingly, there is no way to adjust the volume from the earbuds -- volume can only be adjusted from your phone/tablet/computer. - Battery life on a single charge is rated at 6 hours, while the charging case supplies an additional three full charges. 6 hours isn't quite long enough to make it through a full work day or an international flight, so the extra power from the charging case is essential. Luckily, 10 minutes of charging in the case gives you 90 minutes of playback. - These earbuds are not rated for any sort of water or sweat resistance, which makes me very hesitant to wear them while working out. - Summary: All of the basic features are here, but the lack of volume control is frustrating. Battery life is great for earbuds, but don't expect it to rival the battery life of over-ear headphones. The lack of water resistance is also a notable omission. === SOUND QUALITY (5 Stars) === - Paired with the excellent noise cancellation system, these are the best sounding earbuds I've ever used. Highs are present but not overbearing. Vocals and mid-range are crisp and clear. There's plenty of bass and it's not overpowering. - Sony claims that its QN1e chip provides best-in-class audio processing and signal-to-noise ratio. I don't doubt it -- I've noticed zero distortion while streaming audio from Apple Music and testing some lossless audio tracks. - The earbuds are nicely tuned out of the box, but there is a full-fledged equalizer in the Sony Headphones Connect app. - I have yet to experience any dropouts or connectivity issues. The earbuds connect to your device independently, which means one earbud doesn't rely on the other to maintain its connection. - Summary: No complaints here. The 1000XM3s sounds excellent and are likely the best sounding earbuds available. === OVERALL (4.5 Stars, Rounding up to 5) === For me, the WF-1000XM3s won't be the only pair of earbuds or headphones that I own. For running or workouts, I need a pair of water resistant earbuds designed for the task. For long international flights, I'll likely grab my Sony over-ear noise cancelling headphones with better battery life. Sony says that the 1000XM3 earbuds are designed for professionals and frequent travelers -- and that is indeed where they excel. Sony has brought its outstanding noise cancelling technology to a product that can fit in your pocket, and that alone is enough to make me look past its shortcomings. Highly recommended!

I was excited to test these headphones as I love Sony’s portable audio products, but I was a bit disappointed. I’d rate these as a 3.5 out of 5. And, quite frankly, they’re hard to recommend. At least, they’re hard for me to recommend as everyday headphones. Don’t get me wrong, the sound is mostly pretty good. I get way more bass and a much clearer audio presentation from these than I do Apple AirPods and similar offerings from Jlab and JVC. If that is all it takes to put you over the edge, then pick a set up. I think if you are a frequent flyer, these headphones are a no-brainer. They travel well, and the battery life has been pretty good in my usage. The adaptive audio has done a good job controlling outside sound. Walking outside on a windy day in Oklahoma, I can hear every note and word. The earbuds do a good job drowning out loud appliances and road noise. I love the case. There’s a magnet in the case that snaps the buds into place as you get them close to their slot. The charging lights and design of the case and the buds are great. I like the USB-C connection. I would have preferred a longer cable or a cable built into the case, but that’s a nitpick. But, that’s where the good news ends. I had a lot of problems with these Earbuds… On my iPhone 7, I had random disconnections. The right ear wanted to cut out a lot. But I didn’t have those same disconnects on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. The earbuds don’t fit my ears very well and are designed to go deep into the ear canal. If they aren’t sealed well in the ear canal, the noise cancellation does not work quite as well. On the subject of fit, I couldn’t find a ear tip that fit all that well. The earbuds didn’t want to stay in my ear while I walked. Consequently, I found myself accidentally accessing the touch controls repeatedly as I tried to keep the earbuds in the ear. The touch controls worked better than the JLAB Air Sport True Wireless headphones, but some of the features like cupping the ear for quick attention mode, never worked for me. The Sony Headphones Connect app works well enough, but it was also constantly using my phone’s location information while in use. Google Assistant worked great with my Android devices, but on iPhone it required using the Google Assistant App, which has never worked right for me. Sometimes it works, and sometimes I have to restart the app multiple times while cursing Google. It also made little sense to have the Google Assistant on iPhone as you can access Siri by holding down the right touch sensor. Thankfully, you don’t have to use Google Assistant and can program the left sensor for ambient sound controls. But again, on Android, the Google Assistant controls worked great. Hands free calling was a mixed bag. The touch controls worked and I could hear the other person on the line clear as if they were in the room, but they told me I was hard to hear. Over the last year, I have been lucky enough to use the Apple AirPods, the JVC Sport True Wireless Earbuds, and the JLAB JBuds Air Sport True Wireless earbuds. In terms of audio quality, the Sony WF-1000XM3 are the clear winner. If the Bluetooth connection did not cut out and the headphones stayed in my ear, these were the obvious favorites. But, the JLAB earbuds fit my ear better and have a hook to keep them in place. Even the JVC buds stayed in my ear better. The Sony WF-1000XM3 looked and sounded better, but the JLABS were a third of the price and stayed on my ear. So, guess which set I will be using more for my every day? So, I guess I am begrudgingly recommending them if you have a newer phone (preferably android / google based) and you are okay with the headphone fit. I'm hoping some of my problems were connected to my current iPhone and that these EarBuds will be much more stable on my next phone. Software can and will be patched, but I'm not sure how I will get them to stay in my ear comfortably.

Generally, I prefer on or over ear headphones but I like to have a good set of ear buds for situations where I can’t wear headphones. These Sony WF-1000XM3 arent just good but they are the best earbuds I have ever used. Period. Sony typically has great packaging so there isn’t much to say here as the trend continues. The packaging is nice with steps (1,2,3) as you open the product telling you to download the app, connect the earbuds, etc. In the box: - Earbuds - Short USB-A to USB-C charging cable - Four sizes of silicone ear tips and three sizes of foam ear tips - Reading material Pairing the earbuds was as simple as charging them up, taking them out of the case (already in pairing mode) and pairing them to your device. These earbuds are feature packed with industry leading noise cancelation, quick charging, voice assistant control, quick attention mode, and the list goes on. The app is well worth downloading due to the amount of sound control available to you to tweak the sound and noise cancellation for your taste. Getting the earbuds to sit right in your ear may take some trial and error. The middle silicone tips come on them out of the box so I tried them and immediately knew they didn’t fit right. I went down to small and they fit better but even yet I went down to the extra small tips and they finally fit well. I usually use a medium size for other earbuds so this may be one too small but for now they are working well. Just like other brands of earbuds it takes an “insert, and twist” motion to get them locked into the correct position. Now to discuss the sound quality and noise cancellation… WOW! Out of the box and paired to the app the DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) was set of off and the EQ needed a little work for my ears. I switched the DSEE HX on and changed the connection to prioritize sound quality. It sounded a little better but my final adjustment so far was to bump the “Clear Bass” up about 4-6 levels out of 10. The bass is now very punchy and you can actually feel it in your ears around 75% volume or higher. The overall sound quality is VERY good and this is in part due to the amazing noise cancellation. The noise cancellation can be adjusted manually in the app or set to a more adaptive setting in which it adjusts the sound using the microphones to whatever setting you may be in. I prefer to have the sound quality fixed and adjust the noise cancellation myself but it might be good for people who are more on the go in varying environments. Of course these earbuds also have the quick attention mode which allow you to communicate without taking the earbuds out by holding the left side touch sensor. This feature is VERY handy due to the relative complexity of getting them seated in your ear correctly. One feature I found myself missing was volume control from the earbuds themselves. This appears not to be a feature as of now but maybe they can add this as a software update in the future. After watching a few YouTube videos, I didn’t see any major lag but if you are picky I could see a fractional amount from time to time. Not enough to be annoying at all but if you stare at it then it might show up. Overall my impressions of these earbuds are just so good. Like I said these are by far the best sounding earbuds I have ever heard and paired with the top notch noise cancellation it allows you to ignore your surrounds and enjoy the music! Pros: - Noise Cancellation - BT 5.0 (Can use either L or R earbud to listen to music) - Sound Quality with adjustment via app - Charging Case - Color scheme (Black and Gold) - Overall features - Four sizes of ear tips plus foam tips Cons: - No volume adjustment from earbuds - Fitment in ear takes time to get right - No IP rating (Water/dust)

The Sony - WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear Headphones - Black have great sound quality, a helpful, feature rich and intuitive app, and premium feeling build quality. The design requires that the ear buds be pushed deep into the ear canal and the form factor is on the large side. Despite the size, the WF-1000XM3 do not feel particularly heavy during use. As a result, any ear fatigue may be more likely caused by the choice of silicone ear tips with respect to the size of the individual ear canal. One technical issue that I have experienced periodically and usually just during the initial phase of use is a slight one or half second pause in the left earbud. This could be due to the noise cancelling feature residing predominantly in the left earbud, or a pause caused by maintaining a connection to the source device and right earbud simultaneously. With that said, each earbud can be used independently, and that's good for providing extended use and overall convenience. The case is large, but it's understandable given the sized of the earbuds and the battery life offered. I have been able to listen on an off for extended periods of time between recharges although I have not officially experienced any heavy or all day use days so far. Wireless charging is not an option with this case that charges solely via USB Type C. I would describe the call quality as average since sometimes calls were characterized by ample static interference and other times the my voice and that of the person on the line appeared to transmit more clearly. The ambient noise feature is interesting considering the controls within the app considering the combination passive and active noise cancellation capabilities this product offers. The passive and active ANC is impressive considering the fact that this and in ear as opposed to an over the ear model of True Wireless Earbuds. Overall, I am quite happy with my purchase at $158.00 for a premium set of true wireless earbuds with ANC features. At this price for this this product; I do not believe the buyer would be disappointed.

WF-1000MX3 superbly top notch earbuds I’ll start off by saying I’m quite the fan when it comes to Sony headphones. My current fav is the WH-1000MX3 headphones followed by the Jabra Elite 65t earbuds. I currently also have the WH-1000MX3 earbuds. As far as earbuds go, my overall favorite are the Jabra Elite 65t. Overall sound is great on those. The real limiting factor for the WH-1000MX3 earbuds was when making a call with them on. Sound only came out of one ear which was really annoying. The 65t worked far better in the call functionality since sound came through both earbuds. Now that these WH-1000MX3 earbuds correct this issue, these are definitely my favorite earbuds. First thing, Sony really needs to revamp the naming conventions for the headphones. It gets a bit confusing since there are now two 1000MX3 model headphones from them. That said, these earbuds are, quite possibly, the best I’ve used so far. As with Sony headphones, the extra bass feature is probably one of the best features they have. I’ve used other earbuds/headphones with extra bass but none come close to the sound Sony headphones put out. I listen to EDM primarily and the bass these earbuds put out is satisfying to say the least. Nice, deep bass tones without the distortion you get from other earbuds. I’m REALLY pleased with the bass these earbuds put out and it’s a testament to Sony’s rep when it comes to their extra bass feature. Vocals on these earbuds is crisp and clear. Even with the extra bass feature, there is no muddy, garbled sound when all sounds come together. The music is crisp and vibrant as it should be. Sony really got it right with these earbuds. The noise canceling feature on these earbuds is surprisingly good. Earbuds, in general, are all noise cancelling to some extent since you’re plugging your ear with a rubber tipped earbud. That said, as far as the noise canceling goes, they’re right on par with the larger WH-1000MX3 headphones. They block a great deal of background noise. I had these on when an ambulance drove by and it was noticeable but not loud at all. On the subway; you can barely hear anything which is great. As I mentioned earlier, the biggest flaw they improved with these was having sound from both earbuds when making a call. The previous model was good but this one bit made them just plain irritating since I couldn’t really use those earbuds when making a call. In the event I had to take a call, I’d have to switch earbuds. BUT, these earbuds now have stereo sound when making calls which makes these earbuds pretty much perfect in my eyes. Another slight issue I had with the WH-1000MX3 earbuds (previous gen) was the battery life. On a recent train ride I took, the earbuds died during the 3 hour trip which was quite a nuisance. These supposedly have 6+ hours so we’ll see how these hold up for long periods of use. One thing that might be an issue for some is the size of the case for these earbuds. The previous gen case was comfortably small. The case for the Jabra Elite was a perfect size. The case for these earbuds is considerably larger which can be an issue for some people. Not so much for me since I throw the case in my backpack. For some who like to put their earbud case in their pocket or something, this case might not fit so well for them. Overall, these a really a top notch pair of earbuds and are now my favorite earbuds. Can’t really say anything negative about these as they perform well in every category you can think of. Battery life still has to be seen but that’s not a huge concern for me at the moment. Great earbuds and probably the last ones you’ll need for awhile.

True Wireless Earbuds are slowly becoming the new norm and Sony really helped speed up that pace with the release of these new earbuds. I have tried several wireless earbuds out and these are by far the most interesting all around. DESIGN: - Although how true wireless earbuds work should be most important, I think that style and design is really the most important to people. They want something that is sleek and easy to use. Overall the Sony Earbuds nail it. The case easily fits in the palm of your hand but is still bigger than some other earbud cases. However, I don’t think any earbud cases look as nice as these ones - the matter black with bronze top really make it seem high end. The earbuds themselves just snap right into the case magnetically and that is a huge plus too. Of course the earbuds themselves are the most important aspect. They are a little larger than some earbuds but that’s to be expected - after all the noise cancelling and sound quality need that space to house it components - but they earbuds still manage to stay really slim against your ears and feel completely out of the way. I have to admit I didn’t love the look immediately but they grew on me really quickly and I’m a fan now. FEATURES: - Sony nailed almost all the features right on these things. You got USB-C charging which is a must with new products but there is no wireless charging which would be nice considering the price but it isn’t something that I use a ton anyways. The touch controls are a really nice feature for changing settings or songs, or if you hold your hand over the left touch controls it lets you listen into whatever is going on around you without disrupting your songs, and you can use the controls to activate your Google Assistant. I do wish the touch controls had the ability to change volume but that seems too be the norm with true wireless earbuds. My biggest gripe with the Earbuds as a whole is that the earbuds and case have three separate LED indicators to show what has power (the case, left bud, right bud) but they are only ever this red color. If it’s fully charged it doesn’t turn green or anything like that. So I just don’t like how there is never a good way to tell the case battery level and the earbuds only tell you power levels when they are connected to your device. It’s a minor thing to complain about but it bothers me. Finally, a nice Pro is that the Earbuds work independently from each other - as in some earbuds need the right to be on for the left to work. The Sony ones you can use one or the other with no issues and they sync up together perfectly. NOISE CANCELLING: - The biggest feature these Sony earbuds offer that most don’t are going to be the Noise cancelling. This activates automatically when you put them in your ears but can be turned off via touch buttons on the left earbud. Although the Noise cancelling isn’t on the level of full over the ear headphones, that’s to be expected - these earbuds really impressed me at how much noise cancelling they provide. It’s really unlike anything I have heard in a true wireless earbud and adds so much when you are talking a call or listening to something. SOUND: - The Sound is hands down the best sound I have ever had with True Wireless Earbuds. You can use the Sony Headphone app to mess around with settings but overall the Bass is deep and meaningful, and all the vocals come in crisp and clear. Just a really great way to listen to music or watch movies with. I can’t say enough how much I like this sound quality over other Earbuds I have used. Also these helps with calls because they take calls really well and the microphones on them work perfectly! RECOMMENDED USE: - I just want to point out that these Earbuds are not water/sweat proof like a lot of other True Wireless earbuds which is a disappointment for sure. That being said I wore these to the gym and did a lot of difference activities with them and I never ran into quality issues or them falling out of my ears. So although I think these can easily be used at the gym, I still think Sony intended these to be your everyday earbuds rather than workout ones. I think they are going to be great for people when they travel, work in an office, listen to music, take calls, or play video games/movies with. Overall they are probably the most versatile because of how well they work and how many situations they are great for. BOTTOM LINE: - If you are wanting a true wireless experience but don’t want to skimp on sound or premium feel - these Sony Earbuds are a homerun for you. They look great, sound great, and just feel great to use. Sure there might be better headphones fo different situations, but these will quickly become the headphones you grab to take with you more than anything else!

Let's start with the wow: The noise canceling is very good for a wireless, in-ear bud. It definitely rivals some of the best, padded, over-the-ear muffs. The first time I put them in was in the family room for a test with the TV running through our speaker system. The buds probably cut the TV noise by 60% or more. My wife was 5' away trying to talk to me and I kept asking "what? what?!?"...and all this just with the earbuds on and in my ear--I wasn't listening to music or anything! Turn the music on and I had no clue the TV was on and people were talking in the same room. One of the most convenient features of these buds is the option to cup your hand over your left bud to temporarily turn off the noise cancellation so you can hear the things happening around you. No need to take the bud out of your ear, just cover your ear for a second or two...then tap the bud to turn everything back on. Very convenient! We are a Google smart family, so having the Google Assistant built in is nice too. All you have to do is activate the device with your phone at setup then you can "OK Google" until your heart is content. Audio quality with these buds is good. There is a nice balance although a little mid-range heavy. With some tweaking it is possible to bring some bass and treble forward but doing nothing to the default settings still produces clear, pleasant sound. I listen to pretty much everything except showtunes, opera and country western. My go to artists for a new pair of headphones include Pearl Jam, Twenty-one Pilots, Metallica, REM and Dr. Dre. All sound good be default...but the modern rock and hip hop benefit the most from an EQ tweak. EQ and all other settings can be controlled by the Sony Headphone app. These buds are also "motion sensitive." If you take them out, music pauses. As mentioned previously, cup your ear and audio and noise canceling pauses without having to take the buds out. I am used to 10+ hours of play with over-the-ear headphones so I was disappointed when I saw these are rated at only 6 hrs with noise canceling (4 hours if used primarily for communication, up to 24 hours of life if you disable noise cancellation). It turns out, however, that this is actually better then the competition. Full charge time is 90 minutes with a quick charge option of 10 minutes for 1.5 hours of use. The stylish storage case is used to charge/store the ear buds. They utilize USB-C (a cable is included in the packaging). There is no wall plug, but there are several different sized rubber tips to select from to get the most comfortable fit. I wish the tips were "ribbed" to help ensure a snug fit. Nonetheless, buds feel well balanced and snug in the ear, unlike some others that feel like they are going to fall out after a couple minutes of wearing. Surprisingly, these are NOT water/sweatproof rated. I suspect that they will fall out if you get sweaty because there is no "hook" or "catch" system with these buds to help hold them to your ear...but again, they seem to be weighted well enough to stay put in a non-physical use environment. Overall, great noise cancelling, great motion and Google Assistant options. Very good audio quality with options to tweak to your preference. Decent battery life. Stylish. If you want a quality, in-ear noise canceling bud, these will likely make you happy!

Awesome headphone, In-Ear. Smart noise cancelling let's you program noice cancellation levels and even assign them to a specific location, for example, work. No to mention they are absolutely beautiful. Just Sony being Sony, the best.