Sony WF-1000XM3 Headphones are a Game Changer.
I have been a long time user of wireless headphones but I’ve always been disappointed in their lack of battery life and poor sound quality. That is why I was intrigued by the new Sony WF-1000XM3 headphones and I decided to swap out my old, failing headphones from another brand.
In this review I’ll share my experiences and some tips I found to make the transition easy.
Let me begin by saying I was extremely hesitant to spend a lot on a pair of wireless headphones after being sorely disappointed by various headphones in the past, but I had remembered trying over-the-ear Sony noise cancelling headphones in Best Buy once before and they were very nice.
This pair of Sony earbuds is shockingly good, the noise cancelling will be the first thing that you notice when you put them in your ears. The second thing you’ll notice is how perfectly contoured and comfortable they are while wearing them. Sometimes I forget I have them in, I’m not exaggerating!
I ordered these from Amazon and received them only 1 day later, it took me about 3 minutes to get them up and running after unboxing them. The packaging was really nice and the finish of the battery case exudes luxury tech.
The first thing that struck me was their minimalist, ergonomic design. They are lightweight but durable and sturdy in the hand. The charging case was larger than average but that’s because they’re packing 32 hrs of juice on a single charge of the pack! My old wireless headphones on the other hand could recharge fine…it was the constant depletion that was the problem, with my AirPods I could expect like 30 minutes of medium volume listening. With my new Sony WF-1000XM3’s I’m getting around 7-8 hours of playback at a medium volume. The promised 90 minutes of playback after 10 minutes of charging is a true claim, I was very happy with that!
Everything is starting to use USB-C, I already own a few devices that use this type of connection, so USB-C wasn’t new to me and I was glad to see it offered on the charging case. For those that have yet to try it, it’s pretty similar to other USB formats that you’ve used in the past except when use the charging case with an optional USB-C fast charger you can cut charging times drastically. Having USB-C implemented ensures these will be future proof, it’s super convenient too.
So let’s jump into the important stuff…the sound, these are headphones after all! The Sony Headphones Connect app is available for free on iOS and Android, this app unlocks so many hidden features that any audiophile or audio novice will enjoy. I was blown away at the level of control you can get if you want it, there is an equalizer that controls the tonality of your music and podcasts. You can achieve warm or bright styles of sound with the tap of a button in the app. I like crisp high tones because I frequently listen to electronic and classical styles of music, so I set my equalizer to bright and the sound is tremendously good for being wireless headphones…heck, these sound better than any pair of high-end wired headphones I’ve ever owned. The precision control of the noise cancelling feature is also in this app and it’s insane how good it is.
Because of their light weight these headphones simply stay put, I can tilt my head completely to the left and right, hold my head upside down, run, jump…etc. and they always seem to stay put and unaffected by my spastic sudden movement. I tested them while vacuuming, cleaning, using the elliptical and working at my desk. In each scenario I would often forget I had them in, that’s an amazing feat for any headphones, but especially wireless headphones with 8+ hours of playback runtime. Forget about distractions because these puppies will drown out virtually everything around you, the various noise cancelling options can also be changed on the fly using the touch panel on the left ear bud, simply tap to cycle through the different default settings and customize them in the app if you’re a control freak like me.
The first thing that struck me was their minimalist, ergonomic design.
Your ears are unique to you, so another added bonus is that Sony includes 7 pairs of various sized ear bud tips with different material qualities. This important accessory is always an after-thought to a lot manufacturers so I was happy to see that I had options, I opted for the squishy type tips and they feel fantastic in my ears. The different types of tips also changed the characteristics of the sound in my experimentation, I found the squishy type tips provided a better seal in my ears and improved the treble and bass effect.
If you crave high quality sound and performance out of your headphones then definitely get these. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to wired or another brand of wireless headphones ever again. My old wireless ear buds feel like kid’s toys compared to the Sony WF-1000XM3. The noise cancelling alone is what made this purchase a no brainer for me, the audiophile sound took my purchase to the next level. You will definitely be impressed by the engineering of these sleek, compact and lightweight ear buds.
If you’re currently vacillating between different ear buds and the Sony WF-1000XM3, go for the Sony pair. I honestly don’t think you’ll regret your decision after hearing and feeling them in your ears. I’ve so many popular “high end” brands of headphones, I wasted so much time on them before landing on this Sony pair. They were all nice but their fit left very little to be desired.
This product fills a gap in the premium audio marketplace and I’m satisfied knowing I made a great decision to purchase them, I recommend these to all my friends and family members considering new headphones and now I’m recommending them to you!
