Sony 1000X The Collexion – Sony’s new luxury headphones

Although these headphones are supposed to be a true prestige model, they are neither a successor to the WH-1000X M6 nor an all-in-one model. Compared to the existing WH-1000X M6, there is a noticeable difference in class, because the 1000X The Collection has lavish materials, metal and faux leather instead of plastic. Not so strange, perhaps, since the price is SEK 2,000 higher.

The 1000X The Collexion basically has a lot in common with its sister model, but in addition to the material choices being more luxurious and the format a bit slimmer, the new headphones should also be more comfortable. The slimmer format means that Sony has developed a new speaker element used in these headphones and in addition the battery is split in two to further utilize the space available.

Since Sony largely takes features from its sister model when creating the 1000X The Collexion, it is mainly the design and materials that are noticeable in these headphones. They’re a clear and pronounced attempt to challenge premium headphones like those from Bowers & Wilkins, but that’s precisely why it’s surprising that Sony doesn’t do it wholeheartedly and fully.

High resolution audio in Android, not in iPhone

Of course, here we have support for high-resolution sound with LDAC, just like in Sony’s other more expensive headphones. The headphones also have effective noise reduction with Sony’s QN3 processor, the same as in the sister model WH-1000X M6, but here supplemented with an additional processor called V3. The result should be that the 1000X M6 has better noise reduction, while the headphones we are testing here have a more elegant reproduction of the music. In practice when I test, the difference between the two models’ sound image is very small. However, I can clearly hear the significantly more detailed reproduction when I try to compare with the luxury headphones that Sony claims to challenge. There I get a significantly better separation where each individual instrument and vocalist appears more clearly. Also, in terms of noise cancellation, the Bowers & Wilkins headphones are at least on par with Sony’s noise cancellation, so Sony’s aren’t as superior today as they once were.

As for audio from the iPhone, high resolution audio via LDAC is not supported, Apple stops it, so here it is more limited audio quality that we are limited to. However, Sony has its own solution to that, with the help of its own technology DSEE Ultimate, they take the compressed and try to recreate the original quality as much as possible, with some AI support. It’s a good try, but the difference is still noticeable. Perhaps the most surprising thing is that Sony, in what should still be a distinct pair of prestige headphones, has no additional support for truly high-resolution sound in the iPhone. It offers, for example, Apple’s Airpods Max if they are connected with USB-C to the iPhone and Apple Music. Sony doesn’t support audio via the usb-c cable, so when I connect anyway, the only thing that happens is that the headphones charge from the phone’s battery.

Back to sound, because Sony has a function in its app called 360 Upmix, where the sound, just as they promise, should have a more spatial feel and you feel more like you are in the same room as the artists. It doesn’t make a huge difference though, although it’s clearly an improvement over having the feature turned off.

Messy app but well-functioning control directly on the headphones

Otherwise, Sony’s app is a clear weakness. It is hopelessly messy and has long been in need of a makeover from the ground up. Sony has been prominent in headphones for a long time, but in recent years they have just added function after function without looking at the layout or the whole, and it is becoming more and more painful for us users. In any case, you are not particularly dependent on the app. Several buttons on the covers allow you to control functions directly with your fingers, without picking up the mobile phone. I can of course switch between hear-through and noise reduction on or off. Another button can be customized so that, for example, it activates a function for background music. Then I get the music I’m listening to lower and more distant, a custom mode that makes it easier to concentrate on something while the music sounds distant in what sounds like the distance. I can change the song, change the volume and answer calls by swiping the covers.

If we look at the exterior, Sony has in any case clearly succeeded with the design and choice of materials, these headphones feel clearly luxurious and the ergonomics even during longer listening sessions are good. It’s a shame they aren’t as ambitious in all areas of this anniversary model.