Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones with Mic, up to 32H battery life, stable Bluetooth connection, wearing detection with Alexa built-in – Black
From the brand
WH-1000XM5
Our best noise cancelling headphones get even better
| Dimensions: | 3.5 x 2 x 2 cm; 17.01 Grams |
| Model: | WF1000XM3B.CE7 |
| Batteries Included: | 2 Lithium Polymer batteries required. |
| Manufacture: | Sony |
| Dimensions: | 3.5 x 2 x 2 cm; 17.01 Grams |
They do exactly what they are advertised to do, I already owned a set of Sony WH headphones which are brilliant, wanted something a little more portable so purchased a set of the same spec Sony Ear Pods. Have not been disappointed.
– Active noise cancelling (ANC) was decent.
– Ambient sound was pretty good – where it uses the mic to keep you aware of your surrounding.
– Switching between ANC, ambient sound – on/off is a bit fiddly, but you get used to it after a while.
– It stays on the ear pretty well, but I have had it fall out a few times while leaning to sit down etc.
– The mic is pretty good for calls.
Negatives
– No single use mode (biggest draw back for me – even 20 earbuds have this feature)
– The case is extremely bulky. Earbuds are also bit bulky.
– Google assistant integration doesn’t work half the time.
The headpohones are great. Good sound, light and easy to set up. I bought them as Amazon Warehouse deal and would highly advise everyone to be aware that the products are not in the condition as advertised. My first set was used with someone`s earwas on it! I am still waiting for refund despite sending it back 3 weeks ago. Amazon warehouse has accused me of not returning it. Customer service chat was absolute shambels when I asked for a copy of the claim chat and operator`s ID I was disconnected. I am happy to rise this issue with my credit card provider to deal with amazon attitude and false accusations, which is very insulting indeed.
I wanted a good pair of noise cancelling earphones and got these ones. The sound is really good compared to my old ones. They are a bit heavy, but have stayed in my ears so far.
The box though, is just daft! It has to be laid sideways or stood on its lid, as the base is rounded. If you want to know the charge status on the earphones or the box you have to open the app on your mobile to find out, as there is no information displayed on the box, unlike every other pair of (cheaper) earphones I’ve had. Is this normal for more expensive ones?
On the other side of the coin, the box does look nice!
TL/DR – these are excellent (sound, ANC, functionality) and well worth the price I paid, I only returned them because I couldn’t get the right earbud to fit even with aftermarket tips (I have smaller ears and ear canals). If you can get them around the 70 – 90 mark I think they are still very good value, but be sure to check out the competition to be sure these will suit you best.
THE GOOD
– ANC: this is an older model (was a flagship when launched) but I think it still holds up very well against other ANC buds on the market around the 100 mark (note – I haven’t tried any of the current flagships e.g WFXM4, Momentum TW3, AirPods Pro 2, etc, but would not be a fair comparison anyway given the price you can get the WFXM3 now). I used them on London Underground (Victoria Line, horribly loud screeching line) and these did a useful job of cutting out a lot of background noise. They will still let some of the higher pitched noises in so it’s not silence, but I’m yet to test a pair of in ear or over ears that can achieve that. My experience was that with ANC on I could listen to music comfortably at generally 40-50% volume on my commute which was great.
– SOUND QUALITY: I can’t speak to the technicalities here, but I think they sound very good and I could enjoy a wide variety of genres (folk, hip hop, grime, classical, metal). I can’t imagine most average users will be disappointed with the sound. They get loud enough when needed.
– BATTERY LIFE: this is very solid, and quite a few more recent flagship earbuds still don’t match up in this regard.
– FEATURES: the buds have an App (iOS and Android) which gives you EQ controls and wind noise reduction, some controls customisation, and firmware updates etc. probably some other things I have missed too. Nice to have.
– BUILD QUALITY: Both the case and buds feel well built and sturdy. I quite like the design, despite their bulkiness, but this will be very subjective.
THE BAD
– BULKY EARBUDS: The fit of the earbuds is poor for me. The right bud would need continual adjustment to stay in which was frustrating. Fit and comfort is very subjective so your mileage will vary. But, I imagine most people with smaller ears will struggle here as the bud design is quite bulky. It also is very visible, so if you want a bud that is more discreet then definitely look elsewhere. It does come with a large selection of ear tips though, so make sure you try various combinations before giving up.
– BULKY CASE: The case is fairly large, so not ideal for a trouser pocket. However, it is reasonably slim, so fine for a coat pocket. If you are putting it in a bag usually then this won’t be an issue. But compared to AirPods cases this will look huge.
– NO IP RATING: Unfortunately these are not rated for sweat/dust resistance at all. Depending on your use case this may not matter to you, but if you will be outside a lot, then it is worth considering. Most newly released TWS buds are now at least IPX4 (sweat/splash) resistant.
I hope that helps!
Bought it for like 90-100 euros some months ago. They are good ear buds, not an audiophile headphone but still good for that price(I think). The sound is as good as Sony delivers with a good “profiler” app that allows you to equalize the sound to your preference.
Regarding noise cancellation I can’t compare with many other earbuds but in comparison with proper headsets it is quite bad. I didn’t buy it expecting it to be good that is why my overall rating is still 4 stars.
My only actual complaint is how it attaches to my ears, I had very cheap ear buds that did much better job than this one, cheaper Sony ones also Done a better job. I don’t know what the design team had in their mind when they came up with such a bad design. It constantly feels like it will drop from your ears, and sometimes (to be fair, less then what I expected) it actually does.
If it wasn’t for this I would have given it 5 stars.
It can be used a single earphone at a time which is great for making calls and for listening to books or podcasts. When you remove a pod, it will pause, which is sometimes useful, sometimes annoying.
The weakest parts however are the case and the eartips.
The case is too big, so is very obvious in a front jeans pocket, especially with the lid being flat and having an edge. For comparison, the Soundcore Life A2 NC charging case has more of a pebble shape which is smaller and more discreet.
The case lid is stylish with a copper effect, but expect it to get very obviously scratched up when you put it in your pocket with your keys. To prevent this, you would need a protective case, but that makes the thing even bigger and less pocketable.
I tried all the buds but couldn’t get a fit for one ear. I was lucky that I had a bud from other earphones I could re-use, otherwise I would have had to return these. The fit is still not perfect and they will loosen over time. I didn’t have this problem with the Soundcore.
I would hesitantly recommend these. They tick a lot of boxes but aren’t flawless. Overall I don’t regret the buy and I think they are worth the price. However, the value-for-money is stronger in the cheaper Soundcore Life A2 NC.
all the audio pros reviewed the 1000XM3s back in 2019/20 and the headphones basically dominated the reviews… they are absolutely perfect…
so i eventually got a pair with my EE accessories plan last October… after a few months using these i was so impressed i bought another pair which i later gave to my Dad for his 74th Birthday… then knowing this would be harder to find 2 years later i wanted to get another set as a spare… so i have bought 2 with Amazon direct and 1 through EE…
the headphones are designed really well and have both Alexa and Google Assistant built in… they are true active noise cancelling wireless headphones that offer 360 Reality Audio where available… and use Sonys SENSE Audio Engine utilising the exceptional QN1e sensor…
the design of the headphones and the charge case is just incredible and everything about the headphones just exudes quality… the companion app is required to use these headphones to the full and you can also update the firmware on the headphones with the app…
while not water proof or dust proof they are well made and even survived being dunked into a glass of water and were completely submerged for a minute… i used loo paper and a hair dryer on low and they dried out and worked with out issue subsequently… which i thought was amazing… the audio quality is frankly suberb with crystal clear vocals and good bass and treble response… i tried listening to classical music… low fi beats… synth pop and 80s and all of the unique feel and personality of each genre was faithfully reproduced… for me the isolation these offer blocking out external noises so you can listen to your music without distraction was very good but also call quality on 5G/4G was also excellent… i didnt have any drop outs or signal issues at all and voice calls were clear and without any issues…
worth noting that a 10 mins charge from the charge case will give 90 minutes air time or in my experience charging for 45 minutes gives the charge case and headphones a 100% charge… with 6-8 hours listening time from a charge and 3 full charges from the case so if you are say at Glastonbury or away from an outlet you can still charge the headphones…
the app allows you to set the nouse cancellation levels and also has a full equaliser and you can toggle DSEE HX on or off and select best signal quality or best audio quality regards the conenction…
i hope i am using my 1000XM3s for many years and i am very glad i could pick up these wonderful headphones…
5/5! A++
audio quality
build quality and workmanship
ease of use
overall ergonomics and design
value versus overal quality (they were 220 in 2019/20 but can be had for under 100 from Amazon and Sony Direct)
The noise cancelling is brilliant. Great for listening to music or videos as you’re going to sleep, it really isolates all the external noises. When these were released, they were some of the best in class for noise cancelling and it shows. Now they’re older their price has come down but they still remain great for blocking out unwanted noise.
I have the noise cancelling on all the time as when I’m out walking it can completely get rid of the sound of the wind cutting through my music and – slightly worryingly – the engine noise of a car approaching behind me.
One down side to these headphones is that they do tend to slip out of your ear if you’re doing some solid exercise – a combination of sweaty ears and rigorous head movement can see them slip out from time to time.
That said, the pros outweigh the cons considerably. The battery life lasts forever, the charge held in the case lasts for an eternity and its very quick to charge up. I maybe use these headphones for 2-3 hours every day and whenever I turn them on they tell me they’re 100% charged. I only really plug the charging case in for around an hour every week and this keeps it juiced up.
Connects easily with the iPhone I have and easily connects to my other bluetooth devices when I need them too.
Great wireless headphones, would highly recommend for any use other than for wearing during exercise.
The sound is pretty fricking good. Much clearer than some of the cheaper headphones and earphones I’ve had so yes they score very high for this.
The but, well there is no volume control on them but this isn’t a massive issue. They aren’t water resistant so I can only wear these during dry days, again not a massive issue. The main niggle I guess is the stability in the ear, there must be a knack and I think I sussed it (after one fell out whilst I was walking!). However they still feel like they’re going to fall out, they haven’t, but it’s an uneasy alliance we have got so far. It think it’s due to the design and the bulk.
I’ve not tried the noise cancelling but may try this once the weather drys and I can go outside with them. I will update accordingly.
Overall at full price there would be too many little drawbacks that would outweigh the amazing sound and I would go for something else. On offer these would be awesome for sitting in your garden in the sun with sunglasses on sipping a beer or cocktail.
I think there are probably better earphones/buds for a more stable fit if you’re out and about but for relaxing in your garden as a secondary pair and under 100 I think they’re pretty good.
1. The delivery was smooth as always from Amazon. I like the colour of mine and like the fact they charge using Type-C.
2. The battery is good (so far). I’ve not had to charge them in some time and I have found that they’re still saying ‘Fully Charged’ when I am putting them in my ears. The case is a bit on the larger side, but i’m not offended by it. There’s a red light on the case that indicates that it is charging.
3. I was testing these on my way to work, which I walk to every weekday. I found that the choice of earbuds matters a lot. I had the memory foam type on, and while they felt okay, I felt that they made me more aware of cars going by by nerfing the sound. After switching to the rubber mesh like ones, I felt like the sound really improved and I could isolate my head into the music. It changed my perspective of the earphones. On a negative note, I definitely don’t like these when it is windy. I have used these around three times when it has been windy and you can hear the sharp whistling of the wind go into the earpieces and its really annoying. I did switch to my wired Betron pair on one journey because I couldn’t be bothered with the whistling.
4. The touch controls are a little ‘touch’ and go. You can modify them so they can be for taking calls, volume control etc. I think it’s more of a me problem than the earphones, but sometimes it just won’t register my tap, or if I have double-tapped to skip a song, it will register one tap and pause it instead. I really like the feature that means when you take out an earphone, whatever you’re listening to pauses. When you place the earphone back in, it continues. It has a sensor on the side that detects proximity to determine this.
5. They are a strange shape, but they’re not uncomfortable. Just place them into your ear and see what’s right for you. I think they’ve even made a video or a guide specifically telling you how you should put them in because they have had that many requests about it.
6. I have only used the microphone about four times. For taking calls, they are a good fit. You can hear them well, they can hear you well, and you can use the tap feature to pick up and end calls. I tried these in a Playstation Party via the app on my phone and my friends thought I was on the other side of the room from my microphone, and it was on full.
Overall, I do think these are great. They produce amazing sound with the correct earbuds and have a lasting battery that means I don’t have to micromanage them everytime I use them.
So when my Melomanias died and I needed a new pair, I put in a lot of research and decided on these Sonys.
First of, the case is MASSIVE. It’s twice the size of the Cambridge case, which was about the same size as an Apple Airpod case. The Sony case it not so comfortable to keep in your jeans pocket, that’s for sure.
I knew from experience that silicon tips are not for me, and the ones from Sony are no exception. They are useless for sound and useless at keeping the earbuds in my ears. So as I already had a packet of Xcessor memory foam tips, I tried those and they did the trick. Good fit, good sound.
The earbuds themselves are also considerably bigger than the Melomanias, but it isn’t too much of a problem. They’re like two mini Bluetooth headsets from the olden days. They are always quick to connect to the phone and the soothing Japanese woman who speaks to you sounds nice.
To get the “best” out of the Sony’s you need to use their app, which is fair enough. You can change the equalizer settings etc. Don’t bother with the 360 surround stuff though; It’s rubbish.
What I didn’t realize for a while is that the Sony app has a separate volume control which is supposed to match the volume on the phone, so turning up the volume in-app also turns up the Bluetooth volume, but for some reason that relationship sometimes breaks, so you could turn down the volume in the app and turn the Bluetooth volume on your phone to max and still think they are too quiet. Worth remembering if you think they’ve gone quiet even though you’re cranking up the volume.
I’ve not used noise cancelling earbuds before. I had some over-ear headphones with it some years ago, and I didn’t like the feeling of increased air-pressure those gave me, but I don’t detect that with these Sony earbuds. The outside world just gets quieter. It’s pretty effective. Sitting outside on a sunny day the distance road rumble and most of the quieter birds are well masked. It won’t block out that mentally loud blackbird though. They’re not too bad at blocking the sound from a TV or another radio either.
Overall I’m pleased with these. Hopefully they last and I don’t have to fork out 165 for a while.
However I am more comfortable/less paranoid when wearing earbuds whilst I am out and about so after owning the (WH)-XM4’s for around a month I decided to treat myself to these too (as they were on sale for 139.99).
After charging to full, linking them to the APP, upgrading the firmware I put them in.
Pairing to my Samsung phone (and later) my tablet was straight forward.
As when I tested my xm4’s the TV and soundbar was busy playing a film I made sure the TV volume was around the same level and enabled noise cancellation. I was a little underwhelmed if I’m honest, where the xm’4 knocked out nearly all the bass from the TV and made an effort to limit the vocal(s) these just didn’t do so well.
I didn’t want to give up on them though so I set off for a real world test.
Jumped into the car and went to my local park, I parked up but left the engine running. Popped them in my ears and activated ANC, Immediately noticed my diesel engine was silent I could just feel the vibration under my seat, the radio volume was also greatly reduced.
Happily hopped out of the car and started my walk, With ANC on it did feel like I felt a thump in my ears with every step I took which became less apparent the moment I turned my audiobook on.
As I hit the open air when I reached the lake the wooshing of wind which people mention in the reviews became apparent I toggled ANC (left bud) and it was gone. As I sat on a bench playing with the APP I noticed one step off the ANC was ‘wind noise reduction’ I selected that and that problem was gone (like the wind) and even over a audiobook I couldn’t really hear anyone talking or dogs barking etc.
So now I have kept the left ear bug as default.
One press activates ANC, Press again to active wind noise reduction, 1 more press turns it all off so I can hear everything around me, and then back to ANC.
(pressing and holding the left bud also activates the ambient sound microphones more or less turning them into a hear-aid so you definitely won’t miss what’s being said around you).
I haven’t tried any of the Sony tips, I really like the memory foam tips from “New Bee” available on Amazon:-
(ASIN : B07RXN1HGG).
They’re very comfortable, retain good shape and kind of grip your ear (the small and medium sizes fit good, no charge issues. Never tried the large).
After reading some of the reviews about them falling out of folks ears whilst walking I knew I would never have that problem with these tips.
Done with my walk around park I went to my local morissons (supermarket). I parked right at the back-end so I could test them as I walked to the store (through the car-park). There ability to block out car engines and greatly reduce car door slams is impressive.
I would just like to point out at this point that I suffer from Social-anxiety and I’m on the spectrum (high functioning autism). It’s the reason why I have tried so many active ANC buds over the years,
Filtering out background sounds and being able to “detach” myself from crowds of people allows me to be in that environment for longer, The more stress I feel the harder it is for me filter out noises and the less “normal” I will start to appear (that probably sounds silly to read but that’s my life).
Anyway sorry for oversharing back to morrisons, This set really shined in there even with only the rambo audiobook on low volume these did a amazing job of filtering the fridges, lights shelf stackers, in store music/announcements, everything was muted or at the very least very dulled down. I owned the ‘Tronsmart Apollo Bold’ for a while and these out-shined those on every level.
It makes shopping on my own a easier job to cope with, When I say ANC changed my life it was a understatement.
These have become my go-to for outdoors, Whilst my xm4’s allow me to have silence whenever I need it at home, The houses around me love garden parties and karaoke and I no longer need to close my windows in the hot summer and cook myself in order to deal with it.
I have the APP to prefer quality over signal and I’ve not really had an issue, It has dropped well more left and came right back once or twice but that’s been when I’ve put my hand into my jean pocket covering the phone, millisecond drop, nothing compared to the apollos that lost signal whenever I turned my head. I got quite a bit of static when I was walking around park and after frantically trying to fix it and being pretty annoyed it turned out to be a bad chapter in my audio-book (doh!).
I’ve not ran them from full to dead battery and I’m aware it doesn’t show battery level in 1% increments (if I had to guess I would say its 10%, 100,90,80 etc). I have however only charged then twice in three weeks, I walk around park daily for around 1hr30m a time and when I’m finished my buds still report 100% charge, The charge box dropped to 70% before I recharged it around a week ago.
I didnt want to scratch my case up so I bought a “Spigen silicone case”
(ASIN : B0837BLJ3N).
It fits really well and should keep my case in tip-top condition (that’s the reason why my case looks a little different in the photo).
The sound is really nice for buds (I do prefer the EQ mode “bright” with the clear bass up one or two notches (It’s subjective though everyone’s taste is going to be different).
The Sony website recommends a 0.5amp charger (500mA) but I’ve not been able to source one that goes that low, Even power switching AC adapters tend to only go as low as 1amp (1000mA). Short of plugging it into a laptop/PC USB port I’m not sure what my options are.
Anyway if you have made it this far, Thank you for sticking with me. I’ve hit a typing brick wall and can’t think of anything else to cover.
I hope you find a pair of buds you like. I do truly recommend these (even though they don’t come with a IP/sweat/water resistance). I have been sweating a bit whilst wearing these (it’s been a hot/sunny couple of days) I wiped them down before putting them into the case and I’ve had no issues.
July 2021 edit:
These also pair up fine to my Philips Ambilight Smart TV (50pus9005/12), with no issues, I’ve not used them to listen to live TV as I rarely watch it, I have however watched a lot of Netflix, Plex, Amazon prime video etc, with no sync issues. Active NC is assigned to my bud touch panel and is fully functional whilst watching my TV. (Just thought I would add this information in case you were curious).
I hope this review helps you in some way. Stay safe!
Test tracks exemplifying observations are in brackets.
These have a well balanced tonality with no frequency taking centre stage however bass impact is rather soft (Jump Around) which can either be perceived as inoffensive and allowing for long listening sessions or lacking in impact. Sub bass representation is also quite limited (Why So Serious). It’s almost as though Sony are limiting the bass impact to avoid law suits for loss of hearing.
Sound quality overall is very good (much better than regular Airpods) with my usual test tracks being well reproduced (recordings of audio on my Amazon profile)
Mids are well balanced and natural sounding if vocals can occasionally sound a little thin and sibilant and the treble energetic and detailed so one can hear the attack and decay of guitar strings being plucked and shimmer of cymbal strikes.
Their sound overall is reminiscent of a clinical set of monitoring headphones with a clean sound sound without much added warmth and a gentle bass.
Its natural top tier competitor is the Sennheiser Momentum TW2 and the non-ANC cx400bt version of this delivers a natural sounding performance that is more musical and involving.
The Sennheiser adds some extra upper bass and lower mids warmth around 300hz that can bring male vocals more to life though which could also be perceived as making them more chesty and colouring the sound; it does this in a surprising and very measured way however that is engaging and without robbing any energy from the higher frequencies.
The Sony’s soundstage is much more limited than the Sennheiser’s with sounds never appearing to come from much past one’s head (Fly Me To The Moon).
The soft bass means sound scapes are less euphonic on the Sony (Where the streets have no name)
Unlike most TWS track skip is controlled by a single or double tap on just one side. The same applies to volume so one can’t configure left to be volume down and right volume up for example though whether the volume control is achieved by left or right can be configured through the Sony Headphones app. I got used to this quite quickly however.
Although physically large units, comfort and security of fit was fine for me once the tips where changed to the large silicon from the good selection of silicon and black pencil rubber type material tips supplied.
Pictured with some other TWS earphones to give you an idea of their size.
However i needed some in-ear buds for the treadmill. I already have Samsung Galaxy buds which came free with my Galaxy phone and they are excellent. But i wanted a step up in class and that is why i ordered the Sony XM3.
I’ll cut straight to the good and bad and unforgivable
The Good:
The presentation is gorgeous. The buds themselves are beautiful to look at so is the case. They really look good.
The base is excellent, very heavy and just right
The software is very good, i already use the same software for my XM4’s and this works just perfectly. Although i haven’ tried the 360 features as i don’t have Deezer 360 or Tidal
The sound cancellation is on point as you would expect from Sony, however in in-ear buds it is less important than over the ears as a proper seal creates all the sound cancellation you need
Connection is quick and responsive. Connects to my phone instantly and with no dropped connection issues
The Bad
The buds are slightly “heavy”. They weigh much more than my Galaxy buds, which at first i didn’t think would be an issue but when on the treadmill i felt it. They had the “sliding out” sensation which my Galaxy’s don’t have
The case itself is also on the large side. Not very compact at all. And barely fits in my trouser pockets and i have big pockets
Also a slight annoyance is when double clicking for the next track there is only one “click” sound rather than a double click as my Samsung’s. Hardly a deal breaker but a slight annoyance.
The Ugly
Now this is the real dealbreaker and someone else touched upon this in their review. The max volume appears to be capped. At first i thought maybe an issue with me or a configuration issue but these are definitely on the quiet side. Then as a comparison i whipped these off and put the Samsung Galaxy buds on with the same track playing and guess what they were MUCH louder. I couldn’t believe it. Now i don’t exactly want to make myself deaf but sometimes i do like to whack it up. Also in a side by side comparison – whisper it – but the Samsung Galaxy sounded slightly better. More dynamic. The Sony still had the edge in bass. But the overall sound experience was better with the Galaxy.
In conclusion, beautiful buds but shop around before getting. Also don’t turn your nose up at the Galaxy Buds which are a similar price. If Sony fix the max sound issue then they get 5 stars
Sound quality seems decent.
Took me a while to find which ear buds I liked the best, I felt i couldnt find one that fit exactly, but maybe I just have weird ears, idk. The app that you install for the ambient sound control etc is pretty poor, hardly ever recognises that the earphones are partied and currently being used on my phone, though it doesn’t seem to make that much difference anyway. Battery seems decent. Noise cancelling is decent but not amazing. Seems a bit hit and miss, sometimes it works well, other times not as much. I hate the adaptive sound thing where it changes based on what I’m doing, I turned thst off as it disrupts music playing when it changes and really takes you out the zone. You can customise the equalizer in the app which I did, and would recommend doing. Overall, I’m happy with my purchase and I’m enjoying them.
What you may get annoyed by though, is the okay battery and sometimes clunky bluetooth connectivity. The battery for me (With NC, no DSEE HX) is around 3-4h. Times 3 charges from the case. They do recharge blazing fast though, 15mins in the case will get you 2h of listening time, so at least they understand their batteries aren’t amazing and try to ammend it.
The connectivity and software is a bit clunky. With enough fiddling you will get it to where you want it to be, but I wish that there was an easy way to turn the earbuds on and off without the use of the case, as the buds bug out sometimes – only 1 bud playing, not playing at all or being at half-volume. All of these issues are pretty rare though and go away when you put them in the case and take them out again, but it is sometimes annoying.
Another annoyance is their touch interface, it is really sensitive. Expect unintentioned presses pretty much everytime you try to adjust them.
Overall, they’re fantastic earbuds for sound, but they do have some annoyances.
P.S. The name is a bit annoying for troubleshooting. Especially since there is a pair of over-ear headphones called the exact same name except with WH at the start instead of WF.
The bluetooth is quite poor, they sometimes take 20+ seconds to connect to my phone and then when they do, I have to hit the play button on them multiple times before they start the music up. Then when I am listening to music, it can skip a bit and sometimes cut out completely for 5-10 seconds. Before these I had a 80 pair of Anker earphones (I paid 27 in a great sale) which were just placeholders until I bought these, they never had any bluetooth issues whatsoever so for this price, I expect better. These were a considerable step down from the cheap Ankers.
In the app you can choose between sound quality or bluetooth connection quality, but when I am buying Sony for sound I want the best sound, so I’ll make do with the annoyance of dropping connection now and again. Speaking of sound, they do sound pretty good. I would say very good but again, comparing to the cheap pair of Ankers I had before these, I would say they are just a slight upgrade on sound quality, whereas I was expecting a massive leap in quality, but it isn’t there.
Not sure if it is my ears or not, I have tried each size bud that is supplied with them to find the right fitting for me and have settled on the medium sized ones for best fit. Still, one has fallen out of an ear possibly 10 times since I’ve been using them for 6ish weeks. I don’t run with them or exercise in them, this is just walking around. One thing I can say is even with them falling 6 feet onto concrete several times, they haven’t smashed or scratched at all, which is good. They are built well.
The battery is very very good, as described and have been very pleased with that.
The noise cancelling is pretty good, some of the features don’t work that well, like the focus on voice mode, which I don’t use that much anyway but have tested it a few times.
For the price and excellent reviews I expected outstanding, but I would say they are just good, worth keeping for the battery life and overall well above average quality.
I got these to have a great audio experience without the bulk of headphones. I also have the headphone equivalent, the WH-1000XM3s, which in my view are one of the best headphones on the market, rivalled only by its successor, the XM4s, and the Bose 700 series. Lots of people want earbuds that are as wireless as possible (called True Wireless), and noise-cancelling. I’m pleased to report that this has both features.
The WFM3s uses the same Sony app as the WHM3s when connected via Bluetooth. Each bud has its own little touchpad, and via the app you’re able to control which earbud does what, such as switching between ambient sound and noise cancelling, activating Alexa or Google Assistant and volume control (There was an update that allowed the headphones to control volume, as it wasn’t there before). If you activate a feature called ‘Adaptive Sound’, the headphones become clever enough to adjust the noise cancelling based upon your location and activity. It can tell when you’re sitting, standing, walking and commuting. It does take a few seconds to activate. I tested this feature at Angel station in Islington. I got onto the escalator to go down onto the platform, and it was in commuting mode by the time got to the bottom. I entered the carriage and the noise-cancelling was around 75%: blocked out lots of noise but enough to make you aware of your surroundings and listen out for announcements.
You get a stylish case with a black and gold/copper finish (there’s also a silver version). The earbuds last for 6 hours (with NC on, 8 hours with NC off) before needing a charge, and the case holds enough power for three full charges before needing to be charged itself. Potentially, you have a maximum listening time of 24 hours, which is madness. Stark raving madness. 10 minutes of charging can give you over an hour of usage. This definitely works; I charged it for 10 minutes (timed) and it lasted for 1 hour and 34 minutes before shutting off.
Let’s be clear; noise-cancelling itself is excellent. They’re ALMOST as good at their big brother, the WHM3s, but not quite. Even so, they’re gonna block out the majority of the noise from the outside world. Commuting is like being in your own world. It got so bad at one point, that I was totally oblivious to my uncle calling me from across the street, he actually had to come over and tap me on the shoulder. I repeat, world-class noise-cancelling. They are as Sony advertised. They are that good.
Sound and music quality is great. Surprisingly thumping bass, great mids. I used a playlist that has a variety of genres and artists. James Arthur, Dr. Dre, 30 Seconds to Mars, Coldplay, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Kirk Franklin. It all sounds great. I’m not an audiophile, though. My dad is, and he tried them. Said they were the best earbuds he’d ever used.
Only let down for these headphones is call quality. Sometimes, instead of hearing the person’s voice, I can hear something unintelligible instead, like a monster growling or something, particularly with third-party Internet-based calling apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Also, there is a slight lag on streaming services like Prime Video and Netflix. I could pause the playback and the sound would be 2 or 3 seconds behind. Both of these happen rarely, but enough to not give these buds 5 stars, which they deserve. Perhaps a software update will clear up these issues.
All in all, a great package. The original package was 230, which was a bit steep, but I managed to buy them brand new from Amazon for 166, which is better value for money. Can easily rival the AirPods (and I’m an Apple user).
4/5 stars. Average (but usually decent) call quality, excellent sound, world-class noise-cancelling.
HOWEVER, I tried to ride my bike with these in (25miles over roads and off road forest type riding). Firstly the amount of wind noise you can hear is horrible to start with, you then kind of get use to it. I tried switching it from every setting to see if it would cancel the wind noise out but no joy, something you got to live with and you do get use to it. Secondly if you are going to ride with these get some ear hooks that attach on to the head phones because without them they will fall out. The ear hooks saved them from falling out and kept them in and no movement at all. I have also upgraded the ear tips to some memory foam ones and they work brilliantly nice and soft and after 2/3 hours of riding my ears don’t hurt like they normally do.
Over all the pros out way the cons (only if you get the ear hooks and memory foam tips) and if you can gram them at the same price I did then they are a bargain even when you factor in the ear hooks and tips as it’s cheaper and better sound than anything else for the 101/(115 with hooks and tips)
Shame about the wind noise hence the 4 starts and not 5.
I think the exception to that advice would be when you buy a different ‘type’ of headphone. Going from over ear to on ear, or to in-ear/ear-bud. Quite often you’ll notice quite a difference to the sound signature, the things you liked about you’re other pair just aren’t there. Maybe you’ll get lucky and like them even more.
What Sony have done with the WF-1000XM3 is truly exceptional, as they’ve managed to retain everything that made the bigger WH-1000XM3’s one of the best pair of noise cancelling headphones you can buy. If you’ve tried the bigger cans, or have them and are looking to pick up something a little more portable, you won’t be disappointed.
With the WF-1000XM3, you’re getting a very similar sound signature to the larger WH-1000XM3. There’s a slight drop on the bass by default, but a handy app allows you to tweak the equaliser to bump that base back up.
Noise cancelling is here too, and it’s obvious a lot of work has been done to retain this. Noise cancelling is handled perfectly, and has absolutely no negative impact on the quality of what you’re listening to. Ear-buds are obviously not going to be able to cancel out as much noise as an over ear pair of headphones, and the bigger WH cans are still king there, but within the ear-bud category these dominate the competition.
Battery life is good too. There’s buds with longer life in them out there now, the new Galaxy buds are pushing 11 hours of battery life, which is impressive. I get around 5 to 6 hours of music out of of these before having to pop them into the case. The charging is fast, so it’s not a long wait if you do end up running out. The case carries enough juice that you’d be able to use these for a few hours each day, and get about 4 or 5 days before needing to get to a charger.
There’s been a couple of occasions where I’ve had audio cutting out, but it’s only happened in super busy places like the city centre, it’s no more or less common than other wireless buds I’ve used. 2.4Ghz is fairly congested, and I’m yet to find a pair of wireless buds from any company that 100% solve this.
So that leaves me with a couple of things I noticed that were missing. Fortunately I didn’t have anything to complain about that affected the listening experience. Wireless charging on the case would have been nice, it’s popping up on almost every phone now, and wireless chargers are everywhere too. It’s using USB C though, which is nice.
The last thing might be more important to some more than others, there’s no water resistance rating on these. If you’re planning on using them in the rain a lot, or hitting the gym hard, you don’t have that IP certification to make you feel safer.
I’d be happy to recommend these over pretty much every other wireless bud out there right now.
In short: Don’t buy these for their sound cancellation abilities, if you want that, buy the WH-100XM3 (the overears) instead. Buy these because they have superb sound quality accompanied by moderate noise cancellation and are a perfect companion at the GYM.
What’s in the box?
1. Short USB C cable.
2. A number of earbud tips to suit your ears
3. Manuals that no one reads.
4. Carrying case and buds.
In detail:
>>>The case
The carry case can be described as palm size, easily fitting in your pocket or small inner pouch of your gym bag. It doubles as a charging case and packs an impressive 3 full charges meaning you can go days between having to charge these earbuds.
The case has a nice magnetic closure which exhibits a satisfying snap when closing the case. Inside of the case there are two magnets on either side of where the earbuds are situated. While a minor feature, it gets big points from me because there’s nothing more frustrating than when you have to fiddle withe the ear buds to get them back into the case.
The earbuds
>>>Sound quality
Initially, I note that the sound quality is excellent. I’ve previously used Sennheiser Momentum’s and Sennheiser IE80’s and these are of comparable sound quality. You can adjust the sound profile (equaliser) via the Sony app which is available on the play store or the Apple equivalent.
>>>Noise Cancellation
My comparison here is with the Sony WH-1000XM3’s (overears). Yes, I know, this is an unfair comparison. I purchased these naively thinking they would have the same noise cancellation abilities. Boy was I wrong!
I owned the overears before I owned these. If you’ve ever travelled on the underground before, you know the demonic screams that shriek throughout the underground as the trains tear through the cavernous tunnels. With the overears, I forgot that this was a feature of the London underground. With the WF-1000XM3’s (inears) I was reminded again of the hellish screams.
Where these do shine, is the gym. I simply can’t use the overears in the gym. My head sweats and the fall off when I position myself on the bench. The in ears however perform exceptionally well. I just turn the volume up a bit and go HAM.
>>>Function
The very first thing you will want to do after buying these is to download the app. Right out of the box, you cannot control the volume on the earbuds. After you’ve downloaded the app, you can ‘remap’ the touch controls.
My current setup for my left bud is: single tap = increase volume, tap and hold = decrease volume progressively.
SONY – if you are listening, whenever the XM4’s come out, ship them with this set up!
Realistically am I going to say (audibly) “Hey google, turn down the volume”. No. I’m just going to tap on my earbud.
>>>Other
The ability to use one earphone but not the other. This is a godsend if you use these at work. Having one in means you can hear everything around you. While you could adjust the noise cancellation mode, I personally find that having one in at a higher volume is preferable.
The ability to control ambient noise is mostly gimmicky. The only time this comes in handy is if you’re out walking with these and it is windy. Leaving the buds on noise cancellation mode will mean you will get a considerable amount of ‘noise’ from the wind (how ironic!!). There is a mode for ‘wind reduction’ which mitigates the noise to some degree.
Pros:
+Fantastic sound quality.
+Battery life is brilliant. 6 hours on the earbuds + another 18 hours in the case.
+Excellent app allowing you to modify the touch controls, equalizer, ambient noise etc.
+Carrying case is small, easy to transport and unobtrusive.
+Easy setup/connection to your phone.
+USB-C charger. YES. USB-C EVERYTHING!
Cons:
-Noise cancellation is no where near as good as they over ears (Sony WH-100XM3)
-Sometimes connectivity can be an issue with sound being garbled (even with the stability connection mode). I’ve encountered this on all wireless earbuds I’ve used. That being said, these have been the best in this respect.
-Pricey. I paid 188 for these but I see that they have dropped in price to 166. Still, rather costly.
-You have to choose between google assistant and being able to increase/decrease the volume via the earphone.
I bought these Sony buds to replace my Amazon Echo buds that I returned. They were annoyingly buggy and appeared as though they were not quite ready for market. On the other hand, they were 50 cheaper than these Sony buds.
I can only compare these Sony buds to the Echo’s as I have not tried other wireless noise cancelling buds.
Setup: Echo Buds win. The Sony’s were more of a faff to setup and configure the touch buttons how I like them, especially in terms of setting up Alexa. When you setup Alexa on the Sony’s (via the Alexa app), it over-writes the touch control for noise reduction, so I had to go back into the headphone setup and shift Alexa to the Right bud and re-establish noise cancellation controls on the Left bud again.
Voice assistance: Echo Buds win. You only have to say “Alexa” to use her on the Echo buds, on the Sony’s you must physically press the touch control to speak to your assistant. Should also add that the touch controls on the Echo are easier to touch, I often fail to touch the right part on the Sony.
Comfort: Sony wins. I have not weighed them, but the Sony’s feel lighter and less of a “plug” in your ears. It feels more open and there is less ear pressure. They are more “breathable” even though I have the correct sized rubbers to form a seal. There is far less fatigue with the Sony’s and after a two hour walk, I was happy to keep them in longer and listen to more music at home.
Sound Quality: Sony wins. I do not know which buds are technically the best (to an audiophile) but I prefer the Sony sound. Going back to the previous point, it sounds more “open” like there is a wider sound stage. Like wearing open-back versus-closed back over the ear headphones. I prefer the more open sound on the Sony as I have always felt open headphones separate the various instruments and deliver more detail to each one. I said I would only listen to the Echo’s whilst on the go and would use proper over ear headphones at home. The Sony’s are good enough that I would use them at home too.
Call Quality: Sony wins. I have been calling a friend during my lockdown walks and having spoken to them last week on the Amazon Echo Buds and this week on the Sony’s, they said the Sony was clearer.
Noise Cancellation/Reduction: Echo Buds win. Not even close. The Echo Buds are far more effective at noise reduction. So much so that I switched them on passthrough when walking down narrow lanes because you literally cannot hear a car a metre behind you. The Sony buds are far less effective such that you have no trouble hearing a car approaching with Noise Cancellation on. Not so much that you cannot hear a podcast above the noise mind you, but traffic and wind noise were noticeably louder on the Sony’s.
Overall Winner: This is tough one. The Amazon Echo Buds are 50 cheaper and that is not to be sniffed at. Because the Echo buds are buggy, I returned them so as it stands, I would give Sony the win. If the bugs are fixed on the Echo’s, it is a tougher decision and comes down to their superior noise reduction and a 50 saving, versus better sound quality, comfort and reduced fatigue with the Sony.
I can live with the reduced noise reduction so for me the Sony’s are clear winnersat a price.
EDIT: I’ve discovered that using the ambient sound or noise cancelling mode actually makes wind noise a lot worse. Ambient sound mode basically acts like a hearing aid so you would expect it to amplify wind noise. Surprisingly though, the noise cancelling mode has a huge issue as you would expect it to cancel out wind noise but somehow it manages to make it massively worse. In strong winds I use the 3rd option (tapping left ear) that turns off all sound processing so that they function like regular ear buds.
My Bose wired noise-cancelling buds broke after three years of use. I loved the sound quality and that they were wired; allowing unfiltered quality sound to get through without noise cancelling when I needed.
I saw reviews of these; citing excellent sound quality, and these reviews drove my purchase, in combination with a need to have quick to access wireless headphones.
What I love
The sound quality is staggeringly good. I use these mainly with my iPhone. For years I have been put off buying wireless headphones due to the poor sound quality transmitted by Bluetooth in general. I have tried many alternatives that seem to overcompensate for its limitations with false adjustments to sound profiles (for eg overtly heavy bass/muted treble).
These just transmit an excellent sound. I am now wondering about my self-confessed obsession, as an audiophile with a previously unhinged belief, that only wired headphones can be considered for serious music listening. I cannot stress how great it is to be on a tube, train, or outdoors and have such an extraordinary escape into music with these discrete headphones.
The discreteness, yes. I am deterred from the distinctive wireless Apple headphones because I think they still look awkward on some, their colour is far too contrasting and is their proportion is not the most flattering.
The connection is consistent, I have not had cutouts walking around the room. The battery life is good, though not excellent. The case is very sturdy and pleasant to both hold and use. I do wonder, however, about the lifespan of the hinge; time will tell.
Sound Analysis
These were balanced perfectly for my listening needs out the box. The tones were not harsh nor were they too bass heavy. Details in music are pristine and clear. You can escape into another world with these. Some expensive wired buds I own now sound dull in comparison. I set the accompanying app to prioritise sound quality. There is the ability to adjust the sound profiles in App. This may be helpful to some.
Somethings to consider regarding the noise cancelling
The noise cancelling ability of these is superb when listing to music. However, if you want these for just listening to silence and blockout background noice, these may not be for you. Peoples voices and higher pitched noises still transfer when there is no source playing through them. I will be considering purchasing over the ear versions for future flights. These were not ideal for sleeping on flight.
What I dislike; ie why not 5 *s
These do not connect initially as seamlessly to iOS as Beats or AirPods can. Once they have been linked, however, I flip them out of their case and they are often connected as soon as I place them in my ears. So this is not an issue. It may be, however, if you want to use them frequently between different devices.
Call quality is excellent for me, as the listener, but I often have to switch to a normal headphone or the phone directly sometimes. This is because the microphone is not great for the quiet voice with which I like to talk on the phone and whoever I am talking to sometimes brings it up. This does not concern me personally too much; I brought these for sound quality and may have considered an alternative if calling was a priority for me. It is a small frustration, however and should be considered.
The fit was difficult to get correct, I had to try lots of the included tips ( and their are lots included) before I was satisfied. Also, there is a trick to getting them in properly to ensure best noise cancelling and fit. This was demonstrated to me by a Sony Rep, thank goodness. These would have disappointed if I had not known the proper technique.
Summary
Purchase if your priority is to have the best sounding wireless buds you can buy.
The sound quality of these little earphones is something else, I hadn’t considered myself to be an audiophile before I bought these headphones but they are pushing me in that direction. I’d bought some expensive headphones in the past, and I’d enjoyed the experience, but these little Sony earphones are a whole other level, at times they are almost a transcendent listening experience, particularly if you use them with an app that offers 360 degree audio (a type of 360 surround sound Sony are pioneering), Miles Davis and Billie Holiday in 360 are something else! I find that when I’m listening to music again that I’ve heard before I can pick up on aspects of the tracks that I hadn’t heard previously.
They look and feel like the premium product they so obviously are as does the case, with loads of nifty little features like pausing the music if you take an earbud out to talk to someone, they do take a little bit of customisation via the app so that you can set them up to suit you, I changed the default controls via the touchpads early on and messed about with the equaliser settings, that and any other customisation you may feel the need to do can be easily accomplished by downloading it from the relevant app store and having a fiddle about with the controls till you get them setup to suit you.
Battery life is what Sony says it is, they come with a fair selection of tips out of the box and you should be able to find one of each sets of tips that fits you.
Noise cancelling works well, but is not perfect, it will remove 95% + of the annoying background noises though.
So a transcendent listening experience, strong words, yep and I do love these little things, they have some flaws though, which niggle slightly or detract from the overall experience.
A major flaw is the fit of these things, your never quite sure whether they are firmly seated in your ear, and they do fall out, as I discovered the first time I took the dog out for a walk wearing them, one of them fell out onto the pavement and got scuffed.
They have a walking mode and running mode, built into the settings but when you’re moving your head about doing day to day stuff, they work there way lose. I wouldn’t want to walk around in them, and I most definitely would not be comfortable going for a run in them, they would fall out continually, quite apart from that they aren’t water or sweat proof.
Another problem you get with these things outside is that in breezes or strong winds you get a lot of noise from the wind whooshing around your ears, to the point that they simply aren’t worth listening too, this and the falling out problem can be solved by wearing a wooly hat over the earphones, it both muffles the wind to the point you can’t hear it and holds the earphones in, but that is a solution that works only in cold weather.
The availability of music in the 360 audio format is an issue, there simply isn’t a large range of tracks available in this format on the app I’m using and it is mostly older Sony artists, if you’re looking for contemporary music, just forget it, which is a real shame.
I’ve been wearing these earphones for about two and a half hours at the moment, just listening to music and chilling on a relaxed Sunday morning and the sad fact is that they are not something I find comfortable for long periods, they cause discomfort and pain in my ears after a while, probably a result of the way they are designed, your jamming the silicone tips into your ears in the hope they will cling on in there and the weight of the earbuds causes them to put pressure on the inside of your ear canal after a while, which is a shame as I’d like to keep chilling.
* Good battery life
* Using the app makes all the difference
* Buy memory foam ear buds as well!
*Think of them as earphones that can also take calls
I previously purchased the over ear wh1000 xm3 which to be honest are astounding. Trouble is travelling around, putting them in and out of the case, using them in the office… needed something a little more portable and discrete.
Overall the wf1000 xm3 are as astounding but for different reasons
I have just average ears and comparing the sound to the over ear version will leave you like me disappointed, however I found myself thinking it unreasonable for me to compare them as they serve different purposes.
The mobility and size of these for me is great, light weight good few hours battery life plus the case acts as a charger (3 days of heavy use still not plugged it back in)
Noise cancelling works, but and this is a bit of a blemish for Sony, if you are like me I find earphones just fall out or just half sit in the ear, for example the iPhone ear pods sound good however I have to walk along with my finger pressing them in to achieve the beat results or accept continual readjustment… and a weak sound. The Sony out of the box is better the the EarPods at staying in my ears, but they still do not seal my ear canal properly.
This made the bass and noise cancelling barely noticeable.
Having read a few blogs I purchased some memory foam tips for 10 from Amazon. ( I didn’t realise there were so many options) these absolutely have transformed the earphones to amazing. Noise cancelling works well and listening to itunes and I like a bit of bass, it now has a pleasurable kick to it. The volume felt louder too. Sony need to, when updating the model should just include these memory foam tips. For ref I went for the largest size of ‘inairs’, model (air1)
The app functionality is slightly different too, on the over ears you get to optimise the noise cancelling along with the ability to change the sound stage to be more like a club, on the earphones you can’t. The equaliser which you can customise along with being able to re task the touch pads either side are a big plus.
The only thing I am still a little disappointed with is the mic when taking calls, when outside the wind noise makes it hard for people on the other end of the phone to hear, Sony have tried a software update but it’s still not good. I have conditioned myself to think of the earphones as just that with the ability to take a call if needed.
Overall these are a great
Purchase and if you follow the above you won’t be disappointed.
If you are still struggling to decide? Having bought both, in my home or long journeys I will sway toward the over ears, however on a day today travel basis , tube etc these in ear versions will be my preference, both are capable of achieving great results in either scenario and I would absolutely buy them both again.
These in ear versions are about as close as you can get to the big brother considering the size.
Pros.
Charging chase is brilliant as is the in-out-on-off way they turn on and off.
Sound quality is very good indeed
The companion app is a must to set them up they way you want. Equaliser is very good indeed. As I have both Sony’s, in and over the ear, they are set up in the app beautifully with their separate settings
You get plenty of ear pieces in different sizes in two different materials.
Battery life great for everyday use.
Whole package with the charging case very compact.
The buds work independently so you can do a call with just. One in. Take a bus out and music stops automatically.
Noise cancelling very respectful even compared to over ear versions but no in ear buds with active noise cancelling are going to challenge over the ear versions. Get best snug fit you can.
Very easy set up.
Cons.
Battery life will be an issue if you travel long distance. You need a 20-30 hours battery life for that so over the ear version more suitable.
Might become uncomfortable with prolonged use but you can put your own choose of ear inserts in if you choice not use the ones that come with buds.
Overall, these are best in class from my experience. I had the previous version couple of years ago which were useless in terms of sound quality, noise cancelling and (90 min)! battery life.
These are a great sound, practical and becoming more affordable which I think is in line with what the product offers.
I’ve not yet used them for a phone call as I use them mostly for music.
Metallica’s last album in HD has plenty of umph with these and they handled the heavy drums and bass no problem keeping all the clarity with no distortion.
The great NFC connectivity on the charging case makes pairing these puppies as easy as clapping your hands together, and that’s brilliant.
Battery life is superb, for both the buds themselves and the charging case. The charging cable is a tad short however.
They fit into my pockets at the very least and aren’t too heavy either.
It took a while to find what ear tip worked best for me, I found the small foam ones where the fit but as I’ve noticed they seem to get a little warn and so the silicone tips might be the best long term option for you.
These do also get very dirty and quickly too. If you’re not bothered about plugging them in with a bit of ear debris then that’s alright but if your ears like mine, get hot and sweaty as well as dirty, quickly, you’ll find them looking horrid after a while and cleaning them is no easy task.
Beside the few cons, they are good, but for the price? Maybe not. The sound quality is going to be good of course, it’s a Sony product but they aren’t as amazing as one would hope but maybe with time Sony can do some software tweeking to get them to sound better.
If you’re think of getting these, maybe wait for a summer sale or winter sale of sorts and grab them when they’re below 200 because then they are worth the by.
Hope this was helpful to someone,
Thank you.
First the good. Batteries are amazing for such little headphones. The charging dock is great as well, with little magnets to click the headphones in.
The sound quality is amazing – like some of the best headphones I’ve used, let alone wireless noise cancelling. The app is super high quality, allows a lot of customisation and I never have any problems connecting the headphones. The noise cancelling isn’t the best I’ve used, but for such small headphones I have no complaints in that department and they are amazing for the size. The touch controls are responsive.
Second, the meh. Wind is not your friend. It can be overbearing at times and tbh I’m terrified of the rain. The headphones are actually pretty heavy, so they do make my ears ache sometimes (in fact my ears often hurt sooner than the battery runs out).
Now that bad. The adaptive sound is super irritating and isn’t very good. So irritating that I turned it off and have never used it. But the worst thing so far is the random pops and stuttering that happens too frequently. I have had to reset the headphones several times. And don’t forget the lack of volume control which defeats the point of wireless headphones if you have to get your phone out every few songs.
All in all, these are amazing headphones. They have some small issues but the good outweighs the bad for me. I would recommend them (my partner bought a pair and loves them) but they do have hiccups. I bought mine at sale and would recommend as over 200 is a little steep.
Pros:
– Superb sound quality
– Excellent active noise cancellation
– Great battery life
– Looks very plush and feels solid
– Nice accompanying app providing more customisable options
– Large range of spare earbuds
Cons:
– Big and heavy in the ear – doesn’t help to create a perfect seal
– Patchy BT connection in crowded areas
– Huge case – won’t work in the pockets as it has hard edges. Also, the case lid can easily be scratched
– Not waterproof/sweat resistant
– For my ears, extended use would end up being uncomfortable – probably due to the weight and size of each earphone
– Does not work well with Macbooks and Windows 10 – very clunky connections when it decides to connect
– A lot of wind noise
The above made me try out and then buy Apple’s AirPod Pros:
Pros:
– Lightweight and great form factor
– Best-in-class and seamless compatibility with Apple products
– Incredible active noise cancellation for devices this size – yes, I’d say better than Sony
– Sweatproof
– Small, easy to carry around case
Cons:
– Sound quality not as good as Sony, however if like me its mainly about video, not so much music – it won’t make much difference
– Lower battery life – but again, no issues for me and will cover you for most flights
– No app, however I’m not missing it to be honest
Given the price difference is negligible, I would recommend the Apple AirPod Pros against this product.
A perfect fit in the ear makes a huge difference. Due to the Sony’s size and weight, I found the AirPods ANC to be superior. This may not be the case for everyone, could be down to size/shape of ear etc
Noise cancellation is the main reason behind my purchase. However, expectations need to be managed. Don’t expect ANC performance similar to that of the Sony WH-1000XM series or the Bose QuietComfort 35s. Those are far better noise isolating headphones, largely thanks to the seal around your ears from the thick pads. Saying that these do provide pretty decent ANC. A lot of it will come passively, assuming you can find a good fit. I read online that many people have struggled with this aspect but fortunately, I had no issue. There are numerous earbuds to help. With ANC on, it will block out certain noises but it may also slightly amplify other types of noise. Generally, with my music on just around 30% volume, I am struggling to hear most noises around me. Overall I would say these offer around 70% of the ANC that the premium ANC headphones deliver, with a major benefit though. I will be able to comfortably wear these during the hot summer months.
I like to use earbuds for the gym and while these do not have an IP rating, it is at your own risk if you do use them for physical activities. I personally have had no issues. The fit is quite good for me too so they have not come loose while I’ve been using weights or the treadmill. Sound is fantastic, as expected of Sony. The base is decent, mids and trebles are well balanced. Overall I would say these sound very crisp and clear.
There are other nice features. Talk through is allowed so you don’t need to remove the earbuds to hear noises. It does also pause the music if you take a single earbud out. And you can just use one earbud if you want. I’ve had no issues connecting to my phone so far. The case is lovely and reassuringly weighty but it is slightly cumbersome to carry around.
What did I not like? The lack of sound control is a strange choice. It would have been nice to have an official IP rating. As these are quite bulky earbuds, they do start to feel uncomfortable and heavy after a while. The price.
So these are not the perfect earbuds for everyone. If ANC and good sound quality are your main concerns, then certainly try these. More sports orientated users should probably consider something else, especially if you sweat a lot. Be prepared to play around with the ear tips to find an airtight seal.
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First of all, I cannot overstate enough how incredible these are in such a tiny form factor, with active noise cancellation as well! Other than the poor naming choice by Sony, these earbuds are absolutely incredible and I’d go as far they actually make a noticeable difference in my work day just due to the sheer amount of background noise that gets filtered.
Firstly, in terms of fit(tings) these earbuds are fantastic. Alongside the default grommets that Sony provide they also provide an entire array of sizes and even two different types of material so you can choose what works best for you (more on this in a bit) and overall they gently hug the side of your ears in a very discrete manner. Compared to other products (e.g. Apple earbuds) I can wear these for hours at a time and not have them fall out of my ears; Sony have opted to give me the best chance of comfort as opposed to some sort of solid, plastic shape which doesn’t fit in my ear which I’m eternally grateful for.
Following on the comfort, weight-wise these are incredibly light, though what I will say is that ensure you pick the correct grommets for your ears, namely for two reasons. Firstly you want to create a very tight seal so you have passive cancellation happening (this is one part of the noise cancellation going on) and secondly, it’s to ensure that the earbuds remain in place. Without this seal it’s not too hard for them with jerky movement to fall out of place and while this remains true of other competitors products, with the WF-1000XM3 this is effectively your first and only line of defense.
Moving on to the key part: sound and noise cancelling. For what such small devices can achieve is absolutely incredible and outstanding! One thing I want to iterate clearly before going any further: these absolutely will not compare and be as “good” as say, Bose QC35s in the noise cancellation arena simply by the virtue of these are tiny earbuds, sitting in your ears. QC35s and other similar products that go over-ear act as an initial barrier to incoming sound with the active cancellation aspect filtering out the rest. With the WF-1000XM3, the seal with the grommets is essentially replicating this and do a very good job at this, again I’m unable to quite overstate how good they are for their form factor. I use these earbuds when commuting with either music or audiobooks and while they’re not as performant with the latter, they’re still able to filter our most of the chatter and background noise surrounding me. Train rides are without the high screeches of the wheels against the rails, screaming babies are audible but much less impactful to my ears compared to without using these. One feature I’ve come to appreciate with these earbuds with the (active) noise cancellation is the fact I can press and hold on the left earbud to “allow” sound to flow in so I can hear announcements and so on. I do wish there was a toggle option for this, but it’s hardly a deal-breaker.
I’m hardly an audiophile but I do appreciate my sound quality and it has to be said that Sony have not let themselves down here. These sound incredible with or without the noise cancelling with respectable highs and lows. Sony in-app also allow you to tinker with the levels and offer a way to “upscale” compressed tracks to be clearer of which I’ve had some mixed results with. All in all, sound quality is something you absolutely do not need to worry about with these.
Now with every product (especially first gen) there’s a few sticking points that depending on your use case and personal preference may make or break your overall opinion of them and these are no exception. Most notably I expect most people won’t be the happiest with the lack of a water resistance rating (although I have used these in the rain without averse effect) and the fact that the Sony configuration app has inconsistent performance at the best of times. The good news in terms of the app is the earbuds can almost entirely be controlled from the physical buds themselves, as well as the device making up the other half of the device control.
One smaller bone of contention I’ve seen other reviewers mention is a “wind tunnel” effect of when being out in the wind. Interestingly I’ve never suffered this issue myself and I live in an area where wind is certainly not a rarity. I’m not sure if this is due to a build issue or the fact I’ve made sure I have a strong seal, though I would (again) implore that if / when you get these, to ensure the seal is comfortable but flush.
Overall:
As mentioned this is some incredible tech packed into tiny earbuds. They’re not going to replace your QC35s on an airplane, but they can replace them for your daily commute on a bus, train, when walking and so on. They’ll filter 90% of the sound and make your daily life that little bit better, without having the weight or bulkyness of on-ear headphones and finally: The sound quality really does seem second to none, coupled with the active noise cancelling really does just make for an overall, enjoyable experience!
So the sound quality on these is the best I’ve heard on truly wireless earphones much better than airpods and a bit better than the beat IMO but that’s more down to the equalisation of the beats. So at the gym, these do a good job of blocking out those people that groan and the radio that they have quite loud and that’s one of the reasons I wanted these as I didn’t want to damage my ears turning my music up so loud to block it out. The noise-cancelling does a good enough job. If you know about this then even the over-ear ones don’t to an amazing job at cutting out voice frequencies or music so these are no different. It’s more for low noises like planes and cars and these can cut it with my over-ear headphones.
I did experience one problem that has been mentioned a few times, and that is the volume. On my iPhone it fine but on my mac, it’s so quiet I can only use them inscilent environments. Also call quality is really bad just like the over-ear ones. It just lets in too much background noise so the other person really doesn’t want to talk to you.
Other than that great product but I will be returning them or waiting for a firmware update as there no point having a pair of earphones that are too quiet.
So it seems my original review below has been a bit harsh. The pain to the ears still stands and I am trying different angles in the ear . The BIG IMPROVEMENT has been in the active noise . Having thought the anr was poor or possibly broke I tried a different size of earbud, having already downsized from the original size that the buds were fitted with….now active noise reduction is pretty impressive and very good . Still get the rustling of the wind which is high frequency I guess , but road noise, cooking with extractor fan going with things sizzling away , sat in the car revving engine and playing radio , all resulted in truly , for the buds size , impressive anr. So guys you MUST try different sizes of buds to get the true effect of the anr . So I would recommend these … just got to get over ear discomfort!
Original initial review:
This is an honest brief initial review after several days of use, dog walking on cliff paths , standing on train station platforms and being a passenger in commercial aircraft. Purchased for aircraft commuting but didn’t want bulky over head earphones. Watched all the YouTube hype , obviously from tubers being given them f.o.c. Using with my iPhone 8 . Problems encountered ,left tapping ear bud does not always result in sequencing of menu and no voice heard with tap. Tapping right bud not always skips to next track, sometimes plays current track from start! Active noise is really questionable.. is there a problem with my buds with the anr, I have no way of knowing. YouTube videos seem to give glowing reviews of the anr, no rave review from me concerning this part . Wind noise whilst dog walking made louder for one . Commuting in aircraft , airbus 319, not blown away by anr, if indeed it works, as with all things you have to have the volume loud enough to hear so don’t know if the loud volume was simply drowning out ambient noise as any non anr would do . Painful on the lower part of ear after an hour or so and yes I have tried different bud sizes in the box. Sound quality is Very good. No drop outs with Bluetooth . Telephone calls made were fine with no issues. It sounds like a moan and I guess it is . I was after a pocketable anr earbud system rather than the apple earbuds. The case is an ok size. All well made and good quality. Charging lead is a bit short if wall charging ! Volume is accessed through your phone , which in fairness is not much of an issue . Would I recommend? Buy again ? Possibly not….. as my 20 wired headphones (from amazon) are more comfortable and the sound is more than adequate, that said the sound is great from Sony and I do like the true WiFi with no wires.