review with features, price and specifications

You know those products that you take out of the box and say “wow!”? Well, Sony’s new headphones are just this. They are high-end headphones with a more premium character that not only know how to convey what they cost, but also know how to make you fall in love at first sight (and hearing). I’ve been using them for a few weeks now. Sony 1000X The Collection and this has been my experience.

✅ Buy it if…

• Are you looking for comfortable and beautiful headphones to use? chill at home.
• You want good sound and noise cancellation.
• You have music in high definition and you don’t mind using a cable.

❌ Don’t buy it if…

• You want cheap headphones, because these, precisely, are not.
• You are going to use them to listen to compressed music on Spotify or YouTube Music.
• You are looking for versatility and to be able to wear them at home, on the street or when playing sports.

The essentials in 30 seconds

The Sony 1000X The Collexion are headphones with a excellent finish, very premium and surprisingly comfortable. They are quite a design exercise that works well, although the reality is what it is: I would try not to take them out of the house too much because that (beautiful) finish is as beautiful as it is fragile.

They sound very good and cancel noise almost at the level of their brothers 1000XM6. It is difficult to fault the sound quality. Sony knows what it’s doing and it shows. What doesn’t quite work are the software additions, such as DSEE and Upmix, which, although striking on paper, are functions that tend to go unnoticed and whose use is more testimonial.

The battery has a decent autonomy, certainly not the best on the market; and the connectivity, although correct, could be better if we think about using it in mobility. However, and be that as it may, the truth is that these headphones convince, especially if we understand them in their context. The rival, yes, they have in their own house and it is better and cheaper.

Our experience with the Sony 1000X The Collexion

Beautiful not to take them out of the house. The Sony 1000X The Collexion are beautiful headphones and that is undeniable. They are expensive and it shows from minute one. The cups and headband are made of a synthetic leather that combines great with the stainless steel of the hinges. They are very pretty, they are very comfortable (I would say the most comfortable I have ever tried), they feel light (although they are not) and they are for use at home. Synthetic leather suffers a lot from inclement weather, friction and knocks, so a bad gesture will leave a mark for life.

• Sony includes a very nice fabric-finished carrying case, but it also runs the risk of getting dirty relatively easily. However, it is useful and good to have on hand because the headphones, unfortunately, cannot be folded completely.

An impressive sound. They sound exactly what 600-odd euro headphones should sound like. It is a clean sound, punchy when it needs to be and with amazing clarity in the highs. I have enjoyed them like a dwarf listening to Nu Metal, but also soundtracks and jazz, even at high volumes. It is one of those headphones that you can use for hours and hours without getting tired and that are difficult to find fault with. Of course, they won’t surprise you if you’re used to high-end headphones, all things considered. Much of the price we pay is justified by the design, not the sound.

And the noise? Sony knows what it is doing in this field. The WH-1000XM6 are the best in this field and these are just one step below. They cancel noise to a level that borders on the absurd. Not just those at home, like my 3D printers or air conditioning. I’m talking about the noise of cars on the road or the noise inside a bus. I don’t have the slightest complaint. If the cancellation of the WH-1000XM6 is the best I have tried, this is the second without a doubt.

The software stuff that… well… These headphones come with two functions that, honestly, I can’t quite see. The first is DSEE, a system that “fixes” the compression of Bluetooth codecs via software. It is not always noticeable and, when it is, it is little noticeable. The second is Upmix, a system that simulates a kind of spatial audio that, in theory, puts us in the middle of the stage. Phew. The idea is good, but the execution is so-so. It sounds too artificial and, on rock songs in particular, very strident.

• The management application is called Sound Connect and is available at iOS and Android.

Battery ok, but not outstanding. The headphones promise up to 24 hours of autonomy with active noise cancellation, a figure that is not low at all, but it is not on par with what other proposals on the market offer. I insist, it is not a bad autonomy, but its XM6 brothers are at 30 hours and the JBL Tour One M3 They are around 40 hours, in both cases with noise cancellation active. When they run out of battery, they charge in just over three hours.

Technical sheet of the Sony 1000X The Collexion

Sony 1000X The Collexion, Xataka’s opinion

The Sony 1000X The Collexion are difficult headphones to fit into a category, since they are a more “luxury” product. If we look at them from the perspective of 629 euro headphones, yes, they are beautiful, they are comfortable, they are premium and they feel like such. Yes, they give off a feeling of being expensive. and they sound as you would expect from high-end headphones.

If we understand them as consumer headphones, things get complicated there. They compete in price with excellent products from the same company and with many others on the market. In these price ranges, differentiating the sound depends on having a very trained ear that not everyone has. So yes, it is a complex product whose target audience is not entirely clear.

In any case, I really liked its sound, its noise cancellationhow well they sound on calls and how comfortable they are. Now, there are two things that I can’t see and one that I don’t understand. The two things I don’t see are DSEE and Upmix, which in practice contribute little. What I don’t understand is that we cannot connect the headphones via USB Type C cable.

It’s good to have the jack, but it would be much, much more practical to have the USB option at hand. I understand the point (they are not made to be used with the mobile phone, but with a slightly more decent sound system and the jack is key there), but having the possibility of offering that USB-C cable connection, not taking advantage of it is a real shame.

Do I recommend them to you?

If you want nice, more luxurious and premium headphones because, for some reason, you have too many 629 eurosforward. They are good headphones, very good, and they more than meet expectations. If you can afford them, they feel outrageous. Now the reality is that For half you have the Sony WH-1000XM6which sound and cancel noise a little better, and are the ones I would recommend to 99% of mortals.

Images | Xataka

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This device has been provided for testing by sony. You can consult how we do reviews on Xataka and our relations policy with companies.