- RATING
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are unapologetically luxurious in design, audio quality, and price. These headphones are not for everyone but for the customer who sets premium styling, outstanding audio quality, and brilliant active noise cancellation above price, the Sony headphones will find their place.
The new Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION is the latest luxury over-ear headphones that makes a statement with its premium design and remarkable audio performance.
Tech Guide was lucky enough to have access to the Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION and review them ahead of today’s official release which marks the 10th anniversary of Sony’s legendary 1000X series.
The first thing that catches your eye with the 1000X THE COLLEXION is the premium finish.
It comes in platinum and black with hand-polished stainless steel and has a high-end look and feel.
But being a Sony product, not only does it look amazing but it also delivers stunning sound and offers exceptional active noise cancelling as well.
And priced at 999.95, it is well and truly in the luxury territory and aimed at audiophiles and design-conscious customers.
For many customers this will be purchased for the same reason someone would buy a designer bag or luxury watch – not only do they want to use it but they also want to be seen using it.
The Sony 1000X collection is as much a flagship lifestyle product as it is an audio device.
DESIGN AND COMFORT
One of the things that sets the Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION apart is its remarkable and impressive design.
Sony has leaned into the call of luxury with its platinum and black finishes and faux leather earcups that took two years to perfect down to the precise grills and silver-framed ports.
The only materials on display are the highly polished metalwork and the leather-feel ear cups and headband.
The headphones are not only premium in design but also premium when it comes to comfort as well.
The ear cups are deeper and roomier, with beautifully soft cushions that reduce pressure and keep the ears from touching the internal hardware.
And despite the added metal that could have made these heavier, the wider headband and extra padding balances things very well.
The deep design consideration extends all the way to the slim carry case, which as an integrated handle and is secured with a magnetic clasp.
The headphones offer touch controls on the right ear cup and a dedicated listening mode key on the left ear cup, which gives you access to your favourite sound profiles without the need to open the app each time.
AUDIO QUALITY
Sony is shooting for the stars when it comes to the audio quality.
It starts with a new diaphragm and driver design which provides a broader frequency range and a wider sound stage while still maintaining stronger detail and warmer bass.
It offers a more spacious quality but also has a refinement and clarity that is unmistakable.
In creating the Sony 1000X COLLEXION, the company collaborated with experienced mastering engineers to come up with a sound signature that’s closer to what the artist intended rather than just pushing for deeper bass and greater volume.
And it’s all courtesy of the Smart Audio Processing.
The QN3 and V3 processors combine to enable expanded 360 Upmix modes for cinema, music and gaming modes while DSEE Ultimate with Edge AI is designed to restore lost detail from compressed or streaming audio and add dynamic range.
The 360 Upmix mode takes music from any source and turns it into a multi-directional experience with sound coming from all directions.
Depending on the songs you’re listening to, we found that it tended to just add noise to a song rather than delicately deconstructing the sound and placing these parts in different channels.
It’s something we intend to keep experimenting with.
But in terms of overall sound quality, the Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION it’s a slight step up from the brilliant WH-1000XM6 thanks to that new driver unit that includes high-rigidity dome made from unidirectional carbon composite material.
The quality of the active noise cancellation is on par with the WH-1000XM6 because it uses the same layout and Multi-Noise Sensor Technology, which includes 12 microphones and the same Adaptive NC optimizer.
CALL QUALITY
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION offers super clear call quality thanks to a six-microphone setup with AI-based voice isolation to ensure your voice can be clearly heard even in noisy environments.
This makes it perfect for hybrid workers and frequent travellers.
CONNECTIVITY
On the connectivity side there’s Bluetooth 6, LE Audio, LC3, LDAC, and AuraCast readiness while the SoundConnect companion app adds a layer of personalization for EQ, controls, firmware updates, and listening modes. In other words, this does not appear to be a luxury product that sacrifices practicality for style.
BATTERY
Battery-wise the Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION has a solid 24 hours of playback with active noise cancelling enabled.
That’s not the longest battery life we’ve seen on premium headphones. It would have been nice for longer playback especially for a product of this price.
A quick five-minute charge will offer about three hours of listening.
There’s added flexibility, including the ability to keep listening while charging.
The headphones also have easily removable ear pads they ever need to be cleaned or replaced.
On the sustainability side Sony says 25 per cent of the plastic used is made from recycled materials and it ships in plastic-free packaging to reduce environmental impact.
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION headphones are available now and are priced at $999.95.
VERDICT
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are unapologetically luxurious in design, audio quality, and price. These headphones are not for everyone but for the customer who sets premium styling, outstanding audio quality, and brilliant active noise cancellation above price, the Sony headphones will find their place.
