Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsVery close to excellency?
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2018
I have to give this product a 5 star because it does what it does very well. I will start with the BT features because its probably the main reason you are looking into this HP. The BT has 3 different types of working circuit. First one is N.C (noise cancelling mode), the second push switches to Ambient Noise (you hear everything outside of your ears, it actually amplifies so you can listen as if you are not wearing the hp. A third push switches to Ambient off, Noise Cancelling also off. This is for when you want to hear your surroundings but still have some Isolation. The first thing the hp does when it pairs, it turns N.C.ON (noise cancelling ON). If you are paired with an mp3 player that does not have the Sony Connect App installed, No big deal, simply press and hold down the feature tab for a couple seconds and the BT will optimize for you, absent of the app. Works great!
If you ride a lawnmower, these H.Ps are a dream come true, it really cuts the motor noise to almost completely. If and when you hear some noise, ambiance noise or people talking, they sound very distant. If someone approaches you to ask something, simply place your right hand/palm up against the right ear cup and the BT will briefly turn on Ambient NOISE and quiet the music so you can hear everything as if you are not wearing the headphones.As you remove your hand from the cup, the BT turns ON N.C and the music returns from where it left off. Truly remarkable!!
Okay, On sound, i almost returned them because i was not impressed with the sound, they sounded thin and anemic. So, i let them run many hours as much as i had time in effort to burn them in. Well, 4 days before i was about to return them, they opened up and i was wowed!! Now, they sound the way Sony should sound. I have several Sony HPs sound i know the Sony signature. When the N.C is ON, it make a tad more bass but it loses a tad more high end detail. Still sounds very good but when N.C is not crucial for me, i simply turn OFF N.C. to achieve a more detailed sound. As you turn the NC back ON and hear everything go completely quiet and then the music comes on, it tricks into thinking it sounds better with the NC ON but a closer listen will suggest that in the OFF mode, the overall sound is a tad better. I'm nick picking here but i am an Audiophile so its rigged in me to do so.
One thing for sure, it runs very well on cell phones, i have the pixel and it sounds exceptional even though the pixel has to possess the lowest volume of all cell phones. So i downloaded the Jet Audio App and things got even better. I was actually impressed with the sound coming from my cell phone which i never, never use for music use. I played around with the Sony Connect App which is suggested for the use of these HPs but since the app is not compatible with my music players, i simply don't use it and i don't need it and neither will you unless you use your cell phone for listening. One note on the Sony Connect App, if you connect SBC (standard bluetooth connect) you can use the EQ supplied by the app but it will come with a price, near CD quality sounding only. However if you connect LDAC which this HPs allows, the sound will be above CD quality and sound pretty darn great but you can't use the EQ supplied by the Sony Connect App.
The Sources i used to pair these HPs were the following:
Sony Walkman ZX2 in LDAC mode.....a match made in heaven even though the Sony Walkman disables all EQing, its strictly a flat sounding signature and i was still impressed. Keep in mind, i'm judging on BT not hardwired as to not confuse or derail Audiophiles out there reading this review. In LDAC it sounds pretty darn great, hardwire sounded even better but i didn't buy these for hardwired, i have over 26 headphones ranging from 50-550 dollars, not to mention all the IEMs i also possess.
Also used my Fiio X7MK2 with the PowerAmp App. installed so i can use EQ here because my two portable separate amps are not BT so they stay out of this review. I achieved a fuller sound with the Fiio because i was able to tailor the EQ to my liking. Anyone that is familiar with the Sony headphones will know that Sonys signature is on the slight dark side of the frequency spectrum, more like the vinyl sound with dips in between the 2-4khz region so while its a very pleasant mellow sound and misses on some of the instruments which reside on the 2-4k region but will not fatigue your ears. So preference is in order here.
Now, you would ask....is the NC features and sound signature better than the Bose Q35?.....YES and YES!! On sound, there is no question. On NC the Sonys by a tad.
Connects in an instant, has long range and the battery lasts a long time.
Now for Audiophiles, are the Sony WH1000XM2 audiophile grade?.......Not yet, but they have a very appealing and acceptable sound that does not disappoint. Also, judgement is on BT function....NOT Fair? Perhaps.
Are they well built? They sure are. Are they more comfortable than the Bose Q35?....NOPE! but good enough for me.
Lastly...Are they worth 350.00 dollars?.....NOPE!! but if you want the best NC in the market.....Sony Ace'd it!
P.S watch Massdrop when they sell these Sonys they will sell them at 250.00. Jump on them then!
