Im a fan of the Sony MDR-1000X, and now Sony has released their WH-1000XM2.
Although nothing has changed on the outside the Sony 1000XM2 have been improved on the
inside.
But if you already have the Sony 1000X, should you run out and upgrade to the Sony 1000XM2?
Lets find out, don't forget to like comment and subscribe and you can watch some of my
other videos here, after you're done watching this video.
When the Sony MDR-1000X first came out they were selling for $399.99…. but thankfully,
the new Sony WH-1000XM2 are retailing for $349.99.
And you have two colors to choose from, black or gold.
And now the older 1000X are selling for $298 over at amazon.
If you want to pick either of these headphones up I’ll have links in the description below
and I’ll keep them updated so you can get the best deal possible.
Sony products routinely go on sale so you might get lucky.
The exterior and materials used on the Sony 1000XM2 are identical to the 1000X.
The majority of the body is made out of plastic, they have synthetic leather on the exterior
of the ear cups, they have a stainless steel head band, they have the same physical buttons…
a power button and noise cancellation button on the left ear cup and even the padding is
the same.
You also get the same accessories as the 1000X like a hard shell carrying case, a micro usb
cable for charging, an air plane adaptor and an audio cable.
Although Sony does a great job of packing in a whole bunch of features into their products,
build quality is still not up to par to the Bose QC35.
But if you're mindful of them they should last you a long time.
And when it comes to comfort they're identical to the 1000X.
Clamping force isn't to tight on the head, theres enough padding and pro longed use is
no problem.
The first most noticeable upgrade to the Sony 1000XM2 is the battery.
With noise cancelation on the 1000XM2 should last you 30 hours, and with noise cancelation
off they should last you 38 hours.
But in my testing, they have actually lasted for 35 hours with noise cancellation on and
at a moderate listening level.
And for comparison, the older 1000X have a battery life of 20 hours with noise cancellation
on.
The Sony 1000XM2 also now have quick charging, which is great to have if you’re as forgetful
as me.
If you plug them in for 10 minutes you'll get around 70 minutes of playback time which
hopefully should you last your morning commute if you take public transportation.
And again for comparison, the 1000X don't have quick charging.
But sadly the Sony 1000XM2 is still using Bluetooth 4.1. you still get the same wireless
range of around 40 feet like the 1000X but I really wish Sony took this opportunity to
upgrade to bluetooth 5.0 or at least bluetooth 4.2.
Just like the 1000X, the 1000XM2 can only be paired to one device at a time.
You can't just quickly swap from your phone to your laptop like I do with the Bose QC35
or Powerbeats 3.
Instead if you're using the 1000XM2 with your phone you have to disconnect them and then
go into the bluetooth settings of your other device like a tablet or laptop and connect
the 1000XM2 to that device manually.
Another upgrade to the Sony 1000XM2 is the noise cancellation and ambient sound features.
Like I've said in the past, the noise cancelation on the Bose QC35 always gave me a headache
and I always felt a good amount of cabin pressure.
The Older Sony 1000X didn't cause me any headaches but did have the slightest cabin pressure.
But with the Sony 1000XM2, I feel absolutely no cabin pressure and there have been no headaches
what so ever.
But thats just me.
Also, while getting shots on the Hudson River, I noticed there was almost no wind noise when
ever I got hit by a gust of wind.
Only very rarely and at just the right angle did the noise cancellation microphones on
the 1000XM2 cause that white noise sound.
Where as the noise canceling microphones on the Bose QC35 and 1000X are a little more
sensitive to wind compared to the 1000XM2.
Sony also add a pressure sensor into the 1000XM2 so they can measure the barometric pressure
in your immediate surroundings, and then compensates the sound and noise cancelation accordingly.
The idea is that you should get the best noise cancellation whether you’re on the ground
or on an airplane.
The 1000XM2 also have the same ambient sound settings as the 1000X… you can have the
head phones pump in all of your sounding sounds while you're playing music so you can hear
whats going on and stay safe when you're walking in the city or have the head phones only let
in peoples voices so if people call you name at the office you can still hear them.
Or you can just have your basic noise cancellation on and block out everything.
The Sony 1000XM2 also now connect to sony’s headphone app available on both apple and
android.
And this app gives you so much control over the head phones.
First theres adaptive sound control where the ambient sound settings will automatically
adjust depending on what you're doing.
If you're sitting still they'll block out everything, once the head phones detect you're
walking they’ll play a notification sound and start pumping in some ambient sound and
focus on people’s voices.
If the headphones detect you're running they will then let in all of the ambient sound
and if they detect you’re taking public transportation they will again block out everything.
Obviously if you just want noise cancelation on all the time you don’t have to bother
with the Ambient Sound Settings.
But the ambient settings on the 1000X series are very useful and it one of the reasons
why I prefer them over other head phones on the market.
When it comes to sound quality, theres really no noticeable difference between the 1000X
and 1000XM2.
And thats not a bad thing.
I’ve always thought the 1000X sounded better than the Bose QC35.
The Sound is clear and they have enough bass to keep you satisfied.
They don't get as loud as the Sony XB950N1 but they can take almost everything you throw
at them.
And through the headphones app you have a few equalizer settings to choose from.
And you can even make your own.
But even if you max out the bass on these headphones you're not going to get the same
effect as you would with the XB950N1.
But I really do like how easy it is to adjust the EQ on the 1000XM2.
And since the EQ is loaded onto the headphones your EQ settings will follow you from device
to device.
So through the EQ you can tailor the sound of the 1000XM2 exactly to your liking.
You can also adjust the Surround settings and the sound position on these headphones
but honestly I just keep those settings off.
The Bass on the 1000XM2 isn't going to satisfy a bass head like the XB950N1… but they're
not supposed to.
Their main focus is on Noise Cancelation and comfort.
Touch controls also make a return on the 1000XM2.
You Double Tap on the right ear cup to play or pause a track, you swipe forward to skip
a track or swipe back to go back a track and you swipe up or down to adjust the volume.
And if you press and hold you can activate siri.
And if you cover the right cup completely the head phones will automatically lower the
volume of what ever youre listening to and let in all of the ambient noise, so if someone
is talking to you you can still hear them even with your headphones on.
Sony calls this feature quick attention and its my favorite feature on these head phones.
these head phones also have a built in microphone for phone calls.
I feel the user sounds a little far away and you might have to speak up sometimes.
But when I spoke with people using these head phones they said I sounded fine.
But this audio clip is being recorded with the head phones them selves so you can be
the judge of that.
Before I wrap this video up I want to point some stuff about using these headphones with
the included audio cable.
If you have them plugged in and powered off you can use the 1000XM2 without noise cancelation
but the sound gets very shallow and the bass is very flat.
If you power them on and have a wired connection the sound quality goes back to your pre installed
EQ Setting and noise cancelation turns back on if you want it.
But what sucks is that the touch controls on the right ear cup won't work if you have
a wired connection with your phone.
And since theres no inline controller on the cable you have to whip your phone out if you
want to control your music playback.
I just don't like functionality being taken away from me.
Also, audio quality really isn't that different when using a wired connection versus a wireless
connection on your phone.
Which isn't that surprising since Sony is very good at having a very clear and minimally
distorted wireless connection.
Ive noticed this with both their headphones and speakers.
The only difference I noticed was that the head phones get slightly louder when used
with a wired connection.
So, The Sony WH-1000XM2 are really just an improved version of the Sony MDR-1000X.
The 1000XM2 have a longer battery life and they now have quick charging.
The Noise cancelation has been improved and you have so much control over your ambient
sound settings though Sony’s Headphones App.
Sound quality on the 1000XM2 is just as good as the 1000X but being able to easily adjust
the EQ is a much welcomed feature.
But I’m still a little disappointed Sony didn't upgrade the bluetooth on the 1000XM2
for easy switching between your devices.
If you already have the 1000X you don't really need to upgrade unless the 20 hour battery
life is a problem for you.
If you're deciding between the 1000X or paying the extra $50 for the 1000XM2 I feel it is
worth it because you're getting an improved battery life with quick charging, improved
noise cancelation, and much more control over your sound quality.
I’m even willing to argue these are the best overall consumer headphones on the market
right now.
But that could change once the Bose QC35 II come out in a few weeks.
Rumors say october 4th.