Sony’s Most Premium ANC Headphones Yet — A Sonic Revelation Worth Every Note

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To celebrate ten years of its top-tier over-ear headphones, Sony has launched a limited-edition model called 1000X The Collexion. Looking back from 2016 to today, Sony’s 1000X series has evolved from simply competing with rivals to leading the industry.

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Generally, I see Apple’s $549 AirPods Max 2 as the upper limit for mainstream headphones. Anything above that, like Bowers & Wilkins’ $800 Px8 S2, I consider a luxury item.

Sony has now stepped into that luxury space, setting the price for 1000X The Collexion at $650. This cost reflects its enhanced design and audio improvements, which build upon the WH-1000XM6 released last year. While 1000X The Collexion shares a similar shape to its more affordable counterpart, it stands out with a more refined look, higher-quality materials, and superior internal audio parts.

Internal Upgrades

Sony presents 1000X The Collexion as a premium take on the WH-1000XM6, but it includes internal upgrades that clearly distinguish this special edition from the regular version.

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1000X The Collexion uses a one-way carbon driver, unlike the standard carbon driver in the XM6. This design aims to minimize dome bending, which helps cut down on sound distortion. 1000X The Collexion still delivers Sony’s characteristic sound: warm, detailed, and vibrant. However, I found that 1000X The Collexion’s audio feels more dynamic than the XM6’s, offering deeper, punchier bass and smoother highs, all without needing any equalizer adjustments.

BTS’s “Please” features a groovy bassline that sounds full and clear without any muddiness, and the group’s vocal harmonies come through beautifully. In general, 1000X The Collexion provides a full-bodied sound that avoids the listening fatigue the XM6 can sometimes cause with its overly precise audio.

Sony has equipped 1000X The Collexion with a new processor, driven by the V3 chip to power DSEE Ultimate, the company’s most sophisticated audio upscaling technology, surpassing DSEE Extreme.

These headphones also introduce two additional spatial audio modes for music and gaming. Personally, I usually prefer stereo when using headphones, and even though Sony’s latest 360 Upmix spatial audio is their best yet, I’ll stick with stereo.

Sony’s spatial audio upmixing expands the soundstage and adds some vertical dimension, but that’s about the extent of it. There’s minimal movement and limited sense of immersion, and some tracks can sound overly artificial and processed when the upmix feature is turned on. 1000X The Collexion supports all of Sony’s key audio technologies, including the LDAC and LC3 codecs, 3.5mm wired listening, noise cancellation, and ambient mode.

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However, 1000X The Collexion uses the same QN3 noise-reduction processor as the XM6, though Sony acknowledges that the XM6’s noise-canceling performance is more advanced than its premium sibling’s. I agree, though 1000X The Collexion’s noise cancellation isn’t poor—it’s comparable to the Sonos Ace or WH-1000XM5.

A Design That (Finally) Rivals the Competition

Sony has overhauled its design approach for 1000X The Collexion, adding polished and brushed metal details on the headphones’ yokes, buttons, headband, and ports instead of the matte plastic seen throughout the WH-1000XM6. Additionally, 1000X The Collexion features more compact earcups, a broader headband, and thicker ear pads for improved comfort.

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According to Sony, the new design choices were intended to make the headphones appear and feel more high-end. I can confirm that the new design resolves two problems I had with the WH-1000XM6: comfort and style—both of which were missing. A wider headband, plusher ear pads, and more spacious earcups support extended wear better than the standard 1000X-series headphones, while gleaming accents from yokes to microphone housings mirror the designs of Sony’s competitors.

A significant problem I had with the WH-1000XM6 was that they were uncomfortable right away. I felt the ear pads were too thin, the earcups slightly too snug, and the clamping force too strong to wear for more than thirty minutes. 1000X The Collexion’s thicker ear pads, looser fit, and deeper earcups address these issues. I wore these headphones for hours while working at my desk, and I could easily keep them on for a few hours during a flight.

Apple’s launch of the AirPods Max in 2020 shifted consumer expectations for headphone design, which had often been restricted to purely functional shapes with little visual appeal. Since

Over time, consumer headphones have increasingly taken on the role of a fashionable accessory, influenced partly by Apple’s adoption of a modern, widely appealing design and partly by society’s growing comfort with wearing headphones in public.

While competitors such as Bose, Apple, and Sonos have embraced premium materials like brushed nickel, anodized aluminum, and stainless steel, Sony’s WH-1000XM6 took a different path—opting for a sleek, utilitarian, fully plastic build. This time, however, Sony has struck a balance between style and substance, drawing from its design expertise without sacrificing functionality, even though the brand has traditionally favored practicality over aesthetics.

As headphone designs grow bolder and more fashion-forward, so too have their carrying cases. The AirPods Max’s carry “case” may be controversial, but it sparks a creative idea—using the headband itself as a handle.

Sony has reimagined the carrying case for its newest flagship headphones, the WH-1000XM6. It replaces the traditional zippered design with a more ergonomic shape and an elegant magnetic closure. The 1000X The Collexion’s case retains its protective function while introducing a thoughtful cutout beneath the headband, effectively turning the handle into a seamless extension of the headphones.

For Sony, good design means more than just appearance—it includes real-world usability, and that approach is evident here. Even though the 1000X The Collexion headphones don’t fold, the thoughtfully designed carrying case resolves the portability challenge posed by their rigid hinges.

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Sony’s decision to slim down the earcups on the 1000X The Collexion is another smart aesthetic upgrade. The bulkier earcups on the XM6 tend to protrude noticeably from the sides of the head, but the slimmer profile here gives the headphones a cleaner, more refined look—similar to the Sonos Ace or the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2.

Typically, thinner earcups reduce weight, but in this case, the use of denser metallic components adds about 33 grams, bringing the total weight to 320g. That’s still significantly lighter than Apple’s 386g AirPods Max 2. The 1000X The Collexion wears comfortably, thanks to a well-engineered, sturdy headband that distributes the weight evenly.

ZDNET’s buying advice

Sony’s 1000X The Collexion celebrates a decade of innovation and fierce competition in a packed market. These headphones include design touches—like premium metals and improved comfort—that I’d love to see in Sony’s standard 1000X lineup. But Sony uses the 1000X The Collexion to cater to a different audience. If you value both style and practicality without being locked into Apple’s or Sonos’s ecosystems, the 1000X The Collexion are an excellent option.

On the other hand, if looks aren’t a priority, the WH-1000XM6 remain ideal for daily use, offering six additional hours of battery life and superior noise cancellation compared to the 1000X The Collexion.