Sonys 1000X The Collexion are a luxurious and expensive celebration of its iconic headphones

Ten years ago Sony introduced the MDR-1000X headphones. They combined noise canceling, good sound, design, and comfort in a way that we hadn’t quite seen before in a set of wireless headphones. (At the time, the Bose QC35 were the closest competitor, but I wasn’t a huge fan of their sound tuning.) The 1000X set off a line of consistently excellent wireless noise-canceling headphones that became the go-to for comparisons — I still have a pair of WH-1000XM4s that hang on the side of my desk. To celebrate the launch of the original, Sony is releasing the 1000X The Collexion. (The X in “collexion” refers to the headphones’ 10 years and is a part of the series name. There’s no indication that any other products will be added to this Collexion.) Sony told me they’re “the pinnacle of technology and design,” and boy does their price reflect that.

The new 1000X cans don’t replace the WH-1000XM6 that Sony released a year ago. According to Sony, the XM6 are designed for functionality while the 1000X are a luxury design focused on comfort. They’re also $650. That’s at least $200 more than the WH-1000XM6 usually go for, and $100 more than the Apple AirPods Max 2. So are these headphones worth adding to your collexion?

The new 1000X look a lot like the XM6, with some callbacks to the design of the original 1000X headphones from a decade ago — namely an exposed metal headband and ear cups that are wrapped in vegan leather for a more textured feel than the smooth plastic of the XM6 ear cups. The same material is used for the ear pads and headband cushion. Both the ear cups and the headband cushion are more comfortable than the ones on the XM6. The head cushion padding is around 40 percent thicker and 10 percent wider than the padding on the XM6, according to Sony. The padding is also easily removable and replaceable, though pricing for replacements is to be determined. There’s a little more space on the interior of the ear cushions, which fit around ears more easily than the XM6. The ear cup housing is 5mm slimmer than the XM6, giving the headphones a sleeker look.

Both the joints and headband support are made of stainless steel instead of plastic, and the headband frame is on the exterior of headband padding, as opposed to inside like on the XM6. The joints swivel but don’t fold, so the headphones lie flat like the WH-1000XM5 and take up a little more space than the XM6 do when they’re folded. Buttons and cable ports are also made of metal to match the joints and headband. The metal paired with the vegan leather finish of the housing and padding materials gives the 1000X a unified, streamlined design. I do wish they came in colors other than white and black. I understand the idea of a more understated, restrained aesthetic, but some color options could turn them more into a statement to wear around.

The new design elements do have some drawbacks, though. The first being that the headphones are heavier. Using metal instead of plastic increased the weight from 253 grams for the XM6 to 320 grams for the 1000X. This is still a far cry from the 386 grams of the Apple AirPods Max 2. I didn’t find the weight of the 1000X to be too overbearing, although after about an hour and a half I started to feel pressure where they rested on the top of my head.

The design choices also affect noise-canceling performance. The 1000X uses the same QN3 noise-canceling processor and 12-mic system as the 1000XM6, which gives it the same level of active noise cancellation. But because of the thinner ear cup, the 1000X’s passive isolation isn’t as good, most noticeably in the midrange and extending up into higher frequencies. So its overall noise cancellation is weaker than the XM6.

The thinner housing leaves less room for the battery. Sony claims that with ANC on, the headphones get up to 24 hours of battery life (the XM6 get up to 30 hours). I haven’t had the 1000X long enough to verify that claim. The battery is less efficient for fast charging, too, with a five-minute charge providing an additional 1.5 hours of playback, while the XM6 can get three hours from a three-minute charge.

Sony says the 1000X use newly designed unidirectional 30mm carbon fiber drivers, plus the company’s “most advanced” version of its DSEE sound processing and new V3 integrated processor. The sound is a little clearer in the lower midrange, and there’s some sparkle at the high end that’s missing in the XM6.The opening vocals on The Black Crowes’ “Sometimes Salvation” can sound slightly muffled on the XM6, but on the 1000X the voice cuts through the texture of the guitars well. When Marc Ford comes in with his soulful solo on the right side of the soundstage, the distorted guitar sings with great presence. This sound difference between the 1000X and XM6 is pretty minor, though. Both headphones sound great.

For the 1000X, Sony added music and game 360 upmix listening modes to the 360 upmix cinema mode found on the XM6. 360 upmixing takes a stereo signal and attempts to create a 3D soundscape. I’m not a huge fan of it, as it tends to boost high frequencies quite a bit and doesn’t sound as immersive as a track that’s actually been intentionally mixed for spatial audio.

The last design aspect that sets the 1000X apart is its case. It’s very close in size to the XM6’s case — even though the XM6 ear cups fold up and the 1000X’s swivel flat — but it has a cutout to form a handle, causing it to look less like a headphones case and more like a small bag. As with the XM6 case, there’s a magnetic clasp on the bottom that keeps it securely closed (it took an excessive amount of shaking for me to cause the headphones to fall out).

The Sony 1000X headphones are comfortable, stylish, well built, and sound great. I’m not entirely sure who they’re for, though. The Sony XM series has been known for its top-notch noise canceling, but the redesign diminishes that. Their price also makes them out of reach for most people. And maybe that’s the idea. While the 1000X are a celebration of the XM series, they’re not an evolution. And they’re an expensive celebration at that. If you’re looking for comfortable, functional, and great-sounding headphones, I’d still get the 1000XM6.

Photography by John Higgins / The Verge