13.4.2019

Living in London and commuting on the tube, I was getting concerned with the external noise causing me to crank up the volume on my previous headphones, blasting my ears with unnecessary volume. So I decided to invest in noise-cancelling headphones and tried several before settling on these Sony pair. Oh my goodness - the noise cancelling is exemplary. No - it will not create an absolutely silent atmosphere when in a noisy situation, but it blocks out so much sound that you really need to try it to believe it. Oh - and it makes it perfect for commuting, especially on the tube, where I now barely hit half way on my volume crank.But one of the best features is the ambient noise function.The accompanying app allows you to customise the headphone features to your liking (and works surprisingly well in the tightly controlled world of iOS). This app allows you to tune ambient noise, so you can let in external noise when walking out and about, allowing you to stay alert with moving traffic and obstacles whilst still wearing the headphones. I didn't appreciate this feature before purchasing the product, but now find it invaluable as I am able to listen to my music and podcasts whilst walking without taking them off, whilst still being aware of my surroundings, hitting full noise cancelling when stepping onto the tube.The sound quality is also excellent. Both wirelessly and wired. Working in the media, this is very important for me. And with the accompanying app, you can change the properties of the headphones to suit your own liking. Once getting it set up, I found the bass deep and the higher frequencies crisp, whilst still being well balanced.Asides from these two important features, the headphones come included with a great designed case, with a divider providing extra integrity when jammed in a packed bag. It also includes a decently long 3.5mm jack cable, in-flight jack and USB-C which allows for very rapid charging. The only thing I would improve here is the length of the USB-C cable, which is annoyingly short.The headphones are also very comfortable, with good cushioning on the ear pads and the headband. They also have a good amount of 'tightness', when gripping your head - tight enough to stay in place, but not enough to be uncomfortable over long periods of time.The touch controls on the right headphone work well, but do take some getting used to. For the first week, I found myself skipping tracks as opposed to changing volume, but it is something you get used to and it becomes rather accurate when you do. The only finicky issue I have here with the interface is that the voice guide is American, with no selection for British!Another small issue is the Bluetooth pairing - which works well, but with only one device at the time. I have previously used headphones which allow you to pair with two devices at a time, making it an easy switch between your phone and your laptop - but I now have to manually re-pair when switching. It is not a big deal, but would be nice if it could be adapted nonetheless.Overall, these are a very well designed pair of headphones for both sound quality and features, being the current King of noise cancelling - and overall very worthy of its price point.

19.7.2020

I treated myself to this headset after many hours of 'lockdown conference calls' using another product that had been fine for less intense use but that I now find increasingly uncomfortable. My main use of the headset is for conference calls; often lasting upwards of an hour I needed something comfortable with good sound and microphone. I also wanted something that would re-ignite my love of music and help me enjoy my collection once again!I was a little nervous spending this much on a headset - but having used them for two weeks I've no regrets.First impressions are good; high quality packaging and I loved the rugged supplied case holding the headset, charging cable, flight adapter and wired headset cable.For most purposes I think this case would be great for secure storage and travelling. At first glance the instructions look a little underwhelming, mainly consisting of a single large sheet with pictorial guidance and a few pages of technical information (duplicated in LOTS of languages). However, the information was clear and I was able to wirelessly connect to two Windows laptops and an Apple smartphone without problem and within a matter of minutes. The synthesised voice made me smile - among other things, advising of power on/off, bluetooth pairing and, usefully, giving an indication of the percentage of battery charge left at the push of a button!The build quality of the headset itself is impressive. They feel robust and look great (mine in black with subtle copper highlights). The headset is certainly not as heavy as its solid build quality implies and I have been able to wear it comfortably for several hours at a time. The headband has plenty of adjustment and is well padded across the top of the head and over the ears.So how does it perform? Brilliantly! As I noted above, wireless connectivity was simple to set up and within minutes I was listening to some familiar tracks with awe, noticing (or at least recalling the presence of) subtleties in the sound that I had lost completely by using PC speakers for so many years. The soundscape and range is genuinely impressive.I am fortunate enough to work in a quiet area so wasn't too bothered about the noise cancelling feature but as it is enabled by default I used it and am amazed by how effective it is! Cuts out just about everything from the neighbour's lawnmower through to the noise of my 'phone ringing!! I also love the ability to just cup my hand over the right speaker case to cut the volume and enable ambient sound in to let me converse without removing the headset. I have also found I quickly got used to the 'swipe' controls on the headset to adjust volume; a little fiddly at first but it avoids extra buttons or dials on the headset that would detract (in my eyes) from its appearance.A great deal of the time I spend using the headset is on conference calls and once again I cannot fault them for this purpose. As you would expect, the sound quality is good and those that I have asked all say that they can hear me very clearly. Cannot ask for more!Finally, battery life. Seems to be excellent; despite heavy use (many hours a day) I am getting an easy full week of use out of a charge.Recommended - - YES!

6.5.2019

I've keenly followed Vlad Savov on the Verge when it comes to audio equipment. My daily driver earbuds have been one of his recommendation so when he heartily recommended the Sony's as the best wireless noise cancelling headphones I knew what I'd get. I'm glad I waited for the Mk3 model with it's longer battery life and USB C for future proofing.The fit took a while to get used to but now I've found my ideal position. Extended periods of wear aren't too bad, I have small ears but on a warmer day just for the sake of rest, I do give my ears a bit of a breather. They haven't become too clammy as of yet. The noise cancelling has been surreal. Sometimes the automatic adjust gets a bit too fidgety in terms of switching modes.An example being on the exercise bike at the gym it thinks I'm walking at first and lets in a lot of ambient noise as I would need to stay aware of my surroundings before then changing to transport mode, which is when it's so comfortable to drown out all the outside noise. Especially on the London tube I found it very impressive how it totally cut out the loud and repetitive noises to be found there. Sound quality too has been excellent so far. I finally begin to understand better the meaning of a loud soundstage when I was at work listening to some orchestral music and zoned out, confusing my brain almost into being able to discern the distance and position at which the various instruments would be arrayed around me.The big bogey of the touch controls being erratic in very cold weather hasn't quite been evident to me yet, because I haven't quite encountered them. I will say on a rainy day with the hood up on my raincoat, it mistook that for a gesture and skipped tracks. I find the volume up and track skip actions to be more or less smooth but the play pause is more hit and miss for me. I'm not sure if it was waterproof but it seemed to handle the drizzle well on that day.The carrying case is lovely and sturdy though a bit on the bulky side it's very well made. It has a bunch of peripherals, such as a very short USB C charging cable (wish this was at least 6 inches - don't we all..), a two pin connector for flights and a 3.5mm cable. I've not been able to count whether it meets the 40ish hour battery life but it's sufficiently long enough for me. I tend to be able to go a whole week and a bit at a time before needing to charge again with my normal usage of about 3-4 hours of noise cancelling wireless. Not noticed the difference when used wired. All told I feel like this is something that will become a treasured possession for years. It was a birthday present I've been looking forward to for some time and it has all the robust heft and overengineering that one expected of Sony at its heyday. At least in this product category they seem to be well at the tip of the spear of the consumer electronics world and I'm glad to have these headphones.

14.4.2020

Amazing pair of headphones, first of all free next day delivery, ordered at 10pm on Sunday, I received the parcel next day Monday midday!First impressions: Box it came in looks smart and professional along the lines of Sony's usual design language. Carrying case is not leather like the Bose QC35 ii but is still great quality, can fit all accessories and will protect the headphones.The headphones when picked up were surprisingly light, but also had a weight to it that portrayed a quality built product. Very soft faux leather ear cups and headband, very comfortable to wear hours on end.Headphones instantly connected to my Samsung Galaxy S9+ and connected with Google assistant straight away.

20.5.2020

I bought the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones to replace my Sennheiser cans with which the ear-pads have disintegrated. I also need noise cancelling headphones because my home is rather cramped nowadays.The Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones I received are well made - and look it. It took just over two hours to charge them for the first time, but the charge has lasted for ages. I don’t know if it was for 30 hours though because I didn't time it. I will need to have had these for some time before I can confirm this claim.I have however been finding it a tad tricky to switch the bluetooth connection between my iPhone and my iMac and back again.

7.10.2019

They're very expensive, but they're good. The noise-cancelling is not total. But these headphones substantially REDUCE external noise. When walking through town while listening to a pod-cast with the headphones in noise-cancelling mode, I can still hear the quiet "swoosh" of a car or bus passing beside me. Such external sounds are still heard even though the ear-pads are firmly over and around the ears, and after the app has gone through the pressure-testing procedure. So the two other ambient sound settings are of no use to me (the two other settings allowing two different levels of ambient sound to reach your ears). In noise-cancelling mode I still hear sufficient "ambient noise" for me to be aware of passing vehicles.

3.3.2020

First off the bat, the look and feel of these is premium. The materials used feel very high quality, they're super comfortable to wear and they look very smooth. Nice clean lines, not overly bulky. 5/5 for this.The sound quality is great, nice and full sound, deep bass, being able to customise sound settings via the app is very useful as everyone prefers different tones. The connectivity with the app is very good. I haven't used them on a phone call yet, but I have heard other people say they do a great job, however apparently these are not as good as the Bose QC35ii for calls.They pair to my phone (OnePlus 6T) almost instantly - no complaints about this.The noise cancelling is really good,

8.9.2019

SONY WH-1000XM3I’ve had many wireless headphones, including Bose Soundlink, which are great but these Sony’s knock spots of all of them. On a regular train journey, with previous head phones, I could still hear announcements on intercom whilst trying to listen to my music or tv. The Sony cancelled all that out. Noise cancelling Pretty effective when activated. On train. Could vaguely hear voices and train running. I’d say 85% noise cancelling efficiency. When off, huge difference. Could hear train rumbling. Ambient sound on. When on watching movie, train and movie sound was heard. 50/50. In all fairness, this mode may well work better on a plane. For me, on a train I found it intrusive.

11.11.2018

These are Sony’s best wireless noise cancelling headphones. They’re packed full of features and the noise cancellation and sound quality are superb. They’re sturdy and comfortable, supported by a great app and well worth the upgrade from the 1000XM2.I’ve tried the Bowers & Wilkins PX which are quite heavy and noticeably so after a short period of time. I experienced frequent dropouts, particularly when using YouTube and support just advised me just to turn the noise cancellation down – which rather defeats the purpose of the biggest feature. They also came in a flimsy fabric pouch and not a rigid case that you would expect. Having also frequently used the Bose QC35 for some time,

13.11.2019

I bought these wireless noise cancelling headphones a couple of weeks ago and have played around with them extensively. They are largely to be used with my phone for media content to be watched or spotify and I have to say they are terrific. The Noise cancelling facility is amazing and allows you to immerse yourself in the latest film or series you've downloaded to watch. The active noise cancelling facility is also another great add on allowing the headphones to adjust accordingly to different environments. A couple of bug bears I do have are the volume control and flip forward facility which dont seem to work too well in my opinion. A shame as the mute tap function if someone needs your attention works extremely well.

13.3.2019

I tried these headphones out on my Galaxy S9 Plus, with a third party app to listen to my mp3's and the sound quality was great! The headphones pair up quickly with the Headphones app and the aid of NFC. Once connected, every time you turn on the headphones it will connect straight away if the phone's bluetooth is switched on. I then tried them outside and on the underground. I wasn't sure how to get the noise cancelling to work correctly. However, the difference between the ambient sounds, wind reduction and noise cancelling work really well in the different environments. and It is a novel way that the modes change within seconds of being in travelling mode to stepping off your mode of transport into walking mode.

26.6.2020

I much prefer to use a headphone for phone calls and video conferencing, and for that Sony's much cheaper WH-CH510 does a fine job. It's not even bad for music, at its price of about £35. But I have discovered that on long conferences I want something more comfortable. I've also always wanted a good noise cancelling headphone and (more man-maths coming to bear) Iost my old 'listening' headphones of choice in a house fire last year.With 67 year old ear'oles I probably shouldn't pontificate on sound quality but they seem decent on the basis of a few hours listening. They do not suffer from excessive bass and take their job seriously. If you do need to tweak the response (perhaps because of a poor recording)

29.8.2019

I can confidently state my suspicions that these beautiful ear sound inducers were forged in Mount Doom to be the one pair of ear muffs to rule them all. Forged by Saurony himself to enable the User to travel to an alternate dimension of quiet, and delete all other inhabitants of Middle Earth from existence once the Wearer switches them on. With a little tuning, they will sound punchy and crystal clear - greater than any competitors and will quickly send all enemies tumbling to the underworld within moments. The Wearer will be infused with confidence over all others as they stride about, superior to the clans of Bose and Sennheiser and all the other pathetic underlings.Furthermore,

27.5.2020

1st off I'm no audiophile. Up until now I've always gotten by with wired in ear plugs for music on the move and a set of Bluetooth work supplied on ears for conf calls. Primarily I wanted to be able to listen to music without distraction of the house so after research these appealed as best noise cancelling, great sound as well as many other features I wasn't sure I'd use.On opening build quality immediately impressed. I mean even the box is lovely! Feel great on the head, easy to use. The app is good. My first experience of noise cancelling is its just so good. Even a couple of weeks later and I'm still shaking my head in wonder. Sound quality is amazing, very happy with the performance and not just for music.

7.7.2019

I've had these headphones since last year, and the sound they give out still amazes me. I use them primarily for work, and it's the clarity of what you hear through these which is still so impressive. The range is huge, detail is focused and the balance between upper, middle and lower levels is near ideal. Some have criticised the bass as being too loaded on these, however I don't find this to be the case – although it might overly extend the sound of what I certainly hear through other high-end brand headphones. But, the bass on these Sony headphones seems quite close to what I usually experience in a concert hall. What also seems quite native to these headphones is a warmth to the sound projection which makes CDs (or,

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