Sony's 1000X THE COLLEXION is better than the WH-1000XM6 in almost every way

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 1000X, first launched in 2016, Sony’s 1000X The Collexion is meant to be the pinnacle of its design aesthetic, offering “a spacious, wide-range sound designed for relaxed, immersive listening.” Sony truly delivers on those promises, elevating the 1000XM6 to new heights.

If you already enjoyed the previous 1000X over-ear headphones, you’ll love The Collexion.

Nothing is perfect, though, so let’s dive into Sony’s luxury headphones, and I’ll get into all of the details that you need to know!

1000x the comfort of the 1000XM6

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I’ve reviewed luxury headphones from Bowers & Wilkins, Noble Audio, FiiO, Dali, and others, and the 1000X The Collexion feels every bit as luxurious. While the 1000XM6 headphones are very comfortable, I have a huge melon, and the earcups can feel a bit too cozy after long periods of wear.

That’s no longer the case with 1000X The Collexion (1000X going forward). They are beautifully crafted, from the yokes to the accents. Though they no longer fold into a “ball” like the XM6, their case is only slightly larger.

The cans glide on new metal arms with ease and look every bit the high price you’re going to pay for them. The metal, soft faux leather, and soft-touch materials create a tactile experience unlike what the XM6 offers. The 1000X feels hefty, substantial, but not heavy on my head at all.

The earcups are deeper and softer than the XM6, and though those have plenty of vertical travel to adjust to the right fit for you, the 1000X just feels more premium in its glide and fit. They kept the springs that let them tilt so they sit firmly against your head, but the clamping force never felt fatiguing for me. Not even after hours-long listening sessions.

The oversized silver grommets around the ports and silver buttons give the headphones an industrial-art aesthetic that complements the mirror-polished yokes. During my testing period, I found the 1000X more comfortable than the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2, which cost $150 more. That's largely because of the generous earcups and their soft faux leather.

All of the embellishments and comfort should be expected, though, at $650 for this limited-edition pair of active noise-canceling headphones that you can pick up directly from Sony or at various online and brick-and-mortar retailers.

A sound improvement over the XM6

I listened to my test playlists, utilizing Bluetooth 6.0 with both the LDAC and LE Audio codecs, connected to a Google Pixel 11.

I also connected via wire to the FiiO M21 DAP and listened to Hi-Res audio and MP3 audio to test the DSEE Ultimate. During my testing, I compared them to the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2, Sennheiser HDB 630, and the Sony WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones, with some interesting results.

The venerable WH-1000XM6 sits atop many people’s lists for its sound quality and its active noise canceling, but Sony has taken sound quality even further. Let’s talk about ANC first, though, because what you get with the 1000X ultimately comes from the decision to upgrade the sound quality.

When it comes to top-tier over-ear wireless headphones, there are generally two camps: those that prioritize ANC potency over audio quality, and those that prioritize audio quality over ANC. For the former, we’re talking about Sony, Bose, and Apple. For the latter, we’re talking about Sennheiser, Bowers & Wilkins, Noble, Dali, and Focal.

So, how does Sony do with its everyday-use XM6 against the luxury 1000X? ANC efficacy across the frequency spectrum is better with the XM6. You’re getting better mid- and high-frequency performance out of the XM6, and that’s because sound quality is prioritized with the 1000X.

That said, most people who do a 1-to-1 test between the two and their ANC strength probably won’t notice a significant difference. The difference I did notice was an audible improvement in soundstage size with the 1000X with ANC on. While ANC may be slightly weaker with the 1000X, they’re more open.

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They have a noticeably larger soundstage where the airy feeling of Lady Blacksmith Mombaza’s intro on Paul Simon’s “Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes” feels like you’re listening to it at the Hollywood Bowl. Jazz arrangements like that on Thelonious Monk’s “Monk’s Dream (Take 8)” sound more like live productions than the somewhat constricted headspace you get with the XM6.

My only complaint with the stock sound of the 1000X is that it’s missing a bit of sparkle, like what you get with the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2. Listening to those, music really comes alive and feels live, like you’re sitting next to the musician. The Px8 S2 also excels with microdetails, though the 1000X has very good detail retrieval.

The 1000X exceeds the Px8 S2 in bass response, though. The Px8 S2 can’t match the 1000X’s low-frequency rumble and sub-bass reproduction, and if you want to dial that low-end frequency response back a bit, you have more control with Sony’s Sound Connect app’s 10-band EQ. Bowers & Wilkins gives you only five bands.

The next-best option is the Sennheiser HDB 630, which has a stock EQ and bass response very similar to the 1000X, but you get even greater sound-shaping control with Sennheiser’s parametric EQ. What you don’t get with the large HDB 630 is the same level of ANC as the 1000X or the same portability, since the HDB 630 has a larger case and feels bulkier.

My COLLEXION of final thoughts

Sony’s Sound Connect app is very well done. It’s well laid out, easy to customize, and gives you plenty of options to tailor the headphones' listening, calling, and ANC experiences.

I really like the case, too. It is a bit large, but I like the styling, with the built-in handle. That detail feels like a luxury upgrade over the XM6. As much as I do like the Platinum color that I have for review, if I were buying, I’d go with black. I can see the soft-touch surface on the earcups becoming problematic with smudges.

These don’t have enough clamping force to wear to the gym. Also, for $650, I’d avoid getting them sweaty. If I need tunes to propel me through workouts, I’d worry a lot less about gym-centric headphones like Apple’s Beats 360.

You can listen to them via a wired connection, which I don’t think many will take the time to do. You should, though, because that opens up a whole world of lossless audio options. Given that these are more for static passive and active listening sessions, wired listening could be a “no-brainer.” Just keep in mind that they support wired via a 3.5mm cable, not USB-C.