Sony MDR-1000X Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Ambient Sound Touch Sensor High Resolution Audio Headphones - Beige

After watching the price of these fluctuate wildly for several months I pounced when they were on sale for £180. That's still a lot of money to pay for a pair of headphones but I reasoned that if I'd made my last (terrible) pair last for 22 years, then these should last at least as long so it'll only be a few quid a year! I've seen people's complaints about the headband cracking problem but so far no problems; Sony claim this problem has been resolved and only affected a limited number of units so fingers crossed that's not going to be an issue.I compared these with their Bose and Sennheiser equivalents and opted for these on the grounds that the sound was better and the noise-cancelling was, in my opinion, just as good.I thought I was going to be blown away by the noise cancelling, but it actually took a while for me to really notice how good it was. I think I was expecting absolute perfect silence, whereas of course you can still hear your surroundings, just at a much, much lower volume. It didn't really strike me how effectively they were cancelling background noise until I was sat at my kitchen table working on the laptop listening to Glenn Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations. I could discern perfectly the sounds of the keys being tapped and the pianist's humming and breathing, in exquisite detail, even though I was listening on very low volume. When I took the headphones off, I literally jumped at the cacophony going on around me. I had totally forgotten that the dishwasher and washing machine were both going at it full-pelt and the sudden din was a massive surprise. An artefact of the noise cancelling is faint white noise, but this is invariably preferable to the sounds being eliminated.I recently used these on a flight too. I vowed that I will never fly without them. They cut-out 95% of the incessant whine of engine noise, meaning that you end up much less fatigued when you arrive at your destination. Whenever anyone talks to you whilst NC is activated, you just cup the right ear and ambient mode is activated (see below).The ambient sound modes are incredible too. Basically it's the opposite of noise-cancelling. When activated, the headphones' external microphones are used to pick-up external sounds and relay them through the headphones. The result of this is that you can hear your surroundings as good as (or better than, I think) if you were not wearing headphones at all.The fast-forward/rewind/pause/volume control is near and intuitive. Just a finger-swipe on the right cup.Also, very attractive, quality materials, great design. Sturdy carry-case with fulding instructions inside. 3.5mm male-to-male lead, aeroplane adapter and USB-micro USB charging lead supplied.Battery lasts ages - I only seem to need to charge them once a week for a few hours a day's usage. Never got beneath "medium" battery level. You just tap the power button for an audio (voice - "battery high / medium" etc.) battery level indication.They can be used as standard headphones using the lead, even when battery is flat.All in all, I am very happy with these headphones. There is a newer model out now but I'm not even interested as these are perfect.If this review was useful to you, please click "Helpful" below. Thank you!

After 3 months of research I ended up buying these headphones. Close contender was the Bose QC35ii but the features and amazon price tag of £179 made it a no brainer. The price has gone up since I purchased.Material Quality 9/10: Looks and feels like a high end productColour: Preferred black over beige but the black one was full priceConstruction: 9/10: Works well, sturdy an fits very well. I have a small head and it does feel a bit tight but I am getting used to it even with my glasses on.Connectivity: 10/10: Had no issues connecting to my iphone. Straight forward and worked instantly.Noise cancelling: 10/10: I am somewhat surprised how effective the noise cancelling is. I have tried these in the gym and with the music on it cuts out almost all external sound. For the first time I was able to sleep while flying! Noise cancelling worked like a treat!Sound level: 9/10: Once the noise cancelling is active, I only need the sound up to 3/4 of the max volume and that’s loud enough for me.Weight: 6/10: Slight bulky for my liking but it compensates with good sound quality.Size: 6/10: Slightly on the large front but it fits well so I am happy to compromiseTouch control: 7/10: it works well once you know exactly how to swipe up/down, left/right.Sound quality 9/10: It’s almost perfect; it all depends on the quality of the track you are listening to. I have heard some real crisp music with these headphones! They have set the standard very high for these headphones especially for “Bluetooth Headphones”. I was never a fan of Bluetooth headphones till I tried these on. Plenty of Bass!Voice calls: Have not triedComfort: 8/10: I think I need to get used to them a bit more as I am conscious of the size and weight.Gym use: 4/10 because the leather rims get soaked, not ideal but these are designed for business travel in mind and not the gymnasium. If you are thinking of doing cardio or jogging with these on, then I wouldn’t recommend them purely because they are likely to come lose and you may have to readjust constantly.Battery life 9/10: I haven’t tested this yet in one stretch but I have been using it couple of hours a day and the battery is still high after two weeks of use (excluding weekends).Charge time: I haven’t charged it since charging it for the first time.I used the BOSE IE2 prior to the Sony one’s at the gym and went back to them for one day as I didn’t want any sweat on my Sony headphones and the BOSE pair they felt like a cheap pair of headphones!For £179, definitely worth every penny!

Pros:1. There is a touch pad you can swipe or tap to play/pause/forward/backward/volume up & down, it's super handy.2. The noise canceling is amazing.Cons:1. Sound Quality: Maybe I had too much expectation for this but it sounds average at best. Bass is weak, fidelity is low, sounds muffled. A lof of the details are lost even if the volume is high. I thought it was just bluetooth compressed signal compromising sound quality so I used the included wire connection instead and it STILL sounded bad.2. Comfortability: Not terribly comfortable to wear because it's quite tight.Conclusion (TLDR):Sound quality is subpar but super convenient.

This was my first noise canceling headphones and as a longtime Sony fan, I was quite excited considering the raving reviews. The noise canceling was amazing, sound quality excellent and the touch controls were a nice feature. I primarily used in the wireless mode with my mobile and it worked a treat.All was fine till I tried it to get it work with my Dell XPS laptop running Windows10! The pairing worked all right but the volume was feeble even when setting it to the maximum. I have heard reports of this on the net but not sure if its a laptop or headset issue. Either way, I was disappointed but learned to use the cable as a workaround.But I felt truly let down when after 7 months of light use I found that the headband had cracked. I can see more hairline cracks appearing and it a matter of time before it falls apart. Looks like I am not alone and this product has a design or manufacturing fault that is being reported worldwide.I had to warn my friends to whom I had recommended it earlier ! Not sure if Sony has issues product recall yet !