Sony unveils WF-1000XM3 truly wireless noise-cancelling earbuds

parchiao

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Thanks for the review.

Do you need the Sony app to work with? How's the sound quality when using with and without the Sony app?

Because I own the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphone which runs on LDAC without installing the Sony app. I have tried installing the Sony app and it converted to using SBC codec. Can't change to LDAC after that.

It's good to have one Sony app for both Sony devices but if I install the app with the WF-1000XM3 I'm afraid the WH-1000XM3 will not work with LDAC

Thanks again

You will need the app to setup the earphones just once and then you do not require the app anymore. I think this is the case as I did not launch the app after the initial setup. The only downside is that you will not be able to monitor the battery life in each earbud.

I am not familiar with the LDAC issue you described. If your source has LDAC and the headphones supports LDAC, shouldn’t it pair automatically via LDAC? This was my experience paring my ZX300 with the WI-1000X. I selected LDAC on the player and the earphones would pair via LDAC. With the WF-1000XM3, it pairs via SBC automatically as the player does not support AAC. On my iPhone, it connects via AAC because I selected best quality music over connection via the app.
 

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You will need the app to setup the earphones just once and then you do not require the app anymore. I think this is the case as I did not launch the app after the initial setup. The only downside is that you will not be able to monitor the battery life in each earbud.

I am not familiar with the LDAC issue you described. If your source has LDAC and the headphones supports LDAC, shouldn’t it pair automatically via LDAC? This was my experience paring my ZX300 with the WI-1000X. I selected LDAC on the player and the earphones would pair via LDAC. With the WF-1000XM3, it pairs via SBC automatically as the player does not support AAC. On my iPhone, it connects via AAC because I selected best quality music over connection via the app.

My HW 20X supports LDAC. When connecting the Sony Wh-1000xm3 it'll auto connect using LDAC. However, when installed the Sony app it'll auto connect using SBC. There's no way to change to LDAC. This is a weakness as addressed in some youtube clips and also commented by users
 

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My HW 20X supports LDAC. When connecting the Sony Wh-1000xm3 it'll auto connect using LDAC. However, when installed the Sony app it'll auto connect using SBC. There's no way to change to LDAC. This is a weakness as addressed in some youtube clips and also commented by users

If that is the case, you could try setting up the bud using someone else’s phone. Of course need to anticipate firmware upgrades so you might still need some kind of access to the app occasionally.
 

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If that is the case, you could try setting up the bud using someone else’s phone. Of course need to anticipate firmware upgrades so you might still need some kind of access to the app occasionally.

Thanks

I'll be going down to 313 to test out the wf1000xm3 this afternoon

If not suitable I'll wait for the Mavin AIR-ANC to be launched later this year
 

Apparatus

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OK, just tested at 313 without installing any Sony app so codec is AAC. Its ANC is great but still can hear the sound from a speaker playing loudly nearby. Comparatively, the WH-1000XM3 cuts down even more noise. Strictly speaking can't compare both since make and price are so much different.

Also, physically the buds are not so big as depicted in pictures and videos.

Well, I'll wait further for more ANC buds to be released and doing more tests before buying a pair of ANC buds
 
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fongwk8

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Here are my initial thoughts after using it for an hour or two. I bought this because of the ANC, true wireless and Sony sound.

Noise cancellation - Very good. I compared this with the QC20. The QC20 is good at reducing low frequency sound like engine noise, but it does not do a good job at reducing the sound of people taking. With this earphones, it does a good job at reducing noise from both ends of the spectrum. The sound of people talking was reduced dramatically relative to the QC20. With low frequency noise, the QC20 was fractionally better. Roadside noise was significantly reduced although not totally when standing on a pavement. I think Sony really delivered on noise cancellation.

Blinking LEDs - I don't know the rationale behind the blinking LEDs when the earbuds are in use. When I use it at night, anyone and everyone will notice the two blinking LEDs. Sony should offer the option of stopping the LEDs from blinking when the buds are in use.

Sound - Source is ALAC files converted from AIFF files i.e. CD quality. Typical Sony kind of sound i.e. controlled bass. Definitely nowhere near $300+ Sony wired earphones standard, but very good considering it is AAC. I could not quite tell the difference with and without DSEE HX. My head tells me it sounds better with it turned on, but that might just be me being aware that it should sound better as opposed to actually hearing a discernible difference.

Fit - Very good for a earbud that sticks out. The extra bump helps as it allows the earbud to rest on the ear so I don't get the feeling that it will fall out. I used the largest silicon tip as the smaller sized ones did not provide any seal. As a guide, the largest tip feels a little larger than the L sized Sony silicon tips (light green) in terms of diameter and is definitely longer. I replaced it with the L sized silicon tips and the earbuds still fit. Comfort will depend on the shape of the ear so you will need to teat this out yourself.

Looks - It sticks out. It looks like bluetooth earphones from 10 years ago or longer, not the stealthy earbuds that are buried into the ear.

Call quality - Have not tested it. Will try doing it over the weekend.

Connection - Have not experienced dropping connections. I used this with an iPhone 8 plus. Need to test in crowded places.

I think it is fair to mention the following at this juncture.

1. If one is not looking for ANC, this is NOT the earphones for you. The money can be spent elsewhere.

2. If one is looking for earphones for sports, this is not for you, not because it is not IPX4 rated, just that I don't think it will be secure enough.

3. If one needs to look cool, look else where. The blinking LEDs and the way it sticks out looks totally UNCLE. I can carry that look so it is still alright for me. :s13:

4. If one is looking for ANC above all else, you can consider this. Not all ANC is the same, we see that even with wired earphones. The QC20 stands above all, and this earphones is comparable. Because ANC works well to reduce sound of people talking, I think this is pretty good for office use.

These are just my initial thoughts. Sorry, cannot be more technical about it as I only have a Primary 6 vocabulary. :D

Oh, mine doesn't blink after I put it into my ears. When I took it out of the case, the blinking was there until it went into my ears (as I didn't see the blinking blue leds when I look at myself in the mirror).

Ran 30 mins on the treadmill today at 10km/h speed, the earphones didn't drop out nor did I need to readjust them during the run. So I guess the concern is still about sweat soaking in the earphones though.
 

fongwk8

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The only downside I felt with the earphones is... There's no way to see how much battery is left in the charging case. There's only 1 red LED to show you the "charging earphones" or "case is being charged" status.
 

parchiao

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Oh, mine doesn't blink after I put it into my ears. When I took it out of the case, the blinking was there until it went into my ears (as I didn't see the blinking blue leds when I look at myself in the mirror).

Ran 30 mins on the treadmill today at 10km/h speed, the earphones didn't drop out nor did I need to readjust them during the run. So I guess the concern is still about sweat soaking in the earphones though.

This is strange. Mine was blinking blue yesterday. When I read your comment, I put it on to teat and noticed the blinking has stopped. I wonder why. :s11:
 

fongwk8

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This is strange. Mine was blinking blue yesterday. When I read your comment, I put it on to teat and noticed the blinking has stopped. I wonder why. :s11:

Haha! When I first noticed the blinking LEDs... I was like "oh no! this set of earphones are going to look like some cheap china earphones!". But am glad that it stopped blinking when it was worn.

Did a search and noted that the number of blinks actually mean something: https://helpguide.sony.net/mdr/wf1000xm3/v1/en/contents/TP0002289866.html
 

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Tried it out at Connect-IT yesterday. The ANC didn't seem to add much beyond a good passive IEM - compared it with my Aviot and both gave the same amount of isolation.
 

fongwk8

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Tried it out at Connect-IT yesterday. The ANC didn't seem to add much beyond a good passive IEM - compared it with my Aviot and both gave the same amount of isolation.
I hope you got the ANC mode on, as there are 3 modes: ANC on, ambient sound (which allows you to hear a "digitised exterior noise" and ambient sound control off (this is just pure isolation, with no ANC).

Yeah, it doesn't work well with cancelling music (like music in the gym or at a mall), but it works extremely well cancelling the vehicle road noise (when i was waiting for traffic light at orchard road), on the bus and on the train. I would be lying if i said that it cancels 100%, but i still hear about 10% of the train/bus/vehicle noise.

ANC doesn't cancel train announcements too, so the train station announcements are relatively loud.

For the first time, the volume of my earphones are kept in the middle-range. Before this, I was listening on the Samsung Gear IconX (which is isolation only), the volume are mostly at 75% or 90% for me to listen well.
 

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I hope you got the ANC mode on, as there are 3 modes: ANC on, ambient sound (which allows you to hear a "digitised exterior noise" and ambient sound control off (this is just pure isolation, with no ANC).

Yeah, it doesn't work well with cancelling music (like music in the gym or at a mall), but it works extremely well cancelling the vehicle road noise (when i was waiting for traffic light at orchard road), on the bus and on the train. I would be lying if i said that it cancels 100%, but i still hear about 10% of the train/bus/vehicle noise.

ANC doesn't cancel train announcements too, so the train station announcements are relatively loud.

For the first time, the volume of my earphones are kept in the middle-range. Before this, I was listening on the Samsung Gear IconX (which is isolation only), the volume are mostly at 75% or 90% for me to listen well.

Yup. You are right as I have the WH-1000XM3.

If you just activate the ANC you can also hear the rushing sound of the train as it enters the tunnel. Besides that you can also hear people talking but very soft. Watching movies is particularly noticeable. Hearing music will be different for you can increase the volume by a notch so you'll be submerged in hearing your music only without outside noise.

I do hope the next SONY ANC headphone/earbuds can perform better to reduce the outside noise further
 

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One annoyance with the ambient sound control on the left ear, the button seems very sensitive to the duration of the tap. Anything more than a light tap will be interpreted as a signal to lower the music for chat mode.

Hope they will update the software to allow a normal tap duration.

On the ANC, if you want complete isolation, you should probably look at WH-1000XM3 instead, I tested that at a PC show and it silenced the loud music blasting from a nearby speaker.

For the WF-1000XM3, it seems to be more focus on reducing ambient noise than all sounds. I did a test with playing different sounds on youtube on a loud speaker (0.5m away) and turning on and off ANC. At 50 percent volume on light music, no loud bass,



A better test will be to try it on bus or MRT, since it is where it will be predominantly used.
 

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Yup. You are right as I have the WH-1000XM3.

If you just activate the ANC you can also hear the rushing sound of the train as it enters the tunnel. Besides that you can also hear people talking but very soft. Watching movies is particularly noticeable. Hearing music will be different for you can increase the volume by a notch so you'll be submerged in hearing your music only without outside noise.

I do hope the next SONY ANC headphone/earbuds can perform better to reduce the outside noise further

I tried to get the Comply TrueGrip foam ear tips (hope to improve the isolation), but its too loose for this new model. The Comply TrueGrip is stated as compatible with the WF-1000X though. I guess I'll have to wait a while for Comply to make suitable tips for this model.
 

fongwk8

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One annoyance with the ambient sound control on the left ear, the button seems very sensitive to the duration of the tap. Anything more than a light tap will be interpreted as a signal to lower the music for chat mode.

Hope they will update the software to allow a normal tap duration.

On the ANC, if you want complete isolation, you should probably look at WH-1000XM3 instead, I tested that at a PC show and it silenced the loud music blasting from a nearby speaker.

For the WF-1000XM3, it seems to be more focus on reducing ambient noise than all sounds. I did a test with playing different sounds on youtube on a loud speaker (0.5m away) and turning on and off ANC. At 50 percent volume on light music, no loud bass,



A better test will be to try it on bus or MRT, since it is where it will be predominantly used.

Wah, you power leh, use youtube train video to test the earphones!
I noticed that when ANC is turned on, it is more quiet than the "ambient control off" (which is purely isolation).

I also noticed that this earphones perform poorly in windy situations. The wind was blowing and I could hear the wind quite loudly. Anyone experience this too?
 

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Which connect-it branch did u try it at?
Orchard.

Yeah I tried all the modes - ANC mode, ambient sound, and ANC off. The store had a lot of background noise - people talking, music on speakers. I didn't really hear that much of a difference with ANC on and off which is a problem.

Probably works better for commute (low constant background noise) but might as well just get TWS IEM with a good seal.
 

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I tried to get the Comply TrueGrip foam ear tips (hope to improve the isolation), but its too loose for this new model. The Comply TrueGrip is stated as compatible with the WF-1000X though. I guess I'll have to wait a while for Comply to make suitable tips for this model.

Have you try those Dekoni tips?
 
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