Pros:
- Beautiful design and well made
- Brilliant sound quality
- Easy-to-use controls
- A lot of customisation in the app
- Long battery life
Cons:
- Expensive
- Not as loud as I had hoped over Bluetooth
Intro
For the 10th anniversary of the 1000X series, Sony has given us something truly special—and something I would have liked to see a little earlier: a much better designed and built version of the 1000X series — the COLLEXION. This is the best Sony has to offer in terms of build and sound, a true flagship aimed at competing with the AirPods Max and the Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2.
Design
The COLLEXION is available in black or white/chrome. I chose the black option as I bought the premium travel set—a partnership between Carl Friedrik and Sony. I was lucky enough to attend an event at Carl Friedrik’s flagship store on Regent Street, where I picked mine up.
The headphones are covered in premium vegan leather, which feels luxurious and durable, and the yokes are made of hand-polished stainless steel. They are beautifully made and very comfortable to wear for long sessions—even more comfortable than the WH‑1000XM5, which I’ve used for several years and really like.
As with previous models, there is a headphone cable port, a noise-cancelling switch button, and touchpad controls on the side.
The carrying case is fairly compact and includes a headphone cable. While it’s good, I actually prefer the quality of the case that came with the WH‑1000XM5, and there is no included USB cable, which should have been provided at this price. I also think a bit more effort could have gone into the unboxing experience and included accessories.
I would have also liked to see more colour options, such as black/copper, blue/bronze, or green/brass.
Features
Starting with the basics: battery life is rated at 24 hours. This is slightly reduced from the 30 hours claimed on previous models, but 24 hours is still more than adequate.
Next is noise cancelling. Sony is using the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3, which, as always, delivers best-in-class performance. As expected, the noise cancelling on the COLLEXION is nothing short of excellent.
Sony has also updated the integrated processor to the V3, which now introduces 360 upmix modes for cinema, gaming, and music. As an audiophile, I tend to leave these features off, but they are fun to experiment with. There’s even a dedicated button to switch between modes.
DSEE Ultimate has been available on Xperia phones for some time, but it’s great to now have it built into the headphones, allowing it to be used with iOS devices as well. It upscales lower-quality audio sources to near hi-res quality—a very useful feature.
Using the Sony Sound Connect app, you can customise settings such as prioritising sound quality vs connection stability, along with a 10-band EQ for fine tuning. Call quality is also excellent thanks to the new processor, AI enhancements, and wind noise reduction.
You also now get Gemini integration, which is a handy addition. Speak-to-chat returns as well, automatically pausing your music and enabling ambient sound when you begin speaking, then resuming playback once your conversation ends.
Multipoint connection is supported for connecting multiple devices simultaneously, though LDAC cannot be used when doing so.
As with other high-end Sony Bluetooth products, LDAC remains the best codec for sound quality due to its higher bitrate. Most Android devices support this, but you’ll need a Bluetooth transmitter to use LDAC on Windows, macOS, or iOS.
Sound Quality
Aside from the build, the biggest improvement with the COLLEXION compared to previous models is sound quality. Sony has updated the drivers, and compared to the WH‑1000XM5, there is a noticeable improvement—particularly in the bass.
Wired
When connected via the headphone cable to my Xperia 1 V, the sound quality is absolutely superb—crystal-clear highs, tight and accurate mids, and plenty of bass. Truly exceptional. I would put them on par with the Sony MDR-1A, which are fantastic audiophile headphones.
When connected to my Sony NW-Z707 Walkman, they sounded even clearer. One notable improvement from the Walkman was volume—on my Xperia, I found myself wanting around 10% more volume.
One thing I wish Sony had included is support for balanced cables, as seen on the MDR-1A. This would have made them stand out even more for audiophiles and added greater versatility. Even if the cable wasn’t included, having the option would have been very welcome.
Wireless
The same applies over Bluetooth—I would have liked slightly more volume, but the sound quality is exceptional. These are the best wireless headphones I’ve heard. This isn’t surprising, as the WH-1000XM4, WH‑1000XM5, and WH‑1000XM6 already sound excellent—but the COLLEXION improves on them further.
Conclusion
Overall, the COLLEXION is a fantastic product in terms of build quality, comfort, and sound. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.
The only real consideration is whether you want to spend the extra money over the already excellent
WH‑1000XM6. The WH‑1000XM6 are slightly behind in sound and build quality, but they are still significantly ahead of most of the competition.
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