Sony WH-1000XM2
Crystal-clear, noise-cancelling wireless headphones
‘Quick Attention’ is the star of the show, allowing you to pipe in external audio without taking off the headphones
Reviewed by Nick Pino £330 FROM Sony, sony.co.uk features LDAC Bluetooth, adaptive noise cancellation, NFC, high-res audio, iOS companion app
These are the best noisecancelling headphones on the planet. Yes, even better than the Bose QuietComfort
35. The WH-1000XM2 sound better, are built better and offer features you won’t find anywhere else.
The headphones boast three tricks: an Ambient Mode that only lets in mid-to-high frequency tones; Quick Attention mode that allows you to let in outside noise; and the LDAC codec – alongside the widely adopted aptX HD standard, LDAC enables high-res audio playback. Neither is currently supported on iPhones, but these headphones also support DSEE HX and S-Master HX, Sony-specific technologies that take lossy audio from any source and convert it to near high-resolution.
Quality control
But why are they so expensive? Well, Sony has put a lot of hardware inside, not to mention the four microphones inside and on the outer earcups. Noise cancellation of this calibre also requires decent software. Add to that a touch-capacitive earcup and the price begins to make sense. Yet while they’re solidly built and super comfortable, the use of plastic is a little disappointing at this price.
Around the left earcup, you’ll find the only two buttons on the headset. There’s one for power/Bluetooth and another to cycle the noise cancellation between three settings: On, Ambient Mode and Off. Below the buttons, you’ll find an auxiliary jack, which is mirrored on the other earcup by a Micro-USB port that’s used to charge the headphones.
The headphones make extensive use of touch controls. To skip forward you’ll need to swipe right on the right earcup, or swipe left to go back. Pausing and resuming is done by double-tapping. Similarly, turning the volume up is done by swiping up, and lowering it by swiping down. There’s a bit of a learning curve. Also, when you connect the included 3.5mm cable, the touch controls no longer function, so you have to pull out your phone when you want to change the music.
We found the headphones’ flat(tish) EQto be listenable to for long periods of time without causing fatigue. Mids are straightforward and highs are crystal clear, although they can become a bit much, especially when the headphones are cranked up to higher volumes in quiet environments. Bass is weighty and has some real slam to it.
In a variety of noisy scenarios, the headphones performed admirably. Perhaps even more impressive is their ability to selectively allow some noises into the headphones using Ambient Noise mode. But Quick Attention mode is the star of the show here, allowing you to quickly pipe in external audio without taking off the headphones.
Sony claims the headset has around 30 hours of battery life. It also charges quickly, pumping about 75 minutes’ worth of playback into the headphones with just a short 10-minute charge.
The Sony WH-1000XM2 sound great, provide excellent noise-cancellation technology and cost around the same as their nearest equivalent, the Bose QC35s.