Sony WH-1000XM3

Sony WH-1000XM3 £239

Prior to the summer of 2016, Sony didn’t have a premium pair of wireless, noise-cancelling headphones in its arsenal, so it is even more surprising that the WH-1000XM3 over-ears are among the best wireless headphones we’ve ever heard. The WH-1000XM3 have since been replaced by the XM4, but they are still available at a heavily discounted price.

The design of the XM3 is similar to that of its predecessors, the XM2, but the differences are mostly positive. Our only complaint is that the move from metal to plastic in the headband makes the newer pair look less premium than the older model, though it contributes to an overall weight saving of 20g.

Combined with the thicker, softer cushion, it feels as though there’s almost no weight on the top of your head. With wider earpads surrounding the ear, these are one of the most comfortable pairs of on-ears we’ve tested. The finishes have changed too, with the black pair gaining copper highlights and the Champagne Gold finish having been replaced by Platinum Silver with brass highlights.

The mottled texture on the earcups has also been replaced by a smooth, matt surface. The right earcup features a touch-sensitive panel rather than physical buttons. Double-tap the cup for play/pause or to answer a call, swipe up or down to change volume, and forward or back to skip tracks.

Hold your hand over the cup to activate the ‘Quick Attention’ mode, which reduces the volume and lets in outside noise. It’s useful if someone is talking to you, though holding your hand to your ear and leaving your headphones on isn’t exactly a universal sign for ‘you have my full attention’. This gesture also allows you to communicate with your chosen voice assistant: Amazon Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant are supported.

The touch controls are pretty accurate, but take some getting used to. At first, you’re likely to change volume while attempting to skip tracks.

Quantity and quality

Sony has boosted the quantity and quality of microphones used for voice calls, but if you’re more concerned with keeping the outside world at bay, its already superb noise-cancelling has also been improved. You can now set the function to be permanently on, even when not playing anything, meaning that you can use it to help a peaceful nap.

Controls and customisation options are available via the Headphones Connect app. The options here aren’t particularly useful, but you can tweak how much noise-cancelling is deployed or disable the auto-off feature. The Atmospheric Pressure Optimiser tweaks the frequency response and microphone sensitivity of the headphones for improved performance at high altitude.

Overall battery life is unchanged at 30 hours, but the fast-charging battery means the XM3 go from empty to full in three hours, while a ten-minute charge via USB-C gives five hours of use.

But the big deal here was the move to analogue amplification. Sony aimed to produce a chip that combines noisecancelling, a DAC and an analogue amplifier in a form small and light enough for a pair of headphones. With the QN1 chip contained in the WH1000XM3, it managed to pull it off.

The Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones offer an open, spacious sound that gives every instrument, effect and vocal room to breathe. Combine that spaciousness with greater detail and enhanced dynamic subtlety and raw, analogue recordings such as The Road by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis are fabulously emotive and engaging. There is a real sense of sorrow conveyed as the strings are introduced and gradually build to the track’s heartbreaking peak.

Tonally, there’s a generous extra helping of lovely, deep bass, which helps the WH-1000XM3 produce a satisfying rendition of SBTRKT’S Trials Of The Past. But this extra bass never threatens to unbalance the presentation – instead it simply reinforces the overall delivery, adding weight and richness in a pleasant, natural and, dare we say it, analogue way.

Crisp, sparky treble

The clarity and detail offered means that a recording’s sonic flaws can become exposed, but the generally crisp, sparkly treble is ample compensation as far as we’re concerned.

Sony has improved its noisecancelling tech right across the frequency range, but the biggest gains are in the mid-to-high area. The XM3 are markedly better at blocking out both the general hubbub of a busy office and consistent sounds, such as a plane’s engine. In short, they block out more of the outside world than any rival, and replace that noise with some of the best audio quality available at this price.

Add all of the ingredients together – the increased comfort, improved noise-cancelling and serious audio ability – and you have a close to perfect pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Sony has now replaced the XM3 with the WH-1000XM4 – and so while these are now the second-best pair of noisecancelling headphones on the market, they are still an excellent buy.