PART I – Love at First Hear
Surprising for today, I spent 45 minutes in Sony Store @ 313 Somerset, my butt was comfortably rooted on the bench, nodding my head and grinning.
Take 5, Against The Grain, Andrea Bocelli’s are my usual tracks when I test my audio devices. Honestly, I am no audiophile, but just enjoying the rhythmic moving air arousing my ears.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 Noise Canceling Headphone is now lighter and comfortable compared to the previous model, I didn’t feel any ear fatigue after 45 mins of listening. The comfort level is on par with the Bose QC II. Yes, I had spent a fair amount of time with the Bose QC II at the Stereo store couples of weeks ago; Thank God, I waited a while more for this WH-1000XM3.
Why I chose Sony over Bose because of its headphone’s apps, the Sony allows me to control the Noise Cancellation intensity with an increment of plus-minus 10, where else Bose only allow toggling between low, medium and high.
What also attracts me is the clean looking and intuitive phone apps, I enjoyed exploring the apps equalizers, ambience presets; I just love it.
I am sold to this audio device…
PART II – Product Review
I am skeptical of getting a headphone because I feel that I have a larger head than usual. When I test most of the headphones at the store, I think that that headphone does not rest comfortably on my ears and causes some sound leak.
The design is very sleek and contemporary with no exposed screws. No complaints on the build quality at all, I don’t hear any clicky sound on the headband. I almost fainted when I watched Jim doing stress test the headphone vigorously as if it is going to snap.
The Sony WH-1000M3 is the most comfortable headphone I’ve ever worn till date. I can wear this for hours and don’t feel any head or ear fatigue, however, some heat builds upon the ear cups while I am commuting and I think that’s normal.
Do note the ear cups are not detachable and you can’t buy the replacement ear cups separately. Should your ear cups are torn, you’ll need to send it to the Sony Repair Center
Awesome Quick Charging
The battery life and quick charging speed are remarkable. After I made my purchase at the store, I unboxed it on the spot. The battery was low near 0 per cent, and I can’t get it to work.
So I popped my portable charger, connected it via a USB-C cable, and took merely 10 mins to charge to 20 battery while I was walking to the train station.
EUREKA!
PART III – After 3 months of using the WH-1000XM3
I was planning to share 3 articles for this headphone; however, I have been busy with other stuff, so I decided to combine these articles into one. 2018 is about to come to an end, and I hope to share my thoughts of this excellent product with you, and not forgetting to wish you a Happy New Year 2019.
It has been a bad habit for me to buy and sell away gadgets that I don’t find it useful. However, this Sony WH-1000XM3 is a keeper, and I am keeping it for good. The headphone has become part of my necessity for comfort music.
I’ve also been using the headphone when playing on my PlayStation 4 via an audio cable. The comfort level is still that good, I don’t feel the ear fatigue after few hours on playing.
However, there still some issues that I would like to share with you.
The ear muffs build some heat upon your ears, that may make you slightly discomfort commuting. I prefer listening to the headphone while I am resting, sitting down in air condition environment.
The headphone’s navigation interface isn’t that good, I have issues skipping my tracks or adjust the volume correctly on the first try. At times, I would skip the tracks accidentally when I only want to change the volume. Well… that’s my only complaint. However, still, I managed to overcome by toggling the settling with my phone. I hope Sony can correct this issue with firmware upgrades?
Final Thoughts
The noise cancelling performs really well, very comfy, long battery life and the quick charge is impressive. These features overruled the headphone’s a few shortcomings.
Yes, a keeper and certainly deserved an award from me.