00:02Sony just did something kind of wild. We all know the WH-1000XM6 are among the
00:11default recommendations for premium noise-canceling headphones. But Sony
00:16decided premium wasn't enough, so they dropped this. This is Sony 1000X The
00:24Collection. It costs $650. That is a massive jump from the standard XM6. In this
00:31video I'll break down what actually changes when you spend that extra cash.
00:36Is it just about style or is there some real substance? Let's start with the
00:43obvious, the look. The XM6 is your reliable lightweight plastic. It looks like a tech
00:50product? I don't know, I think we can all agree nothing too special. The
00:54collection. Look, Sony completely stripped out all the plastic, every metal bit you
00:59see, the buttons, the arms, all solid stainless steel. The outside of the ear
01:05cups, the housing and the pads are wrapped in this soft, gorgeous vegan leather. On
01:10these we even get left and right indicators cleanly hidden inside the
01:14cups. And the case, it does not look like a tech pouch. It actually to me looks more
01:19like a minimalist designer purse with a handle or maybe a high-end tool kit. It
01:24is an absolute flex. But looks aside, design actually affects comfort. Sony went
01:32with an external wireframe structure here, making the headband about 10% wider and 40%
01:37thicker than the XM6. They also shaved five millimeters off the thickness of the ear
01:43cups. On your head, it's calibrated beautifully for comfort. But keep this in mind, all that
01:49leather and metal, it's adding some weight. The XM6 is a nimble 253 grams. The collection
01:55clocks in at 320 grams. I feel pretty comfortable here, but I imagine they might weigh on you for
02:01some long flights. Okay, so it looks better, but does it actually sound $200 better? Well,
02:08the audio blueprint is totally different. Inside the collection, there's a brand new
02:13unidirectional 30 millimeter carbon driver. Because it's more rigid, it handles high frequencies
02:19better and gives you a much wider, more open soundstage. Sony has also beefed up the internal
02:25circuit board. The copper foil layers are around one and a half times thicker than on the XM6,
02:30which results in a cleaner audio signal with less background hiss. Processing is where it gets
02:36interesting. The XM6 uses DSEE Extreme for upscaling compressed audio. The collection
02:41gets DSEE Ultimate, Sony's ultimate highest grade AI audio engine. But my favorite feature difference
02:48is the spatial upmixer. On the standard XM6, you do have that feature, but if you want that immersive
02:54spatial sound, it only works in cinema mode and you have to mess around inside the Sony app to
03:00toggle it on. On the collection, there is a dedicated physical button on the headphones for instant
03:07spatial audio for both music and movies or mobile gaming. No app diving required. Plus, you do get
03:14Bluetooth 6.0 on the collection versus Bluetooth 5.3 on the XM6. That's just the elitist standard for
03:20wireless listening. Now, you'd think for $650, you get the best of everything, right? Not exactly.
03:31Let's talk about the weird compromises with the collection. First, noise cancellation and microphone
03:37quality? Identical to the XM6. Same mic, same noise reduction tech that honestly is not what I'd
03:45consider best in class. It's great, but not legendary. Second, and this is a very big one,
03:52battery life. The standard XM6 got 30 hours with ANC, but the collection, battery life actually drops
03:59to 24 hours, likely due to some combination of the heavier processing and thinner chassis.
04:05Now, 24 hours is still a full day of listening, and the fast charging is pretty good. Five minutes gets
04:11you an hour and a half of playback, but it is a little ironic to me that the more expensive
04:17headphones require you to visit the charger more often. With all of this in mind, the collection
04:24is a more niche product than the XM6. I don't really know many people with over $600 to spend
04:31on these headphones these days, but in Sony's defense, there aren't many headphones with such an
04:37emphasis on styling in this tier. The Bowers and Wilkins PX8 are probably the closest at about $100
04:43more. If you want the better value, the most battery life, something you can, you know, throw in a
04:48backpack, get the XM6, or better yet, you can still find the XM5 at a healthy discount. I'll link them
04:55below. But if you view headphones as part of your outfit and love the idea of a 3D audio experience,
05:02then the collection is a luxury statement piece that happens to sound pretty incredible. Not going to
05:07lie guys, I feel fancy for just having them here in the studio right now. I need you to level
05:12with
05:12me though. Are you ever spending this much on noise canceling cans? Let me know in the comments and
05:18make sure to subscribe if you enjoyed this video. Thanks for watching. I will catch you next time.
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