Sony WH-1000xM2 review

When the box for the WH-1000xM2, the second generation of Sony’s top-tier wireless noise-canceling headphone line, materialized for review, we began asking a rare question: Can you make the best headphones even better?

After weeks of testing, we are happy to share that the follow-up to Sony’s outstanding MDR-1000x has answered that question with a resounding, “Yes.” We can’t say we’re surprised. The WH-1000xM2 retain the same plush comfort, near-perfect noise-canceling, and detailed sound signature that we adored on the original model, but add in 10 hours of extra battery life and even more tech features, all while lowering the list price $50.

In terms of sequels, the added tech and lower price help these feature-packed Bluetooth over-ears rank somewhere among The Empire Strikes Back and The Godfather: Part II, easily earning the company the first back-to-back five-star reviews we have ever issued for headphones.

OUT OF THE BOX

Once you dig into the box containing the WH-1000xM2 headphoens, you’ll see a leather-lined hard case with the Sony logo embossed on the lower portion, as well as a micro-USB charging cable and 3.5mm headphone cable. Below the case is a Blueprint-like manual with big visual instructions on how to operate the headphones — perfect for those who are tired of thick, non-intuitive instruction manuals.

Once we dug in to the zippered case we discovered our review units were a beautiful grey-black, but the WH-1000xM2 also come in a beige-gold colorway. Tucked in with the headphones was an airline adapter – handy for flights on older planes, especially common on international flights.

FEATURES AND DESIGN

The WH-1000xM2 will look right at home in the business-class section of your next flight, just like the original MDR-1000x, with subtly-styled earcups and a tasteful metal accent on the headband. Sony’s logo remains the flashiest design element, located just above each earcup, but even the company’s moniker has been implemented is done in muted gray.

Plus, puffy leatherette still surrounds each earcup and the upper part of the headband, combining with the headphones’ perfectly adjustable suspension system to continue the prior model’s rein as among the most comfortable headphones on the market. Just like their predecessor, the WH-1000xM2 avoid the top-of-head pressure we often feel after a few hours wearing large, over-ear headphones. The lack of on-head fatigue is further aided by the headphones’ weight, which comes in at a feathery 9.7 ounces — somehow identical to the original model despite a considerably improved battery life (more on that later).

On the bottom of the left earcup, you’ll find a 3.5mm input jack for the provided cable, along with power and ambient audio adjustment buttons outfitted with two differently sized plastic nubs on each button to make them easy to distinguish while the headphones are on your head. The ambient audio button lets you turn noise canceling on and off, and holding it for two seconds will launch an audio optimization feature to customize the sound for your unique ears.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The bottom of the right earphone features a micro-USB charging port — just four hours of charge time fuels the WH-1000xM2 with an astonishing 30 hours of battery life, a full 10 hours more than their predecessor’s already impressive 20 hours. The headphones also have a quick-charge feature that allows you to squeeze 70 minutes of play time out of a brief ten-minute charge. Even with the quick-charge option, the real convenience of a 30-hour battery life can’t be understated. We tested the WH-1000x for several weeks and only ran out of juice twice.

Underlying the classy exterior of Sony’s flagship wireless headphones is the company’s touch-control technology. The entire exterior surface of the right earcup supplants physical controls: A double tap plays/pauses music or answers/terminates calls; a swipe up and down adjusts volume; a swipe left or right skips tracks.One still-awesome feature that holds over from the previous model is the fact that you can cup your right ear to temporarily lower the volume of music and let in outside noise, allowing you to leave your headphones on when a flight attendant or coworker needs to talk to you for a moment, or when you need to hear an announcement on public transit. We did occasionally notice sluggish responses to touch commands on the WH-1000x, but still found the controls more convenient than hard-to-remember buttons on competitors like the Bose QC35.

Speaking of Bose’s industry-leading noise-canceling headphones, the WH-1000xM2 also have two sets of microphones for each ear — one interior and one exterior — allowing for the same excellent noise reduction. While the QC-35 retain a slight edge overall in terms of outright noise-canceling ability, this generation of 1000x nips even closer at Bose’s heels, providing better reduction of voices, but muting ambient sounds like keyboard clicks and the low whir of HVAC systems slightly less. That said, these are top-tier noise-canceling headphones by any measure, and music and movie sounds easily drowned out the outside world.