I’m new to the truly wireless earphone game. There is something about pairing one side to another and then to my phone that scares me.  But alas, the market doesn’t lie and headphone companies everywhere are springing to release their own versions of this new technology. Sony’s new WF-1000x falls right in line. They are truly wireless and noise cancelling, but how do they actually perform? Do all their features work and are they worth $200? Today I’ll find out with this Sony WF-1000x Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless Earphones review.

Sony WF-1000x Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless Earphones Review

In the Box

-Sony WF-1000x Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless earphones

-Extra eartips (small, medium, and large in silicone and smooth)

-Charge and Carry case (holds 6 hours of charge)

-Micro USB charging cable

-Documentation

Design

As I first took the Sony WF-1000x Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless earphones out of their package, my first thought was that they look classy and professional. They’re bulkier than the Apple Airpods but lighter than the Jaybirds. And as I put them in my ears I notice that they don’t fit so great for me. I tried swapping out the eartips. The silicone ones worked best as they weren’t as slippery as the others. However, they still had the tendency to slide out every so often. My guess is that these earphones will work much better for folks with bigger ear canals.

Features

My expectations were a little bit low because I came across a lot of negative reviews regarding connectivity issues with the Sony WF-1000x. I was pleasantly surprised, however, because I had no such issues while listening. It is worth mentioning that once you download the Sony Connect App, you can download the latest firmware for the WF-1000x which should solve any weird connectivity problems.

The Sony Connect App includes some other features worth mentioning. There you can easily turn on noise cancellation and/or ambient noise, although you also do this with the small button on the left earphone. I found both the noise cancellation and the ambient noise settings to be less intense than Sony’s other products, which was actually a relief because sometimes their intensity make me nauseous. I noticed a light hiss at times while noise cancellation was on. I’m not sure it would bother most folks but I certainly noticed it.

Additionally, the Sony Connect App includes Smart Listening by Adaptive Sound Control. This feature is supposed to sense whether you are walking, sitting, waiting, etc and changes the level of noise cancellation based on those movements.  However,  the feature was not sensitive enough and was too inconsistent to work properly. Therefore, I prefered to just leave it turned off.  

The Sony Connect App also features an EQ with various presets. While the presets sound pretty good overall, the earphones made a popping sound when I shifted between them.

The battery life of the WF-1000x Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless Earphones is three hours. It comes with a charging case as well which holds six hours of charge. So all together you get nine hours of listening if you bring along the charging case.

Sound

Once the earphones were all connected to my phone and to each other, which was quick, easy, and painless despite others’ experience, I found the sound to be good. They have a nice low end with plenty of energy down below 60Hz. Sometimes the low end sounded thin but then I’d realize the earphones were slipping and once I put them back in place the bass would reappear.

The mid range sounds good too. There is a light cut at 800Hz and a boost at 5kHz. Despite the 800Hz cut, the mids still sound thick.

The highs are detailed and tall. There is a cut at 7kHz, but a boost at 9kHz. As a result, depending on the recording, the earphones can sometimes be sibilant. Mostly though, they perform as you’d want them to perform.

Lastly, due to the noise cancellation, the earphones don’t reproduce dynamic range very accurately. Therefore, genres that depend on dynamic changes (classical, jazz, some indie music, etc) don’t work well.

Overview

The Sony WF-1000x Truly Wireless Noise Cancelling Earphones perform well! Despite the negative reviews concerning connectivity issues, I had no problems, and I urge folks with issues to download the latest firmware via the Sony Connect App. The features of the earphones aren’t all perfect, so don’t expect that when checking them out. Do expect a good sounding product that performs basic functions well.

The Sony WF-1000x Truly Wireless Noise Cancelling Earphones are available for the best price at Audio 46 (use our promo code, “majorhifi” to get 10% off) and Amazon.

MajorHiFi may receive commission through retail offers.

Specifications