OP
digitalfrost
Major Contributor
- Thread Starter
- #21
Got the WH-1000XM3 today. First impressions:
- Sound is not excellent, but also not bad. While differences are subtle, applying harman target takes out some of the boxiness that it has by default, it's bass heavy and not very detailed in the upper midrange, but for non-audiophiles it probably sounds good. Honestly, it's not too bad.
- Noise cancelling is impressive. I wasn't so convinced at first, because if you have nothing playing, you can still hear people talk. However if you have anything playing, even when quiet, everything outside is gone. I've sat in front of people moving their mouths and didn't hear anything except my music. Wow. Doors falling shut, which was a thing that pissed me off before, is now completely gone.
- Having NC active without any music feels weird, like my eardrums are being pulled outward. It's almost uncomfortable because it's strangely quiet.
- Ambient Sound mode is a nasty thing for offices. It even amplifies sound that is far away. I can spy on my co-workers talking while they think I have my headphones on and can't hear them.
- Found out a lot of co-workers already own the WH-1000XM2, one ordered an Avantree Leaf. It's a USB soundcard towards the computer, and connects via BT to the headphones. You can switch hands-free talking mode / headphone mode with a button. I will be testing the built-in microphones with this feature.
- If built-in mics are not good enough, I'll simply use the cheap company supplied headset as mic.
- The headphone turns off when you charge it, meaning you need a full battery to enjoy the features. Don't understand why I can't use and charge it at the same time.
- The supplied USB-C cable is a joke, it's like 10cm long.
- Earcups could be larger, but it's supposed to be portable and it's okay for what it is. My dream headphone is a Beyerdynamic DT990 with the features of the Sony and frequency response according to Harman.
- Sound is not excellent, but also not bad. While differences are subtle, applying harman target takes out some of the boxiness that it has by default, it's bass heavy and not very detailed in the upper midrange, but for non-audiophiles it probably sounds good. Honestly, it's not too bad.
- Noise cancelling is impressive. I wasn't so convinced at first, because if you have nothing playing, you can still hear people talk. However if you have anything playing, even when quiet, everything outside is gone. I've sat in front of people moving their mouths and didn't hear anything except my music. Wow. Doors falling shut, which was a thing that pissed me off before, is now completely gone.
- Having NC active without any music feels weird, like my eardrums are being pulled outward. It's almost uncomfortable because it's strangely quiet.
- Ambient Sound mode is a nasty thing for offices. It even amplifies sound that is far away. I can spy on my co-workers talking while they think I have my headphones on and can't hear them.
- Found out a lot of co-workers already own the WH-1000XM2, one ordered an Avantree Leaf. It's a USB soundcard towards the computer, and connects via BT to the headphones. You can switch hands-free talking mode / headphone mode with a button. I will be testing the built-in microphones with this feature.
- If built-in mics are not good enough, I'll simply use the cheap company supplied headset as mic.
- The headphone turns off when you charge it, meaning you need a full battery to enjoy the features. Don't understand why I can't use and charge it at the same time.
- The supplied USB-C cable is a joke, it's like 10cm long.
- Earcups could be larger, but it's supposed to be portable and it's okay for what it is. My dream headphone is a Beyerdynamic DT990 with the features of the Sony and frequency response according to Harman.
