Sony WI-1000X

Advantages: - Build quality - you can immediately see why you give money)
- Hybrid design
- As a result - impressive bass (including sub) and high-precision top (which, oddly enough, does not cut the ears, but rather, rather, with a delicate sewing machine)
- Really wide and detailed scene. It seems to me in this regard, they bypass and older MDR-1000X
- The LDAC codec is a nekst level shield for wireless sound (although, according to the cord, the sound is still a bit more like)
- The application for the phone, despite some limitations (see in the comments), adds convenience and is quite appropriate for yourself.
- Working time 10-14 hours - IMHO adequately for their size and functionality. (I charge about once every three to four days)
- Large selection of ear cushions included. (and the whole set is rich)

Disadvantages: Noise reduction is still inferior to the first MDR-1000X. However, this is still better than the vast majority of both passive and active models of headphones. Airplane, subway, wind - all this does not interfere with enjoying music.

V-shaped characteristic works perfectly on electronics, hipchik, and all that, but I want a deeper and more elaborate middle where there is an emphasis on vocals, piano, violin, guitar and so on.
I bring it into the drawbacks naturally, taking into account the price tag - I still want 100% return and coverage of the range for 20k :)
In addition, it is precisely in contrast to the excellent deep bass and delicate-clear riding that the lack in the middle is clearly visible. This does not mean that it is "bad." By no means. However, in the same relatively unpretentious h.ear in (5,000 rubles) the middle I might like even more.

Comment: Before that, there were MDR-1000X of the first generation, mdr-ex750ap (h.ear in) and a bunch of other models of headphones from Sony and not only. Compare with what. I use with Comply comfort. With komplay noise isolation is much better, but the bass, as for me, is too pressing. With the foam, the characteristic is smoother, but the insulation is slightly worse.

As I understand it, structurally, the headphones repeat the XBA-N1AP, which many do not praise for the relatively simple middle (in the price range) compared to the older XBA-N3AP. If this is so, then the N3 wireless analogs are not yet found, and it turns out that the WI-1000X is currently the best of wireless intra channel.
Be sure that the sound will not disappoint you. If you are certainly not fussy.
But if picky, why bother to get wireless sound at all? :))

Among other things, keep in mind the following, which does not fall into the reviews and marketing materials:
- DSEE HX only works in SBC mode (i.e. when the LDAC codec is not used)
- Equalizer works only in SBC mode
- DSEE HX in conjunction with the equalizer does not work. Either one or the other.
- minion with all other sound effects - only in SBC mode
- on the cord, if the phone is charging and the noise cancellation is on, you will clearly hear low-frequency noise.The "optimizer" does not help, is solved by disconnecting the noise, or removing the phone from charging.
- The noise optimizer (holding the button on the right half of the headband for 2-3 seconds) is recommended more often. takes a little time, and the quality of the result is noticeable.

and the most important thing:
- to everyone who complains about a bad microphone when making calls: it is not obvious, but it turns out that you need to say HEADPHONE :) i. when talking, it looks like this - one earpiece in your ear, pull out the second one and speak to the microphone on it, which is used for the noise controller.

Advantages: The sound is really great. So far the best wireless sound. Although I have not tried to attach my Westone w40 to any bluetooth cable in the absence of decent options. Noise isolation - oh, damn, it works as good as mdr1000x.
When you call, they vibrate like crazy.

Disadvantages: First of all, this form-factor of the neckband itself, and even such a tight and greasy one ... Let's just say that the headphones made me more stylish because I often wore shirts, trying to hide this strange squalor with my collar :)
Secondly, about all the buttons except the inclusion - forget it. They are super arctic and uncomfortable. I control either from a smartphone or from a smart watch.
From the ears really bulge, but not particularly critical.
By the sound I would like more detail, but it is obvious that not for such a price.

Comment: I got it after I left my prostereo h2 on Yandex.Drave (to the person who appropriated them, hello to karma :), after reading laudatory reviews on the whole Internet. I managed to buy for 10 thousand - I consider it an excellent investment, but 20 would strangle the toad.
1 time I accidentally dipped 1 earpiece entirely into the water (for a second) and thought - everyone arrived. But nothing, hung day on the balcony - everything works.

In general, if they make the same system based on the ZBA-X5, it will be possible to lay out 50 for it.

Advantages: 1. Nice equipment (the ears themselves, the wire to connect to the source, the cover, the wire to charge, a bunch of nozzles of two different types)
2. color (I have a beige)
3. quality headphone materials
4. good sound in wireless mode
5. live long enough with average use (about 30 minutes of music per day + phone calls + watched a TV show 60 minutes a couple of times) - 3 days

Disadvantages: 1. Compared with the older brother does not suppress the sounds at all. Even with selected nozzles. I hear and metro, and talking colleagues. Not so loud, but I hear. The reasons are clear, but still .... hope was that sound insulation would be more effective.
2. Does not warn of detente, like Jabra. It just says “charge the headphones” and turns off. Right in the middle of a telephone conversation. Terribly uncomfortable = (
3. The interlocutor does not hear me very well in the city and in the wind (this is a misfortune of many ears, but still)

Comment: In general, it is pleasant to use, the application provides a wealth of customization capabilities (including quick identification via NFC), I want more sound insulation and not such a sudden shutdown when the battery is low. I hope that in winter the "skin" on the rim will not crack and the wires will withstand.

Advantages: -Good sound, but only through codecs Aptx, AptxHd, Ldac. Well, if you listen through the wire, it's generally super.
-Ease to manage. Each button has its own relief, so it is difficult to get confused.
- Moderate noise reduction especially in the subway. That's just not the upper noise presses, but only medium and low.
-High frequencies a lot. Now I know what a crystal sound is (better to listen to Lossless, it will be noticeable)
-Lots of a lot and even a lot.
-You can listen all day without a break.
-It is imperceptible that they are generally on you)

Disadvantages: - You cannot use Headphones when playing music through Ldac.
-In general, I do not know why the application music center. It works damp and crashes.
- Only 3 charge levels.
- Charges for a long time, well, if behind this is the passion for battery life, then I do not mind
-So I could not find the cable mini Jack - micro USB (well, or hard to find it)
- Sometimes you can’t hear low frequencies at all, and sometimes there are a lot of them (I still don’t understand what it is all about)
- You can not use the Headphones application when you listen through the cable (the built-in equalizer drives)
-Sometimes when switching from one device to another at the headphones volume is set to the maximum (be careful)

Comment: To connect headphones to other devices, hold the "power" button for 9 seconds.
Added a photo of instructions, it was useful to me. And it is suitable.

Advantages: The sound with the ldac codec is simply gorgeous (both low and high and the scene ...), noise (multimode), autonomy 10h noise 14h normal mode, wired mode (passive) (on Windows with audio quality bluetooth just do it) and you can swing it Usb dac, case in the kit, laying the wires on the headset, informational content - you press the power button and they say the battery charge level (max / medium / small), but does not warn you about low charge (with a full charge, just a phrase in English - "connect to Charging "and then also turned off)

Disadvantages: There are no serious drawbacks, more likely cavils - you cannot charge and use at the same time (they turn off when charging is connected, just in the middle of the movie and if there is a power bank), the lack of volume increase / decrease by holding down the +/- button seemed very strange and several times, the wired mode cannot be used as active (the sound will not pass through the built-in amplifier, and you can not control the volume, for example, as on the srs-xb30 column) would be very useful when wired th connection to dualshock4 or install in ps4 ldac ...

Comment: This form factor (plugs / ldac / autonomy) has been used for a long time (since the purchase of large ears mdr-1abt) I use it in a pair with sony xz premium, despite the large size of the headphones in the ears, they fit perfectly. Separately, I want to tell about the application Headphones connect - it is useful for setting the noise level, on / off the vibro on the collar when calling and calibrating the noise level under the ATM. pressure, otherwise: ambient sound and equalizer - they work only with the sbc codec (not even atpX and sbc so that you buy these ears for 15p, you load the ldac / dsd smart library and there comes a proposal to castrate the quality of bluetooth to 200 * g, and they this is called the priority of connection), dsee hx - lifts high to nausea. In general, in spite of some minor drawbacks, they do their work perfectly and have no regrets about the purchase. Oh yeah, if double / triple pressing kn. call - next / previous the song, then one short and second long press will be fast forward, also with the second combination, in the instructions it is not, from the experience of mdr-1abt ...

Advantages: Sound
NC (I really liked this function, it’s just not replaceable in the metro, of course it’s not 100% jamming, but the difference is definitely noticeable, but with the music turned on it completely isolates by 100%).

After a month of use:
- I made sure that I made the right choice to listen to music in the metro and in a noisy office - nebrozskie (chose beige) headphones with noise - this is salvation from coughing, sneezing and dumb neighbors in the car and office and not attracting the attention with their bulky appearance as full-size It is also a great option NC in the winter under a hat.
-NC gives the opportunity to enjoy in noisy places, not only aggressive music.

Disadvantages: Serious has not yet been identified

After a month of use:
- the microphone is really weak, as many write, the interlocutor does not hear well - you have to speak very loudly.
- sooo clean tops and no pritenzy to the lower classes, but the more "elastic and assertive" means really often not enough, especially in acoustics.
- I could not forget the more assertive and dense sound of N3 on a more powerful (than smart) X5 - if you choose not for the metro and not so important is the continuity - take a look at N3 (just listen to them with kastumnymi cords - the difference is very significant not even tempted to me) + as it turned out, for N3 there is also a Bluetooth cable with AptX.

Comment: Initially, the main goal was to choose wired hybrid headphones up to 20 tr. for player Fiio X5 II. But as an alternative source, there was also a Sony XZ premium, which was pushing to try out the wireless version with the new LDAC codec. I listened to several models of wired hybrids in conjunction with the player (Metallica Master of Puppets (FLAC 192/24) and The Getaway RHCP (FLAC 96/24)):
- Sony XBA-N3
- Sony XBA-A2 (I also wanted A3, but they were not)
- RHA T20i
- Fiio F9 Pro
- iBasso IT03
A2 and F9pro obviously lost to competitors in terms of balance and detail, and quickly left the sample.
The RHA T20i and iBasso IT03 are nice, of course, but it seemed to me that they were too high up compared to the N3, which in turn sounded very balanced and liked my ears much more than others. As a result, the choice fell on the N3. The consultant also recommended a custom cord - as if the last remnants of cotton were taken out of the ears (most of the B & W P3 were removed after their bills - I love them, but they are not for fast music), but the cord in conjunction with N3 was out of the budget (although the sound is straight fire). And so, having decided on the wired hybrid, I switched to a comparison with a wireless hybrid (as LDAC, according to my information, was supported only by the WI-1000x hybrid model, and it fit into my budget, I immediately stopped at it). I listened to the above albums on WI-1000x & XZ P and Fiio & N3 and, to pleasant surprise, did not find a critical difference, the sound of the WI-1000x is very similar to N3, of course, with a custom N3 cord, they produced a clearer sound opt for an extra lightweight player, when you can handle almost the same quality using the WI-1000x & XZ P bundle, and even NC - which turned out to be very useful in the metro.

Advantages: Excellent build quality and materials
Wearing comfort
Pretty good sound
Keeps the battery well: about 10 hours at high volume with the noise control turned on
Rich equipment: headphones, case, wires, adapter for the aircraft, a lot of different bushing (both silicone and foam)
Ability to turn off noise reduction
The ability to connect the wire
Ability to partially remove wires for transportation
Noise reduction works fine, it seems even better than in bose qc30
Various unnecessary buns that can be configured through the application
Support aptx hd and so far very few people have access to ldac

Disadvantages: The headphones themselves are rather bulky and strongly protrude from the ears.
They do not sit very comfortably, even with foam ambushures, they put pressure on their ears and hurt them a bit, although the ambusures are selected in size (I use medium size and small one drops out)
Cold wires get stiff
There is no warning that the battery will soon run out, they charge the headphones and immediately cut down
The charge level of the device in the android status bar is not displayed (even this function of the cheap Chinese has this functionality)
There is no possibility to connect to 2m devices at the same time.
Vibration is very strong, heels tremble from it and it works only for calls, it would be nice if it was also used for feedback for some events, such as switching on and off
Switching on with a long press is not very convenient, why not do it with a short press - it's not clear
Very long charge, about 2.5 hours
You can not charge and listen to music
When connecting via wire, the multimedia buttons do not work.
The location of the buttons is not very comfortable, you have to climb under the outerwear
Does not remember the previously selected mode, always by default turns on the noise level, which, for example, I do not need more often than I need and have to switch back every time

Comment: The price is quite high, but there are almost no alternatives.