Sony WF-1000XM3 worth it over AirPods Pro?

N

Nalin

Skilled
As title suggests I am looking for a wireless earphone mostly for workout purposes and some very casual use. I used to have AirPods Pro but their SQ left me wanting for more, Sony's seems to have better SQ then them, so looking for genuine advise if someone have these and have also experienced AirPods Pro.

What would you suggest, I am also open to other TWS suggestions as well.
 
Your choice would be heavily swayed by the device you're planning to use it with. If you're using an Apple device, you'll get a lot of mileage out of the AirPods' extra features. If you're using an Android device, the Sonys will give you a better experience. I've used both, and I consider my taste to lean towards slightly accentuated bass. The AirPods are good, but nothing great when compare to the Sony pair. I like the sound I can get out of the Sony pair.
The Sonys are also heavily discounted now on Amazon, making them great VFM too.
 
bpranav said:
Your choice would be heavily swayed by the device you're planning to use it with. If you're using an Apple device, you'll get a lot of mileage out of the AirPods' extra features. If you're using an Android device, the Sonys will give you a better experience. I've used both, and I consider my taste to lean towards slightly accentuated bass. The AirPods are good, but nothing great when compare to the Sony pair. I like the sound I can get out of the Sony pair.
The Sonys are also heavily discounted now on Amazon, making them great VFM too.
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So you think there is considerable SQ difference between the two and how about the comfort. AirPods Pro almost disappears once worn and there is a doubt in my mind that the Sony’s won’t be as comfortable because of their large size.
 
Nalin said:
So you think there is considerable SQ difference between the two and how about the comfort. AirPods Pro almost disappears once worn and there is a doubt in my mind that the Sony’s won’t be as comfortable because of their large size.
Click to expand...

These had great reviews back then .. now selling for 10k. Consider these.
 
bpranav said:
Your choice would be heavily swayed by the device you're planning to use it with. If you're using an Apple device, you'll get a lot of mileage out of the AirPods' extra features. If you're using an Android device, the Sonys will give you a better experience. I've used both, and I consider my taste to lean towards slightly accentuated bass. The AirPods are good, but nothing great when compare to the Sony pair. I like the sound I can get out of the Sony pair.
The Sonys are also heavily discounted now on Amazon, making them great VFM too.
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Thanks for the balanced view. Good to know that there is a sound difference.

Have you had any experience with sennheiser ones posted above and their comparison with the Sony ones?
 
msankadi said:
Thanks for the balanced view. Good to know that there is a sound difference.

Have you had any experience with sennheiser ones posted above and their comparison with the Sony ones?
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I've personally not used the TW or the TW2s from Sennheiser. But they're supposed to be very similar sound quality wise. Reviews online seem to vary from place to place, at the end of the day it's very subjective. The TWs have a more balanced sound apparently, arguably more 'audiophile' like.

Take a look at the other features, battery life, etc. before you choose, you can't go wrong with either. I would personally recommend the Sonys since they're still the flagship option from them and are likely to receive more firmware updates till they launch the next version.
 
Got the Sony’s today and now I have experienced both AirPods Pro and XM3. I am testing them as of now so can’t say much about these babies. Overall SQ is little more exciting in nature or V Shape in Audiophile terms, that’s for sure.
 
Nalin said:
Got the Sony’s today and now I have experienced both AirPods Pro and XM3. I am testing them as of now so can’t say much about these babies. Overall SQ is little more exciting in nature or V Shape in Audiophile terms, that’s for sure.
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If you still have both, can you comment on the microphone quality between the two? I have to take a lot of calls on my iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ I had were extremely disappointing in terms of cancelling ambient noise.

Yet to decide between the two and not that divided on the audio quality considering the primary use case is with the iPhone. The XM3 generally isn't rated that good for calls. Still considering whether it is worth paying the Apple premium.
 
t3chg33k said:
If you still have both, can you comment on the microphone quality between the two? I have to take a lot of calls on my iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ I had were extremely disappointing in terms of cancelling ambient noise.

Yet to decide between the two and not that divided on the audio quality considering the primary use case is with the iPhone. The XM3 generally isn't rated that good for calls. Still considering whether it is worth paying the Apple premium.
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Yes AirPods Pro is being used by my brother so yes I can test both simultaneously. I haven’t tested call quality yet but soon I will have a conclusion on which is better overall.

One thing to note is that XM3 is significantly cheaper and provides better NC according to reviews.
Rockfella said:

These had great reviews back then .. now selling for 10k. Consider these.
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Man these are trashed by audiophiles everywhere while the Sony’s are highly praised by everyone especially on Head-Fi.
 
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Nalin said:
Yes AirPods Pro is being used by my brother so yes I can test both simultaneously. I haven’t tested call quality yet but soon I will have a conclusion on which is better overall.

One thing to note is that XM3 is significantly cheaper and provides better NC according to reviews.
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Cool, checked quite a few reviews and most end up talking only about the audio quality and end up ignoring other aspects.

From my prior experience, the usage of TWS is generally quite mixed and in a lot of cases it is in use when doing something else, so audio quality takes a bit of a back seat. Still end up using wired cans for music-only sessions. NC needs to be good enough mostly for commute.

Looking forward to your take on it.
 
Nalin said:
Yes AirPods Pro is being used by my brother so yes I can test both simultaneously. I haven’t tested call quality yet but soon I will have a conclusion on which is better overall.

One thing to note is that XM3 is significantly cheaper and provides better NC according to reviews.

Man these are trashed by audiophiles everywhere while the Sony’s are highly praised by everyone especially on Head-Fi.
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Hmm okay
 
t3chg33k said:
Cool, checked quite a few reviews and most end up talking only about the audio quality and end up ignoring other aspects.

From my prior experience, the usage of TWS is generally quite mixed and in a lot of cases it is in use when doing something else, so audio quality takes a bit of a back seat. Still end up using wired cans for music-only sessions. NC needs to be good enough mostly for commute.

Looking forward to your take on it.
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Actually I think it’s the opposite where most don’t talk much about SQ and if they do it’s not detailed, most of time makes no sense whatsoever.

XM3 highs reminds me of cheaper earphones I don’t know why, bass is too good though almost top end I would say and mids are a mix bag currently. I know it’s a dynamic driver and post burn in things will open up and what not so these are only initial impressions.

I have pretty high standards when it comes to SQ and that’s why I ignored AirPods even though I am head and toes in the ecosystem.
 
Nalin said:
Actually I think it’s the opposite where most don’t talk much about SQ and if they do it’s not detailed, most of time makes no sense whatsoever.

XM3 highs reminds me of cheaper earphones I don’t know why, bass is too good though almost top end I would say and mids are a mix bag currently. I know it’s a dynamic driver and post burn in things will open up and what not so these are only initial impressions.

I have pretty high standards when it comes to SQ and that’s why I ignored AirPods even though I am head and toes in the ecosystem.
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I got the Jabra 65t - back when they used to cost 12or 13K
For probably the exact same reason - I was swayed by reviews and felt that the SQ of the Jabra will be far (or at least) better than the AirPods (non pro).

Long story short, I sold the Jabra on OLX for 8K (which is pretty decent I suppose)
A year later, got the APP and very happy with it.

FWIW, I recently got the Jabra 65t again for my LG G8X - at 5K. Good headset at that price.

While I am not an audiophile, I like my music and have plonked in a pair bit of effort and money on bookshelves and floor mounted speakers around my house - so I do have a reasonable sense of how neutral/uncolored audio should sound.
Very subjectively, the APP delivers on that front quite well.
If you want to add some more excitement, so to speak - perhaps try setting a V curve on the equaliser? (BTW I could be wrong on this but I think iOS/ OS X cuts master gain by 3-4db when you activate any EQ mode - so you will need to bump up the volume by 1-2 points after enabling EQ)

Also, for earphones (meant for casual usage for me at least), comfort is far more important than outright SQ - and the APP is the only IEM I have ever used that hasn't caused me discomfort on account of size/ pressure buildup
 
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@superczar

I know most Audiophiles say there are not of them and it’s okay even I listen to mostly streamed music but I just can’t listen to cheap stuff.

APP has one major advantage and that is it’s design such that it sits in ear in very natural position so that we can even run with it without it’s falling out of ears. This is one major con of XM3 imo.

When it comes to SQ, Apple has tuned it in very safe fashion where almost everyone will like it. It’s very smooth and mellow sounding compared to XM3. Major focus is on mids and mid bass while ignoring highs almost completely such that it lacks definition and bite for those looking for it in their earphones. It’s opposite of exciting sounding XM3.

Overall I can listen to AirPods Pro for longer periods of time due to this very safe tuning. I can’t say which I like better between these two type of sounds.
 
Nalin said:
@superczar

I know most Audiophiles say there are not of them and it’s okay even I listen to mostly streamed music but I just can’t listen to cheap stuff.

APP has one major advantage and that is it’s design such that it sits in ear in very natural position so that we can even run with it without it’s falling out of ears. This is one major con of XM3 imo.

When it comes to SQ, Apple has tuned it in very safe fashion where almost everyone will like it. It’s very smooth and mellow sounding compared to XM3. Major focus is on mids and mid bass while ignoring highs almost completely such that it lacks definition and bite for those looking for it in their earphones. It’s opposite of exciting sounding XM3.

Overall I can listen to AirPods Pro for longer periods of time due to this very safe tuning. I can’t say which I like better between these two type of sounds.
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The only way to do it - without spending much is to ask a friend who has a neutral setup / head to a specialized hifi shop .
Pick 2 songs (no more) - 1 vocal/mid-range oriented and one with a high dynamic range.

Play the songs on a good stereo speaker setup. Note the nuances - especially of the more complex portions.

Next check the sound on both your headsets for the same song - You will have your answer

Don’t worry too much about FLACs and such - good streaming setups have adequate and more resolution to tell you of any differences that truly matter

PS: the only wireless headphone that I have found to better than APP is the Sony WH-1000XM3
The vocals and the overall depth of sound are noticeably superior to the APP
The XM4 should be a further improvement...
Sadly it’s too big and uncomfrtable/ unwieldy for it to be of much use to me as a portable device.
 
superczar said:
The only way to do it - without spending much is to ask a friend who has a neutral setup / head to a specialized hifi shop .
Pick 2 songs (no more) - 1 vocal/mid-range oriented and one with a high dynamic range.

Play the songs on a good stereo speaker setup. Note the nuances - especially of the more complex portions.

Next check the sound on both your headsets for the same song - You will have your answer

Don’t worry too much about FLACs and such - good streaming setups have adequate and more resolution to tell you of any differences that truly matter

PS: the only wireless headphone that I have found to better than APP is the Sony WH-1000XM3
The vocals and the overall depth of sound are noticeably superior to the APP
The XM4 should be a further improvement...
Sadly it’s too big and uncomfrtable/ unwieldy for it to be of much use to me as a portable device.
Click to expand...
I was rocking a Etymotic ER2XR before getting the current XM3. Etymotics are the definition of neutral sound so I have some idea of the case you are talking about. Unfortunately they got kaput and was out of stock so I was left with no choice other then looking for alternatives.

I can clearly tell the difference between FLAC aka CD quality and a normal 320kbps compressed track. Still I am all about convenience so streaming services are a must for me. I was considering Tidal subscription once but I don’t think I have proper gear to take advantage of it yet.

Only headphones I am even remotely considering are open back full size since headphones in general are made for in home listening and in that nothing can beat open backs. So something like Sundara for in home critical listening and TWS for workouts and other casual sessions is a combination I am looking at currently.
 
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He has done a really good job of making the video as objective as possible instead of marketing hype or subjective statements.. Really enjoyed the comparison

 
Nalin said:
I was rocking a Etymotic ER2XR before getting the current XM3. Etymotics are the definition of neutral sound so I have some idea of the case you are talking about. Unfortunately they got kaput and was out of stock so I was left with no choice other then looking for alternatives.

I can clearly tell the difference between FLAC aka CD quality and a normal 320kbps compressed track. Still I am all about convenience so streaming services are a must for me. I was considering Tidal subscription once but I don’t think I have proper gear to take advantage of it yet.

Only headphones I am even remotely considering are open back full size since headphones in general are made for in home listening and in that nothing can beat open backs. So something like Sundara for in home critical listening and TWS for workouts and other casual sessions is a combination I am looking at currently.
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Yeah, I suppose Headphones can get more detailed than speakers .
Personally , I have never been able to tell the difference unless I really put in an effort.

I use Focal Aria 926 floor standers for my main listening setup and also have a couple of cheaper KEFs - a vintage iq5 and more recent Q300 (or is it 350) so resolution probably isn't an issue - maybe it's my ageing ears

I did try Tidal for a bit - Their Turkey subscription was cheap enough to give it a shot.
The sound is (probably) marginally better than Spotify/ Apple Music but the significantly worse UI - and more importantly the delayed responsiveness (songs would take a couple of seconds to change - may not matter much to many but to me it does) led me to drop the sub.
Worth a try though - esp with the lower prices for Turkey (and possibly other geographies)
 
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Gave a bit of thought to the MW07 Plus and LG FN7 as well. The former doesn't have AAC support (as per official documentation) and the latter isn't as good for the price. After the disappointment with the call quality of Buds+, I guess I will wait for more options to turn up, specifically the XM4 should be released in August as per the normal schedule and the Momentum 2 should also drop in price. That all of them have a limited shelf life due to the battery is another point of consideration towards owning and using them as the upfront price doesn't give you much durability.
 
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