Sony WH1000XM3 vs WH1000XM2

Headphone along with our audio file and other devices will affect how our favorite songs will come out and it is important to pick those with good performance and quality to deliver a satisfying sounds as well. Sony have a huge list to offer such as Sony WH1000XM3 vs WH1000XM2. Both of them are brothers from the same line and are more similar rather than different. To know what they can offer to you, go check them on our article below.

In this article, we are going to give you information about:
– Are you currently looking for a headphone
– What are Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2
– What Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 Look Like
– How are the Sound of Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2
– How are the Noise Cancelling of Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2
– What Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 can offer to you
– How are the Comfort of Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2
– Sony WH1000XM3 vs WH1000XM2

Choosing Headphone
If you love listening to music while working or commuting or spend quite the time wearing your headphone and enjoying your favorite songs, choosing a good headphone or headset will be a good decision because there is nothing wrong spending on something we will often use depend on how much you are willing to spend. Each one of us have a different preference just like when listening to music, so our favorite type of headphone may differ as well according to our taste.

Just like many other things, headphone or headset are available in various types and they are serving different people needs. Some headphones are designed and created to deliver a cleaner sound and balance throughout the spectrum while some others are designed to deliver a boosted performance on some parts. Some are regular headphones and some other can help us isolate the outer sound while listening to make whatever we are currently listening to more enjoyable without the disturbance of other noises.

The last type of headphone is good for people who often listen to music while commuting or for those who works in an open space where their surroundings can get noisy and getting in the way of their favorite songs. This type of headphone is also called noise-cancelling headphones and they are working just like the name by cancelling outside noise to let the users enjoy their songs better even while in crowded or noisy place.

About Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2
Since there are so many options out there, looking for the best headphone or headset in your budget will need some time as well and before deciding on something, it is better to search for some information about what they can offer to us first. One of the fastest way to narrow down those numbers is selecting by the brand and Sony can be a good option to go with their huge amount of collection thus, people can always get an item matching their range of budget.

If you are looking for a headphone that can be used to block outside noise or noise-cancelling headphone, you may want to check their WH1000XM series because they are among the best in the market and comparing to many other similar headphone, their price is not way above. The line already have several items in their list but the newest will be Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2. The first is and upgrade of the former model and as you can expected, there will be some upgraded put in here as well.

Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 Design
As you can see from the sample picture above, both of Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 are very similar to each other and it is quite hard to differentiate the item if not from the color option to mark the name because XM2 name is white while XM3 is gold. When we examine the headband, the older model is more of a round shape while in the newer model they are changed to be more oval and this will improve the comfort when used.

Other difference is on the material because though most of them are still the same, the metal XM2 is changed to plastic in the newer model and made the appearance of this headphone look slightly less premium than its brother. However, this change also bring positive impact on weight because XM3 is lighter compared to XM2. Additionally, the former USB charging slot is now upgraded into USB-C while the touch control is also slightly upgraded to be smoother.

Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 Sound
The most important part when looking for a headphone is the sound it can deliver to us and both of Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 are not going to disappoint you in this side. The older model is already good with a wide range of material; punchy bass, good detail and natural-sounding with midrange presenting not too forward, making the headphone is a good unit to have for long session music listening. In the newer model, this sound is kept but they are a little bit better with a nice treble, warm, natural midrange and a deep bass but also defined.

Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 Noise Cancelling
After sound quality, let’s move to their noise cancelling capability because it seems that the biggest upgrade is put on this side. Both of them are also good and many people seem to please with their capability but when talking about XM2, the sound isolation is a bit different than what we can found in its competitor like Bose and if the other more into reducing the din of noise while we are flying, Sony’s XM2 is better with reducing the noise over a broader range of frequencies.

The difference is slight yet we can feel it and they are all great unit today. As it has been mentioned above, the XM3 is an upgraded mode from XM2 and it is not surprising to see an upgrade here. Apparently, Sony use a different chip inside this headphone to upgrade its noise cancelling and sound processing and with this QN1 which is the name of the chip, they say it will perform 4 times better than its predecessor not only on noise-cancelling. Read also: Audio Technica ATH M20X vs M30X here.

This chip seems to also upgrade the sound by realizing stunning high sound quality with 32-bit audio signal processing and combination of DAC with amplifier functionality. We may not notice the upgrade in regular environment but when tested on crowded place this headphone will show you what it can do and when compared to similar item from Bose, it can even be better. What’s great from both of Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 is they are using an adaptive noise-cancelling and atmospheric pressure optimizing.

These two then combined with ambient sound control, an equalizer and surround sound and sound position control which is why they are capable of tailoring the sound from our music file to our environment. When used in an airplane, the atmospheric pressure optimizer will comes to work and it is unique to both models. However, sometimes there is an issue where the adaptive noise-cancelling suddenly shift gears and cut of the music as well as noise-cancelling and leaking the ambient sound.

Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 Additional Features
Beside all the great performance said above, both of Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 also carrying an extra feature which makes them unique and very convenient when used. This interesting feature is the ability to muffle our music and let outside world in by simply hold out our hand on the right ear cup where the control are located and when we touch it, we can hear the outside noise and talk to other people like usual and when we finish what we need to do is simply remove the hand and the music will resume in its initial volume.

Another worth to notice upgrade features in the XM3 headphone is the ability to customize its automatic-off function. In the older model, the headphone will automatically turn-off to save the battery when we use them without listening to any music and it is quite annoying if we only plan to use its noise-cancelling feature and the only way to deal with it is by using them in wired-mode. Now, we can make them to stay on and allow us to use the noise-cancelling only when we don’t want to listen to any music.

Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 Function
On the function side, both of them still have the same touch control which is placed on their right ear cup that we can use to adjust the volume, controlling playback, and answering or ending calls. They are working great but not all people seems to adore this function because touch controls are not made for everybody due to the awkward feeling especially for new users.

Sony WH1000XM3 and WH1000XM2 Comfort
In comfort both of them are comfortable but XM3 is upgraded to be more comfortable by reshaping its headband and making the padding a little bit plushier. Additionally, the different material will also increase its comfort by making the headphone lighter for a long listening session without the feeling to take them off.

Comparison
Now, let’s compare Sony WH1000XM3 with WH1000XM2. As you may already know, both of them are very similar to each other. In sound and noise cancelling quality, the newer XM3 is better though not too far from its predecessor. On the additional feature, XM3 is still better by allowing users to use the headphone in wireless mode with noise-cancelling activated while not playing any song.

Sony WH1000XM3 vs WH1000XM2

Conclusion
All in all, both of them can be a great choice for your next noise-cancelling headphone. But, if we are to choose, we will recommend you to pick Sony WH1000XM3 because this model is better than its predecessor, moreover, it is not too far apart in price compared to XM2.