Sony's 1000X The Collexion are cushy and costly

Sony is releasing MDR-1000X The Collexion to mark the 10-year anniversary of the original MDR-1000X wireless noise-canceling headphones. The new model does not replace the WH-1000XM6, which is positioned as more functional, while the 1000X The Collexion is positioned as luxury-focused on comfort. The headphones cost $650, higher than typical WH-1000XM6 pricing and higher than Apple AirPods Max 2. The design resembles the WH-1000XM6 but includes callbacks to the original 1000X, including an exposed metal headband and vegan leather-wrapped ear cups. The ear pads and headband cushion use the same material and are described as more comfortable than the XM6 counterparts.

"Ten years ago Sony introduced the MDR-1000X headphones. They combined noise canceling, good sound, design, and comfort in a way that we hadn't quite seen before in a set of wireless headphones. (At the time, the Bose QC35 were the closest competitor, but I wasn't a huge fan of their sound tuning.) The 1000X set off a line of consistently excellent wireless noise-canceling headphones that became the go-to for comparisons - I still have a pair of WH-1000XM4 s that hang on the side of my desk."

"The new 1000X cans don't replace the WH-1000XM6 that Sony released a year ago. According to Sony, the XM6 are designed for functionality while the 1000X are a luxury design focused on comfort. They're also $650. That's at least $200 more than the WH-1000XM6 usually go for, and $100 more than the Apple AirPods Max 2. So are these headphones worth adding to your collexion?"

"The new 1000X look a lot like the XM6, with some callbacks to the design of the original 1000X headphones from a decade ago - namely an exposed metal headband and ear cups that are wrapped in vegan leather for a more textured feel than the smooth plastic of the XM6 ear cups. The same material is used for the ear pads and headband cushion. Both the ear cups and the headband cushion are more comfortable than the ones on the XM6."

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