Sony 1000X The Collexion Review: A Luxury Upgrade That Still Feels Surprisingly Incomplete
Quick Highlights – Sony 1000X series
Sony’s 1000X series has built a reputation as the gold standard in premium wireless headphones, consistently dominating best-headphones lists for nearly a decade. To mark 10 years of the lineup, Sony has launched a special anniversary edition: the Sony 1000X The Collexion (WH-1000XX).
On paper, it looks like the most premium 1000X model ever made — with upgraded materials, new drivers, and the latest DSEE upscaling tech. But after real-world use, one thing becomes clear: while this edition looks and feels more luxurious than anything Sony has released before, it also makes some surprising trade-offs. And at $650, those compromises are hard to ignore.
Design and Comfort: Sony’s Most Premium Headphones Yet
Sony clearly treated The Collexion edition as a statement product. The most noticeable change is the material upgrade — the WH-1000XX leans heavily into leather and metal, ditching the typical plastic-heavy build used on previous 1000X models.
The result is exactly what Sony was aiming for: these headphones look and feel ultra-premium in a way that immediately separates them from the regular flagship models.
Sony also refined the headband and sliders, slimmed down the ear cup profile, increased inner ear cup volume, and widened the headband. Comfort is improved further with 40 percent thicker padding and reduced clamping force.
Even with the added weight (around 67 grams heavier than usual), the headphones remain comfortable for long sessions, which is arguably the biggest win of this anniversary edition.
What’s New: Drivers, DSEE Ultimate and Dedicated Audio Modes
Internally, Sony introduces new unidirectional carbon drivers, designed to improve detail, widen the soundstage, and enhance high-frequency clarity. Sony also claims the circuitry has been optimized for better signal-to-noise performance.
The most notable upgrade, however, is the arrival of DSEE Ultimate, Sony’s next-gen AI upscaling feature. It builds on DSEE Extreme and is designed to restore detail lost during compression — particularly useful for streaming audio.
Sony has also introduced new spatial audio upmixing modes:
- Music mode
- Game mode
Unlike previous models where spatial features lived inside the app, Sony has added a dedicated physical button on the ear cup for quicker access.
Sound Quality: Detailed, But Not Always Balanced
Sony still delivers the detail clarity the 1000X series is known for. Acoustic tracks and mellow genres shine, with excellent texture and separation.
However, the tuning isn’t as consistently impressive as expected. The WH-1000XX leans heavily toward a bass-forward sound signature, and while that may appeal to casual listeners, it can overwhelm midrange detail in genres like rock, metal, and electronic.
The new Music spatial preset is also a mixed bag. Instead of creating immersive depth, it can make vocals sound too forward and the overall presentation slightly tinny.
The headphone does improve noticeably with DSEE Ultimate enabled, but that also raises a key question: at $650, should the headphones need AI enhancement to sound “complete”?
ANC Performance: A Step Back From Sony’s Best
One of the most surprising compromises is noise cancellation.
Even though the WH-1000XX uses the same QN3 processor, the same 12-microphone array, and the same optimizer found in the WH-1000XM6, the ANC performance is less effective.
Sony reportedly prioritized comfort over maximum passive isolation, which results in more noise creeping in — especially steady background sounds like fans and white noise.
For most users, it’s still good ANC, but compared to the WH-1000XM6, it’s a downgrade — and that’s not what buyers expect from a premium anniversary edition.
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Battery Life: Worse Than the Cheaper Model
Battery performance is another area where The Collexion disappoints.
Sony rates the WH-1000XX at 24 hours with ANC on, compared to 30 hours on the WH-1000XM6. That difference matters, especially for travelers and daily commuters.
Even fast charging is slightly less efficient than the cheaper model, which is frustrating at this price point.
Features Still Remain Sony’s Strongest Advantage
Sony continues to lead the industry in software and smart features. The WH-1000XX includes the same strong toolkit that makes the 1000X series popular, including:
- Adaptive Sound Control
- Speak-to-Chat
- Quick Access shortcuts
- Head gesture call controls
- strong app-based customization
Even if sound tuning divides opinions, Sony still delivers one of the most feature-rich headphone ecosystems available today.
TechularZtrix Take
The Sony 1000X The Collexion is a premium celebration of everything Sony does well — design, comfort, and feature depth. It is arguably the most luxurious headphone Sony has ever made.
But it doesn’t feel like the ultimate version of the 1000X formula. The weaker ANC, bass-heavy tuning, reduced battery life, and high price create an uncomfortable reality: the WH-1000XX is a luxury collectible more than a clear performance upgrade.
If you want the best overall Sony headphone experience, the WH-1000XM6 still seems like the smarter buy. If you want the most premium-feeling Sony headphones ever built, The Collexion is exactly that — just not perfect.
For official details, pricing, and availability, visit Sony’s official headphone page: Sony Headphones Official Page
