Sony The Collexion review: Bad name, fantastic headphones

These new Sony Collection headphones cost a whopping $650

That's $200 more than the XM6. So what are you getting for it

Let's jump right in and find out. So the 1000X headphone line is now 10 years old

and to mark the occasion, Sony's released a swanky new extra premium 1000X headphone

that cost almost a third more than the XM6. It's called the Collection

which is just weird and kind of sounds like a luxury hotel line

but the X is a reference to 10 years, and the rest of the name honors the line as a whole

Questionable model name is sort of par for the course for Sony. After all, the WH-1000X Mark VI doesn't exactly roll off the tongue like the AirPods Max 2

but this is a great set of cans, so let's see what's better about them than the XM6s and what's actually not

Okay, so while the collection certainly shares the same design language as earlier 1000X headphones

it's got a few key upgrades. For starters, instead of the matte plastic finish of the XM6, it's got a leather-like finish that's more luxurious

Plus, Sony's incorporated stainless steel into the design, which increases the headphone's durability

and lowers the risk of having any issues with the hinges breaking

which a certain number of users have experienced with earlier 1000X models

The headband is also 10% wider with 40% thicker padding at the top

and the ear cups are 5mm slimmer, which I thought was a big deal

because I prefer the look of more streamlined over-ear headphones that don't jut out from your head so much

But while the ear cups are slimmer, Sony has carved out more space inside the cups

providing more room for your ears. That's important for those with large ears

that can end up pressing against the drivers inside the cups. That still might happen

but there's a bit of padding on top of the drivers to help prevent pain or irritation points

The result of the changes, particularly the addition of stainless steel has made the headphones heavier The collection weighed 320 grams compared to the XM6 253 grams but thanks to the wider headband and the thicker padding

I found the Collexone slightly more comfortable. They're easily among the most comfortable headphones out there

which includes Bose's QuietComfort Ultra second gen. I should point out that the ear pads, which Sony says are replaceable

are a little different from the XM6's. You don't get quite as tight a passive seal with the Collexone ear pads

which slightly reduces the effectiveness of the active noise cancelling. As for breathability, I can't really say whether these are better than the XM6s

because it hasn't gotten warm enough here in New York City, but all over-ear headphones tend to steam up your ears pretty good

The collection also has two other design differences from the XM6s. Instead of folding up and folding flat, they only fold flat

In that regard, they're like the XM5s, which have a single, not a dual-hinged design

They also have a totally new case. It's a little bigger than the XM6's case, but it has a built-in handle that I liked, along with a magnetic clasp that's similar to the one found on the XM6's case

It has a bit of a purse-like vibe, but it's not nearly as controversial a design as the AirPod Max's case, which has been mocked for looking like a bra

Okay, so those are the design differences. What about performance? Let's start with battery life, which isn't as good as the XM6's

The Colleccion are rated for up to 24 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels, while the XM6s are rated for up to 30 hours

A 5-minute charge gets you 1.5 hours of battery life, while a 3-minute charge with the XM6 gets you 3 hours of playback time

Sony told me the reduction in battery life is due to the headphone's new unidirectional carbon drivers, which require more energy to drive

While the noise canceling is technically the same as the XM6s, as I said earlier, it's a touch less

effective because of the change in the earpad seal it still really impressive and among the best out there rivaling Bose and Sony The voice calling performance is also excellent and the same as the XM6

Like the XM6, the headphones are equipped with the same 12 microphone system and the QN3 chip

and noise reduction during calls is really good. Callers said they couldn't hear any background noise

when I was talking to them from the noisy streets of New York, and they thought my voice sounded relatively clear and natural

with only a bit of warbling. Here's a recording I did. All right, I'm in the future of New York

doing this voice recording, giving an idea of how good the voice reduction is

how good the microphones are, whether the quality of my voice sounds good

with all this noise going on around me, a little bit windy, a lot of traffic

some kids playing in a playground. So that should give you an idea of how good the noise reduction is

On to sound quality, which I'm sure a lot of you are wondering about. Sony says it's done a few things to eke out

improved sound quality including those new unidirectional carbon drivers and upgraded v3

chip and optimized circuitry with thicker copper foil i should also mention these are equipped with

bluetooth 6.0 while the xm6s use bluetooth 5.3 the increased processing power of the v3 chip

allows for sony's new dse ultimate digital processing and three modes of spatial unmix

for music cinema and gaming i spent a couple of hours comparing these to the xm6s and did notice

an upgrade in sound quality. The collection sounds a little cleaner with more refined treble

performance and a bit more depth and detail to the sound with a slightly wider sound stage

It's not a huge difference, but I feel like the sound was about 15% improved. They're great

sounding headphones, but the truth is despite having support for Sony's advanced LDAC audio

codec for Android users wireless Bluetooth listening has its limitations and there are plenty of wired headphones including Sony own MDR M1 headphones that cost half the price and sound as good or maybe even slightly better particularly

when using a mobile headphone amp. The collection does come with a cable for wire listening which is

good and they do sound a touch better in wired mode but one big omission is the support for USB-C

audio. I'm not sure why Sony hasn't enabled that feature yet but an increasing number of premium

headphones offer it. I also compared the Collexione to the Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2, another high-end

swanky wireless headphone that I like a lot but cost $800. I thought the Collexione was a little

more comfortable to wear and measured up well to the PX8 from a sound standpoint. You're not going

to go wrong with the PX8, but I'd give the overall edge to the Collexione. As for the AirPods Max 2

it has better features for Apple users, but I would choose the Collexione over the Max 2 if

price wasn't a consideration. So that's my quick review. I only had a few days with these headphones

prior to launch, so I can't say I've thoroughly tested them and still need to spend more time

playing around with the spatial audio upmixes and some other features, but the collection are the top

headphones I've tested this year and easily among the top wireless headphones out there

Obviously, they're also quite expensive, but like what Bowers & Wilkins has done with its flagship

PX8S2, Sony is catering to an audience that's willing to pay big bucks for a headphone that is

a true luxury vibe and that extra bit of elevated sound quality. Most people can't afford the

Collection, and it's debatable whether it's worth $200 more than the XM6. There's no denying it's a

great wireless headphone. As always, let me know what you think about the Collection in the comments

section. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on its name and design and whether you consider

getting it over other high-end wireless models, including Sony's XM6. I'm David Carney for CNET

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