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We review the Sony WH-1000XM3 noise-cancelling headphones, and they make silence golden

Sony’s WH-1000XM3 wireless noise-cancelling headphones offer professional-level sound and are ideal for use when you want to focus when travelling by plane or train. Photos: Derek Ting

Overall: 8.8

 

Turn-ons:

Excellent sound quality in low, middle, and high frequencies

Powerful noise-cancelling technology with different levels of ambient noise modes to choose from

Impressive 30 hours of battery life; 10 minutes of charging yields 5 hours of power

Wired connection to a device when you are on a plane without Bluetooth

Hand gesture controls for things such as play and rewind

You can cover the right earphone with your hand to hear outside noise

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Turn offs:

You can use Bluetooth to pair it with only one smart device at a time

At the pricier end of the spectrum

What is noise-cancelling anyway?

For the low tones, tiny built-in microphones measure the ambient noise surrounding you while you wear the headphones and generate its antithesis, so that the two opposite noises literally “cancel” each other out.

The higher frequencies are generally handled by sealing or completely covering the area around your ear – something that these Sony headphones do very well.

When the noise cancelling function is on, it can feel as if you are in a pressurised chamber. It makes you want to occasionally pop your ears, just as if you are in an ascending lift, which might prove a little uncomfortable for some people.

Yet with the noise cancelling on, it feels so quiet that you really could hear a pin drop; it’s so quiet I can hear myself think.

How’s the sound?

The sound quality, looks and comfort of the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are very good.

Excellent. You’ll notice the low, mid, and high tones coming out vibrant and vivid.

The Sony headphones’ sound quality rivals top-end brands.

I’ve been listening to dialogue, sound effects and music tracks for the post production of my latest film and the Sony headphones are of a professional grade, allowing me to spot the smallest of nuances.

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How do they feel to wear?

The construction is very solid; they don’t feel flimsy the way that some other popular premium brands do.

Even though I have a big head, they fit snugly on me and have some room to spare for making adjustments. l also like the headphones. They feel thicker than typical headphones, which tend to start to flake and brake from sweat after you have worn them for too long.

How’s the battery life? 

I’ve rarely had to charge them, but they have a whopping 30 hours of battery life which is insane. Just 10 minutes of charging the headphones using the USB-C connection will make them play music continuously for 5 hours.

And the connectivity?

The headphones can be paired with my devices easily. But one drawback is that they can be paired wireless with only one device at a time.

This might be a deal-breaker for some people as it causes a lot of inconvenience if you wish to switch between your laptop and phone all the time.

I like the fact that these headphones have a headphone jack for a wired connection, which makes them great to use when I need to plug into a device, such as when I’m taking a flight and want to connect to the aircraft’s video system.

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Have they thought of everything?

Placing your hand over the right-hand headphone allows you to hear outside noise, such as if someone is talking to you.

One cool feature is that if you place your hand over the right ear muff, it will allow you to hear outside sound, for example, if someone is talking to you.

In addition, the right ear has touch gestures to navigate sound and music. If you get a chance to try these headphones – certainly to test the voice assistant, too, for Google or Siri.

What about panache?

They are not only comfortable to wear, but also I think the designers have really done a great job of making them look modern and sophisticated. Even if you are wearing a suit, these will go well with them.

They look and feel luxurious – and so they should, as they are among the pricier headphones.

Should the headphones be on my wish list?

Yes, especially if you travel a great deal by plane or train.

All you co-working hot-deskers who have them are going to appreciate how much you can focus on your tasks and not get distracted by ambient noise, too.

Overall, these Sony headphones provide professional-level sound, and are great to use casually, too. Now, when a colleague asks me to check a music track or sound mix for a video that I'm working on, I'm all ears.

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Technology

These well-made wireless headphones offer excellent sound quality and an impressive 30 hours of battery life – perfect for popping on when you want to hear yourself think