Sony WH-1000XM3 Bluetooth Wireless Over Ear Headphones with Mic (Black)

This is my FIRST Noise Cancellation Headphones! So NOT AN Expert opinion :P-) Noise Cancellation is like using a tight In-Ear headphones But this is more comfortable-) This will block external noise like AC, FAN, Rain etc. Block means not 100% but 80 to 90%!-) If you play music! You will not hear anything from outside world! (As I said an In-Ear headphones do the same but it will be slightly painful)-) A tight In-Ear headphones are not a replacement for Built in Noise Cancellation! I just point it out to the people who never experienced a Noise Cancellation headphones in life. This Noise Cancellation is Another level. You will only believe it when you actually get a chance to use it. NO YouTube reviews will give you the real experience.This Noise Cancellation Headphones is useful WHEN- I watch youtube videos / tutorials- I write code- I brainstorming- I travel- I go to bed and hear some songs before sleep- I need to disconnect from the annoying world! around me :)Battery life is really good. USB-C means one less cable, Fast charging is good!, Touch control is awesome, if you put right hand to right ear cup you can come back to the world you are in. it is a huge plus, when mom are dad call me! all I need to do is put my hand on the right ear cup!Overall this NC Headphone Improved my life! Here is how.- Now I can focus more on my work- Less distraction from external noise (It is not 100% But 99% of the time it is 100%)- I hate travelling because of the the sounds and noise will influence my thoughts, I actually waste my time while travel because of that. yes a good In-Ear earphone can help but this is another level. So now I can actually do my stuff in my own world using this Noise Cancellation Headphones!Value?Yes -- if you have 30K to throw away. And it will not hurt your life in any way.No -- if you need to save money for next 12 Months to get this.Sound Quality?Base is there! If you are looking for that.But the nice thing is Sony's EQ can Adapt! That means anyone can change the Sound Aspects according to there needs from the Application. Out of the box it is perfect for my taste!If someone like less base you can change that through EQ.No product is perfect so in this Model what to improve?- Only once device can be connected at a time. (Minimum 2 devices is required now a days! [eg Laptop and SmartPhone])- User replaceable ear cup cushions!- Call Quality. This Headphones have an array of microphones but when when we call someone they will hear all Background Noise. I used it for some VOIP calls, It is usable but built in Microphones on your phone will do a much better job.- More and improved NC! Yes why not. There is always room for improvements.^^ I really don't know what to write as cons.I will Update this after using this for a week or two. bye.

Before I start with the review, let me make it clear that my tryst with noise cancellation headphones began in 2012 with the humble yet impressive Nokia BH-905 which I purchased for around 300 USD. My desire for good headphones started in the year 2008 with the wired Bose headphones and another Bose headphone a few years later. I am the proud owner of the Sennheiser PXC 550 for the past 3 years and have used it extensively to the extent that the leatherette coating has worn out beyond salvation.Although I do not claim myself to be an audiophile, I will do my best to review the Sony WH-1000XM3 to the best of my ability. This review will also compare the 1000 XM3 to the PXC 550.Packaging :-------------The headphones arrived in a decent box. The build quality of the box could be improved. The PXC 550 were packed in a much better built box. The product is made in Malaysia.Carrying case :-----------------The carrying case, although hard, is of average quality. The PXC 550 has a softer case in comparison. None of them come even closer to the immaculate carrying case which was provided with the Nokia BH-905 in 2012 !!!Build quality :----------------The 1000XM3 is pretty robust. I did not find much difference when compared to PXC 550. The main difference is that the earcups have a free sideways movement and no hard clicks. There could be confusion as to which one is left ear and which one is right. It will take some time to make peace with the fact that the left earcup has an NFC symbol on it.Ergonomics :---------------While I was used to the PXC 550 with all the buttons on its right side, the 1000 XM3 is in sharp contrast with the buttons on its left side. There is a multifunction button and a power button. The touch pad is located on the right side. There is a USB C charging port on the right side ( the updated PXC 550 still has a micro usb port )The head band is of decent quality and I did not face any trouble wearing the headphones.The earcups when compared to the PXC 550 are a tad uncomfortable to wear. While it is a known fact that around ear noise cancellation headphones will make your ears sweat after say, 2 hours of usage, I felt more comfortable with the PXC 550. Also the 1000 XM3 has an additional cushioning in front of the sound driver which is bound to touch the ear pinna and cause you some irritation until such time that you get used to wearing the headphones.The headphones will definitely make your ears sweat. Period.So don't buy these headphones (or any around ear noise cancellation headphones for that matter ) to complain that the ears sweat !!!Noise cancellation :----------------------The 1000XM3 beats the competition upfront when it comes to noise cancellation. There is a feature to calibrate the noise cancellation and optimize it as per the situation, The multifunction button toggles between normal mode, ambience mode and noise cancellation mode. There is a feature where the noise cancellation levels can be adjusted for sitting, walking, running and transport. If ambient sound control is switched on, this feature will automatically adjust the noise cancellation levels as set by the user.Those who keep complaining about some ear pressure, please note that this is the basis on which noise cancellation works and hence there is bound to be some discomfort when noise cancellation is active. Take this from a person who has been regularly using noise cancelling headphones for the past 8 years.Sound quality :-----------------I never bothered to ponder over the sound quality when using the PXC 550 as I trusted a 30k headphone to sound well. But when I got my hands on the 1000 XM3, I did an upfront comparison between the two and I found out that the 1000 XM3 definitely sound better (by a small margin) than the PXC 550. Some rogue reviews mentioned that Sony has more bass than the others. I disagree with this statement. The 1000 XM3 has a punchier sound than the PXC 550 and hence one gets a feeling of more bass in comparison. On a lighter note, there is an option to increase bass levels using the software if the headphones aren't doing enough already !!!Connectivity :----------------Found no issues with connectivity. When compared to the PXC 550, the Bluetooth signal was just about the same strength, although the PXC 550 are a bit better. I tried out the headphones with a windows 10 laptop as well and found no issues. The headphones worked fine with my iPad air.The wired connection worked without any issues.The NFC function also worked fine.Touchpad :-------------The touch pad does a pretty decent job. But when I compare to the PXC 550, I felt that the 1000 XM3 has a slower response although it should not be much of a bother.On a positive note, there is a feature of lowering the music volume by just touching the touchpad with the palm. This feature is very useful when you want to listen to somebody without removing the headphones.Battery life :--------------The claimed battery life is 30 hours under test conditions. I did not bother to break my head over the number of hours I got with a single charge.Software :------------This is one factor where the 1000 XM3 outperform the PXC 550 by a big margin. The Sennheiser software was just a gimmick where the user could not do much than check the battery level of the headphones and a few other settings. The Sony software is very detailed with numerous settings and you can really control your headphones using the software. The headphone firmware was updated when I first connected them using the software. Beware that the update takes around 45 minutes to complete and you need to be patient.Conclusion :--------------For 19.3k during the Prime day sale, I am more than happy with these headphones. I did have an option to buy the updated PXC 550 or the Bose QC 35, but I chose to go ahead with Sony.One common issue with any premium headphone is the availability of replacement ear cushions and I still haven't been able to get one for my PXC 550. It is relatively easier to get one for the QC 35 and I hope that I don't have to beat around the bush much to get a replacement cushion for the 1000 XM3 in the near future.