I tried the WF-1000X earlier this year. They live in my desk now, unused. Good sound signature and isolation wasn’t worth the connectivity and battery issues that plagued a very first-generation product. I lived happily for a few more months with the Pixel Buds, until Sony announced the WF-1000XM3. Better connectivity, better battery, better everything. They dropped out of my mind due to supply issues in Canada and just how easy my Pixel Buds were to use.
In October, Google announced the Pixel Buds 2. They look great. I have two issues though, the first being the lack of active noise cancelling, and the second being the Spring 2020 release date. So here we are in January with the WF-1000XM3.
Sony’s WF-1000XM3 with Spinfit CP100 Large.
The WF-1000XM3 are a true-wireless IEM with a 6+ hour battery life, 18 hours in the case, and capacitive touch controls on each individual bud. They feature industry leading active noise cancelling with “ambient aware” audio passthrough and adaptive sound control.
Initial impressions were great. The packaging was clean and easy. They look pretty good too. I would have preferred a fully blacked out case and a blue LED for charging indication, but I’ll give Sony a pass with the copper colored plastic accents. Pairing was simple with NFC in the case. The controls were simplistic, but usable. I would like to see some swipe controls like with the Pixel Buds for volume control, but touch controls have never really been a great Sony feature. I kept it with the default anyway, with the left bud controlling the noise cancelling features (Single taps to cycle through noise cancelling options, long press for instant-aware ambient passthrough), and the right bud controlling playback (A series of taps to play/pause, next or previous). I thought I’d miss volume controls but being noise cancelling and rather well isolating, they’re often kept at one volume.
How about the sound quality? After spending days looking for tips that work with my dumb ears, I’d say great. For tips I tried in large:
Included and older Sony tips (Too small for a shallow fit)
Monster SuperTips in foam and silicone (Too large to properly fit in the case, but nice in the ears)
SpinFit CP100 and CP360 (Iffy fit on the CP100s, CP360 didn’t fit at all)
Spinfit CP100 with a cut up Comply foam inside (great option but the foams kept tearing)
Apple Dual Driver IEM tips with Comply foam inside (Same as above, but didn’t fit in the case)
Symbio W from MandrinE (The very best option. Perfect fit, great isolation)
So, after receiving the Symbio Ws, I’m happy. They’re what I was trying to do with my Spinfits filled with foam, but they’re a commercial product designed like that. They fit well in my ears, and they fit in the case. The foam layer adds additional isolation which improves the noise cancelling. All in I’d say they’re musical, if a bit on the dark side of things, but hey, I’m comparing that to Etymotics.
So, what’s good about them?
Sound quality and noise cancelling – Ideal for the city.
Battery life – 6 hours with noise cancelling on a single charge of the buds, with more in the case. Awesome.
Connectivity – Not perfect, but at this point I think it’s just poor Bluetooth in the Pixel devices. Very few connection issues.
USB-C charging – This is pretty much to be expected at this point.
WF-1000XM3 case left, Google Pixel Buds case right.
The not so good?
The case is massive. Although not awful, it’s making me want to try the Pixel Buds when they release.
Touch controls could be better.
How about including some even larger silicone tips for us freaks with huge ear holes?
Overall though, these are high quality buds even at $300 CAD. I’ll be giving the Pixel Buds a try for the smaller case, but if the fit and isolation isn’t as good, I can’t see myself moving away from the Sony’s.