Sony's $650 1000X The Collexion ruined other wireless headphones for me
The ultra-luxury headphones combine standout design, incredible comfort, and noticeably better sound into one seriously expensive package.
Sony’s 1000X The Collexion are a new ultra-luxurious pair of wireless headphones. They use the WH-1000XM6 as the foundation but tweak the design and add a new audio chip for audio upmixing and enhanced audio processing. For people who want a more fashionable listening experience, 1000X The Collexion is tuned to turn heads.
I’ve spent some time with the 1000X The Collexion pre-launch and have been thoroughly impressed by their look, comfort, and sound. While they’re not all that different from the 2025-released WH-1000XM6, they still manage to make those feel utilitarian. Here’s why The Collexion is now Sony’s premier wireless headphones.
Sony 1000X The Collexion overview
The timing of The Collexion isn’t random—neither is the seemingly odd name choice. These wireless headphones are celebrating 10 years of Sony’s 1000X headphones, which debuted in 2016. The 1000X The Collexion are now the seventh pair of wireless headphones in the series.
For those curious about the name, the “X” branding is tucked into The Collexion’s naming to reference 10 years of the brand’s premium wireless headphones.
What are the Sony 1000X The Collexion wireless headphones? The 1000X The Collexion headphones aren’t a completely new rethinking of the company’s top-end wireless headphones. Instead, they’re a reimagination of what’s possible without concern for keeping costs down. These are a splurge, both for the company and consumers.
The design is beautiful to look at, but the beauty also extends to the comfort. The earcups are roomier inside, while also being 5mm slimmer than the ones on the WH-1000XM6.
The headband places the metal support bar at the top, allowing more cushioning to rest directly on your head. The top cushioning is also thicker by around 40% and wider by around 10% than the 1000XM6.
How do the Sony 1000X The Collexion sound? To enhance the sound quality, The 1000X The Collexion uses new 30mm unidirectional carbon drivers. The size is the same as the 1000XM6, but the high frequency expression should be better, as well as a wider sound stage, thanks to the material composite.
Going further, The Collexion’s circuitry has been updated to reduce resistance and improve the signal-to-noise ratio—producing a cleaner sound.
The other audio enhancement comes in the form of the new V3 integrated processor—the 1000XM6 uses the V2. This allows the company’s DSEE Ultimate processing. DSEE Ultimate uses AI to enhance lower-resolution audio by “restoring” frequency range and bit depth, beyond more standard upscaling.
But for all the technical speak and theoretical enhancements, The Collexion really does just sound better.
I turned on DSEE Ultimate in the Sony Connect app and streamed 160kbps songs from Spotify on my iPhone and then compared several different wireless headphones. The differences were noticeable.
I thought The Collexion made songs sound more detailed and fuller. Whether people fully appreciate this will depend on how closely they’re listening to the music, versus just putting it on in the background. But in terms of the best wireless headphones listening experience, these are the ones to beat.
It’s worth mentioning that The Collexion headphones also do spatial upmixing. You can use Sony’s proprietary tech to make stereo mixes more immersive. This isn’t particularly new, but these headphones have a dedicated button above the ANC one to cycle through music, cinema, and gaming upmixes.
In practice, the 360 Upmix feature is fine. Going forward, I might use it for watching movies. For music, however, I much prefer keeping DSEE Ultimate turned on, which is only available in standard listening mode.
How is the active noise cancellation? The Collexion headphones have very good ANC performance, but it’s not improved over the 1000XM6. It’s the same microphones and ANC tech in both products. In my tests, both sounded close enough not to distinguish a difference. However, I was told that the WH-1000XM6 headphones do have better total noise blocking because of slightly enhanced passive blocking.
That’s part of the trade-off for a more comfortable fit on The Collexion. Another minor trade-off is the lower battery life on The Collexion, compared to the 1000XM6.
The Collexion headphones have a rated 24 hours of battery life with ANC turned on. The 1000XM6 have up to 30 hours. Both of those numbers are a lot lower than competing products, but I don’t think it’s a big deal in practice. It’s still around five days of constant listening for five hours each day. It’s enough battery life to fly anywhere in the world.
Are the Sony 1000X The Collexion worth buying?
The $650 1000X The Collexion is a stunning pair of wireless headphones. From the comfortable headband and leather-coated earcups to the designer-like carrying case, it’s hard to find fault with the hardware. However, the price will likely be shocking to people.
Really, the 1000X The Collexion headphones aren’t competing against products from Bose, Soundcore, Sonos, or even Apple. In this case, it’s competing against all the “and” companies: Bowers & Wilkins, Master & Dynamic, Bang & Olufsen. And in that context, these aren’t overly expensive.
The WH-1000XM6 should still be the go-to choice for most people seeking Sony’s premium wireless ANC headphones. But for the best comfort, sound, and aesthetics, the 1000X The Collexion are the ones to beat.