Sony wf 1000xm3 vs airpods pro pro#
With active noise cancellation, superb sound quality, and long battery life, they have a collection of features that have made them hard to beat at any price.īut innovation and change in the insanely competitive personal audio space are measured in weeks, not years, and not long after the WF-1000XM3 made their debut, Apple’s AirPods Pro arrived, once again changing the landscape. Fitbit Versa 3įor a very short time, Sony’s superb WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds stood alone atop a crowded mountain of earbuds. We’d like to see Sony take some cues from the FreeBuds Pro next time around, but the Sony WF-1000XM3 remain ahead in some of the most important areas. The FreeBuds Pro are better-looking, smaller and suffer less from wind noise. Sony needs to improve how its headphones handle wind noise next time around, but they are otherwise still a superb pair of true wireless earphones. The Sony WF-1000XM3 are significantly older than the Huawei FreeBuds Pro, but are the more satisfying earphones if sound quality is your top priority. I made these comparisons with EQ and the ClearBass low-frequency booster switched off.
However, the Sony Headphones app lets you customise the Sony WF-1000XM3 sound with EQ if you find it overpowering. The song’s backing track still seems more engaging through the Sonys, but the tonal skew is a little too obvious here. Malibu is an example of a song that sounds better through the Huawei FreeBuds Pro, because their approach is perhaps a little more measured.
The vocal line sounds smoother through that pair.
I checked with a pair of AKG Q701 studio-style headphones, which are known for their intricate high frequencies. While not outright abrasive, Petras is not meant to sound quite like this. It’s the sound equivalent of over-sharpening in a photo, and is tiring. Through the Sony earphones, her vocal sounds too granular. She has a fairly high register voice, which is emphasized by the production on this song. The Sony WF-1000XM3’s added treble energy backfires when playing Kim Petras’s Malibu. Stream Room 29 on Spotify Malibu - Kim Petras The Sony WF-1000XM3 are fantastic true wireless earphones, but they are made for enjoyment, not for studio headphone-style accuracy. It’s because Sony allows for a slightly less than flat approach to the higher frequencies, the upper mids and treble, in order to increase a sense of energy and vitality. But at times the upper mids can sound slightly inauthentic. The Sony WF-1000XM3 manage to render Cocker’s vocal as a singular entity. Cocker’s voice should sound like a consistent whole, not higher-frequency detail sitting on a soft lower-frequency bed. This is an easy way for an earphone designer to make a pair sound thick and “warm”, but I’m most impressed when I don't hear it in Room 29. Neither pair absolutely nails this track, but the Sony WF-1000XM3 win again.Ĭocker’s voice sits on a pillow of mid-bass through the Huawei FreeBuds Pro. It is led by a close-mic'd half-spoken, half sung vocal by Cocker that is a real test of how realistic a headphone can make a vocal line sound. Room 29 is the title song from a collaborative album by Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales. But here’s a comparative sound analysis with a few specific songs you can listen to, for better context. I've listened to a whole stack of albums with these earphones. Huawei’s FreeBuds Pro sound good too but come across a little flat, and less coherent, next to the Sonys. The almost universal praise they have received is not misplaced. And probably the best true wireless pair available at the price. Sony’s extensive experience making headphones shines through here, and the Sony WF-1000XM3 are among the very best-sounding true wireless earphones. They have greater dynamics, separation, imaging clarity, energy and drive. In most respects the Sony WF-1000XM3 sound significantly better than the Huawei FreeBuds Pro. Wind noise is a weak point in the Sony pair. Go for a run or walk wearing the Sony WF-1000XM3 and you’ll hear the characteristic whistle of air blowing around the pinhole mic. Huawei’s pair is much better at dealing with wind noise. The Sony ANC seems more consistent, and is easier on the ear even if it is not the most effective at every specific frequency. For example, on a train with music turned off, you can hear some ultra-low frequency rumble in the FreeBuds Pro. However, in louder environments you will hear certain kinds of noise appear to leak through. The Sony WF-1000XM3 and Huawei FreeBuds Pro in their cases Andrew Williams
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