Sony MDR-1000X

Dynamic highs and punchy bass ; Extremely comfortable ; Great battery life ; Thoughtful real-world features

Touch controls don’t always work perfectly

The Sony MDR-1000x are a feature-packed pair of noise-cancelling headphones, and the best we have ever tested overall. While some headphones offer slightly stronger noise cancelling, and others distinctly crafted sound signatures, never have we seen...

Exceedingly comfortable ; Noise canceling doesn't get any better ; Long battery life ; Great sound quality for Bluetooth headphones

Fiddly touch controls ; Materials are sturdy, but underwhelming for $400 ; MicroUSB charging is so very 2016

Who says you can’t have wireless and noise canceling in one great pair of headphones?

Powerful audio performance with rich lows and strong clarity in the highs. Can be used passively with included audio cable. Noise cancellation is independent of wireless functionality. Ambient mics work quite well. Functional, comfortable design.

Expensive. Noise cancellation is good, but not great. Included audio cable lacks inline remote.

Conclusions The Sony MDR-1000X looks and feels luxurious, and delivers strong audio performance and solid noise cancellation. But the Bose QuietComfort 35 costs less, sounds better, and delivers the best noise cancellation you can get. If the MDR-1000X...

Excellent noise cancellation. ; Sturdy and durable build quality. ; Great active features.

Slightly inconsistent sound when wireless. ; A bit leaky at high volumes.

Excellent noise cancellation across a range of radically different environments ; Sleek, touch-sensitive gesture control pad ; Light, compact, and comfortable

Surprisingly sub-par wired performance ; Ambient sound modes are practical, not perfect ; Noise cancellation effectiveness varies by context

Sony’s MDR-1000X are stellar headphones with scary-good noise-cancelling abilities in a wide range of environments. They deliver great musical performances, and they’re loaded with high-end features. They’re a fantastic choice for music-loving road...

Great sound quality, great noise cancellation

Expensive, touch sensitive controls can be a bit finicky

The offers field leading sound quality and noise cancellation, but may be slightly uncomfortable for those with larger ears. As long as these headphones feel comfy, you can't go wrong.

Both with and without active noise cancelling, these headphones blocked the most external sound in our tests.

The four-hour charge time is longer than most and could be a hassle when traveling or if you have a limited number of outlets.

The Sony MDR-1000X headphones are overachievers, with top-notch noise cancelling, excellent sound quality and exceptional comfort. They are the best noise-cancelling wireless headphones we reviewed.

For several years, Bose has reigned supreme in the world of active noise cancellation. Sony is hoping to change that with the MDR1000X, their most advanced active noise cancelling (ANC) headphones to date. If the quality of noise cancelling is all that...