The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are luxury-tier headphones launched to celebrate the decennial of the brand's 1000X-series products. They feature a new design that incorporates exposed stainless steel and faux-leather elements alongside shape and ergonomic changes, like a swivel-only yoke-headband assembly (no folding or hinges). There's also 360 Upmix, a stereo content up-mixing feature, debuting in this product line.
Our Verdict
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are good for light fitness activity. They're comfortable and relatively stable and won't slip off with low-intensity movement like a casual walk. They also have ANC, which can keep you locked in even in a busy gym. That said, closed-back over-ears can trap a lot of moisture and heat during more intense workouts. And while the build quality seems sturdy enough, the lack of an IP rating means you should minimize exposure to the elements (and sweat).
Exceptional ANC and passive isolation.
Lightweight and comfortable design.
No IP rating for water or dust resistance.
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are great for travel. They have exceptional noise isolation performance facilitated by their ANC; it dampens revving cars and rumbly airplane engines. You also won't disturb any fellow commuters as the headphones don't leak much audio in the opposite direction (even if you have your volume cranked up). The headphones are also quite comfortable, so you can wear them for a long time. Unfortunately, you can't use them passively, so once the battery runs out, you'll be forced to charge.
Exceptional ANC and passive isolation.
Lightweight and comfortable design.
Needs to be powered on when wired.
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are great for office work. They're comfortable to wear for long periods of time and have a battery life that'll last through stretches of workdays without a charge. Thanks to their exceptional noise isolation, you can work in silence even in a busier open-concept office. Plus, you can have conversations without taking the headphones off by switching to ambient modes or using conversation detection features. Unfortunately, the headphones won't be the greatest to use on calls if you can't control the background noise.
Exceptional ANC and passive isolation.
Lightweight and comfortable design.
Mic struggles to separate your voice from noise.
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION don't have a low-latency dongle, so they're not suitable for fast-paced gaming due to audio latency. That said, if your device supports LC3, they should be fine for more casual games.
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are satisfactory for wired gaming. Their wired connection won't work for mic input, so you'll have to use a separate one if you want to voice chat. That said, the wired connection doesn't work passively, so you're constrained by battery life. The headphones also come with ANC, so you can enjoy cutscenes and dramatic reversals without being distracted by your surroundings.
Exceptional ANC and passive isolation.
Lightweight and comfortable design.
Mic doesn't work when wired.
Needs to be powered on when wired.
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION have good audio reproduction accuracy. They have a warm tuning with a noteworthy dip in the low- to mid-treble, darkening sibilants, and diminishing the brightness of vocals. While our graphs indicate somewhat inconsistent stereo matching of the L/R drivers, in practice, this wasn't audible in regular content. Still, stereo matching can vary from unit to unit, so your experience might be different. Additionally, the angled orientation of the drivers doesn't replicate the PRTF of our benchmark stereo speaker setup.
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION have remarkable noise isolation performance. Their ANC system and passive isolation cut down noise from across the audible spectrum, dampening rumbly plane engines and hushing chatty office workers. The headphones don't leak much audio either, so you can listen to your tunes cranked up without disturbing someone sitting beside you.
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION have a satisfactory microphone. In ideal conditions, the system picks up your voice naturally and intelligibly. However, background noise affects the quality of your speech and creeps into recordings and calls. If the noise gets louder and remains sustained, it can mask your voice entirely.
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION have decent frequency response consistency. Once you've achieved a good fit, you can expect audio delivery to be consistent between wears. That said, certain physical characteristics (like wearing glasses or having thicker hair) can interrupt the headphones' seal, causing a loss in sub-bass delivery compared to our measurements.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Jul 03, 2026: This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.3, which removes the Virtual Soundstage, Base/Dock, and some comparisons from Bluetooth Connection. Have a look at our changelog for more info.
- Updated Jun 23, 2026: Review published.
- Updated Jun 18, 2026: Early access published.
- Updated Jun 08, 2026: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION come in 'Platinum (White)' and 'Black' colorways. We tested 'Platinum' and took a photo of the label.
If you encounter another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update the review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are the brand's premium entry in the casual wireless headphone market, competing with products like the Apple AirPods Max 2 and the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2. While the Sony are certainly comparable in performance and even exceed the aforementioned competition in supported features or ecosystem flexibility, their position is undercut by similar entries in their own lineup, as THE COLLEXION don't bring many significant differentiating performance benefits (even some losses) compared to the more approachable Sony WH-1000XM6. The XM6 have a superior battery life (according to the brand's own numbers), a better mic, and come in at a lower price segment. Still, there's an argument to be made for the Sony WH-1000XX as a fashion piece; they're certainly stylish and incorporate more eye-catching elements like faux leather-wrapped ear cups and fully metal telescoping arms as part of their headband.
If you're looking for more options, consider checking out our picks for the best headphones, the best noise cancelling headphones, and the best wireless earbuds (if you're open to a different fit).
The Sony WH-1000XM6 and Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are similarly capable headphones with slightly different target audiences. The COLLEXION are positioned as a luxury item and have a design (and price) that mirrors that: their construction features stainless steel in their headband and faux leather-wrapped ear cups. Still, the performance is quite similar between both products, with the XM6 actually edging out the COLLEXION in mic and ANC performance. However, the deeper ear cups on the COLLEXION may be enough to outweigh their higher price tag.
The Apple AirPods Max 2 and Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are both fashion items as much as they are headphones. The Apple, as you'd expect, are more suitable for users already entrenched in the brand's ecosystem. Features like audio customization, Spatial Audio, and Head Tracking are locked behind iOS. On the other hand, the COLLEXION are more flexible, working with both Android and Apple devices thanks to their OS-agnostic app. Both have exceptional ANC, but the Apple are less comfortable due to their notably higher weight. That said, the Apple work with wired USB audio, while you're relegated to analog with the Sony.
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 and Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are both premium, luxury headphones (and have the price tag to go with it). If you care about comfort, the B&W are better as they have more spacious earpads and rather than faux leather, feature ostensibly more durable Nappa leather. Still, they come up short when it comes to under-the-hood performance, with their ANC falling behind in bass- and mid-range attenuation; the B&W don't deal with rumbly engines and chatty commuters as well as the Sony do.
The Sennheiser HDB 630 and Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are in similar price brackets, but their use cases are different. The Sennheiser are more targeted toward audiophiles; they have a balanced tuning and a fully featured app with a parametric EQ for fine-tune sound profile customization. Meanwhile, the Sony are more targeted toward general use with a luxury twist, featuring stylish design that highlights varied materials in its stainless steel headband and grainy faux-leather exterior.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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