Sony WI-1000XM2 Wireless  Headphones Review

An improvement over the Sony WI-1000X Wireless, these headphones look more refined and sleek thanks to their flexible silicone neckband. The controls are now located in-line on the left cable but they don't really stand out. If you're not a fan of their black look, these headphones also come in a silver variant.

These headphones are similar to the Sony WI-1000X Wireless in comfort. The malleable silicone neckband is light and comfortable, though it can snag longer hair if you aren't careful. Their in-ear fit, on the other hand, isn't the most comfortable and you might feel fatigued if you use them for a while. However, they do come with seven differently sized tip options that can help make your listening experience better. Note that their three sets of foam tips aren't memory foam, so don't expect the perfect fit from them right away.

An improvement from the Sony WI-1000X Wireless, the 1000XM2 have an in-line remote instead of controls on the neckband. This easy design makes controls like volume easily reachable. If you need a little less noise around you, the "C" button below it triggers noise cancelling by default - if you don't like this set up, you can remap the "C" to be voice assistance. The feedback is good, as it uses both voice prompts and beeps.

The Sony WI-1000XM2 are more portable than the previous generation, thanks to their flexible silicone neckband. It folds into the carrying case, making it easier for you to take these headphones wherever you go.

This case is great. The Sony WI-1000XM2 should be able to survive a few falls when inside their fabric-clad hard case. Taking up less space than the previous pouch designs, they also have a mesh pocket inside, which is a nice touch if you want to carry the audio cable or extra tips with you.

The Sony WI-1000XM2's build quality is good. While the WI-1000X have a sturdy, rigid plastic and metal frame, the 1000MX2 have a flexible silicone neckband and flat cables. It feels fairly sturdy, even when you fold them into their carrying case.

Similar to the Sony WI-1000X, these headphones are fairly stable in-ears. While they might be prone to falling out with a few head shakes, they also come with seven pairs of differently sized ear tips (four silicone and three foam), making it easy to find a better seal.

• Sony WI-1000XM2 headphones
• Hard carrying case
• 4x silicone tips
• 3x foam tips
• USB-C charging cable
• Analog audio cable
• Airplane adapter
• Manuals

The sound profile of these headphones leans warm but dark. Fans of bass might find this profile to be lacking rumble and thump and it's better suited for more vocal-centric content like podcasts and audiobooks. If you don't like the default profile of these headphones, however, the Sony | Headphones Connect app offers a graphic EQ plus presets.

The Sony WI-1000XM2 have exceptional frequency response consistency. Assuming the user is able to achieve a proper fit and an air-tight seal using the assortment of tips that come with the headphones, then they should be able to get consistent bass and treble delivery every time they use the headphones.

The bass accuracy of these headphones is very good. While the bass is understated in the low range, muffling rumbles and thumps, the bass is otherwise fairly consistent.

The mid accuracy of the 1000XM2 is also excellent. The dip in the mid range, while relatively consistent, slightly pushes vocals and leads to the back of the mix. However, this probably won't be noticeable to everyone.

The treble accuracy of the WI-1000XM2s is okay. Vocals and leads sound veiled and dark due to the treble's progressive dip in amplitude. Sounds in this range like sibilants such as S and T sounds will also have less detail.

The Sony WI-1000MX2 have very good peaks and dips performance. The small dip in the mid-mid recedes vocals and leads in the mix while the spike between high-mid and low treble can make sounds in this range sound brighter. A couple of related peaks between low to mid treble also increase the sharpness of sound here. However, these peaks and dips are fairly shallow and might not be noticeable to all listeners.

The imaging is okay. The group delay response is fairly low and it falls below the audibility threshold, which should result in a tight bass and a transparent treble production. While unit's L/R drivers were well-matched in amplitude and frequency, the phase mismatch is incredibly high: it's primarily concentrated in the high treble but it shouldn't be audible to most people. However, these results are only valid for our unit and yours may perform differently.

The passive soundstage of the Sony WI-1000XM2 is poor. Just like other in-ear headphones, these headphones are unable to create a spacious, out-of-head soundstage by design: the pinna or outer ear needs to be activated by different resonances. Since the in-ear design bypasses the pinna altogether, the soundstage will feel small and within the listener's head. These earbuds are also closed-back, so their soundstage also won't feel as open as that of open-back headphones.

Update 02/07/2022: These headphones are compatible with Sony's 360 Reality Audio feature, which you can control in the companion app. This feature can offer better sound quality. However, you need to subscribe to services that support this feature and use compatible files. We have updated our review to reflect these changes.

These headphones support 360 Reality Audio, which can improve audio quality. However, to use the latter feature, you need to subscribe to services like Tidal or Nugs.net and use compatible audio files. Unfortunately, they don't support Virtualphones Technology or Sound Position Control, unlike the Sony WI-1000X Wireless.

The weighted harmonic distortion of these headphones is mediocre. While there's more distortion in the treble range, this won't be noticeable to most listeners. Its frequencies otherwise fall within good limits, which should result in clear and pure audio reproduction.

The Sony WI-1000XM2's results are only valid for these test settings.

The Sony WI-1000XM2 have good noise cancellation. They'll be able to reduce low sounds like bus and car engines, which is great when you're on the go. They'll also reduce voices, making them a good option if you work in an office setting. However, these headphones seem to filter out the wrong noise in the treble range and actually perform better when their ANC is turned off.

The leakage performance of the Sony WI-1000XM2 is great. The bulk of leakage happens in the low-mid bass and in the high-mid to mid-treble. Those around you might hear low rumbles or thin, sharp notes from your headphones. However, this is below the noise floor of most offices so it shouldn't be too noticeable.

The Sony WI-1000XM2 have an in-line microphone.

The recording quality of the WI-1000XM2's microphone is significantly better than its predecessor. While this mic struggles to record speech as full and deep, your voice will still be clear and understandable.

The microphone on the Sony WI-1000XM2 is alright at noise handling. While the microphone struggles to separate low, loud background noise like trains from your own voice, it performs much better in quiet to moderately loud environments.

The battery performance of the WI-1000XM2 is decent. Just like the previous model, you can still save power with their standby mode. However, the over 8 hours of battery life is a step down from the 1000X. On the upside, the charge time is slightly shorter. The change from micro-USB to USB-C charging port is also a nice touch.

The app support for the 1000XM2 is very good. More similar to the Sony WI-C600N than the previous generation, the Sony | Headphones Connect app has a graphic EQ as well as presets in order to customize your listening experience. At the same time, however, this app lacks the surround sound and room effect features. Still, this app is easy to use and is well-designed.

Update 11/15/2021: These headphones were updated to Test Bench 1.5 and their latency values have changed. Our previous Test Bench 1.4 measurements reported 'iOS Latency' at 116 ms and 'Android Latency' at 147 ms. However, our new test bench uses an average of three measurements instead of one, resulting in 17 ms of latency on iOS and 62 ms on Android. As a result, we have updated our text to better reflect test bench 1.5 measurements.

The Sony WI-1000XM2 supports NFC pairing and can be paired with up to two devices, making it easy to switch between your phone and computer. Like most Bluetooth headphones, the PC latency of the WI-1000XM2 is quite high, making them less than ideal for watching videos or playing games. However, their latency on iOS and Android devices is much lower, so you shouldn't notice syncing issues. Some apps seem to compensate for latency differently, though, so your mileage may vary in regular use.

These headphones can only connect wirelessly via Bluetooth.

The WI-1000XM2, just like the WI-1000X, can be used with the included audio cable. These headphones also come with an airplane adapter.

These headphones are only compatible with the Xbox One via the audio cable plugged into the controller. While you'll get audio, you won't be able to use the microphone. They won't work on this console with a Bluetooth connection.

The Sony WI-1000XM2 don't come with a base/dock.