Wearables

Sony injects true wireless earphones with active noise cancellation

Sony injects true wireless earphones with active noise cancellation
Sony has squeezed the latest QN1e noise canceling processor into its WF-1000XM3 true wireless earphones for blocking ambient sounds across almost all frequencies
Sony has squeezed the latest QN1e noise canceling processor into its WF-1000XM3 true wireless earphones for blocking ambient sounds across almost all frequencies
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With ANC mode active the WF-1000XM3 earphones will block ambient sounds across almost all frequencies
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With ANC mode active the WF-1000XM3 earphones will block ambient sounds across almost all frequencies
The WF-1000XM3 earphones can be fine-tuned using a companion mobile app
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The WF-1000XM3 earphones can be fine-tuned using a companion mobile app
Up to six hours of continuous playback can be had with ANC active, with 24 hours in total available by using the charging case
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Up to six hours of continuous playback can be had with ANC active, with 24 hours in total available by using the charging case
The Active Noise Cancellation technology uses two microphones and a HD processor to offset ambient sounds so you can focus on the music
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The Active Noise Cancellation technology uses two microphones and a HD processor to offset ambient sounds so you can focus on the music
Sony has squeezed the latest QN1e noise canceling processor into its WF-1000XM3 true wireless earphones for blocking ambient sounds across almost all frequencies
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Sony has squeezed the latest QN1e noise canceling processor into its WF-1000XM3 true wireless earphones for blocking ambient sounds across almost all frequencies
The WF-1000XM3 true wireless earphones feature the latest QN1e HD Noise Canceling Processor
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The WF-1000XM3 true wireless earphones feature the latest QN1e HD Noise Canceling Processor
The WF-1000XM3 true wireless earphones are available in black or white
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The WF-1000XM3 true wireless earphones are available in black or white
All in, WF-1000XM3 users can expect up to 24 hours of playback before the included charging case needs its batteries topped up
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All in, WF-1000XM3 users can expect up to 24 hours of playback before the included charging case needs its batteries topped up
A Quick Attention mode allows music lovers to let sounds from the outside in
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A Quick Attention mode allows music lovers to let sounds from the outside in
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Since the first true wireless earphones launched in 2014, many more have appeared in the marketplace – including models by big players like Apple and recent additions from Phiaton and Cambridge Audio. But most only offer passive isolation from the world around you. Sony's upcoming WF-1000XM3 earphones rock the company's excellent active noise cancellation tech so that you can focus on the music.

We have to admit to being impressed by the noise cancellation prowess of other members of the 1000X family, including the MDR-1000X cabled over-ear headphones and the WH-1000XM3 wireless cans. Where others in the space manage to cut down rumble and hum from aircraft engines and rolling tires, the 1000X ANC headphones we've tried have also significantly reduced background chatter and other higher frequency ambient sounds.

All in, WF-1000XM3 users can expect up to 24 hours of playback before the included charging case needs its batteries topped up
All in, WF-1000XM3 users can expect up to 24 hours of playback before the included charging case needs its batteries topped up

Sony has squeezed the latest QN1e HD Noise Canceling Processor into its WF-1000XM3 true wireless earphones as part of its Dual Noise Sensor technology. There are two microphones in play here to detect more sounds around the wearer – one feed-forward and one feed-back. The QN1e processor creates an inverted sound to offset any detected sounds across almost all frequencies, leaving the user with just the music.

As you might expect, Sony is promising top notch audio quality from these earphones, thanks to the inclusion of 24-bit signal processing and a DAC/amp combination. And compressed digital music files such as MP3 are given a quality bump by the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine HX.

The wireless earphones feature Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec support, up to 30 ft (10 m) of range and an optimized antenna structure for connection stability. Sony says that improved latency should also allow users to enjoy movie watching without the video falling behind the audio.

With ANC mode active the WF-1000XM3 earphones will block ambient sounds across almost all frequencies
With ANC mode active the WF-1000XM3 earphones will block ambient sounds across almost all frequencies

With the noise cancellation circuitry active, listeners can enjoy up to six hours of continuous playback from the earphones, which can then be popped in the included charging case for a top up. All in, the setup caters for 24 hours of cable-free music enjoyment before a user will need to seek out a wall outlet.

Unlike the Melomania earphones we reviewed recently, Sony's plugs include a Quick Attention mode that allows folks to let the outside world's noise in without removing an earphone – useful when chatting to friends or listening for announcements at a transport hub.

You can of course take calls using the earphones and communicate with Google Assistant, and the earphones can be tweaked and controlled using Sony's Headphones Connect app.

Finally, each earbud is held in place by an ergonomic tri-hold structure that's been designed for improved comfort and stability, and the WF-1000XM3s come with two types of tips to ensure a good fit.

Sony's new true wireless ANC earphones will be available in the coming weeks for US$229.99. The video below has more.

Product page: WF-1000XM3

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3 comments
3 comments
Drjohnf
Bought these for my wife. Total cheap junk that works unreliably and which has a poor battery life that does not exceed 30 min. Also loses blu-tooth connection to iPhone 10 frequently. Tried Sony customer service, which was not responsive.
EmmanuelGrayton
@Drjohnf These earphones haven't even been released yet.
Drjohnf
Oops! You are quite correct! I did, however, buy the latest model (previous version) that advertised noise reduction technology. And they were terrible. Battery life was only about 30 min and they were made of very cheap and flimsy plastic and dropped the Blu-tooth connection regularly. Bought them only about 6 months ago. Sony did not respond to complaints and referred us to BestBuy to get them replaced (which Bestbuy would not do after 14 days).....