Sony marks a decade of noise-canceling innovation with premium 1000X The ColleXion headphones
Popular Science...
In 2016, Sony introduced the MDR-1000X, establishing a legacy of active noise-canceling headphones that have accompanied commuters, frequent flyers, and remote workers for a decade. To celebrate 10 years of blissfully isolating iterations, Sony has introduced the 1000X The ColleXion [X = 10, you see]. Building on the premium ANC platform of 2025’s WH-1000XM6, this anniversary edition elevates the design language and digital signal processing into a luxury victory lap.
At $649, The ColleXion is almost $200 more than its functionality-focused sibling. What you get for that additional outlay is a mix of “emotional value” materials and refined acoustic architecture. Plastic is replaced by stainless steel for the arms, buttons, and other accents, while a custom vegan leather is integrated across the enclosure, replaceable earpads, and expanded head cushion for a seamless appearance and increased comfort. Adding to the sense of elegance and ease, the inner housing has been enlarged, while the overall profile has been slimmed by more than 5mm.
To ensure the sonic output doesn’t suffer from reduced displacement, the ColleXion features a newly developed 30mm soft-edge unidirectional carbon driver. Compared to a carbon fiber weave, this material has increased rigidity, allowing reduced distortion even under pressure, as well as enhanced high-frequency reproduction. Further improving the signal/noise ratio is circuitry with 1.5x the copper foil to reduce resistance. On the software side, a new Integrated Processor V3 enables The ColleXion to be the first headphones with DSEE ULTIMATE upscaling/Edge-AI sound enhancement, as well as three selectable 360 Reality Audio spatial upmix modes (Cinema, Music, Game). All this has been tuned in collaboration with GRAMMY-winning mastering engineers.
All of this comes in a magnetically secured, clutch-like carrying case with an integrated handle [shown below].
What remains the same is the QN3 processor, plus 12 strategically placed AI beam-forming microphones for optimized noise cancellation and call clarity. Some passive isolation has been traded for pressure relief, so the WH-1000XM6 will still offer the highest level of ANC, but the ColleXion shouldn’t lag far behind. And we’ll know for sure and share our thoughts once we spend some time with a pair in the near future.
Available in Black and Platinum Silver, Sony’s 1000X The ColleXion headphones are available to order now.
Plan to stick with the WH-1000XM6, but in the mood for a new colorway? Sandstone, shown below, joins Platinum Silver, Black, Sand Pink, and Midnight Blue. Still the same top-tier noise cancellation and customizable sound. Still $459.
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