Some objects arrive in the world announcing a moment rather than a need, and Sony's 1000X The Collexion, marking a decade of its noise-cancelling line at Rs 69,990, is one of them. A Times Now reviewer, living with it for a month through office days and travel, found that the most telling praise was simply forgetting it was there. Yet beauty and comfort carry their costs: a shorter battery, a price that sits above Sony's own flagship, and a design that asks buyers to pay for how the headphones look as much as what they sound like. The reviewer's quiet conclusion is that this is an anniversary
Sony 1000X The Collexion: Striking Anniversary Design Comes With Battery, Fit and Wired-Use Compromises
A dead battery means a dead pair of headphones, however you connect them.
Mark
What's the headline here? Is this a headphone review or a fashion piece?
Mimi
A bit of both. The reviewer praises the vegan leather and stainless steel build, and the comfort over a month of long days, but treats the Rs 69,990 price as the thing to weigh.
Mark
The comfort claim seems central. What backs it up?
Mimi
Specific changes: a headband 10% wider, padding 40% thicker, deep earcups and replaceable earpads. The reviewer says they never needed a break.
Luke
That's one person's month of use, though. The same reviewer says the fit is loose and the headphones slipped when moving or tilting the head. Comfort and security are different things.
Mark
And the sound?
Mimi
Tight bass, forward vocals, lively highs. Colleagues found the highs a touch harsh until the equaliser was adjusted.
Luke
Which shows how subjective it is. The reviewer says so too. Nothing here is measured; it's listening impressions.
Mark
What's the biggest drawback?
Mimi
Probably the battery. 24 hours with ANC is below the 30 of the WH-1000XM6, and there's no passive mode, so a dead battery means no wired listening either.
Luke
Worth noting the 24-hour figure is Sony's claim, which the reviewer says matched their usage. We don't have independent testing, and we don't know how the case or the plastic housing affect long-term durability.
Mark
So who should buy it?
Mimi
Style-first buyers who want an anniversary edition. For sound and features alone, the reviewer points to the WH-1000XM6.
El Pulso
- A premium Rs 69,990 price tag puts the Collexion above Sony's own WH-1000XM6, forcing buyers to weigh style against substance.
- Battery life of 24 hours with ANC falls short of the flagship's 30, and there is no passive mode, so a dead battery silences the headphones entirely.
- Vegan leather and stainless steel dress the build, but exposed plastic housing near the drivers and no IP rating for sweat or water unsettle the luxury claim.
- Comfort is the standout, with slimmer earcups, a wider padded headband and touch controls that rarely misfire, though the fit slips when the head moves.
- The verdict lands firmly: a design-led buy for anniversary enthusiasts, while the WH-1000XM6 remains the smarter choice for pure sound and features.
Some objects arrive in the world announcing a moment rather than a need, and Sony's 1000X The Collexion, marking a decade of its noise-cancelling line at Rs 69,990, is one of them. A Times Now reviewer, living with it for a month through office days and travel, found that the most telling praise was simply forgetting it was there. Yet beauty and comfort carry their costs: a shorter battery, a price that sits above Sony's own flagship, and a design that asks buyers to pay for how the headphones look as much as what they sound like. The reviewer's quiet conclusion is that this is an anniversary piece for those who want their listening to be seen as well as heard.
For a full month, a Times Now reviewer wore Sony's 1000X The Collexion through long office days and trips, and never once felt the urge to take it off to rest. That comfort is the review's strongest praise, and it arrives with a long list of caveats.
The Collexion marks ten years of Sony's 1000X noise-cancelling line, and it is far more than a colour change. At Rs 69,990 it sits well above the WH-1000XM6, aimed at buyers who want their gear to make a style statement as much as a sonic one.
The look lands first. Vegan leather covers most surfaces, with matte stainless steel and mirror-finish accents on the headband and yokes. The reviewer found the materials durable and premium, though the plastic housing visible behind the earpads felt like a lapse at this price.
Sony clearly did its homework on comfort. The earcups are slimmer, the headband wider and more padded, and the replaceable earpads add longevity. The 320-gram weight is barely noticed. Practical frustrations remain: the hinges do not fold flat, the bundled case is stylish but bulky, the fit loosens with movement, and the lack of a water or sweat rating is hard to ignore.
Sound is tight and clear, with vocals pushed forward and lively highs that a little equaliser tuning calmed. Noise cancellation excels against engine rumble but lets voices through. Spatial modes and gaming audio impress, and the touch controls and palm-to-pause gesture were a favourite.
The battery is the clear step back, matching its 24-hour rating and lacking any passive mode, so the headphones need power even when wired. The verdict is measured: the Collexion suits luxury-minded buyers who prize design and comfort, while those who care most about sound and features will find the WH-1000XM6 the smarter purchase.
For a month, a Times Now reviewer wore the Sony 1000X The Collexion through long days at the office and on trips, and in that time never once felt the urge to pull them off to rest their head or ears. That is the best thing the review has to say about the headphones, and it comes with a long list of caveats attached.
The Collexion is Sony's way of marking ten years of its 1000X noise-cancelling line, and it is not a simple colour refresh. It costs Rs 69,990 in India, well above the WH-1000XM6, which makes it one of the most expensive headphones Sony sells. It is pitched at buyers who want their audio gear to make a style statement as much as a sonic one.
The look is the first thing that registers. Most surfaces are wrapped in a custom vegan leather the reviewer found durable and premium to the touch. The headband and sliding yokes use matte stainless steel with mirror-finish accents, and even the USB-C and 3.5mm ports get metal flanges. The effect has limits, though: take off the earpads and the plastic housing facing the drivers is visible, something the reviewer felt a pair at this price should have avoided.
Comfort is where Sony did its homework. The earcups are 5mm thinner than on the WH-1000XM6, at 40.1mm, giving a slimmer side profile. The headphones weigh 320 grams, slightly more than earlier models, but the weight is barely noticeable. The headband is 10% wider with 40% thicker soft padding, the earcups are deep enough to give ears room, and the earpads are replaceable when they wear down.
There are practical catches. The metal hinges swivel but do not fold downward, so the headphones need a larger case. Sony bundles a fabric handbag-style case with a handle, which looks stylish but is not backpack-friendly. The fit also runs loose: tilting the head down or moving about actively made the headphones slip. And at this price, the absence of an official IP rating for water or sweat resistance is hard to ignore.
On sound, the bass is tight and deep without turning muddy, the lower and upper mids are pushed forward so vocals are clear, and the highs are lively. Some of the reviewer's colleagues found the highs slightly aggressive, which a little time in the equaliser fixed. Noise cancellation handles low-frequency sound such as car engines and train rumbles very well, but higher-pitched sounds like human voices leak in. Sony adds DSEE Ultimate AI upscaling, lifting audio up to 24-bit/192kHz, and 360 Upmix spatial modes for Music, Movies (Cinema) and Gaming. The gaming mode sharpens the location of enemy footsteps.
Connectivity covers Bluetooth 5.3/6.0 with SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3. A 3.5mm cable is in the box, but the headphones must be switched on to use it, and the USB-C port is for charging only, with no audio input. The 12-microphone array with AI noise reduction filters background chatter and wind and keeps speech largely clear, yet the reviewer still found it weaker than a phone's own mic and often switched to the phone during calls.
Controls are a highlight. The right earcup is a touch surface: double-tap to play, pause or manage calls, swipe up and down for volume, swipe forward and back to skip tracks. The reviewer reported no missed swipes or accidental taps. A favourite touch was placing a palm over the right earcup, which drops the volume and switches to ambient mode so a colleague at the desk could be heard without removing the headphones.
Battery is a step back. Sony claims up to 24 hours with ANC on and 32 with it off, against 30 hours of ANC on the WH-1000XM6, and the reviewer's month of use matched that. A 5-minute USB-C charge gives up to 1.5 hours of listening, and the headphones power off after 10 minutes of audio inactivity. There is no passive mode: even with the cable plugged in, the battery must be live to run signal processing, so a dead battery means a dead pair of headphones.
The verdict is plain. The Collexion suits luxury-minded buyers who want standout design, long-session comfort and immersive spatial audio. But it is very expensive, has shorter battery life and weaker passive isolation than the WH-1000XM6, and has no USB-C audio. For those who care only about sound and features, the reviewer says the WH-1000XM6 remains the smarter buy.
Citas Notables
If sound and features are the only priorities, the WH-1000XM6 remains the smarter buy.— Times Now reviewer
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