GoKawiilThe 10th anniversary edition of the 1000X headphones have by far the lineup's most luxurious design yet. Sony completely ditched the plastic for a new look that's entirely leather and metal. The company also revised the size adjustment sliders and headband, but the ear cups on this new model only rotate flat. They don't fold in towards the headband like the WH-1000XM6.
In addition to the materials and mechanisms, Sony slimmed down the overall profile of the ear cups for a less bulky look. The company says it also increased the inner volume of the ear cups and widened the headband, both of which it did to improve comfort. The headband padding is 40 percent thicker and the overall clamping force on your head is less of a burden during long listening sessions.
Inside, Sony developed new unidirectional carbon drivers that it says boost high-frequency details and widen the overall soundstage. The company explains that it also optimized the circuitry for a better signal/noise ratio and clearer sound. More on my observations there in a bit, but I should also note that the next-gen version of Sony's powerful upscaling tech is available for the first time on the 1000XX. DSEE Ultimate builds on DSEE Extreme by restoring even more detail and texture that's typically lost to compression — thanks to AI sound enhancement.
When you don't want to employ DSEE Ultimate, 1000X The Collexion comes with two new spatial audio upmixing modes: Music and Game. Sony debuted a dedicated Cinema spatial mode on the 1000XM6, but it had to be activated in the company's Sound Connect app. On this new model, Sony added a dedicated button for these audio modes on the left ear cup near the top edge, above the noise control button I'm used to on 1000X headphones.