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- The new headphones celebrate 10 years of Sony’s 1000X noise-cancelling series
- They feature premium crafted metal, soft faux leather and a comfort-focused design
- Sony says the headphones have been tuned with Grammy award-winning and nominated mastering engineers
- Features include DSEE Ultimate, 360 Reality Audio Upmix, 12 microphones and Adaptive NC Optimizer
- 1000X THE COLLEXION is available now for AUD$999.95
Sony has launched 1000X THE COLLEXION in Australia, a new pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones celebrating 10 years of the company’s 1000X series. But while the price, premium materials and noise-cancelling credentials are all part of the pitch, it’s the sound tuning that has us listening closely.
At $999.95, these are Sony’s most expensive wireless headphones to date, but the company says the high price point is justified by headphones’ quality – Sony reckons these are their best headphones ever, having been tuned in collaboration with Grammy award-winning and nominated mastering engineers.
Along with the sound quality, the 1000X THE COLLEXION trades the plastic-heavy build of its predecessors for an mix of stainless steel, hand-polished gloss accents, and a bespoke faux leather that was two years in development. These headphones will look as good as they sound.
It’s an impressive statement that sits nicely between technical and glamorous. For a headphone line best known for shutting out the world, what does “Grammy-engineer-tuned” actually mean when you put them on and hit play?
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What Grammy-Engineer-Tuned Actually Means
For 1000X THE COLLEXION, Sony has worked with mastering engineers to shape the way these headphones present music. They won’t magically improve every song you listen to. What it means is that Sony has made deliberate choices around how the sound is balanced once it reaches your ears.
It’s about the weight behind the bass, how forward the vocals sit, and whether the treble sounds detailed or sharp. It’s whether instruments feel separate or blur together once a track gets busy.
That might sound nerdy, but it matters to those who listen. A lot of consumer headphones are designed to impress quickly, which usually means big bass, bright highs and a sound profile that grabs you in the first 30 seconds. The problem is that approach can become tiring once you’re an album deep, working through a long flight or trying to listen at your desk for a few hours.
Sony says 1000X THE COLLEXION has been tuned for smooth vocals, balanced instruments and nuanced dynamics. We’ll need to have a proper listen before calling that a win for Sony, but the idea is clear: these headphones are being pitched as more considered than simply louder, bassier or better at blocking out noise.
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The Hardware Behind the Claim
Sony has backed the tuning claim with some specific hardware. Inside 1000X THE COLLEXION is a bespoke driver unit with a soft edge and a high-rigidity dome made from unidirectional carbon composite material. According to Sony, that combination is designed to deliver clearer separation between instruments and vocals, more delicate high-frequency detail and a wider soundstage.
It also gets DSEE Ultimate, which uses Edge-AI to upscale compressed digital music files in real time, plus 360 Reality Audio Upmix for music, cinema and game content.
For noise cancelling, Sony has kept things familiar. 1000X THE COLLEXION uses the same technology as the WH-1000XM6, with 12 microphones and Adaptive NC Optimizer designed to adjust to your environment. Battery life is listed at up to 24 hours with noise cancelling and Bluetooth switched on.
At $999.95, Sony is asking buyers to take that tuning claim seriously. The Grammy-engineer line gives the brand a neat way to explain the premium, but it also raises the standard. If you’re asking listeners to pay nearly a grand, the sound can’t just be impressive specs with no substance. It has to be easy to live with, easy to listen to and noticeably more considered than the 1000X formula we already know.
Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION
- Price: $999.95 AUD
- Availability: Available now in Australia
- Colours: Platinum, Black
- Noise cancelling: Same core technology as WH-1000XM6
- Microphones: 12 microphones with Multi-Noise Sensor technology
- Noise cancelling optimisation: Adaptive NC Optimizer
- Driver: Bespoke driver with soft edge and unidirectional carbon composite dome
- Audio processing: DSEE Ultimate with Edge-AI upscaling
- Spatial audio: 360 Reality Audio Upmix for Music, Cinema and Game
- Battery life: Up to 24 hours with noise cancelling and Bluetooth, or up to 32 hours with noise cancelling off
- Materials: Premium crafted metal and soft faux leather
- Comfort: Wider cushioned headband and generously proportioned earcups
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