MDR-1000X or WH-H900N? What's your flavour?

[kistigun]

As many of you know Sony has a pretty good offer on pre-ordering a Xperia XZ1 or XZ1 compact. You'll get a free Sony NC headphone!

There is only one dilemma, they offer two types;
The MDR-1000x
https://www.sony.com/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-1000x/specifications
and the WH-H900N
https://www.sony.com/electronics/headband-headphones/wh-h900n/specifications

The MDR-1000X was voted one of the best NC headphones of 2016 but is an old model. The WH-H900N is a lot newer so there are not a lot of reviews to compare it with the MDR-1000X(so I have no idea if it's any good)

So I was wondering: What headphone are you guys going to choose and why?

 

[Cillu]

Are there any places that are offering this pre-order bonus still? I can't seem to find it, the closest thing I see is by Clove UK which is giving away the SBH24 Bluetooth Headphones.

 

[sssparkkk]

My research so far resulted in this list of points in favor of the 1000x, when compared to the 100ABN (h.ear on wireless 1):

- subjectively better sound quality
- better noise cancellation
- more comfortable on the head (again, subjectively)
- hard carrying case (instead of a pouch)
- less issues with wind sounds amplified through the mics

Things that are in favor of the H900N:
- probably more responsive touch controls
- less issues with phone calls (mic related)
- sony headphones connect app support
- presumably no headband issues with the 100ABN
- longer battery life (and quick charge support)
- more recent model

But again, this is mostly when compared to the 100ABN; the H900N might just have improved sound quality and/or noise cancellation... let me know if you find any reviews!

 

[Dashers]

I haven't seen that offer on the Compact in the UK. Best offer I've seen was the Clove one with the bluetooth adapter - which what I opted for.

For the XZ1 too, the headphones were limited to the first 400 users to complete a successful claim. Sounded too much like a gamble to me.

I've got some Sennheiser earphones at the moment, but am tempted by a pair of cheap Sony noise-cancelling headphones to go with the bluetooth adapter instead. Drown out some office noise etc.

 

[kistigun]

found this WH-H800 review with some WH-H900N references:
https://nerdtechy.com/sony-wh-h800-h-ear-2-mini-wireless-ear-headphones-review

 

[pipeloi]

I was googling for an answer to this question, which is how I ended up here.

So I searched a bit further. My guess is: the WH-H900N is only a year younger (I think) than the MDR-1000X. What is more, The MDR-1000X is last year's top-model and its successor is the WH-1000XM2, not the WH-H900N.

The MDR-1000X had excellent sound quality and great reviews. Sound quality isn't a technology with huge developments, so I think purely sound-wise, the MDR-1000X is probably still better than the WH-H900N with only a year between them.

It also looks a fair bit beefier. Possibly better padding on the earcups; I read it's still very comfortable with glasses.

The WH-H900N does seem to look a bit sleeker and comes in a variety of colours. Maybe a bit more fashionable.

This year's models also come with fast-charge (65 minutes playing after 10 minutes charging) so that's in favour of the WH-H900N. The WH-H900N also has 6 hours more playtime when fully charged.

So MDR1000X seems to have some disadvantages and some (possible) advantages over the WH-H900N. If I'd had to choose right now I'd say MDR1000X, but I'm going to check on the tech issues mentioned above by sssparkkk first.

It's a pretty sweet deal though, whichever you choose!

- edit - checking some reviews on amazon.com and amazon.de (3 stars and below) I read that multiple users have issues with the headband, and other breakage issues. So maybe the WH-H900N after all..

 

[kistigun]

I've ordered the black WH-H900H today. Will write a review when it arrives

 

[BaxMode]

The way I see it is that the MDR-1000X is last years top model of Sony, where the WH-H900N is a segment lower. I have compared the MDR-1000X and the H900N's predecessor MDR-100ABN in the store. The 1000X was lighter, had a much better fit and its ANC was clearly of a higher level. The 100ABN was sturdier though, probably can handle more clumsiness. The H900N still has somewhat the same design, making me believe the 1000X still has an advantage there. Also the ANC works better with the earpad design of the 1000X.

Looking at other specs and features they are almost the same. Here are some differences:

The H900N has a better battery life (28 hours), however I think 20 hours of the 1000X is also plenty enough. This is of course a personal choice.
The H900N probably also has a better touch control system, and maybe some more options with a connected mobile app. This I haven't checked.
The 1000X on the other hand has a wider sound spectrum, giving it a more clearer and nicer sound.
The 1000X also has this really nice feature that the ANC adjusts itself to the shape of your head.

So, if you want to be sure you have top notch headphones with probably the best sound quality and definitely the best ANC, go for the 1000X
If you want to have headphones that are a bit more sturdy and have the newest (secondary) features like the application with all its options, go for the H900N

Curious whether you guys agree!

 

[arebokert]

I've got the 100ABNs and am wondering about upgrading to the WH-H900N but I don't really see any reason to do it for touch controls and more codecs. Unless the ANC has improved I'll probably stay on the 100ABNs.

 

[4rz0]

Interesting.
Here, they only offer 3500 headphones for those who register after preordering.

 

[pmcdunnough]

One of the issues surrounding the 1000x, and its upgraded version, is that noise cancellation turns off after 5 minutes unless it is paired or has an audio jack plugged in. Kind of makes it a strange noise cancellation accessory.

 

[Atreyiu]

I did not buy the 1000x, it has problems in the headband, they break near the hinge. Prefer the new version 1000xM2 that in theory, does not present that construction failure. Greetings.

 

[LuisDS48]

I own the sony 1000x, great sounding headphones. My one complaint is phone calls the mic picks up to much external noise to make it usable. I would like to think this has been improved given this is one of sony's better nc wireless headphones.

 

[tomo100brt]

When I was buying headphones I tried WH-H900N and MDR-1000X. After a mounth of calculating I decided that MDR-1000X has better sound quality. Decision was a half good because my MDR-1000X broke after 6 months of use. I don't know if Sony fixed this on newer series of MDR-1000X. MDR-1000X has excellent sound quality but poor build quality. On the other hand WH-900N has better build quality but not good sound quality as MDR-1000X although they have dedicated android app for better sound.
Two months ago I bought MDR-1000XM2 and concluded my searching for now.

 

[Mangohed]

WH-H900N vs MDR-1000X vs WH-1000XM2

I initially purchased the H900N, but quickly concluded that the sound quality, even using the cable, was pretty poor even compared to my old $35 Sennheisers from 10 years ago. Before sending the H900N back, I did a sound comparison between the H900N, my old Sennheiser HD212, and a friend's 1000X, with all the features turned off on both the Sony's (i.e. power off, cable plugged in so as to purely compare the quality of the cones, without in-built software messing around with the sound). The H900N sounded lifeless, muffled, lacked fidelity, and made everything sound dull. The 1000X sounded a million times better, much more life-like in the sound, and just sounded great. I then spent ages swapping back and forth between the Sennheisers and the 1000X and concluded the probably sounded better on the 1000X, but my ears are so tuned into the Sennheisers after many years it's probably difficult to tell. However, when I then turned on noise cancelling, the 1000X smashed the Sennheiser out if the park, it just sounded fantastic, and the ability to drown out background noise meant I was able to here so much more detail even at very low music levels.

I can only conclude that the H900N are a low quality headphone but with all the bells and whistles. They're great if you want some well-made noise cancelling headphones, but the audio quality is inferior to even cheap wired headphones, so avoid if you're even slightly an audiophile.

I sent the H900N straight back, and purchased the Sony WH-1000XM2. I did weigh up getting the original 1000X (cheaper, same price as H900N), but was keen to have AptX-HD (which was the original reason I chose the H900N over other brands) so went for the pricier M2. The 1000XM2 is so much more of a premium product than the 900, they sound so much better, the noise cancelling on them is fantastic, bluetooth streaming over AptX HD sounds great, they feel sturdy and comfortable to wear, and they come with a proper case (unlike the H900N which comes with a flimsy soft case). Not looked back since!!

 

[rayjr13]

I initially purchased the H900N, but quickly concluded that the sound quality, even using the cable, was pretty poor even compared to my old $35 Sennheisers from 10 years ago. Before sending the H900N back, I did a sound comparison between the H900N, my old Sennheiser HD212, and a friend's 1000X, with all the features turned off on both the Sony's (i.e. power off, cable plugged in so as to purely compare the quality of the cones, without in-built software messing around with the sound). The H900N sounded lifeless, muffled, lacked fidelity, and made everything sound dull. The 1000X sounded a million times better, much more life-like in the sound, and just sounded great. I then spent ages swapping back and forth between the Sennheisers and the 1000X and concluded the probably sounded better on the 1000X, but my ears are so tuned into the Sennheisers after many years it's probably difficult to tell. However, when I then turned on noise cancelling, the 1000X smashed the Sennheiser out if the park, it just sounded fantastic, and the ability to drown out background noise meant I was able to here so much more detail even at very low music levels.

I can only conclude that the H900N are a low quality headphone but with all the bells and whistles. They're great if you want some well-made noise cancelling headphones, but the audio quality is inferior to even cheap wired headphones, so avoid if you're even slightly an audiophile.

I sent the H900N straight back, and purchased the Sony WH-1000XM2. I did weigh up getting the original 1000X (cheaper, same price as H900N), but was keen to have AptX-HD (which was the original reason I chose the H900N over other brands) so went for the pricier M2. The 1000XM2 is so much more of a premium product than the 900, they sound so much better, the noise cancelling on them is fantastic, bluetooth streaming over AptX HD sounds great, they feel sturdy and comfortable to wear, and they come with a proper case (unlike the H900N which comes with a flimsy soft case). Not looked back since!!

3 months in...did the headband break yet?

 

[Mangohed]

3 months in...did the headband break yet?

Not regretted getting the 1000s for a second... Use them everyday and they're awesome! Robust and sound great. Really appreciated them on a recent flight too.

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