Sony H.ear On 3 Review | Are they better than the Sony WH1000X-M3?
Listen, hear real quick. Today I'm comparing the new Sony WH-910N H.ear On 3 headphones to the Sony WH1000X-M3. I'm going to break it down into 4 sections. Design, usability, sound quality and at the end awesome features. Are you ready...let's go.
Design
So when I first unboxed the new WH-H910N Hear On 3 headphones I thought they looked smaller and felt lighter than the 1000X M3. After further inspection, I discovered the truth. Which is there's not that much difference in size & weight. I put both sets headphones on a scale and there both around 220 grams. The XM3 maybe a couple of points over. But anyway... Let's get the obvious differences out of the way first.
The 1000X M3 are available in two colours matt black & a gold tan & the Hear on 3 come in 5 different colours with each one having different patterns on the padding. Some style points for the Hear on 3's Also, the finish on the Hear on 3 is this kind of textured matt, where the 1000XM3 is kind of smooth & much more prone to fingerprints.
The way the fold down the same making them compact, However you get a much more premium hard case with the XM3's and just a canvas draw bag with the H.ear on 3. Something I like about the Sony Hear on 3 is the provided analog cable which matches colour of the headset. That's not to say the XM3s don’t...but just colour...nice.
Button and port placements are almost identical, with the only difference being the location of the USB C port. The H.ear on 3 has it all in 1 place and the XM3s are on the opposite side. The Sony Branding locations are also different but quite subtle on both. Of course, the flagship 1000X M3 having a little more bling with the rose gold trim and branding on the band.
The outer NC mics are in the same spot on the backs of the ear-cups. But the forward and back NC mics are slightly closer together on the Hear on 3's just behind the hanger. The location of the voice call might appears to be in a better spot on the Hear on 3...a little be closer than the XM3. We'll test that out un a min.
The Hinges and the Headband with reinforced plastic are pretty much the same. However, there is a big difference. it's the drivers. The Hear on 3 has 25mm drivers and the 1000X M3 has 40mm. This will of course impact the sound quality and sound stage performance. I'll get into that in the sound quality section of the video.
Although the Hear on 3 drivers is smaller. Sony has made some tweaks here to help improve the sound delivered by the 25mm drivers. If you look closely at the inside of the WH1000X M3 ear-cups, there's a bit of soft foam padding around the driver. Whereas on the Hear On 3 there's just a fine netting & the drivers will sit much closer to your ear. Sony says the WH-H910n Hear On 3 headphones can achieve the same sound pressure as conventional 40mm drivers. We shall see. (In the sound quality section) Another difference here is the size of padding on the ear-cups. The Hear On 3 has significantly more...which could arguably make them more comfortable for some people.
Usability
So the number one and most notable difference here is the 35Hr battery life delivered by the Hear On 3. That's 5 Hrs more than the 1000X M3. It’s also worth noting the 1000X M3 can deliver up to 38Hrs with ANC off and the Hear on 3 just 45Hrs. So that's an interesting fact. This is something you should factor that in when making your purchase decision.
Touch controls are present on both. Swipe right or left to skip tracks. Up and down for volume. Tap to play pause, double-tap to answer calls and long push to wake your assistant. Lets not forget that placing your palm over the right ear-cup will activate the outer mics and mute your music so you can here what’s going on around you.
Sony have improved the placement of the voice call mic. It now sits bit closer to where your mouth would be when wearing them.
To see if the Mic quality has improved on the new Sony H.ear on 3 headphones watch the review video for audio samples.
When it comes to noise canceling. I've gotta say its virtually identical in my opinion. They both use Sonys class-leading QN1 chip and the same amount of NC mics. Honestly they so close. Both are amazing when it comes to ANC. Of course, the app functionality is the same. One cool thing you can do is customize the C button on the Hear on 3 within the app to wake Alexa, Siri or Google assistant & if your wondering yes you can do the same thing with the 1000XM3 by recapping NC/ambient button.
Comfort you'd probably think this would be a win for the Hear On 3 headphones just off if the amount of padding. But for me the clamping pressure is a little stronger...maybe that's because they're newer than my XM3's...but if you asked me I say the XM3 are just a bit more comfortable.
If you have quite a small head you might find the headband too large...If you look at them side by side you can see the headband is quite a bit taller. for example, for me I use them. I wear them without extending the headband at all. Both headphones fair with for prolonged usage. Yes, your ears may heat up a little in warm environments.. but neither one considerably more than the other.
Sound Quality
So 4 tracks, five different genres. Let's go. Watch the Sony H.ear On Sound Test video to see exactly what tracks I used in this review.
Hip Hop - So when it comes to the overall volume. They are very both very close to max volume. The difference I can hear now listening to the H.ear on 3 is there seems to be an emphasis on clarity. In the mids and Hi's. The bass is certainly more powerful on the XM3.
Electronic - Again both amazing clarity. For this type of music, the H.ear on 3 performs well. Deep enough bass but not too much it's overpowering the rest of the music. However, I gotta say I feel the soundstage is significantly wider on the XM3's. The bass is more powerful and maybe a bit too powerful...but of course you can tweak that in the Sony Headphones app.
Rock - This has to be the closest category so far. Again the soundstage goes to the XM3. However, the H.ear on 3 delivers awesome clarity here. This is a well-suited genre for these.
Classical - So this category is all about the clarity of the vocals and soundstage performance of the orchestra. The XM3 wins on a soundstage but the Hear On 3 is impressive here with its fantastic clarity...but overall the XM3 edges out the victory.
Awesome Features
Hear on 3 • awesome colour range & build quality • Above average bass levels despite the smaller drivers. • 10mins 2.5hrs
The next 3 apply to both XM3 & Hear on 3 • crazy amount of customisation via the app • 360 reality audio support • Support Hi-Res Audio & LDAC • DSEE HX Audio Up-scaler • class-leading adaptive ANC
WH1000X-M3 • Adaptive noise canceling (XM3 barometer) • Immense Bass levels & wider soundstage • current price cheaper than the Hear on 3
SUMMARY
So ultimately it comes down to you... do you want a more striking colourful look. Plus 5Hrs more power when using ANC. If so the Sony H.ear on 3 are perfect pairs for you. Or is 30Hrs battery enough for you & you don't care about the new striking colour and patterns on the ear-cups and care more about the overall sound quality... Then you should go for the 1000 XM3.
If you guys liked this review I'd appreciate a thumbs up. And if you're shopping around you might want to take a look at the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 they're a strong competitor to both of these headphones...thumbnails on the screen right now. Go check that out. If you just subscribed, you're now one of the finest subscribers known to man. See ya in the next one...don't be late.