Last year, when it came to choosing between the Sony Wh-1000XM2 and the Sony H.ear On 2 it all basically boiled down to fit and comfort. Cause even though the 1000XM2 had some really great performing tech… their ear cups were very cramped. Where as the ear cups on the H.ear On 2 were much more spacious and the gap in performance between these two head phones was very narrow. The 1000XM2’s obviously had the superior Active noise cancelation… but everything else like sound quality, battery life, and features were pretty much the same. But now, the gap in performance between the H.ear On 2 and the New Sony WH-1000XM3 is significantly wider and more importantly, the 100XM3 are now more comfortable then the H.ear On 2. So heres how the new Sony 1000XM3 performs against the Sony H.ear On 2, and why I just flat out wouldn’t pick up the H.ear On 2’s right now. 

The Sony 1000XM3’s are Sony’s most expensive ANC headphones that are targeted towards professionals and retail for $350. Where as the Sony WH-H900N AKA the H.ear On 2 are targeted towards a younger crowd cause of their more standoutish design, color options, and a slightly lower retail price of $300. But now they’re typically on sale for about $220. If you want to pick either of these headphones up I’ll have links in the description below, and if you use the links it really helps out the channel. I highly suggest you check them out cause Sony’s headphones routinely go on sale so you’ll might get lucky. And if you want to learn more about either of these headphones then please watch their full reviews. And also check out the new Merch shelf down below. 

Ok so first we’re going to do a quick little run down of the major differences between these two headphones before I get into my tin hat conspiracy theory. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this video, the 1000XM3’s are now significantly more comfortable then the H.ear on 2’s. The ear cups on the 1000XM3’s are much more spacious than then previous 1000XM2, but they’re not as deep as the H.ear on 2’s or the Bose QC35. Since I have medium sized ears that don’t stick out that much, the 1000XM3s fit me perfectly… but for people who have larger ears or ears that stick out a lot then you’ll might still be better off with the h.ear on 2’s or Bose QC35’s. But the biggest reason I feel the 1000XM3’s are more comfortable than the H.ear On 2’s is cause of weight. The new M3’s weigh in at 255 grams… So you essentially forget you have them on cause of their low weight and new spacious ear cup design. Where as the H.ear On 2’s weigh in at a hefty 290 grams. Since I’ve been living with the M3’s for a few weeks now I just cant get comfortable with the H.ear On 2’s. They’re heavy, and I find myself having to routinely readjust them cause they constantly shift around. 

But we also need to talk about design. The H.ear On 2’s are perhaps one of the biggest ANC headphones you can buy. their ear cups stick out a lot and their headband is also very thick. And this also applies to the previous 1000XM2’s, even though these headphones perform very well, their design definitely put some people off. Where as the M3’s have a  brand new design which has a new low profile headband and the ear cups don’t stick out as much. The ear cups aren’t as low profile as the Bose QC35’s  but they’re defiantly much more manageable. And when it comes to the Active Noise Cancelation performance between the 1000XM3 and H.ear On 2… its not even close…

Since the 1000XM3 has Sony’s new QN1 processor and an atmospheric pressure sensor like the 1000XM2 before it, the M3’s are able to block a little more noise than then 1000XM2’s and significantly more noise than the H.ear On 2’s. And the 1000XM3’s don’t just block out more noise than the H.ear On 2’s, they also sound better than the H.ear On 2’s. Last year, the sound quality between the 1000XM2 and H.ear On 2 was identical to me… but thats not the case anymore. Even though characteristics like sound stage, clarity, and instrument separation remain pretty much the same between the H.ear On 2, 1000XM2, and 1000XM3… the base on the 1000XM3 is significantly better than the older two headphones. The base on the 1000XM3 manages to get deeper, is cleaner, and bottoms out much less than the M2’s or H.ear On 2’s. Listening to Eminem’s new Kamikaze album with the h.ear on 2’s was significantly different and less epic than all of the other times I’ve listened to that album with the M3’s. 

Now even though both of these headphones still share similar tech specs like a 30 hour battery life, they can only be connected to one device at a time, but they both have Sony’s DSEE and LDAC technologies, and they both have very accurate touch pads on their right ear cups, which means they both still have quick attention and ambient sound modes… the Gap in performance between the 1000XM3 and H.ear On 2 is much wider cause more important things like fit, sound and active noise cancellation performance is significantly better on the M3’s then the H.ear On 2’s… but here why I just wouldn’t pick up the H.ear On 2’s at all right now. 

like i said in the full review, and again I do urge you to watch that video if you haven’t… I didn’t expect to get the Sony 1000XM3 so soon. I honestly thought the 1000XM2’s were going to be Sony’s flagship ANC headphones for another year cause they performed so well. But obviously thats not the case but Im very glad the M3’s are here. And I personally think we are going to see the New H.ear on 3’s and possibly the new XB950N1’s at CES 2019. I think Sony released the 1000XM3 by themselves cause they didn’t want any of their other ANC headphones to be over shadowed by the new M3’s like the H.ear On 2’s were over shadowed by the 1000XM2’s last year. And I think the H.ear on 3’s are going to have a similar design language to the M3’s and WH-CH700N. The WH-CH700N came out in the spring of 2018, and I like to think of this as the beginning of Sony’s new generation of ANC headphones. When I first reviewed the WH-CH700N I noticed they had much more spacious ear cups, they were still pretty low profile, they had a lot of bass, and a fully wrapped leather headband… something that to me at the time seemed odd cause all of Sony’s other ANC headphones only had leather on the under side of the headband. But now if we look at the M3’s, they have a lot in common with the WH-CH700N. More spacious low profile ear cups, significantly better bass, and a fully wrapped leather headband. So I think we can expect to see the new h.ear on 3’s in a few months with much better bass, but more importantly a new low profile design. Cause like I said earlier the current H.ear On 2’s are just a huge pair of headphones that weigh a lot, have a very wide headband compared to most other headphones and their ear cups stick out a lot, which can make some people feel self conscious about them when they wear them out in public. 

So right now, if you’re trying to choose between the Sony 1000XM3 or the H.ear On 2, and if money isn’t a concern… then your only option is to get the Sony 1000XM3. They’re better than the H.ear On 2’s in every way except for their price tag. But I know that for some people dropping $350 for a pair of ANC headphones just isn’t an option, so here are a few other options. You can either wait till CES 2019 and see if sony does in fact release their new H.ear On 3’s and Xtra Bass headphones or you can look into some of the new $200 ANC headphones dropping this holiday season by skull candy and audio technica. Personally I’m really looking forward to the new Skullcandy Venues. But personally I just wouldn’t pick up the H.ear On 2’s right now cause I think theres a very highly likelyhood of suffering buyers remorse in just a few months.