The best noise cancelling you can buy, attached to a hinge that owners have been reporting cracked on two consecutive generations. Sony brought back the folding design and brought the failure back with it.
This entry is written from the 4 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
It depends on how you will use it. 57% would buy it again, which means roughly 43% would not. Hinge cracking is the defining long-term risk.
The sound is as good as the reviews said. The hinge is the thing owners check, and that checking is what the score is about.
Hinge cracking is the defining long-term risk. Owner reports of the same fault across two generations undermine confidence. Headband padding compresses over heavy use.
Worth it for: Frequent flyers and commuters; People who will buy accidental-damage cover; Noise cancelling above all else. Think twice if: Rough handling and bag-stuffing; You want a headphone to last five years; Build quality is your priority.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 8.8 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 8.9 / 10 |
| One month | 7.6 / 10 |
| Six months | 7.1 / 10 |
| One year | 6.9 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 6.8 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Reporting on owner reports of hinge failures.
Analysis comparing the failure with the previous generation.
Coverage of the build-quality complaints from user reports.
Follow-up reporting on continuing hinge reports.