If you thought Apple’s AirPods Max 2 were expensive, you may want to take a seat, because Sony leaks suggest there’s a whole new tier of wallet-shattering audio to drop your jaw over.
Thanks to information from leaker Bilbil-Kun, we now have what appear to be official images of Sony’s new wireless headphones, reportedly called Sony 1000X The ColleXion. The look is interesting (I’ll get to that in a second), but it’s the price that really catches the eye. According to leaks, Sony’s wireless headphones will debut at $649, which is a full $100 more expensive than Apple’s AirPods Max 2—an already very expensive pair of wireless cans.
The potentially good news is that for that sky-high price, you’ll likely be getting an excellent-sounding pair of wireless headphones. According to specs also leaked by Bilbil-Kun, the 1000X The ColleXion will be the first pair of Sony wireless headphones to have DSEE Ultimate, which is Sony’s top-tier AI upscaler for music. They’ll also have “studio-quality” sound and 360-degree spatial audio with head tracking. As for features like active noise cancellation (ANC), there are allegedly 12 dedicated microphones for blocking out noise, which is four more than the AirPods Max 2.
Can these wireless headphones dethrone AirPods Max 2 and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)? Tall order, but maybe?
⚠️ UPDATE ⚠️
Thanks to our detailed specs description, a Reddit member managed to spot leaked images of Sony’s 1000X The ColleXion headphones
See our updated post for more details about new Sony Headphoneshttps://t.co/5pqtXqWOgJ pic.twitter.com/1eMrfH0y58
— billbil-kun (@billbil_kun) May 4, 2026
Battery life, if leaks are accurate, looks just okay, with 24 hours on a single charge when ANC is activated. That’s not the best in the world, but keep in mind that’s still four more hours than the AirPods Max 2.
It’s hard to say for sure whether the 1000X The ColleXion sound like they’re worth $650 without testing them, but on paper, there’s a lot that piques my interest. The WH-1000XM6 are already a great-sounding pair of wireless headphones, so Sony’s off to a good start there. And if leaks are to be believed, then they also look pretty slick, too. Leaked images portray a kind of minimalist vibe with metal accents. Not flashy like Nothing’s Headphone 1, but definitely chic and premium-looking.
We won’t have to wait for very long to get solid answers on what (if anything) Sony is cooking up. Bilbil-Kun says that these wireless headphones will debut officially on May 19. Better start saving up now, I guess.
