1. Try Searching by
    1. Category (Best $100 Headphones, Best 50 Inch TVs, …)
    2. Brand (Sony, Samsung, LG, Bose, …)
    3. Model (S405, QC 35 II, …)
    4. Etc
Get insider access
Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Best
Noise Cancelling Headphones Wireless Earbuds Noise Cancelling Earbuds Gaming Over-Ear Wireless Wireless Gaming Running PC Gaming Xbox One PS5/PS5 Pro Wireless Earbuds For Running Beats Wired Music Over-Ears For Working Out On-Ear In-Ears Budget And Cheap
Tools
Compare Table Review List Review Index Graph Custom Ratings
Popular
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 Audeze Maxwell Wireless Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Logitech G PRO X 2 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless Astro A50 X Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Anker Soundcore Space Q45 Wireless Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Sennheiser HD 800 S SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless Nothing Ear Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO
827
Headphones bought and tested
Supported by you via insider access, and when you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Driven by data, run by a passionate team of engineers, testers, technical writers, developers, and more.
We are hiring!
Big Spring Sale Deal: The Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless has dropped by 45% on Amazon.com. See all Headphones Big Spring Sale deals.

The audio team will be at Montreal's Audiofest March 28-30! Come visit our booth in the Marketplace where we'll be measuring your headphones on our B&K rig!
  1. Home
  2. Headphones
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless vs AKG N700NC M2 Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless
AKG N700NC M2

Tested using Methodology v1.6

Updated Mar 14, 2024 07:40 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Tested using Methodology v1.7

Updated Apr 03, 2024 03:24 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Picture
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes

Variants

  • WH-1000XM3 (Black)
  • WH-1000XM3 (White)
  • N700NC M2 (Black)

Review

See Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless review

See AKG N700NC M2 Wireless review

0
0

Our Verdict

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless

The AKG N700NC M2 Wireless and the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. The AKG have a more neutral default sound profile, which some users may prefer, and they're equipped with an auto-off timer to help conserve battery life when you're not using them. They also support multi-device pairing. However, the Sony feel better built and more comfortable. Their ANC is also able to block out significantly more ambient noise.

0

Check Price

Black
WH-1000XM3
Searching
Finding store
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store
White
WH-1000XM3
Searching
Finding store
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store

Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.4
8.0

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.2
8.6

Passive Soundstage 
 

3.7
5.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Design Picture 2
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

8.0
7.5

Comfort Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Comfort Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.6 lbs
0.61 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.8 lbs
1.2 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

7.6
7.5

Controls Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Controls Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Decent

Feedback  

Decent
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

On/Off
No

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant

Show text

Breathability 
 

6.5

Breathability After Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

5.8 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

6.0
6.2

Portability Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Portability Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Portability Picture

L  

5.6" (14.2 cm)
7.4" (18.8 cm)

W  

6.0" (15.2 cm)
5.8" (14.8 cm)

H  

3.2" (8.1 cm)
1.9" (4.8 cm)

Volume  

108.00 in³ (1,769.80 cm³)
81.50 in³ (1,335.60 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

8.0
8.0

Case Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Case Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

L  

7.1" (18.0 cm)
7.8" (19.8 cm)

W  

8.1" (20.6 cm)
6.7" (17.0 cm)

H  

2.4" (6.1 cm)
2.4" (6.1 cm)

Volume  

136.00 in³ (2,228.63 cm³)
125.30 in³ (2,053.30 cm³)

Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Build Quality Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

7.0
7.5

Stability Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Stability Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Angled Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Side Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Front Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Rear Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Top Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless In The Box Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

3.25 dB
2.2 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-3.05 dB
-2.29 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

8.3
7.3

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.34 dB
0.54 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.2
8.6

Bass  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

4.28 dB
2 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
10.15 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

3.82 dB
2.78 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

5.09 dB
2.14 dB

High-Bass 
 

4.87 dB
1.69 dB

Show text

Mid Accuracy 
 

9.4
9.2

Mid  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

0.85 dB
1.11 dB

Low-Mid 
 

0.4 dB
0.28 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.09 dB
-0.02 dB

High-Mid 
 

-0.01 dB
-1.6 dB

Show text

Treble Accuracy 
 

7.9
8.2

Treble  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.25 dB
2.77 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-1.83 dB
-0.22 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

0.21 dB
-0.94 dB

High-Treble 
 

-12.11 dB
-10 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.5
8.1

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.84 dB
1.36 dB

Dips 
 

0.8 dB
0.57 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

7.8
8.7

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.23
0.45

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

8.24
2.89

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.86
0.31

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.77
1.59

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

3.7
5.0

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.68 dB
4.02 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

9.23 dB
4.85 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

5.13 dB
11.55 dB

Openness 
 

0.2
1.4

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.9
3.5

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

6.4
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Virtual Soundstage
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

On/Off
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
No

Room Ambience 
 

Presets
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

360 Reality Audio
No

Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.3
7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.380
0.364

WHD @ 100 
 

0.198
0.135

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
1.7.1

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Unknown
Bluetooth 4.2

Codec 
 

aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz

EQ 
 

Off
Off

ANC 
 

On
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

9.8
8.9

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-29.9 dB
-23.76 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-23.03 dB
-17.70 dB

Mid 
 

-27.24 dB
-24.13 dB

Treble 
 

-39.7 dB
-30.70 dB

Show text

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.0

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.45 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-19.66 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-22.39 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show text

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show text

Leakage 
 

7.4
6.9

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

37.09 dB
40.14 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
Yes

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Recording Quality 
 

6.3
7.1

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

226.27 Hz
179.59 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

3.65 dB
4.33 dB

HFE 
 

3,044.37 Hz
4,902.93 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

27.163
0.123

Gain 
 

29.6 dB
1.36 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

6.5
5.8

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

19.65 dB
15.88 dB

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

6.5
6.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

6.5
5.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

7.6
8.4

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

27 hrs
20.7 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

27 hrs
20.7 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.2 hrs
1.8 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C

Show text

App Support 
 

8.5
7.5

App Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless App Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Sony| Headphones Connect
AKG Headphone

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Parametric + Presets

ANC Control 
 

On/Off
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

Yes
No

Playback Control 
 

Yes
No

Button Mapping  

Yes
Yes

Surround Support 
 

Yes
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.8
9.7

Cable Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Cable Picture
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

5.00 ft (1.52 m)
4.23 ft (1.29 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.4 ms
0.7 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Analog

Show text

Bluetooth Connection 
 

7.1
8.3

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
4.2

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
2 Devices

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Yes
No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

185.00 ft (56.39 m)
304.46 ft (92.80 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

225 ms
137 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

201 ms
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

232 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC
SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

Show text

Check Price

Black
WH-1000XM3
Searching
Finding store
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store
White
WH-1000XM3
Searching
Finding store
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
N700NC M2
Searching
Finding store
Back to Top

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless vs AKG N700NC M2: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

Follow Discussion0 followingSee All Headphones DiscussionsCopy link
0 replies
PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones
We make money directly from you via insider access (which gives you access to extra features) and when you buy a product after clicking a link to a retailer. Learn more about how we work.
We buy our own products, just like you, mostly from the United States. When a product is discontinued or no longer popular, we sell the review units locally. You can see what products we currently have for sale here.
© 2025 9298-5266 Quebec Inc. All Rights Reserved. Visit our corporate site.