Sony WH-1000XX The ColleXion Leak: $649 Luxury Cans Rival AirPods Max

by Aaron Leong — Tuesday, May 05, 2026, 10:55 AM EDT

Sony’s next flagship headphones look ready to turn a familiar product line into a luxury statement, with leaked images and a steep price tag, ultimately with the intent of celebrating a decade of the 1000X family.

Sony’s upcoming WH-1000XX (alternatively described in leaks as “1000X The ColleXion”—try to say either one five times really fast) appears to be the brand’s most aggressive move yet in the premium wireless headphone market. The name itself matters as Sony seems to be marking 10 years since the original 1000X line launched in 2016 (the MDR-1000X for you nerds), not to mention the appearance of the model number WH-1000XX on regional Sony sites has helped give the mouthful-of-a-moniker real weight.

Images of actor Damson Idris (from F1 movie fame) donning the headphones recently in New York show a restrained, upscale look with metal accents and a minimal profile, with some sources pointing to black and white colorways.

Under the hood, Sony is loaded out with its bespoke QN3 processor, DSEE Ultimate upscaling, 360 Reality Audio with head tracking, and a 12-mic array that handles noise cancellation, with six of those handling phone calls. Aside from DSEE Ultimate, everything looks like a rehash of the standard WH-1000XM6.

The biggest shocker for potential buyers might be the price. Many expect the launch figure to be about $650, or $100 more than Apple’s AirPods Max 2 and squarely into this-had-better-be-exceptional territory. To make the pricing justifiable, Sony can't just rely on software and AI—arguably the same at the 1000XM6—alone. Logically, it should have better hardware, i.e. drivers and batteries. However, from the looks of the photos, the drivers could be the same 30mm units.

Sony’s timing also suggests confidence, despite creeping consumer electronics prices. Ongoing reports keep pointing to a May 19 launch, and the fact that the headphones have already been pictured before a global release pretty much implies the reveal is happening soon.

So if the rumors hold true, the WH-1000XX won't be a separate model from the WH-1000XM6. Instead, Sony seems to be testing how far it can stretch the 1000X badge before buyers start complaining about the price.

Other details of the headphone that we know of so far include a 10-band parametric EQ, a good but not great 24-hour run time (with ANC). Meanwhile, you find Sony's WH-1000XM6 on sale for $428 at Amazon (7% off) and Apple's AirPods Pro Max for $509.99 (also 7% off).

Photo credits: MetGala via X