Studio workhorses, a wooden-cup rarity and the noise-cancelling cans you see on every flight all sit in one pile here, decades apart.
1WH-1000XM4The 2020 follow-up to the XM3 that added multipoint Bluetooth pairing and Speak-to-Chat.1000pts
2WH-1000XM5A 2022 redesign of the 1000X line with a non-folding headband and eight microphones for noise cancelling.927pts
3MDR-CD900STA closed-back monitor developed with CBS/Sony's Shinanomachi studio and sold since 1989, a fixture of Japanese recording studios.877pts
4MDR-R10Sony's 1989 flagship with wooden zelkova housings and bio-cellulose diaphragms, made in small numbers at a very high price.800pts
5WF-1000XM5Smaller and lighter 2023 earbuds pairing the QN2e and V2 processors for noise cancelling.709pts
6MDR-V6A closed-back, folding studio monitor headphone Sony launched in 1985 that became common in recording studios.466pts
7MDR-7506Sony's professional closed-back monitor from 1991, with a coiled cable and folding design, widely used in broadcast and film sound.466pts
8WH-1000XM6The 2025 model of the 1000X line with the QN3 processor and a folding design that returned after the XM5.466pts
9WF-1000XM4The 2021 earbuds that added the V1 processor, IPX4 water resistance and foam ear tips to the line.466pts
10LinkBudsOpen earbuds from 2022 with a ring-shaped driver that leaves a hole so outside sound passes through.466pts
11MDR-3Lightweight on-ear headphones with foam pads that Sony introduced in 1979 alongside the original TPS-L2 Walkman.0pts
12MDR-CD3000A 1990s closed-back audiophile headphone that enthusiasts nicknamed the baby R10.0pts
13WH-1000XM3A 2018 wireless noise-cancelling headphone built around Sony's QN1 noise-cancelling processor.0pts
14MDR-MV1An open-back studio monitor released in 2023, designed for mixing and spatial audio production.0pts
Photo credits
- MDR-CD900ST — Masahiko OHKUBO, CC BY 2.0
- MDR-7506 — He JiaWei, CC BY-SA 2.0
- MDR-3 — hdboy88, CC BY-SA 2.0
- WH-1000XM3 — www.digitalpush.net, CC BY 4.0
