Sony's new $650 headphones still don't have USB audio

When I wrote about the WH-1000XM6 missing USB-C audio last year, I assumed Sony would course-correct with the next release, given that it’s become a common feature amongst competitors. A year later, we have the 1000X The Collexion, a $649.99 premium variant built around stainless steel construction, a carbon transducer, and Bluetooth 6. But surprisingly, it still lacks USB-C audio.

That means if you want to listen over a wired connection, to preserve battery, to get bit-perfect audio, or because your headphones are dead, your only option is the bundled analog cable. The problem is that more products these days have a USB-C port than a headphone jack, limiting the number of things you can plug into. For $650, that’s a pretty glaring omission.

The list of headphones that do offer USB-C audio keeps growing. Apple added it to the AirPods Max. Sennheiser includes it on the MOMENTUM 4 Wireless. JBL offers it on the Tour One M3. Budget brands like JLab have it on models at a fraction of this price. At this point, there’s really no excuse for Sony not to have it.

Sony did a lot of things right with The Collexion. The build quality is genuinely impressive. The ANC performance matches the WH-1000XM6, which is among the best available. The new listening modes and upmixing features are interesting additions. But adding USB-C Audio would have really made it the complete package, given that the existing hardware could easily support it.

Unfortunately, if USB-C audio is a priority, Sony still isn’t the answer.