Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphones Review, If you can afford it, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is the best contemporary headphones. High-quality Bluetooth codecs, superb sound, better noise cancellation, decent battery life, and smart features like auto pause and Bluetooth multipoint make them the finest all-around solution for most people.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones provide great noise-cancellation and sound quality. The WH-1000XM4’s multipoint connection, DSEE Extreme upscaling, conversational awareness, and built-in sensor auto-play/pause make these 2022’s greatest headphones. Even though they were launched in 2020 and replaced by the WH-1000XM5, they’re still among our top headphones of 2023.
Sony’s 360 Reality Sounds format and LDAC codec allow stereo headphones to play spatial audio. Unfortunately, it no longer supports aptX or aptX HD, therefore hi-res audio support may vary. Due to their excellent noise cancellation and cutting-edge codec support, they always deliver.
Release date and pricing for the Sony WH-1000XM4
- A purchase in the US will set you back $349, while a purchase in the UK would set you back £349.
- Cost in Australian Dollars
- Australia’s $549
- It will be available in August 2020.
Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones, part of the company’s flagship series but now eclipsed by the newer XM5 models, were introduced on August 6, 2020. These over-ear cans are a step up from Sony’s midrange WH-CH710N headphones and the company’s true wireless WF-1000XM4 earbuds.
Comparatively, the Bose Noise-Cancelling 700 Headphones cost $339.99 / £349.95 / AU$599.95, while the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 can be had for $399.99 / £349 / AU$600. However, let us not forget that the PX7 has also been superseded by the release of the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2, which can be had for $399 / £379 / approx.
They’re also a lot less expensive than the Apple AirPods Max, which retail at $549 in the US, £549 in the UK, and AU$899 in Australia. Plus, the Sony XM4s is now an older model, so we wouldn’t be shocked to see some sweet discounts on them in the near future.
- ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION: Premium noise canceling with Dual Noise Sensor technology
- LONG BATTERY LIFE: Up to 30-hour battery life with quick charging (10 min charge for 5 hours of playback)(USB Type-C Cable included)
- TOUCH SENSOR CONTROLS: Pause play skip tracks, control volume, activate your voice assistant, and answer phone calls.
What we like
- Industry-leading noise canceling with Dual Noise Sensor technology
- Next-level music with Edge-AI, co-developed with Sony Music Studios Tokyo
- Touch Sensor controls to pause play skip tracks, control volume,
- activate your voice assistant, and answer phone calls.
- Speak-to-chat technology automatically reduces the volume of conversations
- Superior call quality with precise voice pickup
- Wearing detection pauses playback when headphones are removed Seamless multiple-device pairing
- Up to 30-hour battery life with quick charging (10 min charge for 5 hours of playback)
- Note: If you face an issue with Bluetooth connectivity please turn off the Bluetooth function for a couple of minutes, then turn it back on
What we don’t like
- Not water-resistant
- Battery life is down from the previous version
- Slightly less comfortable than the WH-1000XM3
How’s the Sony WH-1000XM4?
The WH-1000XM4 has various additional features despite its same appearance. Bluetooth multipoint enables connecting to two devices easier in daily usage (more on that later). It lets you go between listening to music at your workplace and viewing YouTube videos on your phone without accessing your Bluetooth settings. Multipoint requires both devices to utilize the AAC Bluetooth codec.
The Sony Headphones Connect app adds capabilities including speak-to-chat and the ability to connect to two devices. This stops the music when the headphones detect speech. Given how sensitive the detection is, the function is helpful yet unpleasant.
The WH-1000XM4 stops a podcast when I laugh at a joke. Wearing headphones that halt your music when you produce odd noises makes you realize how many you make. Some may find it beneficial, but most will turn it off.
The headphones-off auto-pause option works similarly. When you take off the headphones, a sensor in the left earcup stops the audio. Is it essential? No, but Sony nails the delicate touch you’d expect from $350 USD headphones.
Even without noise cancellation, the ear cups are thicker than before, improving isolation. I notice the narrower headband with less cushioning. The cushioning is nice, however, the strain at the top of my skull increased with prolonged listening sessions.
Sony WH-1000XM4: design
- Minor refinements to the Sony WH-1000XM4.
- Solid construction with soft cushioning
- Different System-on-Chip for better noise suppression
- The total absence of resistance to water.
Despite having many new internal components, the Sony WH-100XM4 headphones seem similar to their predecessors. The 1000XM3 and 1000XM4 seem quite similar.
Materials include high-quality plastic and soft pleather cushioning. The outcome is a robust, pleasant product.
Two power/pairing buttons, a noise-canceling mode button, and a 3.5mm aux. connector and a USB-C charging port are located on the earcups. Touch-capacitive controls on the exterior earcups let you play, stop, skip, and adjust the volume.
However, magic occurs within headphones. Sony upgraded its system-on-a-chip (SoC) for greater noise canceling. The Sony QNe1 Processor continuously samples ambient sounds to reactively alter noise suppression. Its clever design distinguishes it from other manufacturers’ one-size-fits-all noise-canceling algorithms.
Unfortunately, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is neither splash-proof, water-proof, or even water-resistant. Sony advises against exposing them to water. That’s simple logic and easy to do, but it limits where you can take them—these aren’t jogging headphones.
Specifics of the Sony WH-1000XM4
- The best noise reduction in its class
- conversational and situational awareness
- Pairing with many devices at once
- The music might be put on hold if it detects singing.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 was released with innovative control methods and smart noise-canceling features. The WH-1000XM4 headphones have all the amazing features of the WH-1000XM3, plus additional ones. These aren’t simply gimmicks—they’re functional and operate as stated.
Start with the new. First and foremost, Sony improved its wireless noise-canceling. Like the excellent design, it’s subtle (such was the strength of the previous system, anyway).
In the mid-ranges, where you could hear a fan, air conditioning unit, or engine noise, the WH-1000XM4 cancels out more noise. It’s never silent, yet when you play audio through the cans, you can’t hear anything.
It’s one of the finest wireless headphones’ noise-canceling technologies, yet strong wind may still make sounds come through.
The WH-1000XM4 headphones may use geo-location access to determine your optimum noise-canceling or ambient sound passthrough level. At home, you may desire an entirely canceled noise mode, while at work, you may want voices.
When engaged, Sony headphones play a brief chime when they approach one of your chosen places and adjust the noise-cancellation. Though GPS requirements prevent it from working underground, you may preset your station or travel hub in the Headphones Connect app and activate your chosen noise-canceling settings before descending.
Convenience features are the WH-1000XM4’s greatest. Simple, effective additions. When you remove the headphones, a sensor in the earcups pauses the music and resumes playing when you put them back on. To save battery life, they turn off after a few minutes. The headphones can now connect to two devices at once, automatically choosing between them to give notifications or answer calls.
New Speak-to-Chat is remarkable. With this setting selected, the headphones’ microphone will automatically halt music and increase ambient noise when you start talking. It lets you talk normally without taking off your headphones, pausing music playing once you finish.
It’s almost too effective—if you sing along with the function active, it’ll stop the music and terminate your karaoke session. If your vocal gymnastics are restricted, convenient.
Sound quality with the Sony WH-1000XM4
- Drivers that measure 40 millimeters in circumference and are worn on the ears
- The bass is robust but warm and well-balanced.
- Help for Full-Circle VR Stereo sound for surround sound systems
- We support LDAC and AAC, but neither aptX nor aptX HD.
Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones have the same 40mm drivers as the WH-1000XM3, thus tonally and mix-wise, they’re similar. It has a pleasant, balanced sound that may provide a wide soundstage and detail that cuts through strong bass.
Sony employs their Dual Noise Sensor innovation to analyze sound with the QN1 noise-canceling processor using two microphones in each earcup. At almost 700 times a second, this lets the headphones modify their noise suppression response imperceptibly. It’s strong and never interrupts your music.
aptX HD compatibility would have been nice, but Sony’s LDAC codec, available here, pushes loads of information wirelessly. DSEE Extreme, an AI-driven technology that restores information from lossy compressed formats, helps the WH-1000XM4 handle lower-quality formats and data.
Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format, which immerses you in a surround-sound mix, is still stunning, even if its library is confined to a few streaming providers and its expansion has been modest.
In a work-at-home, share-the-kitchen-table-with-a-flatmate situation, the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones leaked enough noise to distract at half their maximum volume. If you’re bringing them to a quiet workplace or library, remember that the outside world can still hear what you’re listening to.
Sony WH-1000XM4: battery runtime
- Battery life is the same.
- 30/38 hours with noise cancellation on/off
- Charging (five hours of charge after just 10 minutes)
- Outlast the competition.
The Sony WH-1000XM4’s battery life didn’t improve, but it still lasts 30 hours with noise canceling on and 38 hours without it. The Sony WH-1000XM4’s new auto-on/off and play/pause sensor in the earcup extends playing duration even if they don’t have a longer battery life. It saves people who forget to switch off their headphones at night and die 24 hours later.
We were first disappointed—how could a device not increase battery life year-over-year? We realized the headphones now contain voice recognition, a new SoC, an algorithm, and sensors. It’s remarkable that it didn’t change after adding many features.
The 30 hours should be plenty to get you through numerous international flights or a few days to the office, but it’s also comforting to know that the headphones can be charged in a matter of minutes owing to rapid charging. Sony claims a 10-minute charge yields five hours and a three-hour charge.
How does the Sony WH-1000XM4 stack up? Favorably. With noise canceling engaged, the Bose Noise-Cancelling 700 only lasted 20 hours, while the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 matched the Sony at 30.
If you need more information, check out the video I’ve included here.
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FAQs: sony wh 1000xm4 wireless headphones review
Q. Sony WH-1000XM4 music controls?
WH-1000XM4 controls are similar to earlier versions. Touch-sensitive ear cups control playback. Double-tapping to pause only works sometimes. Swiping to regulate volume and skip music works well, however, the headphones have trouble recognizing taps. Take remove the headphones and let the music auto-pause.
Ambient mode, one of my favorites, is activated by cupping your hand over the left ear cup. It substantially reduces the audio and plays what’s around you using the headphones’ microphones. Not a big problem if you spend most of your time at home, but beneficial if you need to fast hear a pilot or train conductor announcement while commuting.
Q. Should you download Sony Headphones Connect?
The software lets you EQ the WH-1000XM4. The app is the only method to access this old function. The app activates Bluetooth multipoint. Download it for that feature. The WH-1000XM4 headphones need the Sony Headphones Connect app to maximize their potential. You can use the headphones as-is, but you need the app to modify them and utilize some of the fun new features. The headphones’ second button may activate your phone’s assistant or toggle noise cancellation.
Unfortunately, you can only pick one by installing the program. These work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Sony headphones no longer support iOS Google Assistant.
The program also has 360-degree sound and noise canceling optimization. The noise canceling is already great, but the app lets you customize it for your circumstance and air pressure. To hear your surroundings, you may modify the headphones’ ambient sound mix. You may always cup your hand over the right earcup for a complete passthrough to get a cardboard-tasting meal from the cheerful flight personnel in economy class.
Q. Sony WH-1000XM4 Bluetooth codecs?
The Sony WH-1000XM4 offers Bluetooth 5.0, Bluetooth multipoint, SBC, AAC, and Sony’s LDAC, which provides the greatest streaming quality if you’re ready to cope with a less steady connection. If your device doesn’t support any of these codecs, it will default to SBC, the most basic codec shared by all Bluetooth audio devices. The supplied 3.5mm audio cable lets non-Bluetooth devices connect.
The headphones can only activate your phone’s assistant or toggle noise cancellation on/off. The range works well in my ordinary two-bedroom flat. My laptop and Sony WH-1000XM4 let me wander about my flat without skipping. My Pixel 3 stays linked in any pocket.
Should I buy the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphones?
Buy them if…
Optimal noise-canceling headphones are a must-have for you.
When it comes to canceling out ambient noise, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is, in our opinion, unrivaled. They’re worth it for fliers since their long battery life and excellent ANC makes them the ideal in-cabin entertainment device.
You need headphones that are both flexible and high-quality in sound.
Typically, you have to choose between a set of headphones that excel in music playback and noise cancellation. The Sony WH-1000XM4 excels at both, so you won’t have to choose between the two.
Now that you’re working from home, you’d appreciate some quiet.
We have no doubt that these headphones if cranked up loud enough and activated with the noise-canceling feature, will provide you with the much-needed peace and quiet you’ve been craving at home. The Sony WH-1000XM4 may provide you with the tranquility and silence you’ve been looking for.
Put off your purchase if…
Are you thinking about taking them with you to the health club or the beach?
You may be able to block out the grunts of the person next to you while you work out, but the loosened fit and lack of water resistance of the WH-1000XM4 could make you think twice before putting them in your gym bag.
You must have several conference calls every day.
Sony WH-1000XM4 are the greatest headphones to wear while traveling between meetings, but they aren’t the best headphones to use after you get at each one. If you spend a lot of time on the phone and want superior sound quality, I highly recommend investing in a set of Jabra headphones.
You hate tinkering with apps
The Sony Headphones app conceals a plethora of useful functions. It’s here that you’ll be able to adjust the equalizer, activate Speak-to-Chat and Ambient Sound Control, switch on DSEE Extreme, and choose your favorite smart assistant. If you’re not a fan of installing third-party programs, you should still give this one a try.
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