Sony WH-1000XM4 review: The best noise-cancelling headphones
Our Verdict
The Sony WH-1000XM4 ups the ante in every mode to challenge the Bose 700 for the title of all-time noise-cancelling headphones.
For
- Splendid audio quality
- Remarkable noise cancellation
- Smart controls
- Strong bombardment life
- Lots of useful features
Against
- Call quality still needs work
Tom'southward Guide Verdict
The Sony WH-1000XM4 ups the ante in every way to claiming the Bose 700 for the title of all-time noise-cancelling headphones.
Pros
- +
Excellent audio quality
- +
Remarkable noise cancellation
- +
Smart controls
- +
Strong bombardment life
- +
Lots of useful features
Cons
- -
Phone call quality still needs work
The Sony WH-1000XM4 was the subject field of rumors long before Sony revealed it officially. And it was understandable why, as its predecessor had been such a surprising success. Could Sony'south side by side pair of over-ear headphones really get even better on sound quality, comfort and active dissonance cancellation?
Sony WH-1000XM4 specs
Colors:Black and Silver
Battery life:thirty hours (ANC on), 38 hours (ANC off)
Noise cancellation: Yes
Size:9.9 ten 3 x 7.3 inches
Weight:ix ounces
Connectivity:Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC
It turns out that yeah, yes information technology could. The WH-1000XM4 is in many ways similar to the onetime WH-1000XM3 headphones, simply remains a meaning overall upgrade that's won our hearts entirely. Fifty-fifty with the Bose 700 and AirPods Max lurking, we recollect Sony has made the best headphones you tin can buy today, and our full Sony WH-1000XM4 review will explain why.
- Read our full Sony WF-1000XM4 review
- AirPods Max vs. Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4: Which should you buy?
- More than of the best over-ear headphones
The Sony WH-1000XM4 has also won big in the Tom's Guide Awards 2021 Sound categories, taking home the All-time headphones overall, Best dissonance-cancelling headphones and Best over-ear headphones awards! Check out the full audio awards for more winners and recommended runners-up.
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Price and availability
The Sony WH-1000XM4 has an MSRP of $350, and currently almost major retailers sell it at this price, including Best Purchase, Amazon, and other authorized dealers. Nevertheless, sales aren't uncommonly — we've recently seen these headphones drop every bit low as $278, so you may wish to concord fire.
You have a choice of Black or Silvery — the same two options equally the previous model.
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Design
I strongly advise you lot to examine the packaging closely when looking for the Sony WH-1000XM4, because you lot could end up mistakenly buying the WH-1000XM3. That'due south how identical both pairs of headphones look. Is it a bad thing? Not entirely. The WH-1000XM2 is yet the most premium offering in the series, but the WH-1000XM4 receives a few aesthetic changes that enhance its presence.
The cushioning on the headband is slimmer, while the ear pads are redesigned to provide ten percent greater surface area for more contact with your caput. Sony also claims the bend of the headband has been "fine-tuned," though it's unclear how. A motility sensor has been integrated into the left ear cup likewise for smart control capabilities.
One major difference I notice is the texture, as the WH-1000XM4 has a soft rubberized finish that gives the headphones a more durable and premium experience than the plastic chassis of its predecessor. This likewise ways the cans won't accept on stains or scratches and then easily, a problem I encountered early when testing the WH-1000XM3.
What hasn't inverse? The copper accents, colorways, embossed Sony logos, ports, silhouette, and swivel mechanisms to plow the ear pads sideways for user-friendly storage. The number of buttons and their placement on the left earcup, along with NFC flake on the right ear loving cup, remain the aforementioned too.
In the box comes a Sony-branded aux cable, an in-flight adapter (though you may not be needing this at the moment), a USB-C charging cable, and a conduct example. The latter is basically the same one arranged with the previous model, offer plenty of space to handsomely display and store everything, and with a mesh pocket in the back to keep additional EDC items.
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Condolement and fit
Comfort and fit have always improved with every new release in the series, and that trend continues. The WH-1000XM4 is not only lighter and thinner than the WH-1000XM3, merely also feels lighter compared to the Bose 700, despite sharing the same weight. Granted Sony's cans are bigger in width, merely this doesn't impact their level of comfort.
I sported these headphones for three hours daily during my three-twenty-four hour period weekend with no problems. The headband rested gently on my skull and had very low clench force. When setting the extenders at the proper length, the headphones remained stable, though going a level or two higher created some looseness when head-nodding to jams. The plush cushioning on the earpads was every bit soothing every bit resting your head on a soft pillow, and the wider cutouts allow for more ventilation to prevent wet buildup during long listening sessions.
Sony WH-1000XM4: Touch controls and banana
Sony knew not to mess up a keen thing, so it kept the same bear on panels and gestures intact. The control scheme remains simple to operate: play/break (single tap), skip track (swipe left), previous runway (swipe correct), volume upward (swipe up), volume downwards (swipe down), answer/cease phone call (double tap), and digital assistant (tap and hold). All you lot demand to know is that each gesture operates smoothly.
Ane tiny item I did pick upward on was the ability to fast-forward or play a song backward by performing the respective swipe gesture and leaving your finger on the touch panel at the same fourth dimension. It'southward a attestation to how intuitive and responsive the impact controls are on these cans.
The WH-1000XM4's smart controls don't stop at that place. On-ear detection is bachelor to either pause or resume playback every time you remove or wear the headphones. The Quick Attending feature does the aforementioned whenever you identify your mitt over the correct earcup, while the speak-to-chat feature uses the born mics and avant-garde bespeak processing to recognize your vocalization and pause music when you speak. All three work incredibly well with very niggling latency nowadays.
Sony's "Precise Voice Pickup" technology makes its presence felt immediately when turning on the digital banana. The combination of five mics with advanced audio betoken processing creates a clearer pathway for the WH-1000XM4 to recognize vocalization commands, which it does with ease. Speech recognition is impeccable with the mics picking up every syllable. Verbal inquiries were registered quickly and responded to even faster. It'due south cool that Sony programmed the headphones with Alexa and Google Banana integration, but you lot can as well use them with Siri.
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Active dissonance counterfoil and Ambient Sound
Sony spared no expense to enhance its ANC technology. The WH-1000XM4 employs two feedforward mics and the company'due south proprietary Dual Noise Sensor technology that works with the Hard disk Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 fleck to analyze ambient sounds and filter them out. Truth be told, I barely noticed any differences in noise neutralization between the WH-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM3, which was absolutely fine since the results are even so remarkable.
To maximize operation, Sony included an NC Optimizer that measures your ears to create the best listening environment possible based on caput size. Along with this is an Atmospheric Pressure Optimization feature that adjusts pressure based on altitude, though it'south most suited for when you're on an plane or lounging at a ski resort up on a high mountain height. Considering the current pandemic, both scenarios aren't practical for testing noise counterfoil at the moment, then I improvised the best that I could.
I found the WH-1000XM4'southward ANC performance equally effective equally the Bose 700's, though sure sounds are more noticeable on Sony'south headphones. At depression volume, the WH-1000XM4 blocked out living room noises like cat meows and the NBA games playing in the background. Walking across my future mother in law'southward office numerous times throughout the day, the copier and fax machines were mute. Even when sitting outside on the porch I couldn't hear the sports cars whisking past the house. The Bose 700 afforded me the same silence.
Bustling noises similar the ones produced by an AC or car engine were audible, simply also sounded very low. It takes several loud ambient sounds occurring at one time to pull you away from whatever is blasting on the headphones. Based on past testing, I experience the Bose 700 does the best job of any noise-canceller to minimize these types of ambience noises.
The WH-1000XM4 doesn't have 10 levels of dissonance counterfoil like the Bose 700, but information technology has xx levels of ambient sound to hear your environment more than conspicuously without taking off the headphones. Considering the feature is still going through a refinement phase, at to the lowest degree on headphones, that is quite a feat. I managed to identify most of the noises around me, be it the dishwasher's timer or my fiancée shouting a favor asking from another room. Adjusting the levels volition amplify noise, which was irritating whenever someone made a smoothie in a blender, but that just shows how powerful the feature is.
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Audio quality
If you loved what came out of the WH-1000xM3, so its successor will also leave you satisfied. Both models audio nearly identical, something else I'm completely fine with since the end result is a loud and dynamic soundstage that feeds your ears with plenty of boom and detail. The Bose 700 is besides on the warm side of the audio spectrum, though it pales in comparison to the WH-1000XM4.
I pulled upwardly some hip-hop songs to examine bass performance, and as expected, the headphones delivered with veracity. The thumping production on The Throne's "No Church in the Wild" will take your caput rattling on max book. About headphones can't handle the record'due south pounding kick drums and high-pitched synths simultaneously, often muddying up the soundstage, but the WH-1000XM4 makes both elements transparent without masking the vocals.
The WH series doesn't get enough credit for its full-range sound, which is why I always recommend listening to Jazz recordings on Sony'southward headphones to experience it firsthand. A tape like Thelonious Monk "Well You Needn't" demonstrates how beautifully tuned these cans are, allowing you to bask in the subtle nuances, from the consistent hi-lid play to the stellar separation that makes every instrument sound distinct and precise.
Aux cable fans will exist delighted to hear the WH-1000XM4 sounds great in wired mode. Bass is brought down a notch, but still impactful, and the midrange is more prominent. John Fable'due south soulful vox and the handclap effects on "Green Low-cal" are emphasized, relegating the bass synths to the background, which fabricated for an enticing listen.
Keep in mind my observations are based on the default signature, which can be customized in the Sony Headphones Connect app by adjusting the different frequency levels or by selecting one of many presets. However, I'thou pretty confident you'll love what y'all hear without touching the app.
Sony mentioned it enhanced the upscaling algorithm for Bluetooth audio, while including support for multiple codecs (LDAC, AAC, SBC), and DSEE Extreme and Edge-AI technologies to enhance the fidelity lost on digitally compressed files. These are some serious audio specs for any pair of headphones to avowal, peculiarly ones priced under $500. I could hear the divergence in the clarity on most of my low-fi recordings and ripped MP3s.
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: App and special features
Nix beats the Sony Headphones Connect app. The massive feature set, along with Sony's commitment to consequent firmware updates, strengthens the app'south usability. Sony did implement pocket-size changes to the design, as it looks cleaner and navigation is more streamlined by existence separated into iii different sections: Status, Audio, and Organization.
Status is basic, granting access to the Adaptive Sound Command setting, a list of currently continued devices, and media histrion controls. System hosts the majority of the toggle controls, including automatic power off, firmware updates, motion detection, and custom button customization. Just all of your attention will exist committed to Sound since it's responsible for all of the sonic goodness.
We'll showtime with the Equalizer, which has a flat default, but can exist personalized to create your own music profile or swapped out for other well-engineered presets: Bass Boost, Bright, Excited, Mellow, Relaxed, Treble Heave, Oral communication, and Song. Each of these works well when paired with the right music genre; I'yard partial to Treble Boost for hip-hop, salsa, and jazz records.
Sony's 360 Reality Audio setup is here also, an sound platform compatible with a select number of hi-res services (e.g. Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer) to provide a more immersive listening experience. My only bug with it are that these platforms don't have the widest selection of songs that piece of work with the feature and come at a premium; non exactly something you desire to hear afterward spending close to 3 Benjamins on these cans.
Jumping outside of the app, the WH-1000XM4 presents multiple connectivity options that allow for seamless pairing. Bluetooth 5.0 delivers strong wireless performance, keeping connections stable for music streaming and Skype calls, while instantly pairing the headphones to previously connected devices. You'll also get some solid range, enjoying about 40 feet of cord-free listening away from your audio source. NFC is spot-on, letting you lot pair the cans by placing the back of any uniform smartphone on the correct ear cup.
We can't forget the addition of Fast Pair, Android's latest feature that instantly recognizes the headphones when Bluetooth is enabled and speeds up the pairing process. Even better is that it doubles equally a Find My Headphones feature by playing a sound through the headphones, so you can easily locate them.
Lastly, the i feature many of us foresaw: multipoint applied science. The WH-1000XM4 lets you lot connect to ii devices at the same fourth dimension. Most headphones with this feature brand you manually pair to the second device, only these cans do it automatically for you. Non only exercise you become voice notifications confirming you're connected to the two devices, only y'all can also see what those devices are in the app. I'thou loving it so far.
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Battery life
Nothing new here, folks. Battery life stays at 30 hours with ANC on, 38 hours with ANC off. Phonation your complaints about Sony not going bigger with playtime, but this is still more than a generous amount to work with, and 10 hours more than any Bose noise-cancelling model. Do the math and it is enough juice to keep you entertained on a circular-trip flight to China, with some power left to binge YouTube clips on Uber rides to and from the airports.
Based on my testing, the rated time is well-nigh an hr off, as my pair lasted around 29 hours when listening with ANC on. Loftier volume, heavy streaming, and actress features barely affected playtimes, so I have to commend Sony for its admirable task with bombardment direction. After a weekend with more than than 15 hours of use, battery life remained steady at 45 percent. Quick charging volition also ease your depression bombardment anxiety by generating 5 hours of playtime on a ten-infinitesimal charge.
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Telephone call quality
The biggest effect with Sony'southward WH series has been call quality. How does it fare on the WH-1000XM4 compared to its older siblings? Information technology's a minor comeback. I actually thought Precise Voice Pickup would exist a game-changer for calls, but it's OK at best.
Speaking to the time to come missus several times on the phone, she said my phonation sounded loud, simply not crisp, and was more muffled when stepping outside. On my end, she was audible to where I could hear everything she said, though the volume was lower than I liked.
Since I'm currently based in West Palm Beach, the opportunity hasn't presented itself to exam the wind resistance on these headphones, which was WH-1000XM3's kryptonite. I'm hoping to do so once the atmospheric condition is more brisk. What I tin say is that the headphones piece of work fine for conveying short messages over the telephone or on video chats. I just wouldn't rely on them for long conversations.
Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Verdict
Delivering small but significant enhancements in a familiar bundle, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a strong contender for the best noise-cancelling headphones you lot can buy. Information technology took 2 years for Sony to set some of the flaws that bothered usa in the previous version, but it was well worth the wait. These headphones sound amazing, dissonance cancellation is correct up there with Bose, and the all-encompassing feature set offers so much playability across multiple media formats and platforms.
Is there enough here to upgrade from the WH-1000XM3? If y'all want more consummate headphones, and accept the money to splurge, so yep, admittedly. At the aforementioned fourth dimension, the WH-1000XM3 are excellent headphones that, if available for nether $250, are a steal.
The WH-1000XM4 are Sony's all-time endeavor yet at dethroning the Bose 700, though Bose's headphones are all the same superior in certain areas — including telephone call quality. Nosotros definitely adopt them over Bose's new QuietComfort 45, and you tin can find out why in our Bose QuietComfort 45 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4 comparison.
Ultimately, Sony's new cans improve on near perfection, and are among the all-time headphones yous can buy right at present.
- The all-time noise-cancelling earbuds you tin buy
- Got money to burn? Check out the Focal Clear
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/sony-wh-1000xm4
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