Sony WH - 1000XM4 Wireless Headphones: Excellent Noise-Cancellation

By all means, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a great pair of wireless headphones with excellent noise-cancellation. Whatever Sony promises, they deliver. Aesthetically, the headphones don’t see a massive overhaul from the 2018 Sony WH-1000XM3. The WH-1000XM4 does pack a list of new improvements such as multipoint pairing and DSEE Extreme audio upscaling. Moreover, the Sony WH-1000XM4 also has 360 Reality Audio format from Sony enabling spatial audio as well as the LDAC codec. If you are planning on getting this pair of headphones, check out our Sony WH - 1000XM4 wireless headphones review.

Sony WH - 1000XM4 Wireless Headphones Release Date

Sony announced the WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones on August 6, 2020. And for the time being, they are Sony’s flagship headphones sitting above the true wireless Sony WF-1000XM3 and the mid-range Sony WH-CH710N.

Sony WH - 1000XM4 Wireless Headphones Price

In terms of pricing, Sony WH - 1000XM4 wireless headphones price is $349.99, the same price as that of the Sony WH-1000XM3 when it was launched back in the US.

This means the Sony WH-1000XM4 iss in the same price range as the Noise-Cancelling 700 Headphones of Bose that cost $339.99. The Sony headphones are slightly cheaper than the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 whose price is $399.99.

Sony WH - 1000XM4 Wireless Headphones Design

Regarding aesthetics, there isn’t a major difference between the Sony WH-1000XM4 and its predecessors even though Sony has added to the WH-1000XM4 some new components. In fact, when you put these headphones next to each other, you probably can’t tell the 1000XM3 and the 1000XM4 apart.

For materials, Sony uses high-quality plastic and pleather padding. As a result, the headphones feel mostly durable while still comfortable to wear.

Outside the earcups, there are two physical control buttons that can be used for power/paring. There is also a button to cycle through noise-canceling modes. Besides these, there is a USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm aux. jack. The earcups’ outer part works like a touch-capacitive control panel with which users can play, skip, or pause the music as well as lower or raise the volume.

Inside the headphones, Sony has changed the old SoC (system-on-a-chip) to go for a new one with better noise cancellation. This time, Sony uses its QNe1 Processor constantly sampling ambient audio to adjust the noise cancellation level reactively. It is an ingenious design and setup that separates Sony’s noise-canceling algorithm from the one-size0fits-all algorithm from other headphones-makers.

However, the bad news is the Sony WH-1000XM4 isn’t water-friendly. The headphones aren’t water-proof, water-resistant, or even splash-proof. According to Sony, users should keep their headphones dry and away from the water. If you want a pair of headphones to use outdoor or during a workout, you’d better choose something else.

Sony WH - 1000XM4 Features

Upon its release, the Sony WH-1000XM3 was loaded with features. Sony has carried all the best things about the WH-1000XM3 headphones to its successors while adding some all-new tricks. And these, thankfully, aren’t just gimmicks. They are actually useful additions that work like how they are advertised.

First, and perhaps the most important thing is Sony has improved its wireless noise-canceling tech. With the WH-1000XM4, it is never fully silenced but it is remarkably quiet. As soon as you play the actual audio, you can’t hear any sound from the outside world.

With your permission, the headphones can learn and apply your preferred level of ambient sound or noise-cancellation depending on your location. So, while you are at home, you may want a full canceled noise mode. But when you are in your office, you may still want some voices to come through. If you activate this feature, whenever you are at one of the set locations, a small chiming tone will be played. Even though GPS requirements mean the headphones won’t work when you are in subterranean commute, you can set your travel hub or a station in the Headphones Connect app.

The best about the new WH-1000XM4 is that the new features are convenient, simple, and effective. In the earcups, Sony adds a sensor that will recognize whenever you take the headphones off. Music will be paused and played automatically when you put the headphones back on. If you take out the headphones for a few minutes, the headphones will automatically switch off in order to save battery.

There is a new multipoint connection with which the headphones can connect to two devices simultaneously while switching between booth intelligently.

The most impressive feature is the Speak-to-Chat one. When you switch this option on, the microphone of the headphones will intelligently recognize whenever you start talking, pause the music and ramp up ambient noise. You can chat without having to take off your headphones. There will be a short pause after you stop talking before the music is played back. But, this is a double-edged sword. If you sing along when the feature is activated, your karaoke session is ended.

Sony WH - 1000XM4 Audio Quality

The same 40mm drivers in the WH-1000XM3 are used in the WH-1000XM4. In terms of mix, there aren’t many differences. The sound is warm and balanced. When required, the headphones do offer a wide soundstage and detail that can even pierce through a powerful bass.

Sony uses its Dual Noise Sensor tech. Each earcup has two mics that suck in sound that is then analyzed with the QN1 noise-canceling processor. The headphones are able to adjust their response for noise-cancellation quickly, at over 700 times a second. It is fantastically powerful.

The LDAC codec pushes wirelessly pushes a lot of detail through. The DSEE Extreme is added to restore lossy compressed formats’ detail. The AI-driven process can bring clarity to the lower quality files and formats. With 360 Reality Audio, you are immersed in a surround-sound mix.

Sony WH - 1000XM4 Battery Life

You have a substantial 30 hours of battery life if you switch the noise-canceling feature on and about 38 hours if you don’t use the feature.

It is enough to get you through a few days at the office or multiple international flights. So what about other competitors of Sony WH - 1000XM4 wireless headphones? For your information, the Bose Noise-Cancelling 700 can only last 20 hours with noise-canceling on.

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