Sony WH-1000XM4 Review

Wireless active noise canceling headphones do not become obsolete and the Sony WH-1000XM4 is correctly considered to be one of the leading candidates in this competition. After thoroughly analyzing on offer features and in what situations I would use the headphones I can understand that. Sony has secured a good reputation with the WH1000X series headphones and the XM4s take it a step further combining incredible aggressive noise cancelation capabilities, intelligent functionalities, and user comfort. These headphones were tested in a number of conditions – commuting, work at home, leisure listening – so as to evaluate how they operate under normal use.

Design and Aesthetics

The Sony wh-1000xm4 wireless is identical to its predecessor Sony WH-1000XM3 in terms of design; however, that’s not something that should be held against the headphones. They come along with the same nice and simple appearance that I found appropriate for any casual or formal works. The WH-1000XM4 has a nice black and silver finish that is very classy; it does not draw attention to itself but has a nice polish like Sony WH-CH720N. The downside to this is that the gloss finish of such headphones makes them prone to dirt and smudges from oily fingers.

On both ear cups, the small Sony logo is unobtrusive and adds no squelchy bumps on the design and overall feels for the headphones. I have used this design for some time, and I must say that I liked how easy it was to wear them in most places whether it’s in a café, in an office or inside a plane.

These earcups could swivel as well as fold flat, which I first thought was a good thing because it would help me in storing them in my bag or hand carry-case when I am not using them. In addition, the headband is collapsible in the middle, diminishing its length. When you are away from home, you have to travel with headphones in Sony’s well designed travel case.

Materials and Build Quality

When it comes to the build quality of the Sony WH-1000XM4, it’s important to say immediately that it feels premium but not too bulky or heavy. For most of the parts of the body, Sony uses high-grade plastic which contributes to the lightness of the headphones in weight (less than 254 grams) and a sturdiness factor. The plastic used is relatively soft to touch and feels good even when resting on the skin and does not feel low grade even without any metal. Its material quality makes it better than other popular models like JBL Tune 770NC and Jabra Elite 45h.

Another reason is that the headband is constructed with a subtle but strong metal core that provides added strength but minimizes the additional weight. The headband’s padding is pleather, while the earpads’ cushions are memory foam encased with the same polyurethane leather. While these may not be materials that you would consider to be truly upscale, they are certainly able to withstand the rough treatment that comes with everyday use. Even after long hours of use, I did not see or feel any significant stretching or wear on any of the materials.

One item that I did notice was the ear cups and their positiveness towards wearing off. This, however, appears to be a cosmetic problem carrying no concern on the wear and tear of the ear gantries. To sum it all up, the headphones give an impression of sturdiness since there are no aggravating creaking sounds or flexing of the joints on the headband or ear cups like Technics RP-DJ1200.

Comfort and Fit

The WH-1000XM4 headphones from Sony have the best comfort. To witness this is the first instance that emerged during my tests. Thanks to the lightweight design as well as a set of soft memory foam ear pads, the pads sound good and do not cause fatigue even during long listening. I worked with them for hours, and for all that time, I never felt any sort of discomfort or pressure points like Jabra Elite 45h.

The over-ear design of the ear cup is well big enough to completely cover my ears without squeezing them and is important to using them over long periods of time. Memory foam ear pads not only help you fit your TV head, but help adjust the force applied on the ears as well. Fortunately I didn’t have the sore ears problem even after a full day of use, which often happens with rather bulky over-ear headphones.

There is enough clamping force on the headband. It is important enough for the headphones not to fall off even with movement, but not too tight that one feels that their head is being locked in a vice. Also, I liked that the headband is highly adjustable - regardless whether you have a small or larger than average head, there is an easy way to adjust to a comfortable position.

If you tend to spend a lot of time with headphones on for work, traveling or listening in general, the WH-1000XM4 is one of the most comfortable options I have used. The comfortability of this model is better than other popular headphones like Skullcandy Crusher Evo or Jabra Evolve2 65.

Sound Quality

There is little doubt that the sound on these Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones is astonishing. Sony has put 40mm drivers inside these headphones which supply speakable sound standards. From the first moment I put them on, I heard every single note regardless of frequency range. Their sound response was flat regardless of the electronic music being played, hip hop with vocals only or even classical music when using the WH-1000XM4.

Beginning with the bass, it is deep and strong but not overdone like Sennheiser HD 560S. The bass is where it packs a punch, it’s great for any track that features hard bass lines like hip-hop, EDM or anything with a good amount of heavy low-end. On the other hand, it is sanitized enough such that it never clouds the mids or treble. I enjoyed songs like "Travis Scott - Goosebumps" and "Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend" and the bass thumped very hard without any detail loss.

This is the zone that consists of vocals and quite a number of instruments. In this parameter, the WH-1000XM4 does very well. A very forward and pronounced vocalism can be appreciated within the mix, which is especially suited to acoustic and some vocal performances. However, songs like "Adele - Someone Like You" and "Ed Sheeran - Shape of You" were pleasing to my ears. Its modes are thick and smooth and thus one is able to hear the sound of guitars and the piano well without it dominating the whole track.

For the treble range, the WH-1000XM4 gives clear treble ranges without being too shrill or sibilant. The treble contains just enough sparkle for cymbals and strings to sound; still there are no harsh sounds that can be quiet annoying after long hours of listening. Starting with "Daft Punk - Get Lucky" or "Coldplay - Viva La Vida", I was able to notice many high-end detail nuances without a hint of distortion or peaky sharpness.

Considering how closed back the headphone is, the soundstage width is respectable. Not that the WH-1000XM4 is comparable to open back models in this respect, but there is a good sensa t7­ i3 T s11. I could easily discern various instruments even from cluttered mixes, and imaging, how accurately sounds are placed in space, is perfect.

Whether you are an audiophile or just a casual listener, the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones give a delightful experience regardless of the music style.

Noise Cancellation (ANC)

Understandably, one of the most popular features that everybody seems to be raving about on the Sony WH-1000XM4 is the active noise cancellation (ANC) feature. From my tests, in different situations, I can say that it truly lives up to the expectations. It is not surprising that Sony had always been ahead on anything that has to do with noise cancellation, and this time in the case of the XM4 it goes further with the technology. This Sony noise cancelling headphones provide batter ANC than Beats Solo3 Wireless on-ear Headphones.

I took the most active noise cancellation feature outside to the street, tested it in a third coffee shop, and put it to the test at home while the air conditioner was on – the WH-1000XM4 managed to get rid of all background noise to a very adequate extent every single time. Low pitched range sounds such as engine roar, traffic and sound of the aircraft were almost completely wiped away. I remember wearing these headphones while being on an aircraft and the ANC was able to block out most of the sound of the body of the aircraft allowing me to listen to my music without cranking the volume high.

Even more remarkable is the extension of ANC even to human notice that wears mid-range or even higher frequency sounds such as people talking. Naturally, there is no form of noise canceling that will make voices regardless of how many there are inactive – conversely of this Sony wireless headphones, a normal fellow would turn such voices down to whisper status. This made working in unideal situations enhanced – it was easier to concentrate on the music or work in case of unnecessary noise.

Finally, the headphones have a feature that enables external noise to seep through when necessary—perfect for instances when you want to concentrate, but not completely disengage for instance when walking in a crowded street, or at the airport where you are likely to hear some public announcements.

So was Sony’s ANC technology. It has the ability to adapt. It adjusts the extent of the noise cancellation depending on the surroundings, which I really appreciated. It would not matter if I was on the move or seated at home; the ANC was just always the correct measure of how much protection against external sounds I needed as I went about my daily activities.

Smart Features

Sony has included for the Sony WH-1000XM4 a fair share of smart elements improvement which most certainly makes it more user friendly. Speak-to-chat functionality is one of the most remarkable options. As soon as a user begins to talk, head wireless cups pause music playback and activate the microphone so that a user is able to talk without taking the headphones off or pressing/touching any buttons. I found it very helpful, for example as I was ordering coffee or responding to a colleague's quick question.

Equally impressive is wear detection. If you take off the WH-1000XM4 headphones, playback suspends and when you come back with them, playback continues. Such little things really refined my enjoyment of listening, especially when it involved removing a pair of earphones in a hurry to speak with someone or to read my messages.

Perhaps the icing on the salted cake is Sony’s Adaptive Sound Control. This is a feature that is looking at your activity and changing the sound settings accordingly. If you are active, for example, and walking, it will tone down the cormorant noise suppression function to some levels, however, while sit still, the active noise cancellation will be turned on to high levels. And after a while, the features evolve with you. This is something I thought was nice but subtle.

Also, this Sony heaphones works well with voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, making it possible to control music, notifications or smart home devices without the need to take out the phone.

When it comes to headphones featuring active noise cancellation, Sony has announced the WH-1000XM4, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed WH-1000XM3, which was launched in 2019. The headset is a round-shaped on-ear structure with a beautifully soft and pleasant touch, designed for long wear. Apart from the basic features of headphones of this class, the manufacturer implements the so-called artificial intelligence or, as it is divergently called, the PHB – human-biological interface within.

Furthermore, the Sony WH-1000XM4 has great support for virtual assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa making it possible as in practical terms, to change songs, notifications or smart devices at home without the need to pick out the phone lace.

Connectivity and Usability

Sony WH-1000XM4 has Bluetooth 5 and overall I am content with the reliability of the link and connection range. There were no interruptions during testing, and the connection setup was simple and fast. There is also support for high-end Bluetooth codecs, such as LDAC, AAC, and SBC, one can listen to higher resolution audio on supported devices.

Such an interesting feature as multipoint connectivity is worth mentioning separately. This means that it is possible to have the headphones paired with two devices at the same time. For example, I could connect the headphones to my laptop and smartphone at the same time as I was listening to music on the computer and could receive calls on the phone without changing the devices. It enhanced productivity and during my tests, it worked quite effectively.

The touch sensor on the right earcup of the headphones offers satisfying interactivity. The volume can be increased or decreased by swiping up and down, songs can be skipped by swiping left or right and there is also an option to play/pause the song which can be tapped. Learning how to use the touch controls has been very easy for me, and I never had problems with unwanted touches.

When it comes to these situations, Sony includes a 3.5mm audio cable which is commendable for situations where battery usage is uncalled for or one needs to connect to non-Bluetooth enabled devices.

Battery Life

This paper examines the definition and need for batteries such as the Sony WH-1000XM4. When it comes to Sony WH-1000xm4 battery duration, this high quality headphone has got all it needs to last long while playing. Sony's claim of 30 hours of playback with ANC enabled is quite true in my testing.

The ANC utilizes substantial power but with my limited supplies, it was typical that I did not have to recharge more than once every week, perhaps once in ten days. Also, there is no noise watching Television with these headsets. With the noise cancellation feature off, the battery can be extended to about 38 hours and this makes these headphones good for long distance trips or long hours of listening.

Quick charging with USB-C is fast becoming the in thing. When you're in a hurry, a 10-minute charge gives you up to 5 hours of playback, which is very useful. Also, it takes about three hours to charge the headphones in full, which is pretty much in the same line as what headphones with this much battery life takes to charge.

Mic Performance and Call Quality

The Sony WH-1000XM4 compares favorably with its peers in terms of call quality. Sony has altered the microphone arrangement as compared to the previous versions, and when I made test calls, my voice was heard perfectly. I made calls in a silent place and also received calls on a busy street, and the noise-canceling microphones focused my voice despite the majority of sounds in the background.

The mic quality for video calls and response recordings is decent enough. It is not the very best you can get. In a quiet surrounding, the WH-1000XM4 managed calls like a pro. In a loud surrounding however, some background noise did seep through, but it was not discomforting.

Durability and Portability

While the Sony WH-1000XM4 doesn’t look amazing, it is still good enough for the daily workload. There’s excellent-grade premium plastic with metal inside the headband and soft touch materials across the build which makes the headphones feel very good. At least the headband and ear cups do not get that damaged irrespective of regular use of the headphones.

The headphones can be folded and stowed in a supplied carrying case which is quite hard and suitable for travel. The case is not so large that it cannot be carried in a backpack, which means the WH-1000XM4 can be taken around easily. Furthermore, these aren’t the tiniest headphones available, but they allow for a good mix of being portable, as well as full-size comfort.

Final Verdict

The Sony WH-1000XM4 is about as polished as it can be and has no glaring weaknesses. Apart from the astounding noise canceling ability to how well the headphones sound, smart features, and comfort, it is nothing short of amazing. If you are traveling, doing disstans work, or just want to hear music, you would cover every need you have in a wireless ANC headphone with WH-1000XM4.

Clearly priced higher than what else is on the market, the value proposition is very hard to argue against. So, to those, who need the best of the best, the WH-1000XM4 of Sony makes a well-delivering investment.

FAQs