Overview of Sony Wh-1000xm4 2023

Sony isn’t messing around with this one.
The main problem with the call quality of the Sony Wh-1000xm4 predecessor has been fixed by the latest redesign of its best wireless noise-canceling headphones.
Now it’s obvious if you’re inside or outside.

Now that that’s taken care of, music lovers can enjoy everything this $349 pair of headphones has to offer, like great sound quality, 30 hours of battery life, and a lot of ways to change the sound, which makes the 1000xM4 some of the smartest headphones on the market.
You also get active noise cancellation, which, dare I say, is a serious challenger to Bose’s crown. This makes the WH1000xM4 the newest addition to our Best Noise Cancelling Headphones and Best Wireless Headphones pages.

Headphones by Sony WH-1000xM4

With this, Sony isn’t playing around.

The main problem with the quality of calls with the WH-1000xM4’s predecessor has been fixed in the latest version of the best wireless noise-canceling headphones.

It is now clear whether you are inside or outside.

Now that that’s taken care of, music lovers can take advantage of all that this $349 set of headphones has to offer, including excellent sound quality, 30 hours of battery life, and numerous sound-changing options, making the Wh-1000xm4 some of the most intelligent headphones on the market.

Additionally, you get active noise cancellation, which, if I may say so, poses a real threat to Bose’s throne.
The Wh-1000xm4

is the latest addition to our lists of the Best Noise-Canceling Headphones and the Best Wireless Headphones.

Compatibility of Sony WH-1000xM4 headphones

The Wh-1000xm4 is quite comfortable.
They were so comfortable that I wore them nonstop for a whole 8-hour workday.
The only time I saw them was when I turned them on and off.
The bigger surface area of the earcups made them feel very soft against my head and relieved any uncomfortable pressure.
The big oval shape of the earcups completely covers my small ears, and those with bigger ears should have no trouble with it.

WH-1000xM4 Sony headphones setup

You may connect your Wh-1000xm4 to your device in a variety of ways.
There is the conventional Bluetooth pairing, which is finished in under a minute.
And for compatible devices, there is NFC, which allows the devices to be paired by touching each other.

The Sony WH-1000xM4 headphones’ controls

Similar to its predecessor, the touch controls are deftly concealed in the right earcup.
Upward/downward strokes change volume, whereas a right/left swipe skips records. The operations are equivalent.
Double touching the cup’s center will allow you to pause/play music, as well as answer/ignore incoming calls.
You can use Quick Attention to temporarily stop the music so you can talk by putting your palm on the right earcup.

Sony WH-1000xM4 Headphones software

This is a companion app right now!
The free Sony Headphones Connect app, which is available for both Android and iOS, unlocks a lot of features that make the Wh-1000xm4 stand out from other headphones.
In addition to turning the headphones on and off, the battery life, volume settings, and track information may also be viewed.
You can also change the levels of Adaptive Sound Control, which go from no noise at all to level 20 of Ambient Sound Control.

Sony WH-1000xM4 Noise-Cancelling Headphones

To block out noise, Sony has constructed sophisticated technology.
Two feedforward microphones on the xM4 record background noise and transmit it to the HD noise-canceling processor QN1 chip using the company’s exclusive Dual Noise Sensor technology.
The data is then analyzed at over 700 times per second by the Bluetooth System on Chip (SoC), which uses an algorithm to filter out the noise.

Headphones from Sony with 360-degree audio

Sony uses additional audio techniques in addition to ANC.
The company’s newest pair of headphones, the Wh-1000xm4, uses its 360 Reality Audio technology, which creates a 3D audio soundscape.
Therefore, when I listened to Britney Spears’s “Toxic” on one of the Tidal-approved playlists, I felt as though I was in my concert hall, and I half-expected Spears to enter wearing the blue stewardess outfit from the music video.

Sony WH-1000xM4 Headphones Audio Quality

Okay, so Sony has a lot of features, but how does the audio sound?
Simply put, great.

I began with the buried instrumentals from Rihanna’s song “Needed Me” with the equalization off.
The boss kiss-off song seemed both ethereal and dark. The bass seemed to rise from the environment, and the synthesized instruments had room to float around Rihanna’s scratchy, aggressive alto.
I can still clearly hear the drum kit despite what ought to be obnoxious bass.

The Sony WH-1000xM4 headphones’ battery life and Bluetooth

They continue.
Despite using the Wh-1000xm4 for 20 hours over three days, the headphones still retain 30% battery life.
That matches Sony’s 30-hour prediction with the ANC turned on.
When ANC is turned off, you get 38 hours of juice, which, when listened to for three hours each day, should last for almost two weeks.
Both times are far longer than the Bose’s estimated 20-hour battery life.

Sony WH-1000xM4 Headphones call clarity

One of the biggest complaints about the Wh-1000xm4 was its call quality.
Sony considered your feedback and updated the xM4.
First, the headphones have five microphones that work to cancel out background noise and boost your voice.
Sony’s Precise Voice Pickup technology tells the microphones how to process audio signals so that phone calls have great sound quality.

Not for the faint of pocketbook, the price

This pair of ANC headphones are of the highest quality.
Unless you’re looking at true audiophile headphones (you know, the wired cans you use with a tube amp), this price is comparable to that of consumer headphones.

Sony first sold the XM4s for $348, which isn’t cheap, but you still get the same great sound, comfort, and build quality.
Let me put it this way: Sony spent the time necessary to give each component of these headphones the attention they require to feel and sound great.
If you can initially afford them, you will likely not experience buyer’s remorse.

WH-1000XM3 vs. WH-1000XM4 by Sony

In case it wasn’t clear from this review’s comparisons of the two most recent Wh-1000xm4 generations, I believe these two Sony headphones to be the two brands’ main rivals.
While Bose has strong contenders in this category, and Microsoft’s Surface Headphones are a unique entry as well, the WH-1000XM3s was already my favorite flagship, ANC, over-ear headphones.
It’s not surprising that I think the XM4s are the best right now.