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Sony WH-1000XM4 Review

Top-notch in terms of both noise cancellation and sound quality, it's hard to find a better listening experience
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Sony WH-1000XM4 Review (The Sony WH-1000XM4 provided the most effective noise cancellation throughout our testing.)
The Sony WH-1000XM4 provided the most effective noise cancellation throughout our testing.
Credit: Laura Casner
Price:  $350 List
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Manufacturer:   Sony
By Max Mutter and Michelle Powell  ⋅  Jun 5, 2023
92
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#1 of 8
  • Sound Quality - 30% 10.0
  • Noise Isolation - 25% 10.0
  • Comfort - 25% 8.0
  • User Friendliness - 10% 9.0
  • Portability - 10% 8.0

Our Verdict

If you're looking for a pair of the best over ear headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM4 are an exceptional wireless model. Both the sound quality and noise-canceling abilities are field-leading, able to deliver powerful lows, crisp mids, and sparkling highs whether you're sitting in the silence of your living room or dealing with the raucous din of a crowded train station (or working from a less-than-silent home office). A few convenient touches, like the ability to link to multiple devices at once, touch-sensitive controls, and an auto-pause sensor, complete the package. As long as you can stomach the price tag, you're almost sure to love the Sony WH-1000XM4. See it ranked against other top products in our article on the best wireless headphones.
REASONS TO BUY
Superb active noise cancellation and overall sound quality
Multipoint Bluetooth pairing
Auto-pause
Relatively comfortable for most people
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Editor's Note: This Sony review was updated on June 5, 2023, to include suggestions on what other headphones we like.

Compare to Similar Products

 
sony wh-1000xm4
This Product
Sony WH-1000XM4
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Wireless Headphones
Editors' Choice Award
Most Comfortable Wireless Headphones
 Best Buy Award
Best Bang for Your Buck
 
Price $350 List
$348.00 at Amazon
$379 List
$379.00 at Amazon
$349 List
$349.00 at Amazon
$60 List
$54.99 at Amazon
$160 List
$89.88 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line An excellent choice for both audiophiles and those looking to enhance their concentration by drowning out distractionsThe clear choice for those that place a premium on comfort without sacrificing sound quality and noise cancellationPerfect for audiophiles that want exceptional possible sound and good noise cancellationGood overall sound quality, noise isolation, and comfort at a great priceOnly suitable for those that want powerful bass, don't care about clarity, and don't have large heads
Rating Categories Sony WH-1000XM4 Bose Noise Cancelli... Bose QuietComfort 3... Soundcore Life Q20 Skullcandy Crusher
Sound Quality (30%)
10.0
9.0
9.0
7.0
5.0
Noise Isolation (25%)
10.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
Comfort (25%)
8.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
6.0
User Friendliness (10%)
9.0
9.0
8.0
8.0
6.0
Portability (10%)
8.0
8.0
8.0
7.0
7.0
Specs Sony WH-1000XM4 Bose Noise Cancelli... Bose QuietComfort 3... Soundcore Life Q20 Skullcandy Crusher
Type Over-ear Over-ear Over-ear Over-ear Over-ear
Noise cancelling Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Manufacturer reported battery life (hours) 30 20 40 wired, 20 BT 40 40
Measured weight (ounces) 8.8 9.2 10.9 9.3 10.1
Included case Semi-hard case Semi-hard case Semi-hard case Lined drawstring pouch Lined drawstring pouch
App Yes Yes Yes No No
Earcup padding cover material Foamed urethane/leatherette Leather Synthetic protein leather Leatherette Leatherette
Charging cable length (inches) 7.9" 42" 47.2" 40" N/A
Microphone for voice? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Bluetooth version 5.0 5.0 4.1 5.0 N/A
Onboard buttons Volume, change track, take/make calls Volume, play/pause, forward/back, noise cancelling, voice assistant, power/bluetooth, answer/decline/mute calls Volume, play/pause, forward/back, noise cancelling Volume, multifunction, power, NC Volume, play/pause, forward/back, bass

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Sony WH-1000XM4 set the standard in both consumer headphone noise cancellation and sound quality, and the price reflects that.

Performance Comparison


sony wh-1000xm4 - the wh-1000xm4 offers an impressively nuanced and balanced sound.
The WH-1000XM4 offers an impressively nuanced and balanced sound.
Credit: Laura Casner

Sound Quality


Overall, the WH-1000XM4 are some of the best-sounding wireless headphones we've ever tested, but there's a decent chance you'll have to adjust the EQ settings to get them sounding the way you want.


The WH-1000XM4 gets impressively close to what audio nerds would call a flat frequency response. This means the headphones give fairly even expression/volume through the entirety of the low, mid, and high frequencies. In essence, the sound tends to be more “true” to the recording, with all the instruments shining through at the respective volumes at which they were played. This can create a very nuanced and rich listening experience, bringing your musical appreciation to another level.

sony wh-1000xm4 - the wh-1000xm4 are some of the best sounding headphones we've ever...
The WH-1000XM4 are some of the best sounding headphones we've ever tested.
Credit: Laura Casner

Sound quality is an inherently subjective thing, and some people may not like the more even sound that the WH-1000XM4 offers out of the box. In fact, many people like the warmer, more bass-forward sound that many modern headphones favor. This kind of sound profile offers a bit more expression and volume in the bass frequencies, drops off a bit in the mids, and often ticks back up a little in the higher registers to lend some clarity to vocals and guitar solos. The WH-1000XM4 is more than capable of producing this kind of sound; you might have to go into the app and engage the “bass boost” mode or adjust the EQ sliders yourself.

No matter how you'd like to adjust the EQ, these headphones are capable of incredibly sharp clarity, booming bass, and impressive fullness. If you put them on and close your eyes, it may just feel like you're at a concert.

Call Quality


Phone calls sound great on these headphones. The microphones do a fairly good job of sifting through background noise to send a clear signal of your voice to whomever you're speaking to. However, the flagship Bose headphones maybe do a slightly better job in that regard.

Noise Isolation


Here again, the WH-1000XM4 is standard-setting. When we did our controlled test of sitting next to a 70-decibel fan with no music playing, the headphone didn't let any sound reach our ears. Similarly, typing, tapping on the desk, having coworkers talk next to us, and turning a TV on in the background at a reasonable volume were all completely shielded from our ears. Turn music on, and it feels like you're in your own little bubble, even if there's a good amount of ambient noise around you. Bottom line, if these headphones don't satisfy your noise-canceling needs, nothing will.


Using the corresponding app also lets you fine-tune the noise-canceling settings, but more on that in a bit.

sony wh-1000xm4 - the active noise cancellation is more than up to the task of...
The active noise cancellation is more than up to the task of blocking out normal ambient noise, whether in an airport or a home office.
Credit: Laura Casner

Comfort


We think that the vast majority of people will be able to find a comfortable fit with the WH-1000XM4.


Sony increased the padding in these headphones a bit compared to their predecessors, resulting in a slightly more cushy feel and slightly deeper earcups. The cushions are covered in faux leather and feel comfortable against the skin. The headband has just enough padding that we didn't feel any hotspots when wearing them for multiple hours.

sony wh-1000xm4 - the earcups are quite comfy, but still slightly smaller than those...
The earcups are quite comfy, but still slightly smaller than those on competing Bose models.
Credit: Laura Casner

The ear cups are still a bit smaller than those on the competing Bose Noise Cancelling 700 and Bose QuietComfort 35 II models, so those with larger ears may still prefer the latter. However, for most people, the WH-1000XM4 is likely to be comfortable for hours on end.

User Friendliness


The WH-1000XM4 uses an intuitive touch-sensitive control pad and offers several broadly useful features and some more niche features.


The headphones use a touch-sensitive pad on the right earcup for most basic functions like play/pause and volume control. We found these controls both intuitive and responsive.

Perhaps the best new feature for these headphones is the multi-point Bluetooth parking, allowing you to pair the headphones to two devices simultaneously. This means you can be listening to Spotify on your laptop and then seamlessly switch over to your phone when you get a call.

sony wh-1000xm4 - the touch sensitive controls are intuitive and work well.
The touch sensitive controls are intuitive and work well.
Credit: Laura Casner

A similarly great feature is auto-pause, which uses a sensor in the left earcup to detect when you remove the headphones from your head, automatically pausing your music when you do so.

These headphones also offer a “quick attention” mode like previous iterations. If you hold your hand over the right earcup, it pauses the music, turns noise-canceling off, and turns on transparency mode, which pipes in outside noise through the headphones' microphones. This is great if you're in a train station or airport and want to hear an announcement quickly. It also lets you have a quick conversation without taking the headphones off.

sony wh-1000xm4 - the protective and organized carrying case for the wh-1000xm4 from...
The protective and organized carrying case for the WH-1000XM4 from Sony.
Credit: Laura Casner

A more advanced version of this is the “speak-to-talk” feature, which pauses music and goes into transparency mode when it senses that you start talking and then remains in that mode for a predetermined amount of time (15 to 60 seconds). We found this feature a bit more clunky, as it was sometimes triggered by noises other than our voices and often took an extra second or two to kick in when we did start speaking. Also, there's nothing like a pair of headphones that automatically pause your music every time you inadvertently talk to yourself to make you realize this aspect of your behavior.

Portability


While no full-sized pair of headphones can be considered super portable, the WH-1000XM4 comes fairly close.


First off, the headphones themselves fold flat, presenting a relatively small profile. They go into an included semi-rigid case that has helpful illustrations showing you how exactly to fold the headphones to make them fit. The case itself isn't impervious but offers enough protection that we didn't feel any trepidation in stuffing the headphones into a carry-on bag or an overloaded backpack.

Should You Buy the WH-1000XM4?


The Sony WH-1000XM4 offers field-leading sound quality backed up by leading active noise cancellation. If you're looking for the best possible headphones to enjoy music, to drown out distractions, or both, these definitely deserve your consideration.

What Other Wireless Headphones Should You Consider?


Assuming your budget can handle it, these are the best noise cancelling headphones hands-down. We also love the Bose Noise Cancelling 700 for their incredible sound and comfort. If these premium pairs are out of your price range, check out our favorite budget option, the Soundcore Life Q20.

Max Mutter and Michelle Powell