Sony WH-1000XM4 Industry Leading Noise Cancellation Bluetooth Wireless Over Ear Headphones with Mic, 30 Hrs Battery, Multi Point, Aux, App Support…
- Digital noise cancelling: Industry leading Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) lends a personalized, virtually soundproof experience at any situation
- Voice assistant: Alexa, Google Assistant & Siri enabled (In-built) for voice access to music, information and more. Activate with a simple touch
- Speak-to-chat: Headphones use an array of smart technologies to create a seamless, hands-free listening experience. For eg, simply start speaking to automatically pause your music in Speak-to-Chat
- Wearing Detection: Proximity sensor and two acceleration sensors in your headphones can detect whether you’re wearing them or not, then adapt playback accordingly to help save battery power
- Quick attention mode: Cover the right ear cup with your palm to turn down music for instant, easy conversation
- Smart listening: WH-1000XM4 adjusts the ambient sound to your activity to give you the best noise cancellation
- Long battery life/Quick Charge: A single charge provides up to 30 hrs of playtime for reliable all day listening and Quick charge for 10min charge for 5 hours play back
- Multipoint connection : It can be paired with two Bluetooth devices at the same time.So when a call comes in, your headphones know which device is ringing and connect to the right one automatically.
- Touch controls: Change the track, turn the volume up or down and take or make calls by tapping or swiping the panel with your fingertip
Specification: Sony WH-1000XM4 Industry Leading Noise Cancellation Bluetooth Wireless Over Ear Headphones with Mic, 30 Hrs Battery, Multi Point, Aux, App Support…
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8 reviews for Sony WH-1000XM4 Industry Leading Noise Cancellation Bluetooth Wireless Over Ear Headphones with Mic, 30 Hrs Battery, Multi Point, Aux, App Support…
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Sony WH-1000XM4 Industry Leading Noise Cancellation Bluetooth Wireless Over Ear Headphones with Mic, 30 Hrs Battery, Multi Point, Aux, App Support…
₹24,990
Aakash –
Edit: After almost four month of usage i found that noise cancelling makes me sick. I feel like nausea and feverish for 1-2 to days. Worst thing I’ve developed tinnitus because of these headphones.
Older review
This is my first Bluetooth headphone, never been fan of Bluetooth because of poor audio quality. When Sony released ldac codec i was really happy and was waiting for xperia but they decided to close their mobile division. After that was waiting for pixel 4 but google’s mobile division has bunch of idiots.
Finally bought iPhone which has crappy audio quality but I suggested one of my senior xm3s and to my surprise they sounded really well on iPhone too. After lockdown i was really frustrated with the news channel that my parents watches. Waiting for xm4 can’t be more painful.
Now coming to review
ANC: i felt no difference compared to xm3, they block the rumble of fans, coolers and pump set but are unable to block the voice of people talking(irritating voice of arnab goswami). They didn’t even changed xm4’s pressure inside the cans after anc is enabled. I still get the same headaches.
Audio quality: not going to write like pretentious audiophile. These headphone are quite versatile if you are bass head then sony has it covered for you (which most of the people like here), bass was way overpowering for me on full setting but i don’t like bass at all. I mostly listen to linkin park, so i set base level at -4 and equaliser on bright preset. This is by far the best audio product i have ever used.
Audio quality wise here is my ranking.
SM es 18<Creative ep830<SM e10s<Fiio f9 pro<one more triple driver<xm3<xm4.
Battery life: I was doing burn in procedure of these headphones, so i kept headphones at max possible volume, so you may get better battery life. I got 18 hr of battery life with anc on. After unboxing battery went down from 100 to 60 in a 10 min and i was afraid that i got faulty unit but thank god a full charge fixed it.
Comfort:Ear cups are bigger than xm3s and hence more comfortable too. After walking with them for half an hour on roof my ear got all sweaty.
Multipoint connection: Works flawlessly, although switching music from one device to another is bit erratic.
Audio lag: I also connected it to airtel xtream box and watched a complete episode of boys with no lag at all.
Speak to talk: still prefer the old put you hand on right ear cup.
Pause when headphone taken off: work 8 out of 10 times.
360 deg reality audio: sony has give 3 months of free subscription of nugs.net but difference was not deal breaker.
Accessories: you get 3.5 mm male cable from both sides, thank you sony for that. Charging cable is really short i mean really. You can use the provide cable just with power bank or laptop. You also get airplane adapter and carry bag too.
Sorry forgot about mic
Mic: It is better than my iPhone 11 pro, my friend used to complain a lot about low volume from my side but with xm4 they had no problem talking to me.
Dennis –
I have one of the oldest versions of these headphones. As I am a wage slave there was no justification for splurging on a headphone of this price range when I bought this. I do not recall the thought process that went into the initial purchase decision. (I suspect no thought went into it. But let’s not dwell on the mistakes of the past impede us…)
I am a product of the western education; as a result, I am a nihilist. As such, life has very little to offer other than sex, food and displaying superiority over my fellow men with the hope of getting more of the former two.
Last week, as I was feeling especially oppressed by the thoughts of existentialist angst, I felt a sudden urge of something missing in my life, perhaps goaded by the Prime Day Sale on Amazon. So I decided to buy a newer (nay, the newest) version of the headphones, compounding my earlier folly.
I, like many before me, made the assumption that if something is newer it ought to be better. I have found that this headphone shows no distinct superiority over it’s predecessors excepting being shinier and more expensive. In fact, my older version of the headphone is better in terms of built quality and response time.
If you are a like me: That is, a fool who hasn’t got $300 to waste but in possession of the earlier version of these headphones. I urge you not buy this since it is in no way better than the earlier headphones.
Goodbye dear public.
“You! Hypocrite lecteur! – mon semblable, -mon frère!”
Nikhil Ranjit –
Update: (Mar 9, 2021)
As someone mentioned above, I too started having tinnitus issues only after wearing these headphones. I was under impression that it might be due to cold weather or something else but it seems many people are facing similar issues with ANC headphones. I would also like to mention that I had COVID-19 earlier and tinnitus might be a post symptom from it.
Initial 12hrs usage impressions: (Sep 20, 2020)
Super comfortable.
I am not an audiophile but these sounds amazing.
ANC is great (tested indoors as of now).
Dual device connection is also great.
Great connection range.
Speak to Chat works great but it has some obvious issues (something you need to get used to).
Ambient Sound is also nice.
Update:
ANC cancels out the vehicular traffic sounds as well (horn sounds, movement), a bit dangerous considering you are planning to take a walk/run sideways. You can tweak the ANC settings via the Sony ANC app.
Speak to chat can be finicky at times, there is a slight delay of 2secs. Sometimes it just fails to recognise and sometimes it gets triggered without speaking anything.
My suggestion to buyers, don’t go by the online reviews, it might be a good purchase for me but not for everyone. Try them out at some retail store before buying. I might update this when I have something more to share.
Aakash –
Update sept 26
Got the replacement set and they sound do much better than the first ones I recieved. This kind of issues is unheard of from a product that costs 30k not gonna lie. Seriosuly? A defective pair of headphones ? Unexpected sony !
Update- sept-25
So I was using these like.usual when I started hearing a shrill noise from the right side earcup! Tried it with multiple devices , persistsnt shrill noise with noise cancelion and no music( my room’s fan was off ) . Replacing for a new pair . Will update
I’m not a “audiophile” but I’ve tested and heard many headphones/earphones in search of the “perfect” pair of cans for me. Perfect is a subjective term and will vary from person to person.
I bought these becasue of all the hype with the xm3’s and as a customer the “next” version would obviously be better right ?
So, come delivery day. I ooened these, set them up, updated the firmware and started listening . These sound , ok. For something that costs 30k, these sound average at best. The noice cancelling is good but I need to test it more , possibly on an airplane ( whenever that happens )
When something is this expensive you automatically have some expectations from it right ? It has to perform at the 30k level ( I hope the reader is getting what I’m trying to say) .
The software features are great , the build feels premium, the connection is strong.
P.S if you intend to use the multipoint function you will loose audio quality . LDAC uses two lanes ( max for bluetooth 5.0) and when you use multipoint it switches to SBC ( 1 lane ) so expect quality loss. Windows doesn’t support LDAC so you will loose significant quality when connected to a pc.
I’ll update the review after the burn in period . I won’t be returning these since these are just too damn comfortable but doesn’t justify the 30k price tag it demands for the sound quality I’m getting as of 20 sept.
g –
I have owned the Bose QC 35 series I (the originals) for four years now, and just recently replaced the ear pads since they finally deteriorated. I figured after four years there has to be some serious improvements in noise cancelling technology, and since the WH-1000XM3 model got so many good reviews I figured these would be awesome. So I pre-ordered them.
I pulled them out of the box and followed the very quick connect process of downloading the app and using it to pair to my phone. It downloaded a firmware update automatically while I fiddled around with some settings briefly and listened to some music. Super easy, awesome.
The sound is very impressive. Punchy kick drum (I listen mostly to rock/metal) and nice bright sound. I quickly settled on a slightly customized version of the included Bright preset.
But things quickly went downhill from there.
After using the headphones for a bit, the touch controls became frankly annoying and easily susceptible to mistakes (I triggered track skips multiple times just by removing and putting the headphones back on). The volume adjustment is especially tedious…if you want to raise or lower the volume significantly you have to swipe it up or down a large number of times because the volume adjustment is done in small increments. With the Bose QC 35 and its dedicated buttons, you just quickly push the buttons. Simple.
I spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to pair the headphones with my laptop, reading the guide in the app and doing some web searching, thinking it must be provided by one of the two dedicated buttons like on the Bose QE 35s. Nope. It must be done with the app. In fact, everything has to be done with the app except whatever you have the custom button configured to do, and the power. On the Bose I just have to slide the power button, and it goes into pairing mode. Simple.
The above are honestly smaller issues that you could probably put up with since the sound these produce is so good. However, the deal breaker for me was when I connected them with the included wire to the controller on my Roku Ultra to enjoy some TV time after a long day. I always watch movies and TV with headphones. To my horror they produced a clearly audible hissing sound that is incredibly distracting. I turned them off and on again, disconnected and reconnected the cable. No change, still the hissing sound. My Bose don’t produce this sound. Ugh.
After listening to them for a couple hours I had a slight headache and felt fatigued, almost nauseous. I know some people are affected differently by the noise cancelling technology, but I don’t get this from my Bose, even after listening to them all day.
Additionally, speaking of noise cancelling, I compared my Bose QC 35s to these, and I couldn’t tell the difference between the noise cancelling. They sound the same to me. :shrug: I’m sure you could tell the difference with laboratory equipment though.
All-in-all the sound these produce is really good, and the noise cancelling is great (although I can’t tell the difference from my Bose QC 35 Series I). But they have 1) lots of annoyances in the touch controls instead of dedicated buttons, 2) the fact that the app is required to do everything (including pairing) except turning them off and activating the custom button, 3) the hissing on the wired connection to my Roku Ultra, and 4) the fatiguing after listening to them.
I’ll be returning them.
BobHartleyGPS –
Download Sony Headphone Connect App, open box, turn on headphones (bottom of left headphone on/off switch), using Sony Connect App, connect and paired new headphones.
– My headphones were 100% charged out of box.
– Many features in Sony Connect App, matter of your preference and use. I do think the app is solid and useful for my use of these headphones.
– My headphones firmware updated automatically -be patient, process took several minutes. Initial impression; very comfortable, really good noise canceling and sound quality.
– Voice clarity on both ends is outstanding.
– Easily connected two iPhones, my experience switching between them was seamless.
– Used ear profile in-app feature to analyze my ear shape for 360 Reality Audio setup.
– Able to connect to MacBook Pro (2020 version) directly via Bluetooth with no issues.
UPDATE: >30 hours of iPhone X, 8, and Bluetooth MacBook Pro connection.
– The phone call quality is awesome (you can hear
– No video lag/latency on FT and Zoom calls.
– I have found the connection at times can be a bit cumbersome when having two devices connected and receiving calls, it might be a setting or how I am picking up the call –directly from the phone or double-tapping on the headset.
– Great noise suppression to the wind, outside city/road-noise, etc… No reported issues with other people on calls with me. Always told call quality was very crisp and clear… my experience, much better than Apple Airpod Pro for suppression of noise for callers on the other end.
– I have also now used these headphones for Bluetooth connection to Nvidia Shield connected to my TV for over 16 hrs. Easy direct connection directly from Nvidia Bluetooth Settings. TV and Movie surround sound is great, you can hear the slightest sounds.
Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4
– Seamless connection – prefer SONY
– Comfort – prefer Sony
– Headphone sound controls – prefer Bose. Sony touch control works ok but the Bose increase/decrease volume seems to work better on Sony
– Noise-canceling for me, both performed in a similar way
– Call quality, for me, both performed in a similar way
I Will continue to test and use Bose but the feel of the headset on my head is not as comfortable as Sony.
UPDATE: Running 7.3 Update
– Not sure if related but the initial bluetooth connection and subsequent connections are problematic;
– I have had to reconnect several times via the app and my phone needs to be very close to the headset;
– Once I am connected it has worked but I have had to repeat the process a few times now;
– Additionally, after significant use, the touch controls are a nice feature but not ideal under some circumstances. For example, if you have a hoodie on, jacket with hood, etc… touch control is sensitive and fabric, cord, ect… will effect the touch controls.
– I am running iphone X with latest iOS, should be receiving iphone 12 Pro this eve and will update with any new comments.
UPDATE April 2020: been using these headphones for several months now. Running and walking are great however, the Touch Sensor Control is not ideal for me, especially when using while exercising. I find the controls/sensor unforgiving and one misstep can restart a song and or podcast, other than they continue to work very well.
Used these headphones for a extended 12+ hrs flight and another 9 hour flight.. great noise canceling and sound. Hooked up directly to Qatar Qsuite entertainment system with provided cable, sound quality was excellent.
Abe Link –
If you are looking for noise cancelation at its best, don’t look elsewhere and buy this immediately.
Of all the comments that have been said about being not enough this, not able to do that, I think they are all untrue or either an unlucky manufacturing defect. Launch products are not perfect from the start, it’s bound to happen. The only thing I do not use are the microphones for making calls, so you can check online and see for yourself about that aspect.
Let’s break this down in points. (TLDR at the bottom)
Comfort/Ergonomics:
Without a doubt the most comfortable headphones I ever wore. People seem to complain that it’s not as comfortable as the XM3s, I say it’s pretty dang comfortable considering that I wore this thing for more than 5 hours straight and had no neck pain or itching whatsoever.
The weight of these headphones is so light that when the box came in, I thought I had been scammed and the headphones weren’t in the box. 250 ish grams is really light (0.55 pounds) for headphones.
The ears are big enough, the line of the muffs doesn’t overlap too much towards the neck and the cushion material adapts really well to your head, both on the top of the frame and on the ear muffs.
Sound/frequency response:
I have been mixing/mastering for multiple years on flat studio monitors. Out of all the headphones that I have or I have tried, these are the closest of being pretty much flat, once you cut 3-4 dB from the 400 Hz fader (pretty sure it’s an octave bandwidth, or a little more, so it covers at least from 282 Hz to 566 Hz when you adjust it) on the equalizer in Sony’s Headphones app.
I have attached the frequency response curve as an image in this review.
The bass is not overwhelming, (although if it’s your style, it delivers with the clear bass knob, which probably covers 250 Hz and below), the highs are not too sharp and there’s no spike in the high mids (2500-5000 Hz) or in the high end (above 5000 Hz).
The only problem is the low mids at around 400 Hz, which thank god they have a fader for that frequency. No matter what brand you choose, low mids are ALWAYS a problem in headphones. By the way, sound separation is excellent once I made that adjustment. Thank Sony for giving you the option!
The frequency response when using Bluetooth is between 15 Hz to 17 040 Hz. Beyond that, it starts to wane off. I have up to 19.1 kHz in my right ear and 18.3-18.4 kHz in my left ear, so it’s not on my side. Considering that my phone has a terrible audio output (it cuts at 15 kHz), it’s an upgrade for me.
Also, considering on how many people listen to their music too loud for the last 25 years, I would be highly surprised that people that claim the high end isn’t well defined actually know what they are talking about, and most probably don’t notice the difference. Same thing with audio CODECS disappearing from the XM3 (the XM4 has 3 and the XM3 had 5), above 256 kbps at variable rate and 320 kbps at constant bit rate, you don’t notice anything if the conversion was done right. Above those values, me and my friend call this “Placebo Quality”. Compression and brickwalled mixes affect the quality perception GREATLY.
Search NPR sound quality test online. It proves my point.
So in conclusion, if the song you are listening sounds like garbage, it’s because it was mixed/mastered like garbage (probably mixed nowadays because they brickwall often at this stage). These are hands down the best headphones I ever tried. Period. Including my Sennheisers that I used for multiple years.
Noise cancelation:
I was highly surprised at not only the sensation on your eardrum being pushed in not being super apparent compared to other models, which are quite frankly unbearable in the long run, but also the capabilities of phase canceling of these headphones (the actual term of canceling out waveforms is called phase canceling, noise canceling is a marketing term for people not familiar with audio, since the majority of people don’t know what is phase).
Transients (such as impacts) are impossible to isolate because they are too fast to sample and to invert the phase to create cancelation. Steady noises are the only ones that allow the headphones to sample them and invert them, because there’s a processing delay. Stop hitting a table like someone I know was doing to test headphones, it’s worthless.
The amount that is being canceled out is out of this world compared to previous generations that I have tried. I can’t wait to try them on a plane. High end will remain because it’s the most difficult part of the waveform to cancel, since it’s the most precise and the one that takes up the most information in a signal. I was standing next to a washing machine during its max spin cycle, could barely hear it with audio of people talking in my headphones. Without playback, you hear the high end when you’re right in front of it. As soon as you close the door, it pretty much vanishes.
If you have noisy neighbors or live in an apartment, buy this thing! You won’t regret it.
Battery life: Outlasts my cell phone by a hundred years. In 2 hours of use, not even 10% used. Specs are believable.
In conclusion, buy this thing if you are looking for noise canceling!
TLDR:
-Super comfortable
-Amazing in sound
-Amazing in noise canceling and battery life matching specs
g –
I wanted to replace my old Bose in-ear noise cancelling headphones with something more comfortable and that works better. I spent hours reading reviews, and settlled on the Sony WH-1000XM4.
When I received it, I was amazed how good everything sounded through them, and how well the noise cancelling worked. And they were comfortable to boot!
However, the next day I did my first Zoom call, and a colleague told me that I sounded like I was in a tunnel, and that he couldn’t make out what I was saying. I switched to my old Bose set, and everything was fine.
That evening, i called Sony support. I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with the very nice support person, including making calls from my phone vs my computer, resetting the headphones, etc, etc. It didn’t help. He denied that he had heard of microphone problems before. He asked that I send the headphones to Sony for a replacement, thinking that they were a lemon, but I told him I’d rather just return them to Amazon. Which I did. requesting an identical replacement.
A day later I had the new ones. And there was the same problem of poor mic quality, with weird static-like sounds and muffling. At this point, I decided to solve the problem. I tried the following, using recordings of Zoom calls to monitor the quality:
1) Single vs dual bluetooth connectivity.
2) Different microphone volume settings.
3) Different degrees of noise cancellation (including none at all).
And probably a couple that I am forgetting.
Nothing helped the poor mic quality. I then really searched the web, and found out that although there are plenty of wonderful reviews, hidden in the reviews where the mic is used are clear examples of problems with the microphone.
I then called Amazon to request another return, but used the microphone from the headphones, and then switched to my phone. The representative could hear the difference easily, and said she had trouble understanding me when I used the headphones.
So I am giving up, and will buy a different brand. I am writing this long review to spare my fellow Amazonites who need to use a microphone the pain of having to return items.