Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones with Mic for Phone-Call and Alexa Voice Control, Midnight Blue WH1000XM4

Better Than XM5
**Disclaimer: I bought mine used like new through AmazonI originally purchased the Sony XM5 because they were soooo highly rated in every article I read. I returned the XM5, got the XM4 and am so much happier. I’ll compare the XM4 to the XM5, Apple AirPods Max, and Bose QuietComfort 45 – just to help anyone choosing between them.**Noise Cancellation (4.5/5): the noise cancellation on the XM4 is crazy, almost comparable to the Apple AirPods Max. I gave the XM4 a 4.5 because I still think the Apple AirPods Max have the best noise cancellation, but the Sony XM4 is very close. I also like the fact that you can turn noise cancelling on/off with a button – which is a feature not available with the Bose QuietComfort 45. The noise cancellation is much better than the XM5 and less finicky. An issue with the XM5 is that the noise cancelling would just randomly turn on/off. Like if I paused a video for a little too long, the noise cancellation would just turn off Overall, I wouldn’t say I it blocks out all sound, but it’s close. I can hear the sound of people talking and music, but it’s quieter and I can’t make out the words. I definitely can’t have a conversation with them on. Also, the XM4 will pick up on when you’re talking to people and turn the noise cancelling off for you – but it does make a little announcement when it does that may be annoying or disruptive.**Sound Quality (4/5): the sound quality is great. Way better than the XM5, not as great as the Apple AirPods Max. I think the Apple headphones are just a little crisper. I think it’s cool that you can turn 360 sound on, but tbh I never really use it (XM5 also has this feature). The sound is clear, and I haven’t experienced any malfunctions/issues with the noise. When I had the XM5, they would just randomly sound muffled (like I was underwater) and, when that wasn’t happening, the sound quality was mediocre.**Comfort (5/5): the XM4s are REALLY comfy. I wear glasses with plastic frames and a lot of headphones just don’t work and are really uncomfy. The Apple AirPods Max were really uncomfortable with my glasses. Obviously, an easy solution is to just wear contacts, but I hate wearing my contacts for long periods of time – especially, when I study/do work. The XM5 were also pretty comfortable, but wouldn’t stay fixed when I adjusted them – they would slip and I would need to readjust them a lot. The XM4 completely cover my ear and the ear pads are soft. They don’t squeeze my head the way other headphones do and they don’t hurt any part of my ear. I will say that the headband part that rests on top of my head does kind of hurt my head after wearing them for almost 10 hours. Also, I have TMJ so sometimes wearing the headphones does cause my TMJ to flare up and I’ll switch to earbuds. But, I think overall these are the most comfortable headphones I have tried.**Product Quality (3.5/5): let’s be honest, they’re plastic and they feel plastic. They don’t feel like super high quality, but let me tell you that they feel way better quality than the XM5 – those felt like a barbie toy. I think the XM4 are sturdy and pretty durable. The Apple AirPods Max are also plastic, but do feel a little more high quality – but also, nothing spectacular.**Aesthetic (3.5/5): If the aesthetic is important to you, I would say they look fine. They’re a little bulky, but not terrible. Not as sleek as some others, but they don’t look ridiculous. If you’re really against a bulky look, then they may not be a great aesthetic match for you. I was worried they would be really clunky, but after getting them and wearing them for a bit, I really don’t think they look bad.**Connectivity (4/5): I only have Apple devices (iPhone, MacBook, etc.) and I think the connectivity is great with these products! When I got the XM5, they had so many connection issues. I wasn’t able to connect them to my laptop, they wouldn’t stay connected to my devices – it was a mess. I was really worried I would have the same issues with the XM4, but I have had no problems so far. I will say it was a little odd to have have to download the Sony Connect app and manage the headphone through that platform, but it’s user friendly and it’s kind of nice to have a control for them (it’s almost like a remote).**Battery Life (5/5): The battery life is insane. I’ve had them for 8 days and have not charged them yet – they still have about 40% charge left. They will turn off automatically to save battery life if you don’t use them for a certain amount of time, which I personally like.OVERALL (4.5/5): I think the XM4 are great headphones for a better price than the Apple AirPods Max. The Bose are apparently really similar, but I’ve never personally tried them. The XM4 is MUCH better than the XM5 in terms of quality and price. They’re comfy, great noise cancellation and sound quality, and have great battery life.

My review is effectively these should be xm 3.1 not 4 build but good otherwise.
about the same as the xm3. the pairing aspect is nice and was my reason to upgrade. I couldn’t take all the paring issues anymore, and having more control in my phone to move between all my computers was appreciated.The app does only pair to 2 devices, but it keeps a memory or list of the devices you have paired to (it is not easy to find this information online). I should probably make some youtube video. Having this management aspect makes these so much more usable. They should back-port this to xm3 as well even if only one device at a time software control is so helpful. I”m in software and have to switch computers and phones a lot.Otherwise, i the anc is superior to xm3, mildly so. For me the reason to upgrade is if you want excellent multiparing. Frankly it seems to just work better. Even single paring for me was always dicey on the xm3 there are some devices it just wouldn’t pair with. Not the case with these. The sound and anc aren’t really reasons to upgrade. they all sound fantastic.The lacking issue is still build quality. they look nice, but the qc 25/35 which i also own use metal in the hinges and i am certain will last longer from a build standpoint. I ‘ve pretty much taken the xm3 apart, they are all plastic, and you better be careful. That said these are so easy to work on. I have opened up my xm3’s replaced the battery and pads and they are still going strong at almost 3 years now. I upgraded because i literally use these every day, i actually sleep in them and the multiparing was wearing on me. Given how much they are used it was worth it for me.As long as these sony continue to make great anc headphones, and keep them serviceable i’ll continue to go sony. The tipping point is the sound vs bose. Don’t get me wrong bose gets a really bad rep in my opinion. They are not bad in any way and still have better build quality and calls. sure they are a bluetooth headphone. I have high end stuff too they don’t have that kind of detail. But you know what. These are the headphones i used. I don’t especially like being tethered to a computer. Anyway with bose the sound just isn’t as fun. For me when you using headpones with small speakers, you to tune warm unlike large receiver speakers. I could even say if your a bit older losing your ability to detect highs maybe then bose makes sense, or your tastes are more for a flat neutral. the sound bose is good. However that’s isn’t me at all if i want that i’ll have a chat with my wife. I don’t want boomy but i do want a warm sound that’s exciting. these are the best sounding bluetooth headphones with ANC i ‘ve heard and they are plenty good enough for me. I will pretty much continue to live in my xm4 now at my desk and when i am out use my xm3s. By the way i picked these on verizon for some insane deal. They were like 250 already. I’d wait for black friday. i was going to, but then that came up. 350’s a lot for this build quality, but if you haven’t used these and are on the fence amazon is good because of the return policy if you don’t like them. I really do think this is one of those rare great products, and i have had so much use out of my xm3. the pause /turn off when take off is also wonderful. I had that on my plantronics and am glad they added that here. The speak to chat feature is also nice. I like the low sensitivity mode.I have ultimately decided good anc is so worth it. I have way lower stress. Just the other day i was working at home, and there is all this construction going on i didn’t even notice it, and i could see how stressed out my wife was. I also have kids and dogs, I put these things on and I am like a bachelor. I use them everywhere card, yard worksconcentration, sleep. It’s just fantastic technology. Even if your working out and you are on some loud exercise equipment you can use these and save your ears and hear the tv. They aren’t waterproof, but i just put on a fan when i am working out to prevent sweating and that works great. I am also glad they aren’t water proof so i can easily replace the battery for 15 dollars. It has a freaking plug and doesn’t even need to be soldered. xm4 is the same. Get these. 🙂

Dentro da categoria dos fones com cancelamento de ruído, ele é excelente. Um dos melhores sistemas de cancelamento que já tive oportunidade de utilizar.Sobre o cancelamento, funciona de uma forma que eu não esperava. Realmente deixa o ambiente super silencioso. Funciona melhor ainda para sons mais constantes. Então para som de ventiladores, viagens de carro, avião e trem funciona muito bem. Caso aconteça algum barulho do seu lado, ainda escutaremos, porém muito baixo.O app do fone tem vários ajustes para melhorar a experiência de uso. Como ativação e ajuste baseados na sua localização. Controle de som adaptativo, que vai aprendendo sobre a sua voz pra que depois de um tempo, ele possa reduzir o cancelamento de ruído quando você iniciar uma conversa. (ótimo para ambientes de trabalho).A qualidade do som é boa. Não é profissional, peca um pouco nos agudos, mas para quem gosta de graves, é ótimo.O microfone é ok. Se você pretende conversar com alguém em locais barulhentos, não é um bom fone. Em um escritório com barulhos medianos, é bem aceitável.Sobre a bateria, estou na primeira recarga, usando a mais de 10 horas e o fone está em 90% ainda. Então me parece uma bateria com duração excelente.Qualidade do material é excelente. Assim como a maioria dos fones é feito de plástico, mas muito bem acabado. É um fone muito bonito. Sobre o conforto, é super macio, não esquenta muito na orelha, e parece que não estou usando fone durante horas.Resumindo, eu adorei o fone e recomendo pra quem quer um fone de cancelamento de ruído ativo de qualidade, bonito e confortável. Ele não vai te decepcionar.

Sound Quality (5/5)These are the first headphones I’ve owned that when first listening to them I didn’t immediately flinch and look for the nearest EQ. I’m no sound engineer, but definitely it has great bass and great quality for mids & highs.Noise cancelation (5/5)Although this is my first set of headphones that support this feature. I’m really blown away by it. I have an air purifier in my office, and even at medium setting. The fan is pretty noisy. But with these things on, I can barely hear it, and that’s with no music/movie playing. But as soon as I turn on a movie or song, I seriously can’t tell it’s on.I read some people say they could hear a waterfall or something in the background. I can’t hear anything other than silence, or what I’m listening to.Wireless/Wired (4/5)Being able to use the headphones with them powereoff with a wire, or have them connect wireless via bluetooth is an amazing feature. And it works really well!I was really surprised however that I don’t seem to be able to use this headset with the bluetooth of my main PC. It has a really think glass panel, so I’m wondering if it’s not because of that. If you own a case with a glass panel, maybe double check with another set of bluetooth headse/earbuds to see how the conenction goes.Audio Delay/lag on Bluetooth (5/5)I own a mini laptop and it only has bluetooth 4.1. But for some reason when I watch videos or movies, I’m virtually unable to tell whether there is lag. Unlike any other bluetooth earbuds I’ve owned. The delay is amazing. Obviously your mileage may vary, but it’s something that drove me insane with my previous wireless earbuds. Don’t have this problem here!Gestures (4/5)I wasn’t really looking forward to the gestures pad. But it turns out to be working really well. Once in a while an action won’t register. But it’s really rare for me.Play/Pause on a PC can be a little weird though. One day I was listening to spotify while working, and then with the tab still opened I started watching youtube after work. And after pausing said video and unpausing it, using the headset. It ended up starting the playback of both my spotify tab, and my youtube tab.Comfort (4/5)First day I wore them I was a little concerned since, even though I have a small head. I felt like the headphones were pretty tight on my head. But after even just 2 days of use. It’s already leagues better. Either I got used to it, or it’s ‘breaking in’.The cups are pretty comfortable. Wish they would be just a tad larger, not sure if I have big ears. But I can tell that part of my right ear touches the pad. And I’m wondering if I ever end up pulling a really long work, or gaming session if it’ll end making my ear feel pinched. One of my older headsets did that.One thing that I was happily surprised was the weight of the headset. With such an impressive battery life and suite of features. I was expecting this thing to be rather heavy. Compared to a Corsair Void (probably a bad example) it’s light as a feather.Pairing Headphones with 2 Devices (3/5)First thing, this feature is only possible via the headphone’s native app. Meaning you can’t perform this type of sync with the physical sync button. Once you have the devices regisered on the app, then you can enable a setting and select which 2 devices you want.On the topic of “2 devices”, I guess Is should have read more on this feature. But I use 2 PCs at home, a media and a work/gaming PC. And I really would have liked to be able to on the fly, switch between audio of both. But it turns out that you can only connect to 1 phone, and something else. It can be 2 phones, but not 2 PCs.Included Accessories (3/5)The case it comes with is great. Hard-shell clam design, with some neat nook where you can shove the USB C charging cable, audio cable and airplane adapter thing. But as much as I like the quality and how it snuggly holds on to and protects the headphones. Not sure if mine is a fluike, but whoever decided to sew the elastic mesh bag on the ‘bottom’ part of the clam. Kind of silly.The audio cable is ‘OK’ if you use it for your phone. But if you want to use it for a PC you’ll for sure either need an extension or a longer cable period. But at least it’s a usesable lenght albeit a little conservative.But the USB type c charging cable. I hope you have a USB hub available. Depending on the case/setup you have. I’m pretty sure a lot of people wouldn’t be able to use that cable to connect the headphones to their PC’s back USB ports. Well you could do it, but depending on your case or setup. The headphones won’t be able to rest on either the top of your case, or the desk/floor it’s own. They’ll end up dangling. (Which I think would be a bad idea.)