How does one succeed a product having received such a dazzling critical and commercial triumph as the Sony WH-1000XM3? This is a very difficult question, to which the aptly named WH-1000XM4 finds a nice answer.
It would be hard to blame the Sony WH-1000XM4 for its extreme similarity to the WH-1000XM3. The eldest was already extremely close to a certain form of perfection, and with small functional adjustments that are often minimal, sometimes notable (the multipoint Bluetooth connection, finally!), the youngest naturally takes over as the benchmark for headsets wireless noise reduction. The only precaution to take before buying: make sure that you won’t be inconvenienced by a sound that is certainly remarkably precise and musical, but with a very pronounced leaning towards the bass.
Strong points
- Excellent sound definition, dynamic and musical reproduction.
- Incredibly precise highs, very spacious soundstage.
- Active noise reduction among the very best available.
- Comfort, top-flight manufacturing quality.
- Great autonomy.
- Full and responsive touch controls.
- Multipoint Bluetooth connection.
Weak points
- A few decibels too much in the bass.
NB: The reported price drop is calculated by comparing the lowest price of the day with the average of the lowest prices charged by all merchants for the product last month, with security rules to exclude prices from shops whose the VAT policy is not clear (known as “grey” shops, typically in the case of imports from China).
Alternatively
Despite its completely changed design, the Headphones 700 represents, in essence, only a change in continuity for Bose. Neither really better nor worse than the QC35 (and by extension the QC35 II), very close to the latter in its sound and its noise reduction, it simply offers different compromises: on the one hand, comfort a little less royal, on the other a clearer and more transparent audio reproduction… In any case, that’s enough to make them one of the best wireless headphones on the market – which will particularly attract the favors of phone addicts, thanks to to the breathtaking quality of its hands-free kit.