Sony is expanding its flagship headphone WH-1000XM4 with intelligent AI functions and optimized noise cancellation.
The eagerly awaited successor to the highly acclaimed WH-1000XM3 over-ear noise-cancelling headphones has been duly dubbed the WH-1000XM4 by Sony. Sony introduces some clever AI features and makes minor improvements to an already class-leading noise-cancelling headphone.
Should I buy the Sony WH-1000XM4?
Expert rating:
5 Stars
Advantages:
Best-in-class noise cancellation, transparent musical performance, inventive AI features
Disadvantages:
Sonically identical to XM3, no Bluetooth aptX
RRP:
349 euros
Summary:
The WH-1000XM4 from Sony are wireless headphones with high wearing comfort and transparent musicality that suit any music genre. For us, it is the best wireless headphone.
Sony WH-1000XM4 at Amazon
design and construction
Visually, the WH-1000XM4 looks almost identical to its predecessor, only the ear cups are slightly larger. There is now a visible sensor in the left earcup that allows for automatic power off when you remove the earcups. The general comfort and finish have remained the same. The pads made of imitation leather remain nice and soft and the headband is also well padded. When it comes to colors, you have the choice between black and silver-grey. Added is the new model in midnight blue, which looks particularly nice.
New function
And what about the new AI features like Intelligent Adaptive Sound Control, Speak-to-Chat and the enhanced DSEE Extreme Talk: Like the other intelligent features on board, this extreme version of DSEE (Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) uses edge- Al. The smart technology compensates for audio loss in digital compression without the need for a cloud connection, can analyze music in real time, recognize instruments, music genres and even individual musical elements, and effectively restore high tones. The manufacturer developed DSEE Extreme in cooperation with Sony Music Studios Tokyo, which explains the sonic integrity of the device. The results are absolutely convincing.
The new Adaptive Sound Control is also geo-dependent and can automatically adapt to places that you visit frequently. You can set up frequently visited places like your home or office with your preferred sound settings in the Sony Headphones Connect app. The headphones adjust as you move between environments.
Arguably the most interesting of the intelligent AI features is Speak-to-Chat, where the resident AI learns your voice so it can pause the music when you’re speaking – you don’t have to take off your headphones. It’s certainly clever, but whether we’d use it every day is debatable. For one thing, speaking with active noise-cancelling headphones is just plain weird. The voice sounds like it’s going down a pipe.
Secondly, it seems a little rude not to just put the phone down, especially since playback automatically pauses anyway and the other person probably doesn’t know about this feature. Music playback starts automatically 30 seconds after the last spoken word. That’s a little too long, but can be set to 15 seconds in the app.
Other new features include multi-point Bluetooth pairing between two devices and “wear detection”. The latter works perfectly. Using a proximity sensor and two accelerometers, the headphones will automatically stop when you take them off and eventually turn off.
noise cancellation
While the WH-1000XM4 uses the same dedicated QN1 noise-cancelling processor as the WH-1000XM3, Sony claims to have further improved the cancellation by reducing high and mid frequencies. This is particularly evident when it comes to ambient noise. The noise cancellation is incredibly good here. Sony’s ANC really isolates you from the outside world.
Unfortunately there is no support for Bluetooth aptX. Normally this would be the codec of choice for higher quality wireless streaming. However, Sony has opted to focus on its own LDAC Bluetooth solution, which also offers Hi-Fi streaming. Now that LDAC is part of the Android specification, it seems that Sony is right with this decision. Users probably won’t even notice the lack of aptX.
sound quality
The WH-1000XM4 sing like angels in celestial harmony, but with the ability to crank out hard beats when needed. Nevertheless, they don’t sound noticeably different than their predecessors. The headphones use the same 40mm liquid crystal polymer drivers as the WH-1000XM3, boasting crisp highs and noticeable bass. The low frequencies are powerful but not overdone, while the mids are velvety smooth. Not only are these headphones great for music, they sound great on podcasts too.
Of course, they are high-resolution at 24-bit and 96kHz and can also be used for 360 Reality Audio (like Deezer and Tidal HD). It’s worth noting that sharing multi-point Bluetooth disables LDAC, so there may be a drop in quality.
battery life
Battery life is a respectable 30 hours, more than enough for a few days of gaming – and that’s with noise cancellation turned on. Without ANC, the headphones last 38 hours. If you run out of juice, a quick charge feature allows for up to five hours of wireless playback on a 10-minute charge via the USB-C port. According to Sony, a full charge takes about three hours.
Price
The WH-1000XM4 has a list price of 349 euros. That reflects its premium status. The headphones come with a handy carry case, travel adapter, headphone cable and USB-C cable. If you don’t need the smart features then look out for deals on the WH-1000XM3 as they sound almost equally good despite ANC.
Conclusion
Rather than resting on its laurels, Sony has taken the WH-1000XM4 into surprising new territory. The Edge AI driven features managed to make the already impressive noise-cancelling design even better. All of this would mean nothing if these headphones didn’t sound great. But they do. Clean, smooth and musical – the WH-1000XM4 are great. If these new features don’t excite you, the previous generation XM3 will satisfy you.