Note: This review was first published on 6 August 2020 and was updated on 7 Aug 2020, 11:15am, to include details of Sony's new firmware update that promises to address multi device connection issues.
It was updated again on 10 August 2020, 9:30pm, to include new details regarding codec support and drivers from Sony.
The latest update was on 19 Aug 2020, 11:30am, and it includes findings after updating the headphone with Sony's latest firmware.
The WH-1000XM4 is Sony's fourth generation flagship wireless headphone with active noise-cancellation.
Mark IV
It was sometime in 2016 that Sony decided that enough is enough and decided to challenge Bose with the MDR-1000X. It was a revelation. Frequent travellers now have a headphone that they could take with them on flights that wasn’t a Bose – it was that good. It’s been four years since and Sony has just released a new model and it’s called – quite predictably – the WH-1000XM4. The title of this review has probably given the outcome away, but if you are interested to know more about what’s new and how is it better, scroll down and read on.
Design and features
The only surefire way you can tell this is the new WH-1000XM4.
The WH-1000XM4 doesn’t look that much different from the model it replaces. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it just means Sony has found a design that works and stuck with it. Sure, maybe it doesn’t look as modern and stylish as the Bose 700 but I don’t think it looks too bad at all. Like its predecessor, the WH-1000XM4 comes in two colourways: Black and Platinum Silver.
If anything, the padding on the headband and the earpads feel softer and plusher. Wearing comfort is therefore good, and so is the seal. However, the downside to this is that the WH-1000XM4 can be quite warm to wear especially in our tropical climate. It’s not a problem if you have the air-conditioning turned on or if you have a fan blowing at you.
There's a power button and a second customisable button, which, by default, cycles through the noise-cancelling and ambient sound modes.
Buttons and ports are unchanged. On the left ear cup is the power button and a configurable “Custom” button, which, by default, is used to switch between your noise-cancelling and ambient sound modes. You can change it to activate Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. The buttons are large and easy to locate.
On the right ear cup is a USB-C port. Sadly, you still can’t output digitally to the headphone via the USB-C port. It’s used solely for charging. Battery life, when used wirelessly, is 30 hours with noise-cancelling on and 38 hours without noise-cancelling – identical to the WH-1000XM3. That’s entirely believable. I have been clocking between 5 to 6 hours of daily use and I only had to charge on day five. If you are out of juice, there’s a quick charging function that gives you up to 5 hours of playback from 10 minutes of charging. A full charge from zero still takes a long time – over an hour. But let’s say you are out of juice and there’s no charger to be found, you can still use the headphone passively with wires – you just lose active noise-cancellation.
The headphone charges via USB-C. A quick charge feature lets yo uget 5 hours of listening from a 10-minute charge.
There are also touch controls on the right ear cup. Swipe up and down to adjust volume, double-tap to control playback, and swipe forwards and back to change tracks. I’m never fond of touch controls because I always found them to be unreliable and people around you will wonder why are you caressing your headphone. That said, it seems like Sony has improved them on the WH-1000XM4 because my success rate is higher.
Speaking of which, one of the things that I like about Sony’s headphones is the voice prompts. When it connects to your source device, the WH-1000XM4 literally announces it to you by playing “Bluetooth Connected”. Switch to active noise-cancelling and it says “Noise-Cancelling.” Turn on the noise-cancelling optimiser and it announces yet again, “Optimiser, start.” It even tells you the percentage of battery life is left. It’s infinitely more helpful than the ambiguous dings and dongs used by some of Sony’s rivals. You can even download language packs and change the language of these voice prompts. A Sony headphone should be in Japanese right?
These are the accessories that come with the WH-1000XM4.
As for portability, the WH-1000XM4 folds flat like its predecessor and stows away neatly in the provided carrying case. I won’t call it super compact but it isn’t overly bulky either. Inside the carrying case, Sony provides an airline adapter, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, and a 1.2 metre long 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable.
Inside the WH-1000XM4 is the same HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1, but it’s now paired with a new Bluetooth Audio SoC. This new Bluetooth Audio SoC supports Bluetooth 5.0 and according to Sony samples music and noise at over 700 times a second, allowing the QN1 noise-cancelling processor to work more effectively. The higher sampling rate is crucial because Sony says it allows the WH-1000XM4 to be more effective at nullifying higher frequency sounds like human conversation. I’ll talk about its performance later.
Sony claims better noise-cancellation especially in the higher frequencies. (Image source: Sony)
The new Bluetooth Audio SoC supports Bluetooth 5.0 and, more crucially, the ability to connect to two devices simultaneously. The headphone is supposed to be able to switch quickly between the two devices and is clever enough to switch to the correct device if a call comes in. That all sounds very good but I never really got it to work. If I was listening on my Mac and a call came in on my iPhone, I would have to manually select the WH-1000XM4 as my audio output device on my iPhone to take the call with the headphone. Fortunately, this isn’t a huge issue since Mac users with iPhones can configure their Macs to take calls on their iPhones. Maybe this was what’s tripping the headphones up. That said, the headphone did readily switch between devices for music and videos.
*Update on 7 Aug 2020, 11:15am* – Sony has just announced that it will be delivering a firmware update that will address the WH-1000XM4 multi device connection issues. I will be testing it out and will report back with my findings.
*Update on 19 Aug 2020, 11:45am* – The firmware update has massively improved the speed at which the WH-1000XM4 switches between devices. It now switches very quickly and seamlessly. However, I still experienced problems with calls. If I'm on my Mac, the headphone would switch to my phone when a call came in. But after accepting the call, the headphone would sometimes switch back to my Mac. I had to manually select the WH-1000XM4 as my audio output device if I wanted to take the call with the headphone. Fortunately, this can be done quickly.
You can connect to two devices simultaneously, which is super convenient.
Moving on, the WH-1000XM4 has a host of what is commonly known today as quality-of-life updates that make it easier and more convenient to use. Key amongst them is the new “Speak-to-Chat” feature. When it’s turned on, the headphone will automatically stop your music and turn on the ambient sound mode to let you hear yourself and the environment. The idea is to let you quickly have conversations without having to do anything but speak. It’s a convenient feature but I feel that it takes too long for music to resume playback. You can adjust the time but the minimum setting is 15 seconds, which I feel is still a tad too long.
Maybe I’m just impatient but I prefer to take control with the Quick Attention mode, which has always been one of my favourite features of this headphone. Cover the right ear cup and the headphone drops the volume of your music and goes into ambient sound mode to let you hear yourself and your surroundings, allowing you to have quick conversations.
The proximity sensor is in the left earcup.
There’s also a proximity sensor and two accelerometers that enable wear detection. Take the WH-1000XM4 off and it automatically stops playback to save power. Put them back on and it starts playing again. I noticed, however, that this only works if you remove the left ear cup because that’s where the proximity sensor. The headphone will continue playing if you remove the right ear cup but keep the left on. I can’t imagine many people who would wear their headphones like that, but hey, it’s worth mentioning right?
The Sony Headphone app lets you manage, control, and customise the WH-1000XM4.
Making a return also is Adaptive Sound Control, which debuted on the WF-1000XM3. In this mode, the headphone detects your environment and automatically adjusts between noise-cancelling and ambient sound mode to suit. But there’s an added new feature here that allows you to save presets based on your locations. All of these abovementioned features can be managed and customised in the Headphone app (available on iOS and Android).
Noise-cancelling and ambient sound performance
The WH-1000XM4's ability to create a personal listening bubble is impressive.
The WH-1000XM4’s ability to cancel out environmental noise is phenomenal. Though I didn’t get the chance to test it on a plane, I tried playing plane noises through my speakers and was amazed by how effective the headphone was at nullifying them. My apartment faces a major arterial road and I was also astonished by how much the headphone could cancel out the incessant tyre and road noise made by the constant stream of traffic.
But the biggest test, however, is the fan that I have blowing at me to keep me cool while I’m working at my desk. Out of all the active noise-cancelling headphones that I have tested from home so far, the WH-1000XM4 was easily the most effective at cancelling out the fan noise. Its loud whir became a mere whistle.
The microphone also benefits from this amazing noise cancellation. Even with the fan blowing directly at me, people I spoke to could not hear the fan at all. Speaking of which, the performance of the mic is also improved. It stills sounds slightly digitised and hollow but at least my voice was clear and intelligible.
You have 20 levels of fine control over how much environmental sound to let in. Unfortuantely, it sounds very unnatural.
For owners of the WH-1000XM3, the million-dollar question would be: is the WH-1000XM4 better? I think the answer is yes. It’s not better by leaps and bounds but there’s a discernible improvement especially in the higher frequencies. But whether this is all down to the new Bluetooth Audio SoC or because of some other aspects like the earpads is hard to say, but it is better. This new headphone creates a stronger bubble and cocoons you more from the outside world.
Sony’s ambient sound mode, however, has room for improvement. It works insofar that it lets you hear what’s going on around you but it sounds muffled and unnatural. But the biggest problem I think is that it’s hard to place where sound is actually coming from and that can be a real problem if you are walking on the street and you need directional cues to avoid getting hit by reckless (or clueless) drivers and cyclists, and maybe even other pedestrians.
How does it sound?
The WH-1000XM4 features 40mm dynamic drivers.
As for codecs, the WH-1000XM4 supports SBC, AAC, and LDAC. The last bit is important if you happen to an LDAC compatible device like Sony’s own Xperia 10 II phone. Support for any form of aptX is missing which is curious considering it's widely supported by many devices, especially Android ones.
It also features DSEE Extreme, a technology that claims to rebuild audio signals lost when they are compressed for Bluetooth transmission. Sony says it uses AI to achieve this and that it has worked with Sony Music Studios Tokyo to study how music signals ought to be.
There's also a 360 Reality Audio mode that works by analysing your ear shape and then creating a specialised profile for you so that sound is more immersive. If this sounds familiar, that's because that's how Creative's Super X-Fi technology works. It only works with apps that are optimised for it and for now that's a short list – only 360 by Deezer, Tidal, and nugs.net. I didn't use it much because I'm not a fan of such technology and its efficacy is very much a hit or miss affair (for which opinions widely differ for different users as seen on this poll). Furthermore, the list of supported apps is quite limited.
There's also a 360 Reality Audio feature. However, it only works with a handful of apps – no, Spotify and Apple Music isn't one of them.
The WH-1000XM4 features 40mm dynamic drivers with Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) diaphragms, which is the same as the WH-1000XM3. I won’t be surprised if the drivers were unchanged because the WH-1000XM4 inherits all of the punchiness and dynamism of its predecessor.
Sound is subjective, because we all hear things differently, and to my ears, the WH-1000XM4 has an incisive, powerful, fun, and authoritative sound. And it accomplishes this without any sacrifice in clarity or dexterity. Bass is maybe a little overpowering but it’s appreciably cleaner than it was in the WH-1000XM3. Mids are present and quite forward in the mix but highs are still lacking that last bit of air and sparkle. Sony has tuned the WH-1000XM4 to sound exciting to the masses and they have succeeded. It’s not my preferred type of sound but I can see many people loving it.
You can use the equaliser in the app to tweak the headphone's sound.
That said, I think it works best when you are out and about and in a noisy environment. Bass energy is easily lost to the environment. At home, it's too boisterous to listen to for long periods. Maybe age is catching up but I find that there’s too much energy. Of course, you can tweak the sound using the app and try to create a more laidback sound but you just can’t hide the energy of these drivers.
Even when used passively, the WH-1000XM4’s exuberant nature cannot be suppressed. It used to be that wireless headphones would sound drastically different when relieved of their internal amplifier but that’s not the case here. You lose little in the way of performance even in passive mode. It’s less accurate and just slightly less dynamic and less impactful. Late at night when there’s less traffic around my place, I actually prefer using it this way.
The WH-1000XM4 vs true wireless options
How does the WH-1000XM4 compare against true wireless options?
How does the WH-1000XM4 stack up against the ever-growing crop of true wireless earbuds like the AirPods Pro and even Sony’s own WF-1000XM3. First, I’ll concede right off the bat that the comparison is not entirely fair – it's not apples to apples – but the growing popularity of true wireless earbuds is something that I think needs to be addressed.
Because of its over-ear design, the WH-1000XM4 is likely going to be more effective at noise-cancellation for most people than true wireless earbuds. The effectiveness of true wireless earbuds is highly dependent on how good of a seal you can get. This isn’t a problem with the WH-1000XM4 unless you have ears like Legolas.
Like the WH-1000XM3, the new WH-1000XM4 also has a big battery life advantage. I once took the old WH-1000XM3 from Singapore to New York via Frankfurt on a single charge. On the other hand. I lost count of the number of times I had to juice my AirPods Pro up when I flew to Las Vegas earlier this year for CES 2020. And as I've shared on the first page, I could easily use the WH-1000XM4 for days before needing a charge.
That said, the convenience, portability, and freedom of true wireless earbuds are unparalleled, and that's a big reason why they are so popular. Also, if you can get a good fit, I also think that they can be more comfortable. It also helps that most of them can fit easily into bags and even pockets. At the end of the day, you'll have to consider what your priorities are and what are the trade-offs you are willing to live with.
Still class-leading
All the accessories fit neatly into the carrying case.
The new WH-1000XM4 has the same exact launch price as its predecessor, which is S$549. It's pricey but for cancelling out external noise and cocooning yourself in your own world, the WH-1000XM4 is in a class of one. Its predecessor was already the top dog in this regard and this new headphone simply widens the gap between Sony and its competitors.
Even though most of us are not going to see the inside of an aircraft soon, the WH-1000XM4 can still be a very helpful tool at home. It’s incredibly effective at nullifying fan and traffic noise and can be used in that regard to create a quiet space for work – especially if you are like me and live next to a busy noisy road.
Sound quality is good too even if, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not quite to my tastes. It’s also very comfortable to wear. Battery life is excellent too, long enough to last days even if you use it for hours and certainly long enough to last any flight. Touch controls seem to have been improved too so they are now more reliable to use. The ability to connect to two devices simultaneously is also much welcomed and makes the WH-1000XM4 so much more convenient to use.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 is easily the best active noise-cancellation headphone you can buy today.
There’s room for improvement, of course. The ambient sound mode is still not ideal. Also, I wished Sony gave us the flexibility to use the USB-C port as a digital input so that I can connect the headphone directly to a source device and output digitally to the headphone. But these are just minor issues and niggles.
Should owners of the WH-1000XM3 upgrade? Probably not. The WH-1000XM4 has better noise-cancellation but as I said, the improvement isn't significant enough to warrant shelling out another S$549. Furthermore, sound quality is more or less the same. That said, the biggest improvement for me is the ability to connect to two devices simultaneously. If you need this feature, then it might be a worthwhile upgrade.
If you are coming from an older headphone like the WH-1000XM2 or even the Bose QuietComfort 35 series, then there's a greater impetus to upgrade. The improvement in noise-cancellation is going to be a lot more appreciable and the longer battery life (compared to the QuietComforts) is an added bonus.
All in all, the new Sony WH-1000XM4 is a great wireless noise-cancelling headphone and it demonstrates and cements Sony’s prowess in this category of audio products. Whoever wants to usurp it will have to come up with something very special.
** The Sony WH-1000XM4 is priced at S$549 and it's available now at major retail stores, the Sony Online Store, and the Sony Flagship Store on Lazada. We've also spotted it on Amazon Singapore. **
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