Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones Review

Almost exactly two years ago, we described Sony's WH-1000XM3s as "quite possibly the perfect pair of headphones". The manufacturer now has a new pair of flagship cans - the creatively named WH-1000XM4s - and I've got just one question. How do you top perfection?

Sadly, the answer is you can't. This time around, at the least. The WH-1000XM4s have taken over from the WH-1000XM3s as my favourite pair of over-ear headphones, but realistically, they're a very minor upgrade. Every new feature is quite iterative: you get fast pairing with Android devices, improved voice quality for phone calls, and the ability to pair with more than one device at once. All these are welcome but subtle in the scheme of things.

When it comes to audio quality, the XM4s are identical to the XM3s. Sony hasn't done anything to sound this time around. The XM3s are some of the best-sounding headphones we've tested to date, so honestly, this isn't an issue. As with the XM3s, the XM4s have a warm, bass-driven profile. It's a tad removed from natural, but the low-end doesn't unbalance the rest of the music. The XM4s are crystal clear, just with some added richness, as a treat.

On the other hand, Sony says the XM4s offer slightly better noise cancelling than their predecessors, thanks to an improved algorithm. This helps a little when it comes to blocking out human voices, but honestly, I couldn't perceive much difference between the two models. Once again, this genuinely isn't a sledge. The XM3s are still top-tier when it comes to noise cancellation, so the XM4s don't feel like they're lagging behind the competition.

One of the curious new noise cancelling features you'll find in the XM4s is a smarter ambient mode. The headphones can learn the locations you visit and adjust how much noise they let in based on where you are. For example, you might want to let more ambient noise in if you're at the office so you can hear your colleagues without them needing to yell at you. At the same time, I'm not really a fan of Sony's ambient mode. It's too artificial for my liking. The only headphones I've tested with a genuinely okay-sounding ambient mode are the Beats Solo Pro. And even then, stop being rude and just take off your headphones if you want to talk to someone.

Unsurprisingly, the XM4s also look identical to the XM3s. You'll struggle to tell them apart. The XM3s were never the most exciting pair of headphones aesthetically, but they're comfortable as hell. The same holds true for the XM4s. They're just a joy to wear, to the point where they can almost feel like nothing at all. When it comes to extended listening sessions, the XM4s are hard to beat.

While the XM4 design is fine, I would have loved Sony to do a little more in terms of the build itself. While there aren't many water-resistant over-ear headphones, even a low rating like IP54 would have been welcome. I'm not the kind of person who takes over-ear cans to the gym, but there have been times I've been caught in the rain wearing my headphones. I'd love to just keep wearing the XM4s rather than fretting about whether they'll get damaged.

Sony WH-1000XM4 Final Thoughts

The WH-1000XM4s is very much a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", and that's perfectly fine given the fantastic foundations they were built on. As with the XM3s, the XM4s are some of the best headphones you can buy. They sound amazing, the noise-cancellation is excellent, and you get a chonky 30-hour battery.

There's no reason to run out and buy a pair of XM4s if you've already got XM3s, but otherwise, Sony's latest are a solid option for anyone in need of a new pair of high-end noise cancelling headphones. Of course, given how similar the XM4s are to the XM3s, it's still worth considering the previous generation. You can now get them for as little as $299. Those who regularly use their headphones to make phone calls will probably want to spring for the XM4s instead for the improved voice quality, however. And hey, while the XM4s retail for $499, we've already seen them drop as low as $349 for Black Friday.

Alex Choros

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Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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