Sony WH-1000XM4 Review - Great noise cancelling, but how does it sound?

[@cookiii]

I'm not sure I want to be an audiophile, it sounds expensive

[@MoulayeMhdi]

I see what you did there

[@thedarkknight1971]

NOT necessarily, you CAN get yourself cheaper priced gear AND STILL end up with Great results. Try checking out 'Cheapaudioman' (he tests Speakers, amps, DACs, Headphones and more for the lower end price spectrum), also, check out 'Dankpods', he has a video explaining how for for relatively little money you could be surprised at what your ears could listen to (as well as give you a few laughs along the way 😉), he's done a headphones comparison list, portable BT DACS (like the Fiio BT5 rechargeable BT DAC - that'll allow you to turn great wireless headphones into BT/wireless) and much more (like his take on his Meze Imperiums (which he got given FREE by the guy at Meze.. Yup AU$5,000! FREE!)... You just have to look around, think about your purchases, and consider, what equipment you match up to get your great sound. Take ONE of my setups for example... - 1989 Technics SU-600 'New Class A' Integrated Amp (yes, twice serviced since I bought it - all capacitors replaced) - available for £80-100 on eBay etc (many other DECENT classic amps like Pioneer, NAD, Sony, Technics etc etc are available at low prices) - A pair of 20 year old (£300 when I bought them) Sony 'Mid range' bookshelf speakers £40 speaker stands - Time, experiment and thought about placement of said speakers... And YEAH... Even THAT 'Basic' setup produces full, rich, spacial, detailed, quality sound... DO NOT be fooled in the 'Snobbery' of "Mo money means WAYY better sound", it's diminishing returns. Even KZbin's 'The Audiophilliac' (who has had decades in the industry, and has experience with Tens of thousands/hundred thousand £/$ setups), even he has promoted some seriously good sounding gear for very little money... As for improving the sound of any headphones (even phone/Tablet connected to Amp and speakers), consider this... 15:34 - There is an media player app (sadly only for Android) that IS indeed a VERY powerful, customisable and usable, and that's 'PowerAmp'. There's MANY things you can do with it including customising the EQ from 5 bands (frequencies) to 32, this alone gives MUCH MORE control of setting the sound output to your headphones how YOU want it (PLUS you can save an EQ and sound stage setting to each individual device - headphone/speaker output), or, to set your headphones more to known set graphs/charts. Not only that, 'PowerAmp' has many features, handling streaming, Crossfade, Sound Stages, Pre-Amp, visualisations, MANY media formats, many skins are available to customise its look, the list goes on with many other features... 'PowerAmp' has consistently for years been pretty much THE best audio player even compared to VLC. I've used it for many years now and I haven't found anything that comes close, even though my LG phone with built in Quad DAC boosted the quality of the music I was listening to, 'PowerAmp' REALLY made a difference... Try it (it's free for a while) but even then when you need to pay to unlock it, it's only what? $5?, See what it can do with your music, it WILL certainly help improve your music listening pleasure. So £/$5.. To give you MUCH MORE control of your sound? Sounds like a bargain... NOT much money at all... 😏👍 Anyway, all the best to you fellow 'Audiophiles'... 👍 😎🇬🇧

[@cedricboivin9422]

​@@thedarkknight1971Jeezus, that's a long comment Instead I will just leave this here -7hz Saltnote Zero 2 -Koss KSC 75 -JBL 306P MKII If someone's budget can't afford anything in this list, I suggest finding a job

[@MArgusChopinGyver]

I think getting clear audio or bassy audio is subjective, because a lot of people like those bassy muddy sound. But after you try once using a somewhat neutral IEM or earbuds, hearing things that you never did before when you use a muddy bassy headphone, it's kinda hard to go back to the bassy side I'm not an audiophile, but I love to hear the song that I want to hear little bit more clearly and not covered with bass all the time (especially on 80s Japanese songs)

[@scottyi9299]

Great review, I was looking for a review about xm4s in an audiophile perspective, and finally there is one. I set my EQ to clear bass -4, 400 +1, 1k +5, 2.5k +6, 6.3k +5 and 16k +6 and now they sound much better, vocals are present more and there is a better instruments separation, bass is recessed to make other frequencies shine

[@christopheroconnor2632]

Thanks I just tried your settings and dropping the bass down and raising other frequencies made me hear things in tunes I didnt hear before.

[@jonathanmark7751]

Thanks for these settings. I like this a lot more than the one Andrew recommended.

[@enagod]

I am also loving this more than the video’s recommendation

[@BrockMak]

12:08 Wavelet app also had similar tweaks. Looking forward to testing them out when mine ships tomorrow.

[@robinmercier2906]

Check out John Darko's thoughts on xm3 as well. Should be applicable as I've read the xm4s are either practically or exactly same design sound wise. It's another opinion from audiophile perspective with good practical thoughts helping the review along. Mobius is great, but outside with noise a lot less so, depending on...lots obviously.

[@HeliBenj]

At last, I was so tired of these countless reviews where they barely talk about he sound, if at all. Looks like nowadays the sound is like the last thing that matters about HEADPHONES. 🤨

[@techmaster242]

They sound really bad. I'm probably going to return mine. I've got some Sennheiser HD650's and Beyerdynamic DT770's. Both of those are incredible, but these Sonys are extremely mediocre. Very muffled, not detailed. It's like listening to good headphones through a thick blanket.

[@czondag]

@@techmaster242 so my AT M50X is also far better i think... when i read this

[@techmaster242]

@@czondag Yeah the M50's and the fairly similar sounding Sennheiser HD280's are definitely clearer sounding than these Sonys.

[@BuzzingGoober]

It's because sony sends them out for free to a bunch of tech shills just like samshit

[@paulu_]

I mean, these headphones are made for planes. Their ability to play music at all is just secondary.

[@mikemack7933]

Finally an audiophile review of a top consumer headphone that every reviewer praise

[@metal571]

We need more of these. Compare it to Bose 700, resolve. Come on

[@edwinramos4910]

@@metal571 The Bose 700 sounds noticeably worse than both the Sony 1000xm3 and the old B&W PX. Compared to those 2, it sounds artificial, somewhat grainy, and lacking in detail. Also has less soundstage. I returned the pair I bought after 5 days. I would be interested to see the 1000xm4 compared to the B&W PX7. Really ready to replace my PX, but there doesn't seem to be any NC headphones that are better in regard to sound quality.

[@metal571]

@@edwinramos4910 that's what I've heard, 700 was a step down below QC35. Haven't heard it myself though

[@edwinramos4910]

@@metal571 They do sound similar to each other, but the NC700 has a slightly less dynamic and less enjoyable sound. Probably because they used a driver that's even smaller than the one in the QC35. It's also less comfortable, and less durable. The only thing that the NC700 is better at are phone conversations, and looking more stylish.

[@thelarry383]

Every other reviewer: These sound great this reviewer: They don't sound that great "ah finally the truth" 🤨

[@andrew4017]

Finally a expert giving a eq setting! Thank you! I love my x4s though couldn't figure a good eq!

[@Mr3Dmutt]

bought these purely to block out the non-stop construction in and around my apartment that is *insanely* loud... and wow.. There's no looking back, they completely block even the loudest of sounds, makes it so easy to focus when you're working from home in this covid era. I love the sound... but I've always loved Sony sound and it pairs great with the A105 Walkman

[@scottd1342]

Great review dude! Very easy to understand and no waffling like 99% of KZbinrs. So glad to see it is possible to use EQ to rein in the bass and get rid of the "mud". I tried them in a shop yesterday and thought exactly what you have said -- that the default bass setting is ridiculous and mids need uplifting.

[@the_doctor2419]

This is so awesome to listen to the descriptive language of an audiophile. The in depth audio review isn't too useful to me but it's fascinating and I respect the quality of the review👌🏼👌🏼

[@swagatabarua]

I watched so many reviews, probably 20 or so and everyone praised this headphone without even talking about the sound quality. I was so convinced that I almost decided to buy it. But I am always skeptical about Sony headphones as they are Bass Heavy and I am not a very big fan of extra bass. Finally your review was something I was looking for and I have decided against purchasing the Sony. My only regret is I didn't find your channel earlier but thanks to KZbin Algorithm that brought me to your channel. Subscribing your channel now.

[@skipumps]

i spent last 2 days reading reviews of the 1000xm4 but none of them called it out for the sound quality , or the lack thereof, as clearly and as honestly as you did...great review...

[@Rohank05]

Yeah all other KZbinrs hype it for no reason!!!Glad I held off from buying

[@metal571]

It's because they're either paid reviews from the manufacturer or they are making money on affiliate links, or both.

[@lazybuttt]

@@metal571 It's because there are no headphones with compared noize cancellation that sounds better than Sony. It's like comparing orcas and dolphins... In their category they sound the best.

[@techmaster242]

He's not lying. I got mine in a couple of weeks ago, and I think I'm going to return them. They're just mushy and lack the level of detail that I expect from a set of $350 headphones. They sound like $50 headphones.

[@p4ntm509]

@@techmaster242 what do u expect? They are noise cancelling headphones of course they aren't for audiophiles

[@ask5583]

Was looking for sound details..Great details, thumbs up!!

[@JasonMP9121]

Thanks for showing your custom EQ I was looking for that everywhere ! It’s more balanced and I like that for vocals musics.

[@FreddyBoyBoy]

Thanks for this review. I was having a hard time finding a review that talks about the audio, most review only talk about the features.

[@smoshfan103]

to the average person, these are better than what they would normally buy. These are for the people who want ANC, multiple device linking, easy to travel with, as well as good sound with thumpy bass.

[@hectichive889]

@@smoshfan103 So you’d say for the average person these have a good sound? I’m no audiophile so I’m just looking for something that sounds good, has bluetooth, and has ANC, and from what I see, these headphones check all the boxes, right? I’ve been on the fence about it for a while, but they look great. Tired of my old shitty beats. Looking for something that is obviously good for listening to music (especially rock and metal) and watching some KZbin videos from time to time lol

[@smoshfan103]

@@hectichive889 I definitely recommend these, one of the best anc headphones in the market. They sound great with default EQ but some tweaking can make the experience better (imo since I have "better" wired headphones).

[@rediornaut7018]

As someone who lives in Canada, finding a good deal on the Audeze Mobius is seemingly impossible. So I went with the XM4's, and honestly I don't regret it. Once I applied the EQ they became essential during my commute.

[@jacobfield4848]

I own these and they sound "muffled". All Bluetooth headsets sound "muffled" to one degree or another. All the EQ settings did not change that. The ANC is amazing and they are very comfortable, but the sound has no detail at all.

[@cooldude8912]

Listening on WH-1000XM4.

[@chamade166]

These sound so undetailed and muffled if you come from a quality set of sounding headphones. Returned mine fast. Would rather wear earplugs + a decent set of headphones on an airplane.

[@cooldude8912]

@@chamade166 I love my pair. Get whatever you want. Headphones sound fine to me. Did you find the headphones comfortable to wear?

[@cooldude8912]

@@chamade166 What do you think about Momentum 3?

[@erlanggaaffandi8838]

Cyber Reeper me too 🙂

[@cooldude8912]

@@erlanggaaffandi8838 How do you like the WH-1000XM4 battery life,comfort,quick charging,build quality,and sound quality?

[@kylerclarke2689]

I liked the XM3's a lot when they were my first expensive audio product. I've gotten in to IEMs since and discovered that I like treble and female vocals a lot. They sound pretty bad in vocal focused songs. Bass overpowers everything. I have almost never used the earcup hold gimmick to let in outside noise. I just take them off one ear. The noise cancelling is still great and I use them every day for Twitch listening, mowing the lawn, doing laundry, whatever. tl;dr buy the XM4's over the 3's. Multiple bluetooth connections is basically essential IMO. It's very frustrating swapping between devices on the XM3. Noise cancelling is awesome even if you think you won't have a use for it. You'll find uses.

[@faisalshoaib7586]

multiple device connections LOL so almost pay couple hundred extra just for this useless feature because i dont have multiple devices and will only use for gym..

[@GFClocked]

Finally someone that talks some sense. All I could get from DMS was "it's trash". Yeah well, I had to buy it for office use. So this is much more helpful, now I know what to eq to make it usable. There's an app Wavelet for android. It's very good for this.

[@Markinpuff]

For the rest of us humans with normal hearing, they rock!

[@consciousgentile5141]

Voices sound incredible on it. So rich/ lifelike

[@smoshfan103]

the ANC is so good and they are fun to listen to

[@Markinpuff]

@@smoshfan103 I actually haven’t used it, not noisy. Does the anc degrade the audio?

[@smoshfan103]

@@Markinpuff I don't hear any difference, but using the pass-through feature does make the highs sound pretty bad.

[@Thanos-tm2ng]

Great sound but It's not loud enough.

[@olivrrrr]

Sill waiting for the tinnitus noise cancel update...

[@aaronfriedman8201]

Has it been announced?

[@xayofoolx]

lmao

[@TheMusikYarl]

@@aaronfriedman8201 To clarify, it's a joke. As tinnitus isn't real sound, but caused by damage to your ears, it can't be cancelled by reversing the sound waves ;)

[@ankitprakash5659]

@@aaronfriedman8201 Flare Audio's Calmer is making rounds for that.

[@joeburreaux7953]

@@aaronfriedman8201 It was, the release date is set for 2035.

[@thebudgetaudiophile6808]

Your reviews are too good Andrew. Hit it out of the park, once again.

[@miksmif]

hi, i purchased these headphones for £228 from amazon uk.. they are excellent bluetooth and noise cancelling headphones with a great sound quality. also its not just about the noise cancelling its also about the excellent bluetooth quality ... great headphones... they sound great... you wont be dissapointed with a pair...

[@mrfrosty3]

I wanted the current best ANC so I bought these. From reviews I expected the sound to be ok but not great, I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed it's fun sound quite a bit. They are very much headphones for on the go and that type of sound with the music I play at those times is fun and pleasing. I admit to not having a very discerning or refined ear. I was also surprised at how loud these will go, at just over 50% I am happy. Battery life is excellent.

[@arthursimsa9005]

Why comment on sound quality if you admit you don’t know anything about sound quality?

[@098cpt]

11 years on Audio Technica ATH-M50, and even on those cheap studio headphone, I got a noticeable sound quality gap. Not huge, but noticeable . Not enough to get those back to the store, mainly because of the feature . Using them 90% of the time for teams meeting in a noisy environment, those xm4 are awesome.

[@K-CHOMA]

Clear bass at 0, 400Hz at 0, 1k at 5, 2,5k at 8 or 7 (matter of taste but for me it's 8), 6,3k at 3 and finally 16k at 2 or 3 (for me 2). I've found it's most universal and puncgy setup for this phones. I'm very familiar with my DT990 PRO sound with good amp (hybrid with a little boost in middle tones to compensate DT990 PRO V-shape sound) and my speaker system - ATC SCM7 and Naim 5si so I tried to bring this sound to my WH-1000XM4. I listen a lot genres from death metal to very soft progressive rock and pop. This EQ work preety well with Opeth, Rival Sons, Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and Billy Eilish too. I've also noticed that there is diffrence in sound between ANC On and Off. ANC make sound less warm.

[@SyedNizamudeen]

Thank you for your insights for the XM4's from the 'sound' perspective and also sharing your EQ settings. I didn't come across any reviewers of this headphones who did that. Cheers.

[@thesoundizerav4956]

You didn’t explain what Codec this was tested on = SBC, APTX, APTC HD, LDAC OR AAC. Also previously on Sony WH1000XM3 using EQ would force into SBC. SBC IS HORRIBLE COMPRESSION

[@edwinramos4910]

Oh, I had forgotten about this. If the 1000xm4 also forces SBC after using built in EQ, then that is a complete deal breaker.

[@_Nosferatu_]

Yep, changing it to LDAC and setting the other bluetooth settings to the highest quality in developer options, made a massive difference for me.

[@chamade166]

They sound undetailed and muddy compared to any decent transparent headphone. Awful sound, there are ANC headphones that sound a lot better.

[@edwinramos4910]

@@chamade166 Assuming that they're the same ones as in the 1000xm3, the drivers are actually decent. It's the ham fisted stock tuning that is horrible. I bought the 1000xm3, kept them for a week, and returned them. Before I returned them, I spent an hour working with an EQ to fix them. Someone who knows how to handle an EQ well enough to make precise, targeted adjustments can get them to sound very good..for a pair of ANC headphones. After fixing that garbage stock tuning, my pair were fairly close to my B&W PX in sound quality, and if memory serves, not far from the quality I get from my Sennheiser Momentum 3's. They were also much better sounding than the dull and artificial sounding Bose NC700 and QC35's.

[@enaheray]

I find it really interesting to see reviews of consumer headphones from you!! Even tough I am not in the marketing of buying a „consumer focused“ headphone it’s an interesting facet of our hobby.

[@RyanGazling]

Dude! Such a helpful review, even after I'd already bought it

[@tpacalypse]

I own high end headphones and these Sony's. They don't sound bad. You can tune it to sound the way you like through the app. I enjoy them very much despite having much more expensive headphones.

[@Porqueallomeao]

Really good review, finally someone who is talking about sound and not just some dull extra’s. Are you planning on doing a review on the new B&O H95? Keep up the good work!

[@ArturdeSousaRocha]

The DSP EQ is a bit of a missed opportunity where it comes to improving their sound. Another missed opportunity is that they could be built to play wired lossless over USB -- with EQ as well! I almost bought these, they are so incredibly comfortable, even for a bald guy wearing glasses.

[@Akuphon]

This was the first time I came across with your channel. Finally an XM4 review that talks about sound quality. And what an excellent review I must say! I don't consider myself as audiophile but I do like good sound quality. In fact, I've been using quite similar EQ setting with my XM3. Luckily Samsung's own EQ is way better than the one in Sony's app.

[@LG141602]

What do you think about power Amp for android?

[@zerooneonetwothree1872]

Every EQ is degrading the sound

[@Akuphon]

@@zerooneonetwothree1872 Definitely NOT with these headphones. They are so far from sounding good in stock settings that EQ really can make these sound more realistic and simply put better.

[@zerooneonetwothree1872]

​@@Akuphon Yes, it would appear so, but technically, the sound is degraded. You can find flaws in the high end hps as well, fix them and they would appear to sound fixed, but if you know how to listen, you will notice significant changes, distorsions and so many things... I dont doubt they are more realistic, but i know how much some frequencies suffer when you change others. If you experiment long enough, you will hear how mids change, even tho you didnt touch them- for example, you boosted LF, but now, HF changed, low mids now bleed more, timbre or surface detail is gone, etc... Even with reset eq, it will sound usually more muddy in low mids amd thats because its a filter. Anything on the path of the 1s and 0s and your brain is an obstacle. All that being said, go ahead and EQ them, i dont believe they had much to offer in the first place, but im sure you will loose something with EQ, weather you hear it or not, weather you have professional EQ or not

[@Akuphon]

@@zerooneonetwothree1872 Yes, I understand your point. I'm just saying that these Sonys are far from being a high end audio product and the sound is heavily tuned for mainstream consumers. For starters, that overwhelming and muddy bass that also bleeds to lower mid range messes pretty much everything. At least for my taste. So if I need noise cancelling headphones Sonys are unfortunately one of the best in the category. I just have to live with the poor sound quality or alternatively eq them to sound less crappy. The end result is better in total even though it is still not technically optimal or desirable. Then again, if we were talking about a proper high end system, I would try to avoid EQ too.

[@Erispedia]

If only Sony Built in EQ isn’t as garbage as 5 band graphic EQ. For that price, I expect at least 10 band PEQ for advanced users. And for casual users, just give them tilt or tone control.

[@zergadis0]

I also think, that EQ could be better, but on the other hand - it still beats the entire competition (Bose and B&W - no eq inside the app, Sennheiser - eq even more basic than Sony).

[@bernardobarrientos3642]

I’m not a musician or music producer, just a consumer and to me this headphones on the default equalizer setting sound horrible. I don’t understand why people would like that muddy, boxy sound. Nothing like a nice balanced, open sound. The sound of the WH-1000M4 with the equalizer set to off, should be similar to the sound you get from the MDR-7506. And thank you for this comprehensive and educational review!

[@thedarkknight1971]

15:34 - There is an media player app (sadly only for Android) that IS indeed a VERY powerful, customisable and usable, and that's 'PowerAmp'. There's MANY things you can do with it including customising the EQ from 5 bands (frequencies) to 32, this alone gives MUCH MORE control of setting the sound output to your headphones how YOU want it, or, to set your headphones more to known set graphs/charts. Not only that, 'PowerAmp' has many features, handling streaming, Crossfade, Sound Stages, Pre-Amp, visualisations, MANY media formats, many skins are available to customise its look, the list goes on with many other features... 'PowerAmp' has consistently for years been pretty much THE best audio player even compared to VLC. I've used it for many years now and I haven't found anything that comes close, even though my LG phone with built in Quad DAC boosted the quality of the music I was listening to, 'PowerAmp' REALLY made a difference... Try it (it's free for a while) but even then when you need to pay to unlock it, it's only what? $5?, See what it can do with your music, it WILL certainly help improve your music listening pleasure. Anyway, all the best to you fellow 'Audiophiles'... 👍 😎🇬🇧

[@joshuaarrebola3430]

Thanks for the in-depth review. I really enjoyed the review and found the bass too much to handle. When I first put the XM4’s on, I felt assaulted by the shear bass from it. I ended up liking the vocal preset the most as I wouldn’t dare do custom EQ. Nice charts btw, I shall watch the graph breaking vids soon.

[@yipshingho1510]

Very great review. Thank you for the EQ settings. I totally agree with the bass muddles the mid. I played around with the EQ, it just doesn't sound right with any EQ settings. I am using the entry level 4XX as baseline, but the 4XX's fast tight bass just destroys the XM4. I did buy the XM4 just because of noise cancelling, if I am sitting at my desk, in front of the PC, then I would just use the 4XX.

[@garyluciani370]

Nice review. Enjoyed reading the link to headphone frequency response measurements. Very good.

[@bsperoz]

I use a manual EQ and set it to my preferences. But...as a musician I actually LIKE more aggresive sound. EDIT: I'm a percussionist and as a member of a band, I appreciate a blended sound...Even in Pop and Rock.

[@ryanchenoweth5673]

I have had two pairs of XM4’s and they both hiss when noise canceling is on. You can hear this in any quiet room. Do yours do this?

[@aneleh8012]

Same here too.

[@thanawitsagulthang6471]

is this too late of a reply. I used to have the same issue with my xm3. it could be because of the condensation issue. put the siliga gel in there and leave it for a day. and try not to use in when you're likely to be sweating. eg. hot day, doing house chore, working out. should fix the issue. It may not fix immediately but eventually it will.

[@thanawitsagulthang6471]

also open the ear cup use a tissue and carefully wipeout any waterdroplet you find on or next to the driver within the cup.

[@feeateruwu3216]

man I've been looking for the best eq for this cans nd so far i can say that yours was the best one

[@geneg6343]

I have been looking at buying some Bluetooth headphones to replace my current Bose Q35's. I have had the Q35's since 2017 and they still work great. Over the past month I have had the Bose 700 and Apple Airpod Max. I have since returned both aforementioned headphones. I started researching headphones and kept reading reviews about the Sony WH-1000XM4's and they are currently on sale for $249 at the base exchange (military retail store). I had a coupon for additional 5% off and since there is no sales tax at the military retail store, total cost was $237.49. Over the past couple days of ownership, I can say I am not blown away by the sound of the Sony's. Most reviews on KZbin sing there sound quality praises. I know sound quality can be subjective to the listener and what sounds good to me might not sound good to you. The stock setting for the XM4's sound dull but with bass. I have set numerous settings in the custom EQ on the Sony app and it is overly bright and lacking in the mids. My last option is to use the EQ APO for greater adjustment. However I need to research how to get the settings from the PC to the XM4's. No matter what settings I use they just seem to be lacking in crystal clear sound but there is no lack in bass department. Before buying the XM4's I stopped by the Bang & Olufsen store and auditioned the Beoplay H95's at $800.00. I have to say they were not lacking in any department in sound quality, not overly bright and not dull sounding but at a price. I am contemplating repurchasing the Apple Airpods Max, in my opinion they have the sound that I prefer along with the B&O H95's. However they are the most expensive of the bunch I listened to. I think the Bose 700 sound better then XM4's in the mids and high section which is more important to me then having more pronounced bass. These headphones will be used around the house, in the back yard, and traveling on commercial air. They will not be used for walking around in public.

[@Diatonic5th]

I fly a lot and and use my 1000XM4's exclusively for traveling. They really are the best headphone available for long flights.

[@michaelthompson9798]

I managed to score a damaged carton (very very slightest corner of box packaging) directly from Sony, here in Australia 🇦🇺, for $150USD plus local tax (10%) and I’m stoked with my pickup!

[@BigTonyGee]

Great review! Thanks for educating me, got your channel a new fan and made me realize I have plenty to learn from you pros!

[@retiredmusicexecutivereact2130]

I always respect a fellow Sound Engineer. Each and every one of us is titled to our opinion. I’ve spoken with individuals who have really don’t care the price of anything. Just in my opinion you really knocked down 1000XM4. Sure you can plug you can plug your $60,000 wired headphones to hear every single sound due to the amplifier, but having worked in music for years I have to say these headphone are absolutely Amazing

[@WheezyTech]

Sounds like they haven't changed anything about the sound from the XM3. Headphones I enjoy and recommend for its portability, comfort and noise cancelling. I think when you're at work or on the train I can sacrifice audio fidelity for the features. Shame they never changed the sound much from the old model, but you can get a good deal on the XM3 these days.

[@jonathanmark7751]

Great review Andrew! Finally a audiophile review that talks about sound quality. Listening to the XM4 with LDAC with Scott Yi settings made this a lot better than preset vocal EQ. I just got the Audeze Mobius to compare. So far I don't like them compared to the XM4. Mobius sound flat, not dynamic, and don't have punch in the bass in bluetooth. The Mobius are faster and better at smoothing out vocals. I've tried default and music EQ. The default sounds the best to me. But the music EQ does a better job for separation. This is my first foray into headphones. I had never heard or tried planar magnetics so I'm not sure if this takes time to get use to. I come from 2 channel speakers.

[@abrafi4713]

Do you mean xm4 sounds better than audeze mobius on bluetooth for you?

[@jonathanmark7751]

@@abrafi4713 yes XM4 sound a lot better to me once EQ

[@kinocchio]

I was really hyped for this but I returned it. The main reason was lack of comfort. My ears were hurting after 20 mins. Not much space in the ear cups. My QC35s are far more comfy. The anc and sound were fine.

[@thepickyaudiophile]

Worth noting, I found a much higher noise floor (noise canceling hiss) on the XM4 compared to my XM3 (and QC35). More present in the right ear up on the two pairs I had, which makes it even more distracting.

[@Algartab]

Thank you for the EQ recommendation

[@marcosarg1]

These headphones are not meant for audiophile people. They are awesome for a regular consumer. I have some fostex and audiotechnica that sound awesome, but for wireless, on the go, these are perfect.

[@tulithemusician]

Everything you need to know in one perfect review. keep coming :)

[@Vlican]

Thanks for the audiophile perspective of this super popular headphone... I'll trust your measurements and EQ settings since not many folks have the equipment for this.

[@praxis22]

I have the XM3, the bass is just nuts, cannot listen to music on it. So it gets slaved to the TV, to cut out the noisy family. It also shines on airlines where you turn the ANC on and wear an IEM underneath. That works!

[@pikkyuukyuun4741]

I feel like past a certain point, the average joe stops caring about sound quality. Most wont even know what a soundstage is. Earned a sub. Btw no measurement for the passive wired mode?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Hey thanks for the sub. It should be there in the article. The channel balance was pretty rough so I figure it's just not usable in wired mode without that annoyance.

[@LencoTB]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow I have set the EQ settings from you screenshot from this link www.headphones.com/community/reviews-learning-and-news/sony-wh-1000xm4-review-great-noise-cancelling-but-how-does-it-sound But I am a bit confused if these settings only relate to Wireless. I am not sure where to find the settings for Wires. Then I would create a Custom 2 for Wires in the Sony app.

[@angkurbarua]

Really loved the detailed & Pinpoint picking up review. Actual matters are brought out as the headphones do sound!! Appreciate alot your research regarding the quality & sound together 🙏

[@originalproducts06]

2022 February: I set my EQ to clear bass to Zero, 400 -1, 1k +6, 2.5k +3, 6.3k +10 and 16k +6 and now they sound way better,

[@KittySneeze]

Andrew, love the reviews. Only thing I’d have liked to see mentioned or appraised would have been the microphone quality. I know that this feature is not normally considered in an audiophile review, but given your emphasis on use-case, I thought it might be important to mention.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

The mic on this is pretty awful. Maybe okay for phone calls on the go but not for much else.

[@metal571]

Supposedly the best part about the Bose 700 is the mic

[@KittySneeze]

That’s why I’m quite surprised to hear they opted not to upgrade that feature to compensate. That said, based on this review, I think the MK3 might be the best choice given their recent discounts.

[@curtyounkin8545]

What do you think about the THX Panda? Thanks for another awesome review!

[@metal571]

We need this

[@siddharthshishulkar8992]

I really like this. First the Airpods and now this. This gives me much better understanding of the Audio capabilities of these devices. All those other fancy tech youtubers managed to do was: "Yeah, it sounds great! 😑" It's 2020 guys, please understand that great means different things for different people.

[@metal571]

AirPods Pro however is actually very good. Heard that one already myself

[@siddharthshishulkar8992]

@@metal571 Hey man, hope you are doing well. And yes, AirPods Pro do sound really good. I know this is an audiophile community and we are critical of and care about the technical competency of the products here but a good and generally favourable FR is often underrated and ignored.

[@Rohank05]

Yeah I do care about audio quality!!!I am not going to buy now

[@ericarnold1739]

@@siddharthshishulkar8992 The problem I have, listening to this AirPods Pro, is I don't know how "bad" is bad to him. Are we talking like those free earbuds they give you on flights, or are we talking like bad compared to $1000 headphones. I am not sure I will be able to notice all of what he is struggling with in his review

[@nipunsharma5351]

Scrolled through your channel but couldn't see that you've reviewed the B&W PX7. Would love to have your opinion on those. I own them and find them a bit sibilant in the treble in certain songs. Your review and in depth analysis is quite simply the best I've come across yet.

[@edwinramos4910]

I second this request. I own the old PX, but haven't pulled the trigger on the PX7 because of the downgrade in build materials, and because of very mixed reviews when it comes to sound quality. I want something that sounds at least as good as the PX, but that has better noise canceling and better comfort.

[@nipunsharma5351]

@@edwinramos4910 If I may share my experience with the PX7 here, they do have better sound than the PX which I had to return coz of their clamping force. The bass stands out most as it is deeper and more audible. The PX7 can, on occasion, very very slightly rumble inside the cups. Its not too much. None of it is transferred to the cheeks or head like it is on headphones like the Sennheiser Momentum 3 or Sony XM3/4. After having listened to the Momentums i do wish that the premium headphones should match the output. I don't like sibilance but do love clean bass. So the PX7 don't give me exactly what I want but I understand that they do have great sound for people who are looking for a more faithful reproduction of sound without any colouring.

[@nipunsharma5351]

@@edwinramos4910 In terms of comfort and noise cancelling the PX7 are much much better than the PX. The sound still degrades over ANC just a tad bit.

[@cronus33]

Is there a way to get the EQ settings to stick when using these while wired? Even when powered on, if I plug them into my PC, phone, PS5, etc, the EQ settings are lost and it is back to the muddy sound. Which sucks because they sound GREAT with the EQ settings!

[@christopheroconnor2632]

Wow I used the custom eq from the written article but pushed the 6.3 hz from "0" to "+2" and that seems perfect and more pleasing to my ears for what listen to.

[@drewskis86]

i love the improved audio quality and the how hard the bass hits

[@faisalshoaib7586]

i finally bought xm4 for 30%discount but still paid 400 dollars after tax aka still pretty fkin expensive i was at least hoping to be wowed by sound clarity and sound loudness but no wtf these dont even sound loud to me?!!!! i bought them for gym use only and not casual use because i dont want to break them.. to get a pump in my workouts a pump in gym requires loud clear music... fk i havent actually used them. in the gym yet but i will tomorrow but I'm feeling so disappointed i saw a yt video where the guy said. even 80% volume is more than enough.. well i wanted at least 120% volume by the way they sound honestly sound quality and noise cancellation quality is not much different compared to a cheap 50$ headphones or earphones from amazon the earphones i have right now r clearly giving me otitis externa infections/inflamations so i finnally decided to jump the gun basically i would be much happier if i paid 150$ less for these.. true price is 498$ plus tax but i bought for 348$ plus tax... i would feel better and.more justified with 200plus tax the box of the headphone and case look so good like i probably spent 50$just for the box and case wtf and not sound quality and by the way these headphones look ugly asf on my head and probably most heads.. feeling i made a stupid decision buying these but have to live with it now

[@cbastien92]

Would like to buy a new pair of headphones and I don't know which to choose between Wh-1000xm4 and Focal listen pro. All that matter is sound quality within this budget. What would you suggest please?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Sennheiser momentum 3 for wireless ANC

[@marksmithers9779]

The custom equalizer you provided also fixed the issues with my XM3 as well. Much better now for all type of music. Thank you so much !

[@emilianomontanari283]

are you sure ? they are quite different

[@p4ntm509]

Do the sony wh1000xm4 sound better if anc is turned off? Because I heard anc can affect sound quality

[@rebeccaregan9816]

At least for me, the turning the ANC did not affect the sound quality in any direction. Honestly, making a custom EQ made the biggest difference in sound quality.

[@jhonscot]

Very good review! Unfortunately it still needs so much adjustment to sound more balanced. But you would expect that wireless headphones.

[@dubu_nsnl7018]

Did you make sure to turn on the headphones while using the audio cable? Just a thought.

[@jasonmusic3]

What are your thoughts on the Bose 700 compared to these xm4? Thanks for your expertise.

[@patrickpaganini]

Thanks for this. I'm surprised this isn't mentioned more - when I put them on to test in the shop, noise cancelling absolutely amazing, but sound absolutey mush unfortunately.

[@jonlentz3584]

Hi, could you suggest an EQ application to use with these headphones on an iPhone? I have "Equalizer " (Audioforge) on my phone but....?

[@jasonjulian6436]

What's interesting to me is I went in with no knowledge of the Harman curve or graphs. I do feel like I have a decent ear from being a long time musician. Your personal custom EQ is identical to what I set mine to!

[@pedrosilveira2972]

Hy Andrew, I recently sold my WH1000XM3, coming from a DT1990 Pro (With EQ) the Sony's sound muffled, and pretty bad. But actually i found the IEM Version (WF1000XM3) to be much better. The tuning is completely different, and way more agreeable, other than that the imaging is pretty good for an IEM, i ended up keeping the it. You should really try it if you get a chance, a review of it would be very nice though. Your reviews are great!

[@Erispedia]

The tuning for WF-1000XM3 is actually very close to IER- M9. Yeah, if only WH series follow that direction too, it will be much better.

[@jgirizarry]

Got mine today, put them under my Christmas tree. I am ready for the 25th.

[@slimerone]

lol that's some strong will to not open them right now

[@TriniKel200sx]

I hope you get an opportunity to review the Dali IO 6. Would love to hear your opinion.

[@Gcpvetten]

I listened to it twice now. It has a neutral sound, and the mids an highs stay very clean. No listening fatigue. But if you like bass. Don’t get the dalis get the b&w px7 instead.

[@SyedAliRaza754]

I just ordered my Sony WH-1000XM4 and came here to see all its pros, but I think I am going to cry about my decision after watching this. :(

[@kommentarschreiber1611]

I think the reviewer is actually lost and doesn't know about LDAC codec. So if use these headphones with a phone with Android 8 or higher these sound good.

[@MuhammadHanif-tj3dr]

@@kommentarschreiber1611 He do know bruh.... I can't even imagine that one who's professional in an audio stuff doesn't know kind of that thing 😂

[@kommentarschreiber1611]

Maybe but I own them and they sound phenomenal.

[@mr.no-one7678]

@@kommentarschreiber1611 He do know? Lmao

[@syedmuhammadsaad3932]

I miss the old-school beats because I prefer bass over anything. So will these work for me?

[@sandyclyburn5675]

Equalizer APO I a Windows app...??....New to the equalizer game. So I guess I would have to get something MacOS based?? How do you get a third party app’s equalizer settings transferred To my Sony XM4’s ???? Sorry for all the questions.....newbie! Stephen

[@ROrneli]

question. I noticed that when you use the 3.5 cable with a DAC , that if you turn on the head phones while plugged in to the 3.5 mm it does improve the sound somewhat. Did you try it by turning the head phones on? or just analog with dac.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

The 3.5mm only makes sense to use if you run out of battery. So it's there as convenience. When you use the headphones internal DAC, it fixes the channel imbalance and does a much better job - but I don't know why you'd then use the 3.5mm to go to another source. Remember, 3.5mm is already analog, so it doesn't need to go through the headphone's internal DAC.

[@ROrneli]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow I do gaming with them on PC as well as using them for street every day use . the delay in the blue tooth makes a difference in gaming. I connect it to the 3.5 mm to the Sennheiser GSX1000 for surround ...of course i turn off the surround effect for music as it alters some frequencies on music specially on the high end. but i noticed that if i turn on the head phones that it does in fact improve the way the head phones sound while wired. But you are the pro so I was wondering if it is something i am imagining or it is real.

[@TheGalaxyBelle]

What would you recommend as a consumer oriented headphone? One that has balanced sound, not too much bass, and with fast speed retrieval and below $300. I recently purchased the 1000XM4 but am testing it out for a month so thank you for this review.

[@zergadis0]

I am currently using Hifiman Sundara + Chord Mojo combo for home listening and Sony Wh-1000XM3 while going out, and even though in terms of technical performance Sundaras are clear winners in almost all applicable categories, when it comes to the tonality... for some genres of music I actually prefer Wh-1000XM3 (with strongly customized eq) - esp. for most of the EDM, hip-hop and other genres, which rely more on a bass quantity than quality, but also a lot vocal oriented music (for me vocals are the part where Sonys often shine, while Sundaras sometimes sound hollow or even harsh) and many not so good mastered recordings (wh-1000mx3 with good eq don't care too much about what you will tell them to play - it will be at least listenable, when on Sundara listening to some bad mastered music could be used as a method of torture). It's worth notice, that you really need to eq both wh-1000xm3 and wh-1000xm4 to make them sound reasonably good, with the stock tuning a lot of music will sound like total garbage.

[@SyedNizamudeen]

Yes, I second you. Most music that most folks today are very compressed and mastered to sound loud on portable speakers. If one is listening to the modern pop, hip hop and EDMs, there's no fuss to chase neutrality or Harman curve. If music moves the listener, then yes. I'm a speakers man and I usually listen to music when I'm not multi tasking. Thought of picking up the XM4 as I thought of taking music while walking or to commute. I'm looking for a comfortable pair that's not siblant and goes easy on treble and forgiving when music is badly produced. But, with a bit of oomph in bass is fine as I'll be listening to the headphones in the background while on the move. I hope with eq, XM4 wouldn't be a bad choice for what I want.

[@FMKmusica]

Great review! Are you thinking to review the new B&O H95?

[@backslashio]

I've scoured many reviews high & low for the XM4's to discuss about sound quality in detail and who its ideal for, I actually found your vid on the original text article - absolutely nailed the questions I was most interested in! Recently I returned the Surface Headphones 2 very quickly after experiencing my first NC pair when I was baffled at how much muddier & bassy it was in comparison to my Xbox Wireless Headset (although that did have a professional custom EQ) & the NC couldn't even be turned off on that. So sadly I'm now realising that most NC headphones are like this as they attempt to blanket out the surroundings. Good for music loves who enjoy bass & just terrible for anyone else that wants to watch them for movies with dialogue or podcasts etc Give Sony a few more revisions and they could probably fine tune NC to a much more natural level

[@czondag]

How does the sound quality compaired to the audio technica m50x? Could you tell me or not?

[@rebeccaregan9816]

I used to own both, but have since given my m50x to a family member. While sound is 100% subjective, I firmly believe the sound on the m50x is better than the xM4. The xM4 is NOT an audiophile headphone, as you can get much better sounding cans for half the price (i.e HD 58X, AKG K371, etc.) -- however, it has heavenly ANC, comfort (for me, at least), and connectivity. Whether you consider these headphones as your next purchase is totally up to what you personally need. Prioritize ANC? Then you can't find better than the xM4. Want best bang-for-the-buck sound? Then you can and should look elsewhere

[@czondag]

@@rebeccaregan9816 thank you!

[@christopheroconnor2632]

I am pleased with the xm3 model. The app allows me to drop the bloated bass down and raise the mids and highs. I have it dialed in for live grateful dead concert recordings.

[@eXoguti094]

Is this using LDAC? If not, I'd be really interested in seeing a video from you using LDAC to see if I should but a little Fiio M6, since iPhones don't support it.

[@anillimbu5425]

I think he is using AAC

[@mikakarkkainen5479]

Thank God I found your channel! Thanks for this review! I bought XM4 and I found out that there was something wrong with sound quality. I did not know what was wrong and you said something like sound imaging is not so good. But then you did some EQ adjustment after which the quality improved. Do you have any chance to get Sony WH-N900H Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones? It would be nice to hear your comparison between XM4 and the one I mentioned.

[@mikakarkkainen5479]

It would be nice to hear what is the best Bluetooth headphones sound quality wise with price range of XM4. For me noise cancelling is not so important if it decreases the sound quality. Always sound quality over the other attributes. I don't even care even if they could be a little heavy.

[@breaktheloop9216]

Really appreciate your amazing review! Could you please also compare B&W PX7 with HiFiMan Deva? I watched your review of Deva but I also want to know about PX7. Thanks!

[@iamvarun96]

Do you think that getting the XM4 and then using the EQ to tune it to sound better is a better overall choice than choosing something like say, the Sennheiser PXC 550 iis or the Momentum 3s? I'm worried about the sound stage and the instrument separation since I play the guitar and would more enjoy if these attributes were better, but I don't know how much better the competition really is.

[@arthursimsa9005]

Good question.

[@NagendraBadiganti]

I love your reviews about headphones. Quick question about this headphones, I wear spectacles everyday. Do you think it fits properly without any issue or pain for long day usage?

[@smoshfan103]

for me, they fit properly and I can use them for long periods of time. But I can use them longer without glasses. Hope that helps!

[@mysticrhythms3348]

Great review! I haven't seen a huge reason to go with the xm4.. love Sony.. I prefer tactile buttons. Seems a bit muddy in the midrange. Some bass presence..seems dependent on the app, not the best for quick adjusting, but I prefer the response and tactile buttons on the Skullcandy Crusher AC2. The ability on the AC2 to dial in the amount of bass as needed, is incredible ... actually prefer the lighter feel of the Sony wh-ch720..far better than the bose quietcomfort.

[@allansh828]

ANC makes public transportation so much more comfortable

[@the.wavproject]

Listen to it with hi res files in LDAC you don’t need any Eq...sounds perfect for casual listening...post app eq jus messes the fidelity. If you don’t have hi res files and a LDAC supported device , unfortunately your stuck with adjusting the eq through the app to get the mids a touch prominent . I use this headphones to check how my mixes translate over the best consumer focused headphone and also I jus love listening to music on this ..coz it’s fun and my guilty pleasure 😜

[@Foxtrot6624]

Was just wondering about if using the eq settings is enough to make up for the fact you can't use LDAC with the eq?

[@ogloco5394]

You can use EQ on the mk 4 while using ldac

[@paultrewin5871]

How do pair these headphones to multiple devices? I tried to pair with my phone and computer at the same time, and it just would not work.

[@feeeeeed]

I understand your review it has great detail and clearly you know what you are talking about. But you miss the whole point of the product and the target audience. these headphones are only for the people who need to cancel the baby on the row behind you, like moving around the house while doing chores or working, or laying in bed watching a movie. No DAC, amp or wires. These headphones are for spotify use and mostly popular from a lot of styles songs, no high end quality songs what so ever. No one will buy the product for the sound quality. If the person is looking for sound quality they won't look at a wireless headphone. In facct most people dont like flat headphones they find them boring. They like the noise canceling and comfort features like the light weight, great battery.... You are comparing pears and apples despite both being wireless. Too much emphasis on something that the product wasn't designed for.