Why the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones beat AirPods Max and Bose 700
Why the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones shell AirPods Max and Bose 700
The Sony WH-1000XM4 launched in August 2020 to high expectations, only instantly proved that hype was deserved. Here was a comfortable, fashionable and stellar-sounding pair of headphones complete with active noise cancellation (ANC). Information technology was an like shooting fish in a barrel addition to our best noise-cancelling headphones listing.
What'south even more impressive is that information technology still sits in the top spot today. The WH-1000XM4 has both weathered the arrival of new ANC cans like the AirPods Max and continued to fend off older rivals like the Bose 700, all while its toll gradually ticks downwards. Here's why yous can still count the Sony WH-1000XM4 equally the best noise-cancelling headphones on the market.
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Lower toll, higher value
While the Sony WH-1000XM4'due south $350 launch price was never exactly chump alter, it was pretty skillful considering the competition. The Bose 700 had arrived a few months earlier at $400, and Sony's cans offered a very like feature set.
By the time the AirPods Max released with its $549 price tag, the WH-1000XM4 was routinely available for less than $300
By the fourth dimension the AirPods Max released, with an infamous $549 price tag that's barely wobbled since, the WH-1000XM4 was routinely available for less than $300. At the time of writing, the WH-1000XM4 is on auction at its joint-everyman-ever price of $278, which is a genuine bargain.
Is it not worth paying more than? The Bose 700 and AirPods Max do accept their appeal, to the indicate where we as well consider them amidst the best over-headphones y'all tin purchase. But on top of only being more affordable, the WH-1000XM4 can outmatch its pricier peers on other metrics too.
Divine design
The WH-1000XM4 makes only minor tweaks to the design of its predecessor, the Sony WH-1000XM3, but they add upward. For one, it cuts down on weight, and our reviewer Alex Bracetti plant that the WH-1000XM4 somehow manages to feel a little lighter than the Bose 700, despite the two ANC headphones weighing the same.
Sony too improved the texture of the earcup padding covers, dropping the more plasticky-feeling material of the WH-1000XM3 for a softer finish on the WH-1000XM4. Besides being better at shrugging off scratches and other superficial damage, the WH-1000XM4'southward padding makes for an even comfier fit that the Bose 700 and AirPods Max struggle to beat.
Then there's the touch on controls. The AirPods Max's Digital Crown is corking, and using touch sensors instead of more tactile buttons can exist risky, merely the WH-1000XM4 actually nails its controls. Each earcup features an intuitive and touch panel onto which you tin can perform a range of tap, swipe and slide gestures with ease. Notably, the Bose 700 uses a similar system, though information technology doesn't feel quite equally responsive as Sony'south take.
A better rest of ANC and sound
It's true that the Bose 700 has very slightly more effective ANC than the WH-1000XM4, while the AirPods Max offers more high-tech audio thanks to its Adaptive EQ and spatial audio features. And yet, the WH-1000XM4 still delivers the best overall balance of straight sound quality with loftier-grade ANC — forth with a few special features of its own.
We've all the same to examination a pair of over-ear headphones that sounds as proficient as the WH-1000XM4 without costing significantly more.
We've yet to test a pair of over-ear headphones that sounds as adept as the WH-1000XM4 without costing significantly more. The frequency range is impeccably balanced, so bass is powerful simply non overwhelming and the treble is bright but not sibilant. Sony'south headphones besides strike the perfect combination of a broad, dramatic soundstage with the ability to reproduce fine, more intimate details.
Besides, the noise cancellation isn't that far off the class-leading Bose 700. Simply a small handful of sounds that the 700 blocks out tin can make it past the WH-1000XM4'due south highly capable ANC, and it normally takes several of those sounds at once to produce an audible difference.
The WH-1000XM4 is also compatible with Sony 360 Reality Audio, and so it likewise has an object-based surround audio format to counter spatial audio. Together with full EQ customization through the Headphones Connect app and NFC for faster pairing, this is a highly intelligent pair of headphones as well as one of the best-sounding.
Battery life well spent
We got 29 hours of ANC-enabled playback from the WH-1000XM4, so longevity is i area in which information technology's overtaken by newer noise-cancelling headphones like the Urbanista Miami (40 hours). However, that'south a much simpler fix, without the WH-1000XM4's versatile features and audio performance.
The WH-1000XM4 is also still a lot longer-lasting than its two biggest rivals, the Bose 700 and AirPods Max. Both of these are rated for 20 hours of ANC playback, so the WH-1000XM4 will provide you with about 50% more uptime between charges. And did we mention it's cheaper?
Bottom line
Different aspects of headphones will thing to different people; one may be willing to forgo ANC in favor of longer battery life, while another might compromise on condolement if information technology means getting the best possible sound quality.
What makes the Sony WH-1000XM4 the overall all-time noise-cancelling headphones is that it comes the closest to having everything: it'due south extremely comfy, easy to use, sounds first-class, cancels noise well, lasts long, comes stuffed with features and costs less than its competitors. It may not exist the newest, simply it's certainly the greatest.
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James joined Tom'due south Guide in 2020, bringing years of experience in consumer tech and production testing. As Audio Editor, James covers headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes racket. A PC enthusiast, he besides covers the occasional spot of computing and gaming news, usually relating to how hard information technology is to detect graphics carte stock.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/features/why-the-sony-wh-1000xm4-headphones-beat-airpods-max-and-bose-700
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