Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones with Mic for Phone-Call and Alexa Voice Control, Midnight

10 reviews for Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones with Mic for Phone-Call and Alexa Voice Control, Midnight

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   RTW1979 – July 15, 2023

   
   The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones are an absolute game-changer! As an avid music lover and tech enthusiast, I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect audio experience. These headphones have left me awe-inspired with their exceptional sound quality, impeccable noise cancellation, and luxurious comfort. It’s no wonder they have earned their rightful place as the leading headphones in the market.Let’s start with the audio quality. Sony has truly outdone themselves with the WH-1000XM4. The soundstage is incredibly immersive, allowing each instrument and vocal to shine through with remarkable clarity. The headphones deliver a balanced and precise audio reproduction, ensuring every note and beat is reproduced with stunning accuracy. Whether it’s the delicate strumming of an acoustic guitar or the thunderous bass of an EDM track, these headphones handle it all effortlessly, offering an unparalleled auditory experience.The noise cancellation technology on the WH-1000XM4 is nothing short of magical. Sony’s proprietary HD Noise Canceling Processor QN1 is a marvel. It seamlessly blocks out external noise, immersing you in a world of pure music bliss. Whether you’re commuting on a noisy train, working in a bustling cafe, or simply seeking solace in a quiet environment, these headphones create an oasis of tranquility. The adaptive noise cancellation feature intelligently adjusts the level of suppression based on your surroundings, ensuring you remain undisturbed and focused on the music.Comfort is key, and Sony has nailed it with the WH-1000XM4. The plush ear cups and the ergonomic design provide a snug fit that can be worn for hours without any discomfort. The headband is adjustable and well-padded, further enhancing the overall comfort. Additionally, the headphones are surprisingly lightweight, making them perfect for long listening sessions or extended travels. Sony has truly prioritized user comfort and wearability, allowing you to enjoy your favorite tunes without any distractions.The WH-1000XM4 headphones are equipped with an array of smart features that elevate the overall experience. The touch-sensitive controls on the ear cups are intuitive and responsive, allowing you to adjust volume, skip tracks, and answer calls with a simple tap or swipe. The built-in voice assistant compatibility enables you to manage tasks effortlessly, simply using your voice. The battery life is outstanding, offering up to 30 hours of uninterrupted playtime, ensuring you never have to worry about running out of power on the go.Sony’s attention to detail extends to the design of these headphones as well. The sleek and minimalist aesthetics exude a sense of sophistication and elegance. The folding mechanism allows for easy portability, and the included carrying case ensures your headphones are protected when not in use. It’s evident that Sony has poured meticulous craftsmanship into every aspect of the WH-1000XM4, resulting in a visually stunning and premium product.In conclusion, the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones are a true masterpiece. From the breathtaking sound quality and unrivaled noise cancellation to the remarkable comfort and smart features, these headphones have set a new standard for audio excellence. If you’re a discerning music lover or someone who values an immersive and tailored listening experience, investing in the WH-1000XM4 is an absolute no-brainer. Prepare to be captivated by the audio prowess of these headphones. Sony has truly outdone themselves, and I wholeheartedly give them a resounding five-star rating!Furthermore, as someone who has had the privilege of experiencing the first, second, and third generations of the Sony WH-1000XM headphones, I can confidently say that each iteration has improved upon its predecessor, making them akin to a fine wine that only gets better with age.Sony’s commitment to innovation and their willingness to continuously refine their flagship headphones is truly commendable. With each new generation, they have addressed any minor shortcomings and introduced groundbreaking enhancements that elevate the listening experience to new heights.From the original WH-1000XM to the WH-1000XM3, and now to the WH-1000XM4, Sony has consistently pushed the boundaries of audio technology. They have refined the sound signature, perfected the noise cancellation capabilities, and fine-tuned the overall user experience. It’s a testament to Sony’s dedication to delivering the best possible audio performance.The fact that each new iteration builds upon the strengths of its predecessors speaks volumes about Sony’s commitment to continuous improvement. They have managed to take an already exceptional product and refine it, creating a headphone series that is truly unrivaled in its class.In conclusion, as someone who has witnessed the evolution of the Sony WH-1000XM headphones from their inception, I am thrilled to see how they have evolved into the remarkable WH-1000XM4. These headphones are a testament to Sony’s relentless pursuit of perfection and their ability to create a product that transcends expectations. The WH-1000XM series is a shining example of how a product can improve over time, just like a fine wine that only gets better with age.

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   TechPicky – October 11, 2020

   
   A disclaimer: I received this product as part of Amazon’s Vine program. While I didn’t pay for the item, the review is totally my personal, unbiased review. Neither Amazon, nor the vendor has influenced this review in any way.ProsExcellent noise cancellingVery good sound quality for all Bluetooth profiles (Listening to music, phone/video calls)Battery lifeExcellent Bluetooth rangeAutomatic voice detection to pause music and enter transparency modeConsTouch controls are simply awful!Dual Bluetooth device supportConstant beeps and noise cancelling turned off especially with “Detection of Actions” enabledVoice detection for stopping music and going into a transparency mode responds to almost any sound you make. A large breath, grunt, anything will trigger this feature.Rubs on the “helix” outer part of the ear on the left earSomewhat complex set up processOverall these are really excellent Bluetooth headphones. The noise cancellation is absolutely excellent. This is probably the best noise-cancelling headphone available. The Bluetooth range is also exceptional. Audio quality for music is also very good, and I expect most people will find them to be excellent. Phone/video call audio is also good receiving, and acceptable for the microphone. They have long battery life and charge quickly. They are relatively comfortable as well. The touch user controls are simply dreadful. There are many other features with a range of benefit.Comfort:They seem comfortable, and the ear pads are soft and plush. However after several hours the outside of my ears start to hurt from rubbing on the insides of the headphones (the area called helix on top of the ear rubs on the inside of the left ear around optical sensor area.) If at sometime we resume taking long international flights this could be an even larger issue.They are still comfortable though when wearing them with glasses. They ear pads are pliant enough to continue to make a good seal without painfully pushing them into your head.Bluetooth, Pairing, Multiple devices:These support 2 Bluetooth devices to be connected simultaneously. The Bose QC35 has had this feature for some time. I initially paired my iPhone X with the headphones. I then added a MacBook Pro from within the Connect app. I was then able to play music from the MacBook. I went back to the iPhone and tried to play something. It didn’t immediately play. In fact, it is rather finicky. Sometimes starting something with audio on the iPhone will cause audio to switch. Mostly it doesn’t if something is playing already on one device. Stopping the audio, waiting, and then starting the audio on the phone is a bit more reliable. Even if the source on one device is paused and not playing it may not switch back.This is a bit problematic though since the iPhone still thinks it is connected to a Bluetooth headphone, so the audio is still routed to the Sony WH-1000MX4, but isn’t played – so it goes no where. This works far more seamlessly on the Bose QC35. I actually found myself disabling this feature half the time.While the WH-1000MX4 does have voice announcements, it doesn’t speak the name of the device. It will say “Bluetooth device 1 connected,” whereas the Bose QC35 will speak “Joe’s iPhone.” Even more confusing is that device 1 and device 2 doesn’t always refer to the same device. Sometimes my iPhone is device 1 and other times it is device 2. The only way to really know is to go into the app where it will identify the device associated with device 1 and device 2.I added a 3rd Bluetooth device, again from the app. This works, but will disconnect one of the 2 already connected devices. It works pretty much like most Bluetooth devices. You disconnect at least one of the currently connected devices and then connect the new device. You can have multiple devices paired, but a maximum of 2 devices currently connected. You can see the list of devices within the Connect app.Bluetooth range is excellent. It would easily stay connected when going from one area of a reasonably large house to another. The range exceeds any other Bluetooth headphones.Sound Quality:Sound quality has to be the most subjective area to evaluate, yet one of the most important. Most people will find these really very good to excellent. For most these may well be the best sounding headphones they have ever had. Those more critical may find a few areas where they lack, but still they are excellent for noise cancelling headphones. Sound quality is probably one of the best aspects of these headphones.The sound quality when listening to high quality content was very enjoyable. Overall they are fairly well balanced, albeit a bit heavy on the low end, but not boomy or with obvious peaks in the response. More so they sound “warm.” The bass is noticeable, and quite deep. You will clearly hear the thump of a drum, but still somewhat tight. The deep bass on some of the Billie Eilish tracks is impressive. The bass is not so excessive though that it drowns out mid or high frequencies. Music sounds good with individual instruments clearly identified. Male and female vocals sound good and natural.The deep warm bass works well for movies and similar entertainment. These will likely work quite well for watching airplane entertainment. High frequencies are clear, and more smooth than harsh. They are balanced overall with a bit more low frequency emphasis that shifts the balance a bit.The iPhone app does have equalization settings, so it is possible to adjust to your personal preferences. I reviewed these set at flat, default setting.If one is going to compare these to audiophile headphones they will clearly notice differences. They will not replace examples of the best open or closed back audiophile headphones. They simply lack the detail, imaging and placement that those headphones present when paired with a quality DAC and headphone amplifier. That really isn’t a fair comparison though as these are noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones and they do a great job at that.I did listen through both Bluetooth with the AAC codec and wired with a quality external DAC while listening to high resolution content streamed from Tidal through a Master Quality Authenticated DAC. They do sound better with the same content played through a wired DAC than Bluetooth. The difference wasn’t as much was expected. Sony did a good job with Bluetooth. I also tried listening to them with the power off, as plain wired headphones. They didn’t sound that different, which is rather a good thing. The same experiment with Bose QC35s will have a totally different sound. Bose relies extensively on equalization to get their otherwise somewhat poor sounding headphones to sound good. Sony starts out with decent sounding drivers.I have not tried using the LDAC hi-resolution Bluetooth codec yet. This isn’t as easy as it would seem to use on either iOS or MacOS. You can’t simply use a high-resolution source to use it. You need to download and install the Sony Music Center app, then load the high-resolution content into that app to play. I’m not sure how to get it to work with a Mac at all. The better codec should sound better. To be fair, at least part of the problem is Apple in this case.I did try the DSEE Extreme feature. This supposedly improves the sound quality of low bit rate compressed content. I listened to some low bit rate MP3 files, and some standard streaming services, such as Amazon Prime music. It sounded different, I’m not sure I would say it sounded better. At least what I noticed was a boost in high frequencies. It made some of the squashed high frequency details more noticeable, but they still sounded highly compressed, and to some extent the compression artifacts became more noticeable. This may well be a personal choice, and likely varies over content, level of compression, and codecs used. The bottom line is that you really need to start with quality content.The 360 Reality Audio was a disappointment. I tried playing a variety of tracks in 360 Reality Audio on Tidal. I did this using the Tidal app on both iPhone and a Mac. I did link the Tidal app with the Sony app as part of the initial setup. I did notice a wider sound stage. It wasn’t like demos in a movie theater for Dolby Atmos or anything that dramatic. There was some front/rear placement depth. It was interesting to play with for a while. What I found though is that it just sounded strange. I played some of the same tracks on Tidal HiFi or MQA and to me they sounded much better, much more musical. Call me a purist, audiophile, or whatever, but I found the highly processed audio more annoying than enjoyable. It doesn’t replace the stereo imaging or placement that superb headphones can present as described above. Honestly overall these sound good enough without these audio tricks. Perhaps if there were some movie encoded with 360 Audio it would be better to enjoy special effects and less about musicality. It seems more of a gimmick than musical. By far the best quality was the same song in Master Quality on Tidal with an external DAC and the 3.5mm wired cable.Phone callsThe audio quality on phone and video calls has been excellent on the receiving side and is about as good as Bluetooth HFP profile gets. it is excellent for conversations. With the excellent noise cancellation these are excellent for long video calls. They will likely continue to be great for those forced to endure a noisy open office environment, or need to make phone calls in a noisy area such as an airport or train station.Phone call microphone:Overall I’ve had only a few complaints from those that I’ve in meetings or on calls with. Most people said I sounded fine. I was on one phone call with my iPhone and the person had difficulty understanding me and could hear me fine when I switched to the iPhone. They said I sounded “far away.” On a video call I had some people refer to the sound as “bubbly.” After switching to AirPod Pros and the sound improved.They seem to isolate ambient noise reasonably well, although I haven’t had extreme cases to try during working from home due to COVID-19. This is one area where Bose QC35 were awful. I don’t know if they match AirPod Pro for microphone beam forming, but so far they seem fine. These work for phone and video calls, but aren’t great.Noise cancellationThese are fantastic at noise cancellation. I haven’t been on an airplane with them, the real test, but these seem significantly better than the already excellent Bose QC35. At least around the house they block out the low frequency sounds that noise-cancelling headphones are best at. Around the house even a Ninja blender was mostly attenuated while I was on a conference call. My neighbor’s air conditioner that still can be heard with the Bose QC35 and AirPod Pros is completely gone with these. I was even using a really loud flooring saw and used these. I did still hear the saw, but not very loud, and I could still enjoy music while sawing flooring! Family talking is mostly gone during conference calls and entirely when playing music. I expect that these would be great in an open office environment or an airplane. Bose QC35 were the best I had used prior to these, and the Bose don’t work nearly as well, especially for voice. They have much better noise cancellation than Apple Air Pod Pro buds too. If your main reason for looking for headphones is noise cancellation, these are what you buy.One annoyance I had with the Bose QC35 headphones is if I wore glasses the sidepieces would create an acoustic leak and let some noise in. They still work, but especially on an airplane you would hear more air noise. I haven’t tried them on an airplane yet due to covid, but so far I don’t notice nearly as much difference as I did with the Bose with glasses.Battery:Sony claims 20 hours of battery life without defining what mode. Other headphones sometimes have decreased battery life with HFP (phone calls). These definitely exceed the rated battery life. With the first charge they lasted almost a week of varied use. I used them for a multi-day virtual conference, and other meetings (combination of HFP and A2DP) for over 14 hours, and they still had 60% charge. Sony doesn’t specify any longer battery life with the wired cable. On the Bose I would plug the cable in when I would go to sleep on international flights, and Bose quoted 40 hours like that, so 20 hours isn’t fantastic. It is more than enough though. It will get you through the longest flight plus some other use. Almost any other use it should be more than enough. I used them over 10 hours straight one day and they were still around 70% charged.Charging:These charge with a USB-C connector. They come with a very short (about 6”) USB-A to C cable but no power supply. They charge relatively quickly (less than an hour from 20%, but I didn’t time it). You will need around a 10W power supply to get the fastest charging. I monitored the charge current from 20% capacity. They started at 0.44A or roughly 2.2W, which seemed reasonable for headphones. Then they jumped to 1.32A or about 6.66W, then to the maximum I saw was 1.8A or about 9 W! It is surprising that Sony pushed that much power into a headphone! The actually battery capacity has to be pretty large, so it apparently does use quite a bit of power. In most cases this is of no issue, they charge up quick. It can be an issue is if you are stuck trying to charge them in an airport or airplane port. They will also suck a lot out of a battery pack.User interface:This is the worst aspect of these headphones. The touch controls are simply dreadful, almost unusable. Simple buttons would have been much better. Even with practice it is almost impossible to master the gestures to go forward, backward, start/stop, and change the volume. Either it doesn’t register the touch, or it does the wrong thing. You try and turn the volume down and track changes. To be fair, they do have a volume control. The Air Pods Pro don’t and that is really annoying. Even with practice controls don’t work right.Some guidance: to change the volume, especially lower it, swipe down on the right ear as if you are petting it. Just swiping as if using a smartphone touch screen won’t work right. Swipe down from above the top just like petting it, and then it might change the volume. Changing tracks is even harder, and only seems to happen when trying to change the volume. Hitting the start stop button doesn’t seem to work, except of course when you try to adjust the headphone on your head and then it stops what you were listening to, and would likely hang up a call – be careful of that. I end up using controls on my phone or computer most times. Simple buttons would have been SO much better.Voice assistant:Setting up Alexa is not all that easy. Assuming the headphones are already set for Alexa, you already have the Alexa app installed and set up, and the headphones are already paired to the phone you still need to add the WH1000MX4 to Alexa. This takes going to the Alexa app, and adding the device. It will then want to pair with Bluetooth. I put the WH1000MX4 into pairing mode by using the almost hidden mode of holding the power button (rather than the app). It then showed it failed to connect, but it actually seemed to pair on the second attempt. If you were successful you will have a second pairing of the device as LE_-WH1000XM4, for a second Bluetooth Low Energy pairing.Then Alexa did work hands free (if enabled in the Alexa app). You could just say Alexa and it worked. You could ask Alexa what ever you normally would. It seemed to actually work better than the Echo Auto that also relies on the app. The response audio always has the first syllable of cut off though. This works fine for querying Alexa, or invoking Alexa content. It does NOT work for controlling other functions on the phone, even changing the volume. Telling Alexa to play won’t resume what was playing on the phone, it will resume what the Alexa app used last it seems. This may be iPhone limitations, but I will likely switch to Siri and see if that works better. It would be great if you could have all of them and just invoke the desired one with the appropriate wake word (Alexa, Hey Siri, OK Google). I haven’t tried other voice assistants with these yet.The automatic speak to chat feature is both great and annoying. At least with the sensitivity set to automatic it will detect voice quite well and stop the content you may be listening to, and allow ambient sound to be heard. This, when desired is far more convenient than Air Pods Pro where you have to hold be button for a few seconds to go into transparency mode. While you still can’t hear what someone says to you, at least when you reply to them, it immediately lets you hear them, and doesn’t take the seconds the Air Pods do. With AirPods you also need 2 actions to stop music and enter transparency mode. This mostly works. In the automatic mode it doesn’t need to actually be voice that triggers it. Anything like a grunt, large breath, anything it seems will trigger it. The slightest grunt or sound and they stopped the music and went into ambient mode. There is a low sensitivity mode that I haven’t tried yet. You will find this feature to be a love/hate relationship after a while. Even with the “Focus on Voice” feature enabled this still seems to be overly sensitive.Another feature is adaptive sound control. This is supposed to optimize the sound based on location, and detection of actions. This is likely useful when changing between an office, train station, etc. I haven’t evaluated that during a pandemic.As for automatic detection of actions, that can be very annoying. It was fine when sitting in one place. Initially I didn’t know why EVERY time I bent down the headphones would beep and go out of noise cancelling mode. Then resume playing normally. This is apparently the notification for detection of actions. This can be disabled in the app. If someone were to use these headphones in a gym or exercising this would be annoying as well. (Note: These are NOT sport headphones!) AppThe app is essential to setting up, using, adjusting, and updating the headphones. Sony even uses the app for pairing with the iPhone, which is unusual. The app allows configuring the many options available, equalization and more. You also use the app to optimize the headphones for the shape of your ears by taking a picture of your head and both ears. I went through the whole process.There are a lot of options in the app, and the layout is OK. It can be a bit confusing.The app does provide a lot of control and information. It shows battery level, and the current codec in use. This last part I really like, Apple typically doesn’t show these details. Many options can beyond simply being enabled or disabled from the app can also be further controlled.Case, accessoriesA nice rigid fabric coated and lined travel case is provided. It is similar in size to the Bose QC35. It appears that it would protect the headphones and hold up well with travel.A 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable is included. This allows using the headphones with a wired source, such as an airplane entertainment system. The cable does not have a microphone or controls and will not control and iPhone, iPad, or Mac or support calling. It is only a 3-conductor plug for stereo listening.While the Bose QC35 headphones come with an equivalent cable, the Bose QC25 cable, or the Amazon Basics alternative cable can be purchased that does allow using the QC35 for phone calls, and wired remote.Also included is a short USB-A to USB-C charge cable, no charger, and the old 2-pin airplane adapter.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   b – June 20, 2023

   
   **Disclaimer: I bought mine used like new through AmazonI originally purchased the Sony XM5 because they were soooo highly rated in every article I read. I returned the XM5, got the XM4 and am so much happier. I’ll compare the XM4 to the XM5, Apple AirPods Max, and Bose QuietComfort 45 – just to help anyone choosing between them.**Noise Cancellation (4.5/5): the noise cancellation on the XM4 is crazy, almost comparable to the Apple AirPods Max. I gave the XM4 a 4.5 because I still think the Apple AirPods Max have the best noise cancellation, but the Sony XM4 is very close. I also like the fact that you can turn noise cancelling on/off with a button – which is a feature not available with the Bose QuietComfort 45. The noise cancellation is much better than the XM5 and less finicky. An issue with the XM5 is that the noise cancelling would just randomly turn on/off. Like if I paused a video for a little too long, the noise cancellation would just turn off Overall, I wouldn’t say I it blocks out all sound, but it’s close. I can hear the sound of people talking and music, but it’s quieter and I can’t make out the words. I definitely can’t have a conversation with them on. Also, the XM4 will pick up on when you’re talking to people and turn the noise cancelling off for you – but it does make a little announcement when it does that may be annoying or disruptive.**Sound Quality (4/5): the sound quality is great. Way better than the XM5, not as great as the Apple AirPods Max. I think the Apple headphones are just a little crisper. I think it’s cool that you can turn 360 sound on, but tbh I never really use it (XM5 also has this feature). The sound is clear, and I haven’t experienced any malfunctions/issues with the noise. When I had the XM5, they would just randomly sound muffled (like I was underwater) and, when that wasn’t happening, the sound quality was mediocre.**Comfort (5/5): the XM4s are REALLY comfy. I wear glasses with plastic frames and a lot of headphones just don’t work and are really uncomfy. The Apple AirPods Max were really uncomfortable with my glasses. Obviously, an easy solution is to just wear contacts, but I hate wearing my contacts for long periods of time – especially, when I study/do work. The XM5 were also pretty comfortable, but wouldn’t stay fixed when I adjusted them – they would slip and I would need to readjust them a lot. The XM4 completely cover my ear and the ear pads are soft. They don’t squeeze my head the way other headphones do and they don’t hurt any part of my ear. I will say that the headband part that rests on top of my head does kind of hurt my head after wearing them for almost 10 hours. Also, I have TMJ so sometimes wearing the headphones does cause my TMJ to flare up and I’ll switch to earbuds. But, I think overall these are the most comfortable headphones I have tried.**Product Quality (3.5/5): let’s be honest, they’re plastic and they feel plastic. They don’t feel like super high quality, but let me tell you that they feel way better quality than the XM5 – those felt like a barbie toy. I think the XM4 are sturdy and pretty durable. The Apple AirPods Max are also plastic, but do feel a little more high quality – but also, nothing spectacular.**Aesthetic (3.5/5): If the aesthetic is important to you, I would say they look fine. They’re a little bulky, but not terrible. Not as sleek as some others, but they don’t look ridiculous. If you’re really against a bulky look, then they may not be a great aesthetic match for you. I was worried they would be really clunky, but after getting them and wearing them for a bit, I really don’t think they look bad.**Connectivity (4/5): I only have Apple devices (iPhone, MacBook, etc.) and I think the connectivity is great with these products! When I got the XM5, they had so many connection issues. I wasn’t able to connect them to my laptop, they wouldn’t stay connected to my devices – it was a mess. I was really worried I would have the same issues with the XM4, but I have had no problems so far. I will say it was a little odd to have have to download the Sony Connect app and manage the headphone through that platform, but it’s user friendly and it’s kind of nice to have a control for them (it’s almost like a remote).**Battery Life (5/5): The battery life is insane. I’ve had them for 8 days and have not charged them yet – they still have about 40% charge left. They will turn off automatically to save battery life if you don’t use them for a certain amount of time, which I personally like.OVERALL (4.5/5): I think the XM4 are great headphones for a better price than the Apple AirPods Max. The Bose are apparently really similar, but I’ve never personally tried them. The XM4 is MUCH better than the XM5 in terms of quality and price. They’re comfy, great noise cancellation and sound quality, and have great battery life.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Blake Donovan – August 19, 2023

   
   The wireless headphones I recently acquired have been a game-changer in how I experience audio, offering both convenience and an immersive sonic journey. These headphones have seamlessly integrated into my daily life, providing an audio escape that’s free from the tangles of cords.The first thing that caught my attention was their sleek and modern design. The headphones are lightweight and well-crafted, offering a comfortable fit that allows for extended listening sessions without discomfort. The on-ear or over-ear cushioning provides a snug feel while effectively isolating external noise, enhancing the overall audio experience.The wireless connectivity has been a revelation. Pairing these headphones with my devices is quick and hassle-free, and the absence of cords adds a new level of freedom to my movements. Whether I’m working, exercising, or simply relaxing, I can move around without being tethered to a device. The Bluetooth range has been reliable, allowing me to roam freely while still enjoying uninterrupted playback.The sound quality is where these headphones truly shine. The audio is crisp and clear, with well-defined highs and satisfying lows. Bass reproduction is impressive, adding depth to music genres that rely heavily on low frequencies. The headphones strike a good balance between audio fidelity and consumer-friendly tuning, appealing to a wide range of listeners.The built-in controls on the headphones are intuitive and easy to use, allowing me to adjust volume, skip tracks, and take calls with minimal effort. The battery life is generally sufficient for a day’s worth of usage, but it’s advisable to charge them overnight for uninterrupted enjoyment.One aspect to consider is that while the headphones do offer noise isolation, they might not provide the same level of noise cancellation as some higher-end models. If you’re seeking complete isolation from external noise, you might want to explore noise-canceling options.In conclusion, wireless headphones have elevated my audio experience to new heights. Their sleek design, wireless convenience, and impressive sound quality make them an essential accessory for music enthusiasts, travelers, and anyone on the go. While they might not offer the top-tier noise cancellation of premium models, their overall performance and value for money are undeniable.Pros:Sleek and comfortable designHassle-free wireless connectivityImpressive sound quality with well-defined highs and bassIntuitive built-in controls for easy useCons:Noise isolation might not be on par with newer models (I can still hear some noise in the gym)

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Jason Brannock – February 13, 2021

   
   I left a lengthy review of the Jabra Evolve2 85 (E285) vs Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II (QC35II) vs Bose Noise Cancelling 700 (B700) vs Sony WH-1000XM4 (SX4) (in order of when I received them) for the E285. Since that review is out there, I’ll reduce this one only to E285 and SX4.Microphone and PlaybackThe E285 was notably better than the SX4, as evidenced by my recordings while drumming. It’s neck and neck as far as clarity of voice goes.Akin to the E285, the SX4 are quite good as far as pick-up goes. But unfortunately, they were a little too good (or simply worse at distinguishing background noise). A co-worker and I had a Zoom meeting with ourselves in the same closet (to maximize productivity), switching between the headsets. Whoever had the E285 could hear themselves through the headset. At first, I thought it was because of the function where you hear yourself through the headset. But alas, upon one of us leaving the room, the echo went away. This meant the SX4 was picking up the other’s voice! The main killer of the SX4 is that you have no way to mute yourself from the headset. As a pair of headphones to be used in the office, this is crucial. You never know when someone may decide to butt in your closet (or office, for most people) and shout “HHHHEEEYYYY!!”. In contrast, the E285 offers two ways to protect yourself from such intrusions – by raising the boom arm or by pressing the button on the boom arm, leaving you to look down simply in resignation at said co-worker without having disrupted the meeting. The one drawback with the E285 is that sometimes the first word or two don’t quite make it through, so you may develop a stutter of your introduction. “I’m Jason – oh – I’M JASON – oh you can hear me now? I’m Jason”. Good news is, you shan’t be soon forgotten. Despite this, it’s more favorable than not being able to mute myself, though I can understand disagreement with this point. Win for E285. Runner up is SX4.Audio Output – DISCLAIMER – I’m not an audiophileBoth associated apps come with decent equalizers (unlike Bose). Honestly, it was difficult to tell the difference between the E285 and SX4. I think the amount of bass you get is comparable, however I think the SX4 is capable of producing an ever-so-slightly louder sound. Win for SX4. Runner up is E285.BrandJabra: doesn’t require my location. Instead, it lets me know if I desire to give it my location, it will use it to locate my headphones. No, but thank you for giving me an actual choice!Sony: same as Jabra, though with a caveat. The SX4 offers more utility when given Location permission, which will be addressed later on. They were not pertinent to me, however, so my location remains an enigma for Sony and Jabra (and Bose). Tie between E285 and SX4.ANCWhen playing on a drumpad, the E285 did a noticeably better job than the other headsets. It sounds like the pad is being muffled (which is what I’m looking for), whereas the others don’t quite succeed. The E285 does a better job with impact noises (or maybe it’s just higher frequencies) than the other headsets, though the SX4 is perfectly satisfactory.In addition, the hear-through function of the E285 is awesome. It almost makes it sound like you’re not wearing them (tested at maximum hear-through). The SX4 has essentially the same feature, with an added “Focus on voice” option. I couldn’t tell a difference when that was on/off. Besides that, the SX4 didn’t do as good a job at allowing sound through as the E285. Win for E285. Runner up is SX4.ConnectivityThe E285 and SX4 have longer ranges than the QC35II. The E285, most of the time, reconnects automatically when coming back into range. Unfortunately, I don’t remember specifics about the SX4. SX4 and E285 have a 3.5 mm jack. Why doesn’t the B700? Because it sucks.Double-connection to my PC (independent of range): E285 is easier because it’s just plug-and-play, no downloads or “connecting”. The QC35II and SX4 are only Bluetooth, so you have to do the standard “add device”, etc. One annoying thing about the SX4 is you have to use the app to establish a Bluetooth connection to another device. Not a big deal, but for comparison’s sake, the E285 is better. An added feature of the Jabra is Jabra Direct, a software you can download to better manage your Jabra. It gives you a few more options and is worth using, in this writer’s humble opinion.Response time: The SX4 is the fastest, though we’re talking minute (not 60 seconds) differences. The E285 is on the cusp of being slow enough to be annoying, but not quite. The E285 and SX4 have the cool feature of pausing media when the headphones are removed from your skull. Again, the E285 feel lack-luster in comparison because they take approximately 4 M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-I seconds to pause, whereas the SX4 is half that time. For the E285, I’ve noticed the ear detection only works properly when playing music from your phone and not the PC. When using it with the PC, if I remove the headphones, the music will pause as it should. But it doesn’t resume when I put them back on. If I pause the music with the button, then remove the headset, it resumes. Again, cool feature, but needs work, especially when using it with the PC. So SX4 is better about ear detection (presumably because it’s laser-assisted).App connectivity: some issues with E285. Some issues with SX4. LOTS of issues with B700 (Bose Music). Unfortunately, apps are prone to some bugs every now and then. I can’t say which of the two (Sony/Jabra) had more, so neither bothered me much. Winner is SX4 (better media response time). Runner up is E285.Voice AssistantThe E285 and SX4 worked exactly as expected. No setup or anything, I just pushed the button and my assistant came up. The caveat for the E285 is you have to pull down the boom arm to use the feature (you can still press the action button with the boom arm up and have the assistant prompt, but because the arm is up, the microphone is off so it’s pointless). Tie between E285 and SX4.ControlsOn the E285, the buttons take up little surface area and are rather flat. Muting is done with the E285 by simply raising or lowering the boom mic. In contrast, the SX4 doesn’t have any way to mute yourself.After just a little use of the “touchless” controls (B700 and SX4), I can see their usefulness. It’s certainly easier to play/pause music and use the Voice Assistant (which is no easier to actually setup because Bose sucks). Changing volume is annoying because every click up/down requires an extra swipe. As debilitating as this is, one would not likely be changing by a bunch of increments at a time. After more use of the touchless controls, I much prefer the them over the physical ones. Win for SX4. Runner up is E285.Comfort and StyleComfort is pretty much a tie between E285 and SX4. I’ve worn both for hours and hours without any issue. But I prefer the style of the SX4 – it just feels more premium. Winner is SX4. Runner up is E285.ExtraThe E285 has the hear-through feature, which I really like because I use ANC only when there are sounds I actively don’t want to listen to, like from mine or my roommate’s drumming, running water, laundry, phone call, or pooping with the fan on. Other than those times, I want some awareness of my surroundings because there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to get the attention of someone with headphones on (especially at work). In addition, the E285 and SX4 have ear detection (discussed previously). The E285 has a great way of handling multiple calls with its huge button on the right cuff. You can switch between two phone calls by putting one on hold and accept/end/reject calls using it. This is RARELY used, but it’s cool.IssuesThere’s some variability with functionality of the Google Assistant with the E285. At the very least, the action button on the arm activates the assistant. But sometimes the input for said assistant is on the phone rather than the arm. Most of the time it works as expected. I think the additional connection to the PC adds complexity that needs to be vetted out for seamless functionality for the E285.Final verdict, best to worst: E285, SX4 (killer – no mute function, worse hear-through), QC35II (killers – older BT connection, worse audio, poor ANC). Literally wouldn’t buy B700.UPDATE: It’s been several weeks since I returned all but the Jabra Evolve2 85 (I use it 3-10 hours every single day) and my final rating is four stars, same as the SX4. When the E285 works, it’s great. But it doesn’t work all the time, unfortunately. I can’t say the same for the SX4 since it was ultimately returned. I ended up choosing the E285 over the SX4 because it has an edge when it comes to office use, for one main reason – you can’t mute yourself on the SX4. But if muting yourself directly from your headset isn’t important to you and you’re not typically in a noisy environment during calls, then I would honestly recommend the Sony WH-1000XM4.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   A VERY private person – July 4, 2023

   
   This item has everything you’d want to have in a noise cancelling device: great sound, good level of noise reduction. BTW, it does NOT cancel the background noise – it reduces it to very low levels. You might not notice it, though, if you’re the kind of person who listens full blast to your rap or metallica music.The headphones work great in an airplane. They successfully knocked off the engines noise, and even attendants’ voices on a 5-hour flight to N. Carolina. The headphones come with airplane adapters, so you can hook them up to the airplane’s entertainment center. The fit is also good – I didn’t feel any pressure points over my ears or on my head, where the headband rests.Where the noise reduction doesn’t work well is in windy conditions. If you ride a bicycle, run, or walk in some wind, you will hear the wind no matter how you set up the noise reduction. This is because of the position of the microphones that sample the outside noise – they are at the top of each ear cup (the oval openings), and thus, in the path of the wind.The user can answer a phone call, and have a nice chat over the phone while wearing the headphones. However, (s)he cannot start a call like you can with other dedicated headphones. I don’t believe it’s a big issue because I check the phone anyway, to see whom I’m calling.The app that comes with it is a great way to customize the headphones. Unfortunately, in order to have some features function, Sony requests some of your bio-metric data by asking you to take pictures of your ears, and send the pictures to Sony for analysis. (You do know, don’t you, that the ear shapes are as unique as your fingerprints and eye retina?) In this time and age, when every company is trying to track you even in bedroom, and “Big Brother” spies on its citizen everywhere, I won’t touch those features with a 10-foot pole if the access to these features is conditioned by giving up my privacy. Your mileage may vary.One of the awesome features of these headphones is their capability to fold. Thus, they fit neatly in their dedicated case, and don’t take much space; which makes it easy to travel with them. Although Sony released a newer version addressing the sound issue with the wind, I opted to still purchase these because the newer version does not fold.How much do I like them? Much enough to purchase two sets: one for me, and one for my better half.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Ginger Allen – August 14, 2023

   
   I have had these headphones for about 2 months so this is what I have gathered from wearing them everyday. Please note that I am not a expert on this stuff and use them mainly for school and studying.Likes:-The noise cancellation. It is amazing and I don’t have to have them loud in my ears to not be able to those around me, which is very important when studying in loud places.-The customization of sound through the app. I haven’t had that before so that was interesting to figure out which sound style I preferred.-I also like the microphone in these as I have been clearer when using them for my zoom classes.Dislikes:-The fit when wearing glasses is a bit uncomfortable if you wear them for extended periods of time. It makes your frames dig into the backs of your ears. I have tried different things that were recommended online but none have fixed that issue.-Now this isn’t a dislike for me as I don’t use this feature often enough to make a difference, but for some this might matter. The switching from device to device is a bit inconvenient (at least when using Apple products which is what I have)I hope this helps! Overall, these are the best headphones I have purchased thus far.

8. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Whirlaway – September 24, 2020

   
   UPDATE #2: After returning the first set of these headphones, I ordered another set on Prime Day and have now had a little more than a month to try them out. Based on this experience so far, I’m raising the rating from 2 to 4 stars. Trying not to jinx things, but the new unit does not have the right earcup static issue that plagued the first set (and that a not insignificant number of users have complained about). I’m not sure whether one of the firmware updates addressed the issue or whether the first set had a hardware issue of some sort, but the new set has not had the issue.I now believe the “bluetooth stopping for no reason” issue noted in my prior update is not a defect, but the speak to chat feature, which stops the playback whenever it detects a human voice. I understand the point of this feature, but Sony should calibrate it better. As it is, even when set on low sensitivity and not to focus on voice, it still stops playback at even low human voice volumes. As a practical matter, this means you can’t sing or hum along to songs without having the playback constantly cut off. I’ve wound up disabling this feature.Other than that, the new headphones have been great — super noise cancelling and music quality, decent phone call quality (maybe not best in class but more than serviceable), and day-in, day-out comfortable. The only reason I didn’t rate them at 5 stars is that this set, like the previous one, has a very high default volume, such that sometimes when you turn the headphones on, the music will start blasting out at an uncomfortably high volume. (I think that if you use another set of headphones, as I sometimes do, the XM4 will forget its last volume setting.)UPDATED: I decided to mark these down from 3 to 2 stars because, in the last few days, the bluetooth has started to act buggy. Audio files simply stop playing for no apparent reason (in some cases, my music has stopped apparently because someone else with a bluetooth device gets within about 30 feet of me, but in other cases the music stops for no apparent reason at all). At other times, there are skips or pops. While the noise cancellation is fantastic, and I’m still thinking keeping them for this reason alone, I’m now more likely to return them — $350 is just too much money for these kinds of problems.These are great headphones — outstanding in many respects — but they have some issues that, given the $350 price, do not merit a 5-star review. I was torn between 3 and 4 stars, but decided on the lower rating given the very high price for this product.PROS:1) ANC — by far, these have the most effective noise cancellation of any ANC (or other) headphones I have used, including Bose. They drown out almost all ambient noise — including close lawn mowers, leaf blowers, revving car engines, etc. — even when you’re not playing music or listening to another kind of audio file. When playing music or an audio file, you are very much in your own world. I did have an issue at the beginning where I could hear a static-like sound when ANC was on but no audio was playing. A software or firmware update pretty much, but not entirely, eliminated the issue; it’s still noticeable from time to time, but at a very low volume, lower than the older set of wired Bose ANC headphones I still have. It’s no longer an issue for me; I think that this kind of noise is a “feature” of ANC headphones.2) Comfort — by far, these are the most comfortable set of headphones I have used. The ear pieces in particular are outstanding. I bought another brand of (much less expensive) headphones right before I got these and wrote a review in which I said those were very comfortable. However, I wound up returning those because, after about a week, they became quite uncomfortable. These Sony headphones, however, have withstood the test of time, seeming to become more comfortable as time goes on. I can comfortably wear these for hours.3) Music quality — excellent, what you would expect of Sony.4) Gesture controls — the gesture controls for turning music on / off, picking up a phone call, volume and next / previous song work quite well. I had a set of Sony 900 headphones prior to these, and the gesture controls work a little better on these.CONS:1) Default volume — for some reason, these headphones, like my prior Sony 900 headphones, seem to have a high default volume and there is no way in the Sony Headphones or Sony Music Center to change them (and there is also no native iPhone setting that works, either). The result is that, all too often, music comes blasting out at an uncomfortable, probably unhealthy volume when you put the headphones on and start playing music. Beside the Sony 900, none of the other (many) headphones I have used have had this issue. I have now become accustomed to checking the iPhone’s bluetooth volume when I put the headphones on, but all too frequently when the iPhone shows a low bluetooth volume, the volume resets itself to a much higher (almost max) volume when I actually start playing an audio file. I believe the problem must be related to the fact that all the settings for these headphones are run through the Headphones app and there is no control for default volume in that app; apparently, Sony sets a near-max default volume and doesn’t allow users to change it. It’s really quite annoying, and I may wind up returning these headphones for this reason. For $350, Sony could do a lot better on this metric.2) Phone call quality — meh. Some calls are good, others not so much. Nobody on the other end has complained about call quality. However, on my end, the other person often sounds distant, low volume, in a tunnel, etc. Every other set of wireless headphones I have used with phone call capability has been at least as good as these headphones, and some have been better. I read that the MX4 is supposed to have corrected the problems of the MX3 regarding phone call quality issues but, if that’s the case, I can only imagine how bad the MX3s were.3) Making you register with Sony in order to get updates — as noted above, I needed to do a software or firmware update to get rid of the static noise when ANC is turned on. However, to get software updates, Sony requires you to register with it (provide email, etc.). It is obnoxious of Sony to require users to provide this kind of personal information that it will then market and sell, and presumably also spam you with promotions, as a precondition to getting updates to fix the bugs in its (expensive) products — particularly where Sony has a history of data breach.Bottom line, these are mostly excellent headphones, and they are exceptional with regard to the primary purposes of noise cancelling headphones. However, they do have some problems that a $350 set of headphones should not have. I’m likely to keep them, but if the default volume issue noted above does not improve, I may well return them.

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Jackson Vondemkamp – July 31, 2023

   
   Pros:Almost everything. The app has every setting you will need and is actually useful.the sound quality is obviously very good and in my opinion is equivalent to the sound quality of the airpod max’s. you can customize the bass in the settings and the bass clear option is great if you like bass.The very best thing here is the noise cancelling, it’s actually insane how great it is. it’s better than airpod max’s noise cancelling. people sneaking up on me has been a problem haha.Cons:There are definitely some, but they aren’t dealbreakers. The passthrough audio option (or transparency mode) is not very good in comparison to apple’s. for that reason i use these headphones for different occasions like in airplanes, doing school work, and gaming, basically anywhere i don’t need to talk/listen or need heavier noise cancelling. otherwise i use my airpod pros.The adaptive noise control option actually is horrible. it changes when you don’t need it to. luckily you can turn it off. additionally the setting where any sort of talking coming from you pauses the audio is super annoying. haven’t figured out how to change that yet.The controls on the right headphone are also not the best. the pause doesn’t work on the first try ever. everything else, like skipping and volume control is a lot easier for some reason. Maybe this is something that gets easier overtime but right now i would’ve appreciated physical buttons for at least pausing.These cons are not dealbreakers whatsoever, but when researching i never saw these brought up so i thought that this might be helpful.