Отзывы о Наушники Sony WH-1000XM4

OK, so I've been anticipating the release of the XM4, wondering what Sony could possibly do to improve upon the 2-year king of ANC headphones the XM3, and I must say that Sony didn't surprise us with a stunning new look or with an explosive new performance worthy of an immediate upgrade, however, they did exactly what I suspected, they just made some refinements and additions to an already great headphone.

Here are my thoughts:
The New XM4 and the XM3 look remarkably identical so I will be using the Xm3 as a direct comparison. I will be approaching this review as one who has owned the XM3.

PACKAGING:
The packaging is great as always, Sony's package presentation is not the best out there but they do have a good sense of presentation which I like. Nothing new here it looks exactly like the XM3 with the same unbox experience.

ACCESSORIES:
In the box, you get a quick start guide, user manual, 360 Audio free trial code, a 3.5mm cable (with a right-angled head on one end) very short USB-C cable for charging the headphone, an Airline adaptor and the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphone. same box content like in the XM3 (except the free 360 audio trial code)

DESIGN & BIULD QUALITY:
Sony really played it safe here with the design, keeping nearly 1:1 with the XM3 you will hardly be able to easily spot the difference even from a short distance, however, when you come close you will see the small refinements on the body, you will notice the XM4 has a more matte finish which looks nicer to me. The overall body feels more seamless and nicer to the touch while the XM3 has a more reflective surface around the headband with wider gaps between segments. Build quality is excellent as always, no compromise just like the XM3.

FIT & COMFORT:
The XM4 coming in at 254g feels quite lightweight and comfortable to me although it's just 1g lighter than the XM3. it also has nice padding on the top arc to minimise pain from long hrs use, and the clamping force is very mild on my bald 😄 head and ears. I must say that they do feel different to the XM3, I prefer the feel and comfort of the XM4 it just feels a little bit more lightweight and comfortable.

Features and functionality:
The XM4 comes feature-rich just like the XM3, however, Sony played a game of addition and subtraction. They added new features like speak to chat which can be effective and useful. it works like a charm without you touching the headphone, I found that it also gets triggered when you cough heavy or clear your throat which can be a little annoying. The feature can be deactivated so not a problem. Also if you like to sing along to your favourite tune then speak to chat will break that habit.

Sony also added a proximity sensor which will pause the music once you take the headphones off. this feature is also very welcome in the sony headphone line, and it works effectively.

Another new feature Sony added is a multipoint pairing which enables you to connect and easily switches between 2 devices at a time (Be sure to update the headphone to the latest firmware to fix issues with this feature. One drawback to the multipoint pairing is that the LDAC feature is deactivated in multipoint mode 😢.

ANC on the XM4 is as Stellar as the XM3 but a little bit better, however, don't expect anything special here, it just sounds a little quieter in the higher - mid frequencies which make for a better ANC performance but not enough to make your jaw drop.

DESEE EXTREME and 360 Audio are nice features to have but personally haven't found them effective or useful.

Now I mentioned Sony playing a game of addition and subtraction, while they gave us all these new features they also took away some useful old ones like APTX and APTX HD which gave me the mixed feelings with the XM4. This doesn't matter if you are on an iPhone but android uses might find this very upsetting if you are into Bluetooth codecs and hi-res playback.

SOUND QUALITY:
once again the XM4 delivers a sound similar to the XM3 however when you pay close attention you will hear the subtle enhancements in the XM4 particularly in the soundstage and higher frequencies. The soundstage of the XM4 appears to be wider and instrument separation sounds nicer and pleasing on the XM4, also the treble range sounds more refined and natural on the XM4, I feel it renders the sound of drum cymbals, hi-hats, shakers, Jazz brush sticks, and other Hi-frequency instruments a lot better on the XM4 than on the XM3. however, I did notice a slight reduction in the upper bass punch from kick drums making the XM4 to have a less punchy sound in the bass. Comparing them stock for stock the XM3 has a more punchy bass sound.

Overall these refinements in the sound quality are subtle but they are there and If you know how to listen out for them you will come to prefer the sound of the XM4 better, but if you just listen passively you might not be able to easily tell the difference, both headphones perform well in hip-hop, pop, jazz, rock and a lot more genres.

SHOULD I UPGRADE?:
I already have the XM3 and I love them should I go ahead and upgrade to the XM4? to help you answer that question here are some features to take seriously
- Multipoint pairing
- Proximity sensor
- Speak to chat (can be a good or bad thing)
- NO APTX or APTX HD (android users)

Here are a few features to NOT take seriously.
- ANC (relatively on par with the XM3)
- DESEE Extreme (not much difference in its effectiveness)
- 360 Audio (Available on other headphones)
- LDAC (already on the XM3, only beneficial to select android users)

It's not a lot of great stuff to prompt an immediate upgrade and because the design of the headphone looks remarkably identical, having the XM4 alongside the XM3 feels more like I just had a major firmware update to my already existing headphone, it doesn't give you the full satisfaction of a new buy just like you get between the Bose QC35 and the 700 (although different headphones) you get the idea.

CONCLUSION
If you are new to Sony's 1000X headphones then just go ahead and buy the XM4 it's an overall much better experience. I now personally like the Sony WH-1000XM4 and will use my XM3 less and less maybe will give it away soon. All the minor improvements sum up together to make yet another New King of ANC while the XM3 follows closely behind.

Hope this helps!

No improved Sound qualty

ANC is barely improved with a similar design

MultiPoint can't use LDAC, So you are stuck with AAC or SBC if you wish to use this feature and no APTX or APTX HD,

Was a decent upgrade from my XM2's but if you dont wish to use speak to talk or any of the new features then save your Money and get yourself a pair of XM3's for over £100 Less

Having owned the XM3 I was very disappointed with this new version. The noise cancelling appears identical, and the sound signature indiscernible from the previous model. If anything, the XM3 sound is of higher quality with slightly more base on the default equalizer settings, which I prefer.

This headphone is bigger compared to the previous model, and for me they felt loose with the top of my ear hitting the top of the earcups. This was very uncomfortable. The XM3 don't have the same issue.

There are a number of new features, however I question how much value they really add. For instance, the talk to pause feature is no where near as good as the advert suggests. It pauses after a few seconds delay and not instantly. It's far easier just to pause the headphones or take them off altogether. The multi-device connectivity has issues, given switching from one device to another is not instant.

Ultimately, this is absolutely not worth the price difference compared to the XM3. The XM3 works equally as well, and in fact I found them to have better sound and more comfortable fit.

I currently own a pair of cracked XM1's held together by tape so have been eagerly awaiting the XM4's given I do a lot of web conferencing, and the mic on the XM3's wasn't going to cut it.
On the plus side, the noise-cancellation is good, as you'd expect. They're also comfortable to wear and the sound quality when listening to music is great, but that mic! Despite all the hype and promise, I tested the mic on Skype, Zoom and Hangouts, and the performance was poor across the board. Really disappointing and a deal-breaker for me so they've been returned.
So now it's back to taping up my XM1's to make them last a bit longer until Bose hopefully gets their act together and deliver a reliable solution.
It was also sneaky and somewhat misleading imo to combine the much-loved XM3 listing with the XM4's soon after launch and combine the ratings. Buyer beware!

I was really looking forward to these but the multi device connectivity was a joke. It took over a minute plus to switch between devices (iPhone & iPad) as there’s a huge lag in the audio switchover so impossible to take a call if you’re connected to another device. The noise cancellation seemed poor compared to the XM3’s.

I've had a Bose QC35 for over 4 years now, and the new Sony WH-1000MX4s are just about as perfect as can be. Mind you, I was an extremely devoted Bose fan, but seeing how they've been staying complacent, the competition has finally caught up and exceeded Bose in many aspects.

The Sony trumps the Bose QC35 easily in terms of sound quality: the bass is more defined, more dynamic, and sub-bass levels are much higher quality than my Bose QC35s. The treble sounds much more natural and airy, whereas the Bose QC35s sound very synthetic in this regard - this is coming from a guy who's had the QC35 for 4+years and listened to hundreds if not thousands of hours of music on the QC35s.

If I had to rate the sound quality:
Bose QC35 (6.5/10)
Sony WH-1000XM4 (9/10)

You will not be disappointed by the sound of the Sonys, this I can guarantee.

In terms of noise cancelling, the Sony's NC is probably even better than the Bose. It feels natural and not "aggressive" like the Bose's noise cancelling, and mid to high frequency noises are much better attenuated. Whilst I have not been on airplane travel (for obvious reasons), currently I feel like the noise cancelling performance of the Sony's is slightly better than the Bose.

Rating of noise cancellation:
Bose QC35 (9/10)
Sony WH-1000XM4 (9.5/10)

Features and flexibility. Sony win this easy. With the dedicated Sony headphone app (available on iOS and Android), the amount of settings and flexibility the WH-1000XM4s can offer is astounding. You can calibrate the Sonys for your head shape, equalise the sound, and many more features to adjust within the app.

Bose, on the other hand, keeps it real simple, with no real way to customise your headphones. Simplicity is good, but the way Sony allows the user to adjust the settings of their headphones without overloading you with options is far superior.

Features/app:
Bose QC35 (2/10)
Sony WH-1000XM4 (9/10)

Now clearly I haven't included the newer Bose NC700s (because I don't own them nor do I plan to based on user reviews), but I have spent countless hours and years enjoying music with the Bose QC35s. I can safely say that Sony has overtaken Bose in the wireless noise cancelling headphone department.

If you are looking for a new pair of noise cancelling headphones, go for the Sony WH-1000XM4s. You will be extremely impressed and will not regret your purchase.

Free 3 Year Warranty on WH1000XM4 headphones until 30th September2020 from Sony Centre Website.

As a previous AirPods Pro user (I returned them due to a bad ear fit and detrimental firmware updates), I was really impressed with these new Sony headphones overall. Here's why:

Sound Quality: I was expecting to be blown away by the quality, but initially this didn't happen. I found the sound relatively flat and uninteresting, but somehow over the course of the past week, I've come to absolutely love the sound from these headphones. With some EQ changes, I can feel the bass in my head and distinguish between different types in various songs, rather than every note below a certain threshold merging into one generic 'bass sound' like with the AirPods. They've got a rather generous sound stage, and I've enjoyed relistening to my favourite songs on these headphones just to hear the subtleties added which you can't discern in cheaper headphones.

Active Noise Cancellation: By far the very best I've ever tried. People hailed Apple for removing the 'pressure' feeling in the AirPods Pro ANC, but there was still a very audible background hiss from the system and also a gigantic EQ change which boosted the mids way too high. With these Sony's, I don't have to decide between quality or ANC, because I can have both. They have excellent passive isolation as is, but with ANC on it's amazing. There is no pressure, no EQ change, just near silence. We all know ANC struggles with unpredictable sounds such as talking, but the Sony's handle this in such a way that it's still pleasing, unlike the AirPods which turn the talking into a horrible hiss that actually accentuates the sound.

Comfort: I don't particularly like wearing headphones (especially as a glasses wearer), but these are really quite comfortable. My ears don't get anywhere as hot as with other headphones I've tried, and there's a good balance between the clamping force on the ears, and pressure on the headband on the top of the head. My only complaint is that I think they're marginally too big for my head. I feel like if the ear cups were about 5mm higher up, the headband would provide more support on my head, and I would feel less like the ear cup cushioning is too low on my ears. Just something to watch out for if you know you have a smaller head.

Other Features: Sony has introduced some extra features into the XM4's over the previous version. Speak to chat works well, where you can start talking and have the headphones quieten the music and let you hear outside sounds. Doesn't sound as good as with Transparency mode on the AirPods Pro, but still useable. I don't like how it's on a timer before they go back to regular listening mode though, as you either have to wait for this or toggle the play/pause for your music for it to disengage. I actually prefer cupping my hand over the right touchpad to instantly start this feature and have full control over when it starts and ends, the only problem being that you have to keep your hand there for the duration of the time you want to hear the outside world. Taking the headphones off and having it pause works perfectly with no issue, as is resuming play when you put them back on.

Battery: Used these every day for around 2-3 hours for the past week, and still not any lower than 50% charge. Absolutely amazing and shouldn't be an issue for anyone. USB-C charging is a godsend too for futureproofing.

Overall: I love these headphones. It was a rocky start with not initially liking the sound, but I've really come to love them. I just wish they fit better on my head, as this would make it 100% worth the money for me. Is it worth £100 over the XM3?? I'm not sure. I haven't tried the XM3's out but without those extra smart features in the XM4's, I think it would be even harder to justify the £250 price tag of the XM3's when compared to the AirPods Pro. Being used to the convenience of quickly putting AirPods in and out has made wearing headphones a bigger deal for me to be using every day, so I will only be using the XM4's for longer listening or relaxing, and keep using my Gen 1 AirPods for more casual everyday listening.