A year after purchasing, I still reach for the Sony WH-1000XM4 when I want a pair of comfortable, powerful, and long lasting over-ears.
Key Takeaways
- Soft ear pads provide hours of comfort, even for glasses wearers, thanks to memory foam preventing pressure and headaches.
- An in-app equalizer in the Sony Headphones app allows for sound profile customization along with presents for a more personalized listening experience.
- Ride the noise-cancelling dream with Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, great for work and chores with effective noise reduction and handy features.
Last year, I bought my pair of Sony WH-1000MX4 headphones, and I haven't regretted it a single second. I use these headphones every day, for listening to podcasts while I do chores, listening to music while I work, taking calls for work and with friends, and for my daily walks around the neighborhood.
While the Sony WH-1000XM4 isn't the newest, shiniest pair of noise-cancelling headphones out there, they hold up incredibly well on their own. Not only do they sound great (as headphones should) and have a cool matte look and nice design, they're full of features that make them worthy of daily use.
While the Sony WH-1000XM4 isn't the newest, shiniest pair of noise-cancelling headphones out there, they hold up incredibly well on their own.
1 Soft ear pads make for long-term comfort
Memory foam prevents excess ear pressure
Arguably, one of the most important aspects of these headphones is just how comfortable they are. The ear pads on the Sony WH-1000XM4 are so soft and comfortable, and I can wear these headphones for hours without feeling any pain from them pressing on my ears.
As a person who wears glasses, I know it can be hard to find a good pair of headphones that don't hurt you after a little while. Thankfully, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a winner in this category. I can go many hours before I start to feel the littlest bit of discomfort from having the headphones against my ears and glasses.
As a person who wears glasses, I know it can be hard to find a good pair of headphones that don't hurt you after a little while. Thankfully, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a winner in this category.
Other pairs of headphones with stiffer ear pads or a tighter fit on my head tend to press my ears against the legs of my glasses and press into the sides of my head, so it's a complete relief that these don't cause pain or headaches.
2 In-app equalizer for custom sound profiles
Taking control of your sound is easy in the Sony Headphones app
Sometimes a pair of headphones doesn't come readily equipped with your preferred sound profile. The Sony WH-1000XM4 is a bit bassy right out of the box, so you can change the sound profile using equalizer presets or create your own. If you want to turn down the bass and highs for a more "flat" sound, or if you're an EDM lover who wants to turn up the bass even more, you have a ton of options here.
The app gives you a few different sound options to choose from, so it can find your ideal sound profile for you, instead of having you mess around with sliders to figure it out yourself.
There's also a "find your equalizer" feature that was added this year in the Sony Headphones app. The app gives you a few different sound options to choose from, so it can find your ideal sound profile for you, instead of having you mess around with sliders to figure it out yourself.
3 Great noise control features to help you tune in or tune out
Cancel the noise or let it all in
The whole reason I bought the Sony WH-1000XM4 is that they have really great noise-cancelling. I'm able to get a lot of work done without being distracted by noises around and outside my apartment. I tend to get distracted by the sounds of my washing machine or dishwasher, or cars outside my window, so the fact that the noise-cancelling is this effective is a total dream. They also come in handy when I'm vacuuming, since they reduce the sound a lot and allow me to keep listening to music or podcasts while I do chores.
I tend to get distracted by the sounds of my washing machine or dishwasher, or cars outside my window, so the fact that the noise-cancelling is this effective is a total dream.
I also really love the speak-to-chat feature, which turns the headphones to transparency mode when it detects you speaking. This way, I can keep my headphones on if I need to talk to someone for a moment, which is handy if my hands are busy when I need to talk to someone, like if I'm doing the dishes or carrying something.
The last noise control feature I love is how easy it is to quickly switch to transparency mode when I need it. Putting your hand over the right earcup turns on transparency mode until you take your hand off, making it easy to quickly listen in when you need to.
4 Long battery life makes for reliable headphones
Getting through the week on a single charge is easy
Sony claims that the battery life of these headphones is 30 hours, and while I haven't put it to the test down to the minute, I can definitely say the battery life is great. I have to charge my Sony WH-1000XM4 about once a week, and even when I get down to low battery, I can finish whatever I'm doing within reason without them dying on me.
Additionally, the Sony WH-1000XM4 has fast charging, which is super convenient. You can get five hours of charge from just plugging them in for 10 minutes. So when I do find myself having low battery life, I can rely on quick charging to get me through the next little while.
5 Switching easily between devices with Bluetooth multipoint
Have to take a call? No worries at all
Being able to switch between devices easily is a big upside of the Sony WH-1000XM4. If I'm listening to music on my laptop and get a call, I can easily pick up the call using my headphones, and then go back to listening to music on my laptop. It makes for a really easy and seamless experience.
When you turn on the headphones, it'll let you know immediately when the first device is connected, and then when the second one is connected, so you can know for sure that you're able to switch easily between the two. If something happens and one of the devices disconnects, it'll also indicate that.
