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Sony
Sony WH-1000XM4
Great wasn't good enough for Sony.
Noise Isolation / ANC & sound
7/ 10
7
0.010.0
A 7 puts its noise isolation / ANC in the top third of over-ear headphones we've measured.
Measured on 86 of the 240 we've cataloged.
4/ 5
SoundMDAQS Overall4
1.05.0
At 4, its audio quality beats 41% of over-ear headphones we've measured.
Measured on 44 of the 240 we've cataloged.
Key specs
Battery Life Wireless
24 hBelow average24 h
11 h100 h
below average for over-ear headphones — based on 150 of 240 we've cataloged.
Bluetooth Version
5.05.326%520%5.218%5.08%
5.0 appears on 8% of the 145 over-ear headphones we've cataloged (of 240).
Connection Type
BluetoothWired-3.5mm48%Bluetooth44%Wired-usb-c7%Others1%
Bluetooth appears on 44% of the 215 over-ear headphones we've cataloged (of 240).
Battery
- Battery Life Wireless
- 24 h
- Battery Life Anc On
- 20 h
- Battery
- Yes
Connectivity
- Bluetooth Version
- 5.0
- Connection Type
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth Codec
- SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Multipoint Devices
- 2 devices
- Headphone Jack
- Yes
- USB Charging
- Yes
Features
- Companion App
- IOS + Android
- Auto Pause
- Yes
Design
- Foldable
- Yes
Sound
- Ambient Mode
- Standard
- Anc Modes
- Off,anc,transparency
SoundGuys review
Read the full review ›Noise cancelling8.4
Isolation7.0
Battery life9.1
Comfort & fit8.5
Connectivity9.0
Design7.2
The verdict
If you can wait for a sale and want a top-tier pair of headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is the way to go. The combination of great sound, improved noise canceling, good battery life, and smart features like auto pause and Bluetooth multipoint makes these one of the best all-around option for most people.
✓What we like
✓ANC
✓Sound quality
✓Bluetooth multipoint
✓Bluetooth 5.0; SBC, AAC, LDAC, and wired playback
✓Comfortable and has hinges for folding
✓Auto-pauses when you take them off
✕What could be better
✕Cost
✕Double-tap to pause doesn't always work
✕Slightly less comfortable than the WH-1000XM3
✕Battery life is down from the previous version
✕Custom button controls either the Assistant or noise canceling
Lab data
How we test ›Objective measurements from the SoundGuys test lab — overlay other models to see how this one compares.
Sony WH-1000XM4SoundGuys Headphone Preference Curve
Measured frequency response (dB) against the SoundGuys house target — the dashed curve. The closer the measured line tracks the target, the more neutral the tuning; peaks ride above the target, dips fall below it.
Frequency response — measurement data
| Frequency (Hz) | Response (dB) |
|---|---|
| 20 | 9.2 |
| 25 | 9.4 |
| 32 | 8.9 |
| 40 | 8.4 |
| 50 | 7.9 |
| 63 | 7.4 |
| 80 | 7.1 |
| 100 | 7.1 |
| 125 | 6.9 |
| 160 | 5.0 |
| 200 | 3.4 |
| 250 | 2.0 |
| 315 | 0.7 |
| 400 | -0.7 |
| 500 | 0.2 |
| 630 | 0.6 |
| 800 | 0.8 |
| 1000 | 0.1 |
| 1250 | 3.2 |
| 1600 | 3.8 |
| 2000 | 3.3 |
| 2500 | 6.8 |
| 3150 | 9.4 |
| 4000 | 11.4 |
| 5000 | 11.2 |
| 6300 | 7.0 |
| 8000 | 11.5 |
| 10000 | 9.4 |
| 12500 | 2.3 |
| 16000 | -4.5 |
| 20000 | -16.2 |
Sony WH-1000XM4
Passive isolation (dB) with ANC off — how much ambient noise the fit blocks on its own. Higher on the chart means more attenuation.
Passive isolation — measurement data
| Frequency (Hz) | Attenuation (dB) |
|---|---|
| 21 | 7.5 |
| 26 | 7.9 |
| 33 | 0.3 |
| 41 | 0.6 |
| 52 | 0.3 |
| 65 | 0.7 |
| 82 | 1.4 |
| 103 | 0.6 |
| 130 | 0.0 |
| 163 | -0.9 |
| 205 | 1.0 |
| 259 | 4.5 |
| 325 | 6.3 |
| 410 | 11.6 |
| 516 | 13.0 |
| 613 | 16.5 |
| 772 | 20.4 |
| 972 | 24.8 |
| 1220 | 27.5 |
| 1540 | 28.4 |
| 1940 | 22.0 |
| 2440 | 35.4 |
| 3070 | 26.1 |
| 3870 | 30.4 |
| 4870 | 35.3 |
| 6130 | 37.3 |
| 7720 | 35.1 |
| 9720 | 30.4 |
| 12200 | 21.6 |
| 15400 | 21.3 |
| 19400 | 13.1 |
Sony WH-1000XM4
Total attenuation (dB) with ANC on — passive isolation plus active noise cancelling. Higher on the chart means more attenuation.
Noise cancelling — measurement data
| Frequency (Hz) | Total attenuation (dB) |
|---|---|
| 21 | -4.2 |
| 26 | 2.1 |
| 33 | 7.5 |
| 41 | 12.5 |
| 52 | 16.9 |
| 65 | 21.3 |
| 82 | 23.0 |
| 103 | 22.1 |
| 130 | 25.1 |
| 163 | 28.9 |
| 205 | 25.1 |
| 259 | 27.7 |
| 325 | 26.8 |
| 410 | 25.1 |
| 516 | 25.7 |
| 613 | 20.5 |
| 772 | 14.8 |
| 972 | 16.4 |
| 1220 | 20.9 |
| 1540 | 20.2 |
| 1940 | 20.9 |
| 2440 | 27.8 |
| 3070 | 23.2 |
| 3870 | 29.7 |
| 4870 | 33.1 |
| 6130 | 34.5 |
| 7720 | 32.9 |
| 9720 | 29.5 |
| 12200 | 21.4 |
| 15400 | 21.2 |
| 19400 | 12.9 |
Sony WH-1000XM4
4.1
3.4
4.7
4.0
Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (1–5), modeled from the measured response. Higher is better across timbre, distortion, and immersiveness — add other models to see where this one lands.
Video reviews and comparisons for this product.
Features & Opinions
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Tom TriggsContributor
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