Sony WF-1000XM4 Review: Best Premium Wireless Earbuds We’ve Tested So Far
October 13, 2021Great looks backed up by powerful features but does that justify the price tag?
Diver unit: 6mm
Type: Truly Wireless
Weight: 41g
Waterproof: IPX4
Battery Life: 12 Hours Music Playback time
Features: ANC, Bluetooth 5.2 , Personal NC Optimizer, Atmospheric Pressure Optimizing, Ambient Sounds, Speak to chat, DSEE Extreme, Google Assistant/Alexa, NFC
Rating: 9.5/10
RM:1,099.00
When it comes to choosing a pair of wireless earbuds, we are spoilt for choice. Just about every electronics brand is trying to cut their teeth in the highly competitive audio equipment market. It’s a hit or miss with most of them, but not Sony. The Japanese giant is a maestro at producing audio equipment for audiophiles.
The WF-1000XM4 is a perfect example of said notion. The earbuds are part of the company’s line-up of devices that cater to audiophiles who appreciate the wireless experience but are unwilling to forgo the audio quality they’re accustomed to. Though the delivery may not be on par with wired headphones, the gap between them has narrowed, significantly.
Each earbud has a cylindrical head fused with a lower lobe, purposefully designed to sit comfortably on one’s ear. The front surface is touch sensitive, but the sides aren’t. As such, when reseating them, there’s almost no chance that you’d inadvertently pause your music or switch off the earbuds.
Double tapping on the right earbud, skips to the next track. Doing the same with the left one, enables you to return to the previous track. A long tap initializes quick attention, allowing you to converse with someone for a short period. Once you’re done, the music resumes from where it left off.
Despite being packed with technology such as atmospheric pressure optimizing and Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), the XM4 earbuds are 10% smaller than the previous generation at 7.3g due in part to the 20% reduction in magnet volume. This results in the earbuds being just the right weight to remain anchored on your ears but not enough to seem bothersome.
But that’s not all because the carrying case is also 40% smaller than before but can still provide about 16 hours of power. It’s coated in a matte black texture that looks quite posh and is just as nice to hold. The gold Sony lettering matches the similarly coloured accents on the earbuds. There’s no mistaking the WF-1000XM4 for your regular run off the mill wireless earbuds.
The Sound Quality, Noise Canceling, Fit and Battery Life
Sony has given them new 6mm drivers and a higher compliance diaphragm for improved low frequency performance. The integrated V1 processor is able to process LDAC codecs and make use of the company’s proprietary DSEE Extreme technology. This allows the earbuds to help reconstruct your music tracks in an attempt to recreate a somewhat lossless music format.
The listening experience is nothing short of exemplary. Just as I was beginning to warm up to the idea of wireless headphones being a tangible substitute for wired ones, Sony drops the WF-1000XM4. The music delivery is quite impressive, hitting my ears in stages by mimicking a 3D experience. This adds depth and clarity to the acoustics, further championing the illusion that you’re in a room filled with music.
It feels raw and unfiltered, similar to what you’d experience if you’re physically present with the musicians. By using the Sony headphones app, you can adjust various aspects of the EQ delivery. In my experience manual adjustments yield the best results but choosing the Excited or Bass Boost presets offer similarly good results.
If you’re subscribed to music streaming services like Tidal, then you’re able to unlock even more features like Sony’s 3D reality sound experience. The headphones app processes the size of your ears while the earbuds pressurize them for a better seal, and in return, you get an elevated music listening experience.
That said, the music quality that you get from unsupported platforms like Spotify is still head and shoulders above what you’d get from mid-range earbuds. The sound is crisp and rich in depth. Every note hits you in a unique way, making for a fulfilling listening experience, even for tracks that you don’t care for.
The delivery is pin-sharp, allowing the sound of guitar strings being strummed, piano keys being depressed or the blaring of a saxophone to be heard with impressive clarity. Though not a match for actual over-the-ears headphones, they are an example of the strides that have been made to bridge that gap. The highs, mids and lows hit you ‘just right’.
Not to be confused with the WH-1000XM4 (headphones), these earbuds come with 3 different sized ear tips to suit varying ear sizes. They are made from memory foam, which are quite accommodating to the contours of our ears. As such, it’s a good possibility that one out of the three pairs will fit snugly against the opening of your ear canal.
It’s of paramount importance to make sure they form a somewhat perfect seal. This is necessary to fully experience the rich audio delivery from the drivers. If the seal isn’t good, the ambient noises will manage to come through, negating the effectiveness of the active noise cancelling tech. The ANC is very good at its job.
If you seat the XM4 properly in your ears, the outside world is barely audible. Once the music starts playing, people chatting around you, the sound of rainfall or traffic, just disappears. You watch the world pass you by, but never hear it. It feels as though you’re cocooned in this invisible sound room, where nobody can get to you.
The earbuds have bone conduction sensors and beamforming microphones that detect your voice and ensure that they cancel out ambient sounds for improved voice calls. They’re adept at the task, and as a result your voice gets to the caller on the other end, clearly. This is in spite of being surrounded by chatty Cathy’s.
Instead of having to walk away from the noise to have a conversation with a caller, you can speak freely from wherever you are and expect the person on the other end to receive coherent audio quality. This grants you the freedom to converse with callers wherever you are, unperturbed by ambient sounds from the street or incoherent murmuring of colleagues.
There’s also the option to allow ambient sounds into your ears. This is especially useful if you’re eagerly waiting for information on your flight or walking down a busy street and want to remain vigilant of what’s happening around you. Sony gives you the ability to adjust how much of these sounds are allowed in, so you only receive what you are comfortable with.
Besides ANC and ambient sounds, the WF-1000XM4 can also identify wind noise and help to prevent it from ruining your music listening experience (there’s an option to turn this on). If full ANC is enabled, then this isn’t something that you should be concerned with. Ultimately, your experience depends on what modes you’ve chosen and how well you’re able to hear your favourite tracks.
Sony has also baked in adaptive sound technology, which alters the music delivery to compensate for the ambient setting around you. This changes as you transition from sitting at a coffee shop, getting onto a train or simply taking a stroll in a city park. The system does this to ensure that you get the best music listening experience possible, regardless of where you are.
The Sony Headphones app also helps you pair your devices easily and locate ones you’ve misplaced. It’s an all-in-one program that helps you manage the WF-1000XM4 and compatible devices in a single place.
The XM4s are rated IPX4, which means you could use them at the gym and not worry about getting them wet if you get caught in the rain. All you have to do is wipe them down before storing them into the carrying case. Said case holds them in place with powerful magnets that ensure that the earbuds don’t jostle about and turn on intermittently when not in use.
This charging case supports Qi charging technology, so if you have a supported wireless charger, just drop the WF-1000XM4’s case on the surface and expect it to begin charging almost immediately. Expect to wait for a couple of hours for a full charge. The earbuds are able to deliver close to 6 hours of play time on a single charge with ANC turned on.
Should You Buy This?
If you’re looking for a premium pair of wireless earbuds that offers one of the best sound experiences possible, then this is a must have gadget. The WF-1000XM4 doesn’t disappoint because it delivers on all fronts for a great music listening experience. It bests some of its own counterparts such as the WF-H800, WF-SP800N and several others.
The asking price is a little steep, but once you’ve listened to them for a while, you’ll begin to understand what you’ve paid for. Sony tends to go all out when it comes to user experience. That’s why these XM4s are a joy to use, regardless of the activity.
