Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones with Mic for Phone-Call and Alexa Voice Control, Black WH1000XM4

Clear crisp sound

Download Sony Headphone Connect App, open box, turn on headphones (bottom of left headphone on/off switch), using Sony Connect App, connect and paired new headphones.
– My headphones were 100% charged out of box.
– Many features in Sony Connect App, matter of your preference and use. I do think the app is solid and useful for my use of these headphones.
– My headphones firmware updated automatically -be patient, process took several minutes. Initial impression; very comfortable, really good noise canceling and sound quality.
– Voice clarity on both ends is outstanding.
– Easily connected two iPhones, my experience switching between them was seamless.
– Used ear profile in-app feature to analyze my ear shape for 360 Reality Audio setup.
– Able to connect to MacBook Pro (2020 version) directly via Bluetooth with no issues.

UPDATE: >30 hours of iPhone X, 8, and Bluetooth MacBook Pro connection.
– The phone call quality is awesome (you can hear
– No video lag/latency on FT and Zoom calls.
– I have found the connection at times can be a bit cumbersome when having two devices connected and receiving calls, it might be a setting or how I am picking up the call –directly from the phone or double-tapping on the headset.
– Great noise suppression to the wind, outside city/road-noise, etc… No reported issues with other people on calls with me. Always told call quality was very crisp and clear… my experience, much better than Apple Airpod Pro for suppression of noise for callers on the other end.
– I have also now used these headphones for Bluetooth connection to Nvidia Shield connected to my TV for over 16 hrs. Easy direct connection directly from Nvidia Bluetooth Settings. TV and Movie surround sound is great, you can hear the slightest sounds.

Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4
– Seamless connection – prefer SONY
– Comfort – prefer Sony
– Headphone sound controls – prefer Bose. Sony touch control works ok but the Bose increase/decrease volume seems to work better on Sony
– Noise-canceling for me, both performed in a similar way
– Call quality, for me, both performed in a similar way

I Will continue to test and use Bose but the feel of the headset on my head is not as comfortable as Sony.

UPDATE: Running 7.3 Update
– Not sure if related but the initial bluetooth connection and subsequent connections are problematic;
– I have had to reconnect several times via the app and my phone needs to be very close to the headset;
– Once I am connected it has worked but I have had to repeat the process a few times now;
– Additionally, after significant use, the touch controls are a nice feature but not ideal under some circumstances. For example, if you have a hoodie on, jacket with hood, etc… touch control is sensitive and fabric, cord, ect… will effect the touch controls.
– I am running iphone X with latest iOS, should be receiving iphone 12 Pro this eve and will update with any new comments.

UPDATE April 2020: been using these headphones for several months now. Running and walking are great however, the Touch Sensor Control is not ideal for me, especially when using while exercising. I find the controls/sensor unforgiving and one misstep can restart a song and or podcast, other than they continue to work very well.

Used these headphones for a extended 12+ hrs flight and another 9 hour flight.. great noise canceling and sound. Hooked up directly to Qatar Qsuite entertainment system with provided cable, sound quality was excellent.

Honestly, there was a part of me that was worried that these headphones would not be the best pair to own after the issues that I experienced with the prior generation of them: the WH1000xm3. The main issue that I had? The build quality: the plastic around the headband snapped due to a flimsy connection, resulting in me having to tape both headbands together so that the headphones don’t fall apart on me. I tried several alternate brands to see if they would work, but they never came close to giving me the same level of satisfaction while wearing them as the WH1000xm3 did, even with the taped headband taken into account. So I decided that the best replacement for a Sony headphone was another Sony headphone, and I invested in the M4, which succeeded the M3 last year (as of this writing).
My initial thoughts were as follows: the headphones were a definite improvement upon the originals, retaining what I liked most about the original headphones (largely the overall comfort) while also improving the headphones in other small ways (especially in regards to the special features-the M4 are way more feature-packed than the M3 were, incorporating many elements that are being found on most other headphones these days). My favorite thing that was fixed, however, was the sound quality. You see, the original sounded amazing, and honestly sounded better overall than the likes of Bose and Sennheiser, which I have tested as potential replacements for the Sony headphones. And that is despite the fact that the headphones have a relatively small 40mm driver inside, instead of a more traditional 50mm driver. However, the one minor issue I had with the M3 was that the low frequencies were heightened a bit more than I would have liked, making songs sound a bit bass-heavy even when the EQ was turned off (the only way I was able to fix this was by setting the EQ to ‘bright’, which isn’t ideal since the EQ does degrade the battery life). With the M4, Sony improves this by tuning down the low ends, resulting in the headphones having a very flat frequency response, which in turn results in every song having a much wider sound stage than the M3 did (and almost making them sound as good as the various open-back headphones I have tried, including the Sennheiser 650, which is my personal favorite open-back headphone).
In terms of the special features, I think they were implemented quite well in these headphones. The noise cancelling is exceptional, much like it was on the M3, and the transparency mode is somehow even better than it was on the prior generation headphone, sounding a lot more natural and less tinny overall. The auto activation of transparency mode during conversations is fantastic, and enables me to talk to people naturally without ever having to remove the headphones from my ear. This also means that I don’t have to awkwardly tap my hand on the earcup with the M4, either. The DSEE Extreme audio enhancer really helps to make music sound a lot more full, even when using devices that don’t support the LDAC wireless standard. It isn’t as good as listening to lossless files wired, mind you, but it is still an amazing feature that helps to take advantage of the flat sound stage and frequency response of the headphone drivers.
Now, this isn’t to say that these headphones don’t have issues, mind you. The auto-pause when removing the headphones from your ears is very much a gimmick, and doesn’t always pause the song (and may even resume the music before you have a chance to place the headphones back on your ear). Since the headphones use a light sensor to tell if you are wearing your headphones or not, it means even a simple shadow can cause the headphones to think that they are back on your ears and restart music playback. It is quite obnoxious, and it is best left out. Another, more minor issue is the touch controls. While I personally have no issue with them, I know that there are many people that don’t like them whatsoever. So I will just make a note that they are still here, and they work in much the same way as they did on the M3. Finally, I should mention that the flat soundstage, while amazing for my listening experience, may not be for everyone. Bassheads in particular would likely prefer extra pronunciation on the lower ranges. And while they will never be quite as bass-heavy as the Skullcandy or Beats line, the EQ can still bring the bass levels up quite a bit, using a ‘clear bass’ slider that reminds me of the slider on the Skullcandy Skullcrushers: raising the bass without causing distortion.
Overall, the headphones turned out to be quite an exceptional pair, especially when it comes to listening to music during commutes. The great noise cancelling, beautiful audio, and fantastic transparency mode definitely make these headphones a winner in my book. And the app only helps to improve the flexibility of the headphones, allowing for many different features to be unlocked. And while these headphones certainly have some issues (no pair of headphones are perfect, after all), I think the benefits more than outweigh the issues for me, and put these at the top of my list of best closed-back headphones that I have worn. Hopefully Sony will continue to make amazing headphones like these in the ears to come.

Review completo como consumidor y profesional dedicado al audio, si te da flojera leer, de entrada te digo que esto vale cada centavo, no lo dudes ni esperes, rompe el cochinito porque te lo estás perdiendo.

Ahora si para los que dudan de Dios:

Hace 3 años adquirí los MDR-XB950N1, mejor conocidos como los Sony Extra Bass. Sin duda fueron una compra demasiado buena, pasé de unos Skullcandy Hesh 2 a los Extra Bass y vaya que la diferencia es muy considerable.

Ahora, 3 años después decidí hacer un “upgrade”, yo me dedico a la música, soy estudiante de la materia y me dedico al audio, la verdad es que no puedo llevarme mis audífonos de estudio fuera de casa, necesitaba unos que realmente ofrecieran buena calidad, portabilidad y facilidad de uso con mis aplicaciones. Encontré estos después de hacer un par de búsquedas en internet, los comparé con varias opciones y al final me decidí por comprarlos.

En primera debo decir que he quedado impresionado por la tecnología que traen estos audífonos. Puedes personalizar el audio acorde a tu oreja, así es, a la forma de tu oreja, Sony te pide que tomes un par de fotos para que se puedan analizar y proveer mejor experiencia, nunca en mi vida había visto algo así.
Desde que los abres se denota un producto bastante premium y que vale el dinero que se paga por él, ya que de hecho no es nada barato.

La experiencia de abrirlo es excelente, pero es cuando bajas la aplicación que empiezas a ver lo brutal de estas máquinas. De adelanto estos audífonos ya vienen con carga máxima, o al menos así fue en mi caso, no te pide que los cargues ni nada, funcionan desde que los sacas de la caja. Son extremadamente cómodos y si eres miope como yo y usas fierros para ver, estos audífonos no te van a incomodar en ningún momento.

No es que quiera advertir, sino más bien dar aviso de que por defecto los audífonos se oyen un poco flojos, el sonido está un poco saturado, y si te gusta escuchar música como el Heavy Metal o música clásica te quedas pasmado, no se oyen para nada como los Extra Bass que al salir de la caja otorgan un sonido fino y bien configurado. Estos no, pero entiendo por qué lo hacen, ya que como mencioné, la experiencia de verdad comienza cuando bajas la aplicación que tiene como mil opciones de configuración y optimización de sonido, así que prepárate para estar ahí unos 25 minutos de tu vida, que sin duda alguna por supuesto, lo valen.

Una vez que has pasado las optimizaciones, toca jugar con el ecualizador, yo recomiendo configuración 400: 1 1K: 3 2.5K: 7 6.3K: 8 16K: 5 Clear Bass: +5 o +7 para escuchar Heavy Metal y música clásica, aunque si eres fan de los medios tal vez quieras mover un poco más, pero como dije, esto es libre y Sony te prevé todas las herramientas para que esto quede sabroso.

Ya con todo listo, toca escuchar música, y ahí es cuando te da el golpe. Sabía que habría una diferencia entre los Extra Bass que tengo y los M4 que son estos, pero no sabía que realmente se fuera a notar tanto. Estos no son audífonos, son interfaces de audio andantes, además, Sony te regala una prueba gratis en cualquier servicio de restringe que contenga su servicio Sony Audio 3D, yo escogí Tidal, pero también puedes escoger otros 3 más, ahí aparece la opción.

De verdad que escuchar música en formato de alta calidad como es el FLAC que te ofrece Tidal es algo maravilloso, inclusive después de varios años escuchando lo mismo, logré notar varios elementos musicales extras que antes ni sabía que existían en la canción, ahí es cuando te vas para atrás, es como por fin escuchar las cosas sin filtro. También recomiendo el formato “Loss-less” de Apple music en caso de que sean usuarios de iPhone o solo para que tengan una tercera opción. Sea cual sea el servicio que escojan, se oye increíble, pero sin duda combinado con formatos de baja compresión esto se vuelve místico.

Claro que esto no es tan plano como unos audífonos de estudio, pero sin duda la experiencia se acerca bastante.

En conclusión, estos audífonos realmente son un producto bastante premium, te otorgan no solo alta calidad de audio, sino una experiencia tecnológica muy innovadora, además vienen con su porta audiófonos y cables correspondientes, son muy cómodos y portables. Los recomiendo al 100% no duden en adquirirlo para nada.