In last weeks blog I reviewed the Apple AirPods Max so this week I wanted to give you my thoughts on the other set of overear headphones that I own, which are the Sony WH-1000XM4 or for short the XM4s. I will cover the same areas as the AirPods Max to try and give you a good comparison of what I think of these two headphones.
Comfort:
So these are a comfortable set of headphones, they are lightweight so do not feel particularly heavy on your head. I did however found that after a while they could become a bit uncomfortable on the top of my head and I would have to reposition them. In terms of the ear cups they are a decent size which cover your ears well and they are padded so they are comfortable. I do sometimes find that if I have had them on for a long period of time that my ears can become a bit warm.
Looks:
As headphones go these are nice looking, I went for them in black but you can get them in Blue and Silver as well. They are made from plastic but still have a pretty premium look them. They come with a nice carry case which provides good protection and you can also fit the charging cable in there as well. The case is certainly better than the case that comes with the AirPods Max in both looks and functionality for me.
Functionality:
You can do quite a bit with these headphones such as skip tracks, turn your volume up and down by swiping in certain direction on the left ear cup. You can also connect to two devices at once which you can manage through the app. You can also turn on other features such as speak to chat as well as adjusting/customising your ambient sound control and sound. Another useful thing is that they come with a headphone jack so you can still plug them into you laptop or phone giving you wired and wireless capability.
Sound & Audio Quality:
As with my other headsets I do use these for both work calls and listening to music. I find that the sounds quality is really good, its clear and crisp and provides a good listening experience. When using them on conference call the microphone is very good so people on the other end have no issue in hearing what I say.
Noise Cancelling & Ambient Sound:
The noise cancelling on these headphones is very good indeed. I find that they block out most of the background noise which allows me to focus when I really need to. Like the AirPods they have a transparency mode which they call Ambient sound which lets through some noise so that you can hear what is happening around you. It is easy to switch between the modes using the button on the right hand ear cup which is just above the power button. Compared to the AirPods Max is does take a bit of time to switch between the modes and it will also tell you which mode you are in as you go through them. This is not a major thing but it can be annoying at times especially if you are on a call and switching as you can’t hear what is be said.
Price:
So again this are not cheap and on the premium side of the price range at around £250 depending on what deals are on at the time. I think that for the quality of these headphones that is not a bad price, of course you will find cheaper out there but for quality noise cancelling and great sound I think you have to pay a bit more.
Conclusion:
There are a couple of bits that are slightly annoying about these headphones but nothing major that I would say would stop me from buying them again. I think that these are very solid headphones and do a great job in all situations whether it be working or just listening to music etc. I still think that the AirPods Max are slightly better than the XM4s but not the £250+ that the price would suggest. So if you are on a budget then these are certainly a great option and I would certainly recommend buying them.