Sony WH-1000XM4

Thought?:

Sony just has launched and released a new headphone named WH-1000XM4, aka Sony WH-1000x Mark IV (4), which is the latest generation of their WH-1000 headphones. I have tested and reviewed their earlier generation headphone WH-1000XM3 a few months ago (click here to see the review). Sony’s WH-1000XM3 did not get a great review by JoshiesWorld because the most significant downside I had with Sony’s WH-1000XM3 was that it was not as loud as many other reviewers or audio-lovers says, so I had no choice but to return it for a refund. Many claimed that Sony’s last version of WH-1000, the WH-1000xm3 is a king of the headphones, and I strongly disagree with that statement because it was not at least to me, in my opinion.

Fast-forward a few months later (since October 2019); I decided to look for a new headphone again since I returned the WH-1000xm3 because I didn’t shop for another headphone for a few months after trying out the Sony’s WH-1000xm3 as it disappointed me severely to the point that I gave up looking for a new headphone. I looked around on none other than my favorite shopping place – Amazon! I discovered that Sony had a new headphone coming out, a next-generation for the WH-1000 as it was listed on Amazon for pre-order and that the release date for WH-1000XM4 was August 21, 2020.

I still almost felt the disappointment I had with their WH-1000xm3, so with their newest generation, WH-1000XM4, I saw that they made several improvements with it, and the audio sound is one of them along with the audio quality. I figured what damage it could do if I order and give it a try to see if it is any different than their older generation that I was so disappointed with, so I decided to go ahead to pre-order Sony WH-1000XM4.

My biggest concern was the same as I had with the older generation was, will they be loud? I am hard of hearing myself, so when I shop for headphones or any products that have audio, I need the loudest one of all while at the same time having an excellent audio quality along with other features, including battery life since that this is a Bluetooth headphone. So, with that same concern for the new Sony WH-1000XM4, I have decided to shop for a portable headphone amp in the hope that it somehow helps. I also have a wired headphone amp, but I need to get the Bluetooth one since that this headphone is also Bluetooth as I intend to be able to listen to the audio while I am on go instead of only doing so in one place with a computer.

As I pre-ordered Sony WH-1000XM4 on August 10, eleven days before they ship with two-days shipping, but ended up holding it a few days longer due to some shipping restrictions because of the materials. When it finally has arrived, right away, I put Sony WH-1000XM4 on a charge because most of the time, when we get tech gadgets, they are often low or halfway, which is expected, so I have it charged before taking a test drive. After it was charged, I turned on the Sony WH-1000XM4, and right away, I see the flashing blue light as they had on their older generation WH-1000XM3. I had it connected to my iPhone 8S Plus, played a first song called “Stairway To Heaven,” and I immediately recognize that the sound is a bit louder than their WH-1000XM3, so I was relieved. I had my mother to give it a test drive too as she did the WH-1000XM3 also, and I had her to confirm that this WH-1000XM4 louder and sound better than the WH-1000XM3. She responded that it is a lot better and that it is louder, but for me, I can hear it a bit, which means it’s louder because the WH-1000XM3 I almost cannot hear anything from it.

Then I hooked it up with the new portable headphone amp, I also tried the WH-1000XM3 with my old computer’s headphone amp, which can push it a lot louder with many of my other headphones, but it wouldn’t with their WH-1000XM3 and to my relief it did the WH-1000XM4 wonderfully. I smiled, also relieved, and said to myself that I finally have a headphone that I can hear, but not only that, also it has a great audio quality along with several other features. At first, I had a feeling that I would be sending this Sony WH-1000XM4 back, too, as I did their Sony WH-1000XM3, but I ended up did not, and it has become my primary headphone. Now, with all of the high praise from other reviewers saying that this headphone is better than the best, which was their Sony WH-1000XM3, according to many reviewers – this time, I agree!

The sound coming from Sony WH-1000XM4 is impressive; it does produce plenty of basses; it has tons of features that you can play around, such as how much blockage you want from the outside to come into WH-1000XM4 headphone (adaptive sound control). It is a noise-canceling Bluetooth headphone, and the sound was more crystal than many headphones I have tested in my life, including Dre’s Beats Headphone (I had Studio one). If you have a headphone amp, it can take it, and not only that; it can take it but also amplify it twofold, which is just what I need! The battery life for Sony WH-1000XM4 is plentiful as it is advertised to last for 30 hours before a charge is necessary. The sound is premium, it is crisp, and one of the features is that it comes with an equalizer so you can play it around to how you like. More treble? More bass? And others by using the Sony Headphone Connect app, which is available on both iOS and Android. It has an NFC feature where you can tab your phone on one of the earcups, and it would immediately connect the WH-1000MX4. The Bluetooth connectivity has improved, as it now has Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity (it has great distance). It has touch control where you can touch on the earcup to adjust volume, to play or pause, and whatnot. On this, Sony’s WH-1000XM4 has a voice capability (speak to chat), which is also one of many areas that they improved where you can use the voice feature to talk through it as it has microphones built-in. The appearance is sleek, and hand-downs are looking fabulous. The feel is fantastic; it is comfortable; it is light and soft. More lightweight and softer than their Sony WH-1000XM3. Both Sony WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4 visually aren’t much different, but what is much different is under the hood, such as drastically improved sound quality. What is built inside is more important than the appearance for me because as long as it can produce great quality and it can be loud, then I don’t care about the look even though I do say that it does look more awesome for anyone to wear than other headphones!

The only complaints I would have been, of course, as always, I would love for it to be louder without sacrificing the sound quality and as well a little bit more bass, but this is plentiful, especially with the portable amp. The most important is that I can hear, and it’s good enough, unlike their WH-1000XM3, which was not loud as their new WH-1000XM4 is. I almost couldn’t hear their WH-1000XM3, but I can hear their WH-1000XM4, so with a portable amp to amplify the sound, I am set! Again, this headphone is the best one out of all headphones I have tested, so that says a lot is predominantly coming from me!

Suppose you look for a top-of-the-line, a premium, and now the best headphone of all headphones, I recommend Sony WH-1000XM4! It has everything you need for a headphone if you are hard of hearing or like loud then get a portable headphone amp which I have one review coming up so keep an eye for that so you can know which amp I recommend to go with the Sony WH-1000XM4 or others! Sony WH-1000XM4 is great for everything that you need audio for, such as music, audio from movie or television show, and whatnot!

I am rating Sony WH-1000XM4 a 4.1, and that translates a bit over great! .4 away from being very great.