Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphone ANC that rivals models and 30-hour battery life

Amazon

The best noise cancelling headphones under INR 20k

I've lost 2 different pairs of in-ear TWS earphones (thankfully cheaper ones) so I decided to buy something large and harder to lose (lol). It was between this and the Bose QC45 for me. My primary headphones for 8 years now are the Audio Technica ATH-M50x which are a solid pair of wired neutral headphones, so I'll use those as a reference for audio quality. Short read: Why I picked this over the Bose QC45 - sounds marginally better overall (with loads of room in the low end for those who like heavy bass), equally comfortable, better battery life, better app/customisability, and also a bit more discreet. I don't want people knowing I'm carrying around pricey headphones so I'd rather have a pair of plain looking Sonys than a Bose pair that screams expensive. Also, the carrying case is actually pretty great and protects these well. I wear these headphones everywhere, even at the gym. - Amazing battery: LDAC + DSEE Extreme on gives me a full week of use with 2-3 hours of use per day, at around 60-70% volume. Nice to not have to worry about charging these all the time (uses USB-C). - Audio: Super weird out of the box- very boomy and muddy low-mids. I EQd this and it went from sounding like an average set to an incredible one. It's just a bit bizarre to me that they'd hamstring this pair so severely out of the box when they're capable of so much more. It has great frequency response and articulation, you'll hear tons of detail once it is set up right, so credit to the drivers they're using. I'm including an EQ preset for your reference, which should be good for blues, jazz, folk, country, and classical (anything with nice vocals). Compared to the M50x, they have much better bass so anyone into EDM will like this set as well. - Comfort: They're wonderfully comfortable. Super light, doesn't clamp your head or ears, and you can wear them for hours. The cushions are soft and don't hurt your ears. Orders of magnitude more comfortable than my M50x, and easily the best other than the Bose QC line. You'll forget you're wearing them, they're that neat. - ANC: They completely block out low hums and noises coming from fans, ACs, and in-flight rumble, even with no music playing. Makes sense since they seem to be designed primarily as travel/commute headphones. Voices and other sounds can still kinda be heard but are drowned out if you're listening to music at anything above 30-40% volume. I don't think it's meant to block out these sounds, so I'm not particular about it. I can sit through an entire flight and hear nothing, which by itself is completely worth it to me. - Multipoint: works as advertised, I was able to use it fine with my Samsung Galaxy phone and Macbook pro upon testing. I don't use this feature though since I prefer LDAC and that is only possible with multi-point off. However if MP is useful for you, know that it works pretty seamlessly. Conclusion: If you can afford these headphones, I would easily recommend them to you. They sound genuinely amazing for a wireless closed back pair, are very customisable, comfortable, and the battery lasts for days, literally. The ANC is best-in-class and made for frequent travelers. It's one of those things that will last you years and years of use if you look after them. They also go on sale quite frequently, so wait for one before you buy (I got it for INR ~15,500). It's rare that I spend this much on a luxury item and still consider it a bargain. Cheers.

Amazon

Great pair of headphones money can buy

I have gone through a lot of reviews on various platforms before buying this product, but at some few places i observed people mentioning about the headphones causing them 'tinnitus', but as far as i am concerned i havent observed the same in my 10 days of usage so far. I am dividing my review into the below categories followed by pros/cons. 1. Design and build quality: The design on these is a decent one, the build is definitely plastic, but dont get me wrong, they definitely feel premium, and even though thet used plastic on these, but its definitely good quality. 2. Comfort: This is by far one of the most comfortable piece of headphones i have used so far, i mean literally wear them for 3-4 hours and you wont feel that you have it on ur head on those times. Although i havent stretched by wearing them for longer periods than that, but i am pretty confident, anyone will hardly have to worry on that aspect. 3. Battery: I have found the battery life to be okay on these, they advertise a 30 hr backup but i think u can easily get 20+ hours on these, so yeah this department is fine as well but in current market i have seen different vendors like Marshall doing a phenomenal job with the battery by providing close to 80hrs in their 'Major 4' model of headphones, so yeah if you are some one for whom battery life is of utmost importance, i would suggest you to get something similar to the Marshall Major 4s. 4. Sound-Quality: The sound quality is amazing on these, and why not, these are Sony's, we can expect the same from them, the low are detailed, mids are well tuned, highs are balanced, the bass is good enough, but this is subjective, i mean these are not heavy bass set of pairs, for heavy bass you may look for something like the XB series of the Sony's. But talking about the overall quality i am compelled to say that these are definitely a bang for your buck. 5. Noice-Cancellation: I kept this topic for the last but i dont think i need to talk much on these as these definitely nail it, these are the king of ANC as i have already heard earlier at many places. they also give u the option to customize the level of noise cancellation. As per me they are only 2nd to noice cancellation after the Apple airpods max, but given the price point they completely justify what they are offering. Regarding call quality, i didnt get much time to check the call quality except a couple of occurences but found them to be decent. However if you are specifically looking forward to call quality, the bose 700s can be a better option for you. Pros: 1. Great amount of customization provided by the sony app. 2. Timely firmware updates for the headphones. 3. Good enough carrying case of the headphones. 4. Less weight as compared to other premium offerings in this segment. 5. Decent battery life. 6. Mesmerizing sound. Cons: 1. Lack of aptx/aptx-hd codec: At this price point atleast they should offer aptx codec. 2. Lack of water/splash resistance: Given the premium segment, they should atleast offer splash rating to these. 3. At this premium price point they should atleast offer a couple of years of warranty like the Skullcandy's 4. Less number of support centers for these. 5. Lack of detachable earcups. Verdict: If you are ready to shell out this premium, then these headphones are definitely a good choice for you if you are looking for an allrounder.

Amazon

The undeniable crush!

I literally had a crush on it since it launched but couldn't afford it that time tbh but irony start when xm5 launched and now am able to buy any of them, I had started comparing both xm4s & xm5s got to know some differentiator which might help you guys choosing out your ideal daily driver! Looks:- boy o boy i cannot resist how cool this beige coloured xm4 looks in real! One of my main concern to look stand out at airport and it delivered 😁 Comfort:- i had compared both headphones at croma so that i could feel which ear cushioning suits me the most and tbh xm4s have slightly thicker cups than that of xm5s, also headband feels more comfortable but won't deny xm5 headband feels more snugg and reliable. On the flip side while using my xm4 in gym it feels bit slippery on ears while sweating and you'll definitely feel some heft of your head after using it for long periods like 2-3 hrs Battery:- I use them very frequently so in my case it almost lasts for about 20hr without anc & ambient control on but have heard many times people saying it last around 30hrs too idk maybe it's just mine which is hungry of being charged frequently lol Best part Sound:- if you're an audiophile my clear suggestion would be No! Don't buy these, the default sound of these headphones are trash feels like sound is muffled and you won't be able to differentiate any highs lows and mids , only rescuver is sony headphones app's bright settings then you'd start feel like my 20k hasn't wasted the bass is literally overpowering that why i bought them because i mostly use it gym or while traveling and when i compared it with xm5s this literally overshadowed xm5s bass like a champ so my suggestion would be go for airpods 2 or xm5 for balanced sound, bose 700 for audiophile and xm4 for gym heavies and bass lovers The xm4 journey is a loop you'll return from where you started i have called it an "undeniable crush" because you can't resist from its look and feel also case and foldability (for some audience) but have to live with the pain of not so sharp vocals and balanced sound and last but not least the ambient control is trash i mean literally trash! Even it creates fake a fan's air noise and you'll feel wtf? So it upto you guy if these are your crush then you'd end up having these despite knowing the reality nonetheless. Cheers 🥂

Amazon

Better than Many TWS at this price range!

I know there is no point comparing TWS like AirPods pro to these headphones as they both are very different but most buyers might have a fixed budget like me in which they could either go for some good TWS or Headphones. I was first leaning towards AirPods pro 2 but later on changed my mind because - 1. AirPods have a fixed battery life (not taking about discharge timing), your Airpods might only last for couple of years when you will start noticing a significant degradation in battery health. Moreover, it will end up in landfill as you can’t get its battery replaced. On the other hand, In headphones like these you can get the battery replaced and moreover you can use them in ‘wired mode’ (AUX cable included) without a battery! 2. Bigger drivers = more vivid sound, I am not an Audiophile but in my experience and usage I have felt that the headphones generally produce a more pleasing sound. (it could be a personal preference) Pros about XM4 - 1. Good built quality, soft to touch but still rigid at the same time. 2. Very comfortable for long listening sessions. 3. Multi device connectivity, you can simultaneously connect it to two devices! That in my opinion is a must feature in a premium headphone. You would just need to install the proprietary application in one device and connect the headphones to any secondary device using the app, after that you can control the volume, eq and much more from your primary device (using the app). Device switching is also very smooth. 4. Noise cancellation and transparency mode is also very good, keeping in mind the various modes you could choose from the app according to your liking. 5. Battery life, I have to never worry about the battery life as it could last for days with heavy use and above that you can put it on charging for short intervals of time whenever you are not using it as it supports fast charging. 6. Proprietary Application, the Sony app for these headphones comes with so many little tweaks and settings that could provide you with very personal experience according to your liking. Cons about XM4 - 1. Can get hot, as they are closed back headphone so you could feel your ears warming up during long listening sessions. 2. Might be a little big for you, as they are over the ear headphones so they may look a little big on ur head but you will get used to it eventually. 3. No water resistance, so you may not be very suitable for gym during sweaty workout sessions. Overall I would highly recommend these headphones if you have the budget and you are looking for something which would last for years to come. Sound quality is amazing, fit and finish is on point, very comfortable for long sessions. I myself was using TWS in past and switching to wireless headphones was a great decision.

Amazon

Pairs well with Apple devices

Satisfactory product. Before buying this I saw a lot of comparisons between Bose QC and Sony XM. I haven’t tried any of these in showroom before purchase. But I decided to buy this based on my past experiences using the products with from the brand Sony. Two main aspects to discuss 1. Audio quality amazing. Everything seems to be balanced with sound effects. There are EQ settings but the original profile itself is satisfactory therefore I don’t use those settings. 2. Noise cancellation. It is also good. It cancels out high speed fan sound to 80%. I used this in a disturbing construction site environment. It reduced tractor engine sound to large extent. It was audible but not disturbing. I heard Bose is better in this noise cancellation aspect. My priority was audio quality and this is excellent in delivering that. For Apple products users. The headset only pairs with two apple devices. I use it with IPad and MacBook. All the features of the Sound connect app works with Apple devices as well. The codec used for sound conversion for Apple devices is AAC on Bluetooth mode. If you use it 3.5 mm jack wired connection then there is no conversion. You can listen to lossless and Dolby Atmos audio directly. If you purchase this then do listen to few of these Dolby atmos songs on Apple Music to be amazed. Chand sifarish, Tum se hi, Heer asmani, Sexy baliye. These songs felt so different when listened with this headphones. There were so many fine sounds which seemed were totally non existent on other headphones