5 reasons Sony WH-1000XM4 are my favorite headphones

Last year, I bought a pair of Sony WH-1000MX4 headphones, and I haven’t regretted the purchase for a single second. I use them every day to listen to podcasts while I do chores, music while I work, and to take calls for work and with friends. They’re certainly a staple for my daily walks around the neighborhood.

While the Sony WH-1000XM4 isn’t the newest, shiniest pair of noise-cancelling headphones out there, they hold up incredibly well on their own. Not only do they sound great (as headphones should) and have a cool matte look and nice design, they’re full of features that make them worthy of daily use.

1 Soft ear pads make for long-term comfort

Memory foam prevents excess ear pressure

Arguably, one of the most important aspects of these headphones is just how comfortable they are. The ear pads on the Sony WH-1000XM4 are so soft and comfortable, and I can wear these headphones for hours without feeling any pain from them pressing on my ears.

As a person who wears glasses, I know it can be hard to find a good pair of headphones that don’t hurt you after a little while. Thankfully, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a winner in this category. I can go many hours before I start to feel the littlest bit of discomfort from having the headphones against my ears and glasses.

Other pairs of headphones with stiffer ear pads or a tighter fit on my head tend to press my ears against the legs of my glasses and press into the sides of my head, so it’s a complete relief that these don’t cause pain or headaches.

Related

5 tricks to boost your iPhone sound quality

Your iPhone is powerful, but sometimes it could use a bit of help to get the absolute best sound quality.

2 In-app equalizer for custom sound profiles

Taking control of your sound is easy in the Sony Headphones app

Sometimes a pair of headphones doesn’t come readily equipped with your preferred sound profile. The Sony WH-1000XM4 is a bit bassy right out of the box, so you can change the sound profile using equalizer presets or create your own. If you want to turn down the bass and highs for a more “flat” sound, or if you’re an EDM lover who wants to turn up the bass even more, you have a ton of options here.

There’s also a “find your equalizer” feature that was added this year in the Sony Headphones app. The app gives you a few different sound options to choose from, so it can find your ideal sound profile for you, instead of having you mess around with sliders to figure it out yourself.

Related

6 quick fixes for when wired headphones aren’t working

While wired headphones are less problematic than Bluetooth headsets, they can still act up. Here are my go-to solutions.

3 Great noise control features to help you tune in or tune out

Cancel the noise or let it all in

The whole reason I bought the Sony WH-1000XM4 is that they have really great noise-cancelling. I’m able to get a lot of work done without being distracted by noises around and outside my apartment. I tend to get distracted by the sounds of my washing machine or dishwasher, or cars outside my window, so the fact that the noise-cancelling is this effective is a total dream. They also come in handy when I’m vacuuming, since they reduce the sound a lot and allow me to keep listening to music or podcasts while I do chores.

I also really love the speak-to-chat feature, which turns the headphones to transparency mode when it detects you speaking. This way, I can keep my headphones on if I need to talk to someone for a moment, which is handy if my hands are busy when I need to talk to someone, like if I’m doing the dishes or carrying something.

The last noise control feature I love is how easy it is to quickly switch to transparency mode when I need it. Putting your hand over the right earcup turns on transparency mode until you take your hand off, making it easy to quickly listen in when you need to.

Related

Sony WH-1000XM5 vs 1000XM4: What’s the difference?

Sony has a new pair of noise-cancelling headphones. But how to they compare to the model they replace?

4 Long battery life makes for reliable headphones

Getting through the week on a single charge is easy

Sony claims that the battery life of these headphones is 30 hours, and while I haven’t put it to the test down to the minute, I can definitely say the battery life is great. I have to charge my Sony WH-1000XM4 about once a week, and even when I get down to low battery, I can finish whatever I’m doing within reason without them dying on me.

Related

Apple brings Qi2 charging to older iPhones, these are the best wireless chargers you can buy right now

Old phones typically don’t receive new features, but with iOS17.2, the company is updating iPhone 13 and 14 models to support Qi2 charging.

Additionally, the Sony WH-1000XM4 has fast charging, which is super convenient. You can get five hours of charge from just plugging them in for 10 minutes. So when I do find myself having low battery life, I can rely on quick charging to get me through the next little while.

5 Switching easily between devices with Bluetooth multipoint

Have to take a call? No worries at all

Being able to switch between devices easily is a big upside of the Sony WH-1000XM4. If I’m listening to music on my laptop and get a call, I can easily pick up the call using my headphones, and then go back to listening to music on my laptop. It makes for a really easy and seamless experience.

When you turn on the headphones, it’ll let you know immediately when the first device is connected, and then when the second one is connected, so you can know for sure that you’re able to switch easily between the two. If something happens and one of the devices disconnects, it’ll also indicate that.