![]() With so many features and so much customizability, the Sony WH-1000XM4 could easily have been a nightmare to set up and configure, but thankfully the Headphones Connect app makes the process intuitive and painless, although you should expect it to take a few minutes. ![]() If you're thinking of buying the XM4, go ahead and add the cost of a good USB-C cable of reasonable length to the total purchase price. The only other thing in the case is a little nubbin of a USB-A to USB-C cable that measures just shy of nine inches long. The included hard-shell carrying case (a nice touch) also comes with a handy airplane audio adapter tucked into a little pocket alongside the 3.5mm analog cable. Charging is handled via USB-C, and the XM4 also features a 3.5mm analog audio input, which you can connect to those rare portable audio devices that still have an analog output. A full recharge takes approximately three hours, although if you just need a quick burst of juice, ten minutes of charging will get you approximately five hours of battery life (depending, of course, on playback volume). The WH-1000XM4 still boasts up to 30 hours of music playback with active noise-cancellation on, and up to 38 hours with ANC off. Otherwise, specs and features remain largely unchanged from the wildly popular WH-1000XM3. The only codecs the WH-1000XM4 supports via Bluetooth 5.0 are SBC, AAC, and LDAC. One other change from XM3 to XM4 is the loss of support for aptX and aptX HD. Simply put your hand over the right earcup and the headphones quickly cut the volume of your audio entertainment and turn on ambient sound passthrough. ![]() If you'd rather leave that feature turned off (you might wanna, for example, if you're a headphone rock star like me who simply can't resist singing along with the music, especially on long walks out in the 'burbs), you can instead make use of the XM4's Quick Attention mode. What's more, there's a new Speak-to-Chat that kicks in anytime you speak, automatically stopping your music or podcast and engaging ambient sound passthrough. The XM4 also features wear-detection thanks to a proximity sensor built into the left earcup and two internal acceleration sensors. You might, for example, pair the headphones with both your laptop and mobile phone, so you can enjoy gaming audio, movies, or music from your desktop, then seamlessly switch over to an incoming call on your iPhone or Galaxy phone without having to fumble around with pairing settings. New quality-of-life features this year include Bluetooth multipoint pairing, which lets you wireless connect the WH-1000XM4 to two different devices simultaneously. But despite that, the XM4's weight has been reduced ever-so-slightly to 8.95 ounces (down from 8.99 ounces for the XM3). Passive noise isolation has also been improved and padding is substantially better. But under the hood, this new model has been given a pretty significant overhaul, with a new Bluetooth SoC (System on Chip), new algorithms for its HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1, and an upgrade to Sony's new AI-driven DSEE Extreme audio processing. The XM4 isn't as drastically different from the XM3 as the XM3 was from the XM2 in terms of aesthetics. But for the past three years, Sony has shifted its focus to the wireless, noise-cancelling headphone market, first with the WH-1000XM2 (the follow-up to the somewhat under-the-radar MDR-1000X), then the upgraded WH-1000XM3, and now the company's most advanced Bluetooth headphone yet, the WH-1000XM4 ( Amazon, Audio Advice, and Crutchfield). I don't know a single serious audio reviewer or enthusiast who doesn't own a pair for reference. The company's legendary MDR-7506 has, of course, been a staple of recording studios and broadcast facilities for years, thanks to its neutral sonic profile and insane affordability. But if Sony didn't occur to you within the first ten seconds of pondering, you're missing out on one of the worst-kept secrets in personal audio. PSB and NAD probably made your list, along with companies like Grato and Beyerdynamic. Sennheiser and Focal almost certainly come to mind nearly instantly, as do Audeze and HiFiMan. Think for a moment about companies known for making great headphones.
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