If you're using AAC only that's why. LDAC takes the SQ to another level. If I had an iPhone I wouldn't be buying the XM4 for sound quality, only features.
Sony WF-1000XM4 Impressions Thread
- Thread starter gLer
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Focux
1000+ Head-Fier
seal is ok, more body because there is more contact than w APP; vocals sound v distant to me
Try silicone tips also. Again, opens up the sound nicely. I believe APP use silicone tips?
Lurk650
Headphoneus Supremus
Listened to my Shozy 1.4 with my Qudelix 5K for about an hour then switched to these. Both streaming LDAC. SQ is equal IMO.
If you don't mind a wire to a small, clipable device but don't want to be tethered to your phone plus want LDAC & Multipoint then the Q5K is the way to go. It also has Qualcomm Noise Cancelling
If you don't mind a wire to a small, clipable device but don't want to be tethered to your phone plus want LDAC & Multipoint then the Q5K is the way to go. It also has Qualcomm Noise Cancelling
nc8000
Headphoneus Supremus
After about 4 hours ldac from A55 and 1 hour aac from iPhone. All with eq but without anc and dseex. I’m very impressed with the battery life of these, seems to be well above the promissed but strange that the right unit consistently uses more battery than the left (with the XM3 it is the other way round).
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I have the XM3s and enjoyed them so picked up some XM4s. For music they are great and the battery life is a good improvement. However I listen to audio books and the left earphone will resonate pretty badly to certain spoken frequencies. The right is fine so I'm thinking of getting them checked out. I see some others have noticed something similar.
What have people tried so far?
What have people tried so far?
PixelSquish
Previously known as idiotekniques
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Got the Epro tips in today and just started using them. The previous silicone tips I was using were also wide bore, but they were longer. The Epro tips are much smaller, so let's see how they isolate. So far so good at home. I'm listening to one of my favorite tracks - New York Morning by Elbow - everything sounds lovely, the vocals are full and present. The music envelops me.
Okay. I got my XM4s today. I have listened for about 3 hours and I tested it with my iPhone Xs Max and my Hiby R6 2020 so that I could compare iPhone AAC vs. Hiby R6 2020 with LDAC. I also tested it against my Airpods Pro and my UTWS3 + UM 3DT. Here are my initial impressions.
1) I also own the WF-1000-XM3 so I am very familiar with the Sony App and operation of the XM3. I can say definitely that the XM4 is a significant upgrade to the XM3. Here are the ways:
a) The fit is much better. The new design fits into the ear like custom IEMs where you twist them in. So, with large tips, I can get a good seal which is critical for any noise cancelling IEM. I wish the IER-Z1R fit like these do in my ears.
b) The size is smaller which is a welcome change. The case is now just slight larger than APP.
c) The noise cancellation is the best I've heard in any noise cancellation headphone. And, it is by a large margin. Significantly better than the APP.
d) Ambient sound also works as well as the APP. It significantly lagged behind it in the XM3.
e) Phone call quality is outstanding. I need to test it more, but I made some phone calls and I had no problem hearing the party I called and they didn't have a problem hearing me. There is significant noise bleed from the external mics so you get noise on the phone call from the surrounding environment. With the APP, noise cancellation keeps it silent and the person you are calling hears the noise, but you don't. This implementation may be better. I need to do more testing on longer phone calls. The XM3 was unusable for phone calls which is the primary way I wanted to use it. Since it didn't work well for phone calls, I stopped using them even though they have better sound quality than the APP.
f) Sound quality is very good. The XM3 had the superior sound to the APP. This is no different. I A/B tested my iPhone vs Hiby R6 2020 and the R6 sound slightly better. I would not say that it is night and day difference. It is better, but not by a lot. A noticeable amount. Enough for me to prefer the R6 over my iPhone. Now, I need to get some better tips. My APP sounded horrible until I got the right tips. The XM4 has the potential of sounding a lot better. I also may need some burn in time, but I usually don't do any.
2. When comparing the XM4 to APP and UTWS3 + 3DT, I can say that the UM 3DT plus UTWS3 sounds significantly better to me even through my iPhone with AAC than the XM4. The XM4 sounds better on the R6 2020 than the APP on the iPhone. The resolution and bass are better for the XM4 than the APP. The 3DT has bigger sound stage, better timbre and better laying and separation. Again, this may change when I tip roll and after some burn in time.
I am going to test them some more over the next week to see if I am going to keep them. I may pick up some Galaxy Buds Pro and see which sounds better between it and the XM4. I think I am going to keep either the XM4 or the Galaxy Buds Pro rather than buying a second pair of APP as back up headset.
3. I have had the BLON 03 for a few weeks and the voice quality is great and so in the sound. But, since it uses a dongle with my iPhone, I can't charge my iPHone while I am using it. So, this week on an extend call, my iPhone died since I couldn't charge it. So, I am going to use the BLON 03 for watching YouTube videos and connected to my ROKU remote to playback sound through a headset when I need it. I can also use it for phone calls because it is outstanding in this mode.
That's it for now. More later.
1) I also own the WF-1000-XM3 so I am very familiar with the Sony App and operation of the XM3. I can say definitely that the XM4 is a significant upgrade to the XM3. Here are the ways:
a) The fit is much better. The new design fits into the ear like custom IEMs where you twist them in. So, with large tips, I can get a good seal which is critical for any noise cancelling IEM. I wish the IER-Z1R fit like these do in my ears.
b) The size is smaller which is a welcome change. The case is now just slight larger than APP.
c) The noise cancellation is the best I've heard in any noise cancellation headphone. And, it is by a large margin. Significantly better than the APP.
d) Ambient sound also works as well as the APP. It significantly lagged behind it in the XM3.
e) Phone call quality is outstanding. I need to test it more, but I made some phone calls and I had no problem hearing the party I called and they didn't have a problem hearing me. There is significant noise bleed from the external mics so you get noise on the phone call from the surrounding environment. With the APP, noise cancellation keeps it silent and the person you are calling hears the noise, but you don't. This implementation may be better. I need to do more testing on longer phone calls. The XM3 was unusable for phone calls which is the primary way I wanted to use it. Since it didn't work well for phone calls, I stopped using them even though they have better sound quality than the APP.
f) Sound quality is very good. The XM3 had the superior sound to the APP. This is no different. I A/B tested my iPhone vs Hiby R6 2020 and the R6 sound slightly better. I would not say that it is night and day difference. It is better, but not by a lot. A noticeable amount. Enough for me to prefer the R6 over my iPhone. Now, I need to get some better tips. My APP sounded horrible until I got the right tips. The XM4 has the potential of sounding a lot better. I also may need some burn in time, but I usually don't do any.
2. When comparing the XM4 to APP and UTWS3 + 3DT, I can say that the UM 3DT plus UTWS3 sounds significantly better to me even through my iPhone with AAC than the XM4. The XM4 sounds better on the R6 2020 than the APP on the iPhone. The resolution and bass are better for the XM4 than the APP. The 3DT has bigger sound stage, better timbre and better laying and separation. Again, this may change when I tip roll and after some burn in time.
I am going to test them some more over the next week to see if I am going to keep them. I may pick up some Galaxy Buds Pro and see which sounds better between it and the XM4. I think I am going to keep either the XM4 or the Galaxy Buds Pro rather than buying a second pair of APP as back up headset.
3. I have had the BLON 03 for a few weeks and the voice quality is great and so in the sound. But, since it uses a dongle with my iPhone, I can't charge my iPHone while I am using it. So, this week on an extend call, my iPhone died since I couldn't charge it. So, I am going to use the BLON 03 for watching YouTube videos and connected to my ROKU remote to playback sound through a headset when I need it. I can also use it for phone calls because it is outstanding in this mode.
That's it for now. More later.
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jsmiller58
Headphoneus Supremus
Qudelix 5K has noise cancelling? I have the Q5K and was unaware of this.
I want out for a one hour walk. I listened to music and I made a couple calls. Amazingly, the XM4 has better telephone support than the APP. I was very surprised at that. The voice quality was better for both sides. And, the noise level was significantly lower. Couple that with superior sound quality for music and Sony has a winner in the XM4. I am pretty sure I am going to keep it and it may become my primary monitor for telephone calls.
It does not. Maybe some sort of noise suppression for voice calls, but not noise cancelling in the true sense.
nc8000
Headphoneus Supremus
That statement surprised me as well and it is not advertised as a feature anywhere they sell it
It really is a great little IEM, wireless is just a bonus! It's also so comfortable for long sessions. Going to probably be my daily listen, even at home, when I don't feel like messing with wires.
I compared the XM4 with the MTW2… sorry but the XM4 are way inferior to the MTW2 about sound quality, it is so direct and I really have not aspected this!
nc8000
Headphoneus Supremus
No reason to be sorry, but that is probably going to be a question of personal preference rather than an objective fact (not that I have ever listened to the MTW2)
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