[drftr]

Any comparison between the XM4 Vs. Galaxy Buds Pro in terms of Sound, I don't care too much for ANC.

FWIW, Crinnacle charted them as follows; the main difference being the Buds Pro sound a bit brighter/revealing where the XM4 sounds much darker/closed in:

https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,WF-1000XM4,Galaxy_Buds_Pro

That's only the tonal balance though as you can't read anything from a chart about the quality of the sound.

drftr

 

[briank996]

That is pretty high praise for the XM4. I would agree they sound great, and are a fantastic total product. I wouldn‘t go so far as to say the sound better than my wired IEM, but they do sound better than my other TWS. But I don’t have the ones others have been raving about - EQ, PI7, or Devialet, so there is that…

I tried out the Devialet at the same time. They sound nice, but I found them very one-dimensional compared to the Sony. There's some kind of DSP going on in the sony that makes them - smooth / revealing / multi-dimensional. I don't know if it's technically "accurate" but to me they were just notably more enjoyable.

 

[shadowoflight]

Any thoughts about connection quality for the XM4?

Using the XM3, and right side goes for a nap often enough to be annoying. Disconnections too. Apparently this is a common problem in the XM3. Sony replace 3 sets for me and I gave up.

 

[joshnor713]

Any thoughts about connection quality for the XM4?

Using the XM3, and right side goes for a nap often enough to be annoying. Disconnections too. Apparently this is a common problem in the XM3. Sony replace 3 sets for me and I gave up.

It can depend if using LDAC (forced at 990kbps) and I've also found, the phone you're using as well. With my LG V60 on LDAC, the BT connection was strained. It wouldn't take much for the connection to skip. Made it especially annoying on walks.

However, I've recently switched phones (Samsung Fold 3) and don't get skips anymore. Connection is solid, even at 990kbps.

At a lower bitrate, the connection should be solid across the board. Going back to my LG example, when I would drop the bitrate, no skips at all.

 

[CoolerCat]

Any thoughts about connection quality for the XM4?

Connection quality is good, even at LDAC highest bit-rate, when connected only to the headset from my pixel 3a. It occasionally skips when for example I'm a little bit further from my phone (~5m) or when the phone is in my pocket with something else too, like the case.
However, I found that on my particular phone and with the XM4 at LDAC 990kbps, I start experiencing WiFi connection issues when connected to a 2.4 GHz network too or if I'm paired to the headset and to other devices at the same time (i.e. my laptop and fitbit). The remedy for that seems to be to use a 5 GHz network.

I assume that it'll be way better if you optimize for connection and use a lower bit-rate, or if your phone works with Bluetooth 5.0 so YMMV.

 

[Forever8895]

Hi all,
Please excuse me for my stupid question: I just bought the XM4 for my gf. We can pair it with iDevices through Headphones connect app, but couldn't figure out how to pair it with the Sony A55. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to do in this case (of course I turned on BT on the A55 in advance)? Other non-smart Bluetooth headphones can pair with the A55 just by tapping the NFC logo. Thanks a lot!
Yep, silly me. We need to enter Pairing mode on the device itself also

 

[mt877]

First trip on a plane in a while now. I have to report the XM4 ANC passed with "flying" colors. Ambient sound mode I could hear announcements, conversation and of course the engine noise. Noise cancellation mode blocked it all, well 99% anyway. Just add a little music and you're in your own world.

 

[nc8000]

First trip on a plane in a while now. I have to report the XM4 ANC passed with "flying" colors. Ambient sound mode I could hear announcements, conversation and of course the engine noise. Noise cancellation mode blocked it all, well 99% anyway. Just add a little music and you're in your own world.

Yep that’s my finding as well and I almost never go over 50% volume on my iPhone 11 Pro

 

[gLer]

First trip on a plane in a while now. I have to report the XM4 ANC passed with "flying" colors. Ambient sound mode I could hear announcements, conversation and of course the engine noise. Noise cancellation mode blocked it all, well 99% anyway. Just add a little music and you're in your own world.

Likewise, had a great trip with the XM4. Killed 95% of engine (and rowdy kids) noise, and the sound quality is sublime. So convenient too, never once had to worry about battery life. This is now my permanent travel rig, with the expensive wired stuff for dedicated home use only.

 

[joshnor713]

Used it on a plane too. Wouldn't quite say it blocked 90% of the plane noise. More like 80%. But this was in the middle by the engine. Nonetheless impressive.

 

[mt877]

Yep that’s my finding as well and I almost never go over 50% volume on my iPhone 11 Pro

My iPhone is a company provided phone, so I try to limit what I do with the phone. I was using my NWZ-A27 for the music. I had the volume so low but was getting such rich sound and could "feel" the bass rumble in my ears, it was great.

I did pre-order the Grell Audio TWS/1 IEMs just because Axel Grell designed such outstanding headphones for Sennheiser. I have a couple Sennheiser headphones (not the high end) which I like very much and several Sony wireless and wired IEMs which I really enjoy. It will be interesting to see how the XM4 and TWS/1 compare.

 

[mt877]

Used it on a plane too. Wouldn't quite say it blocked 90% of the plane noise. More like 80%. But this was in the middle by the engine. Nonetheless impressive.

Not sure what ear tips you are using, but the Sony XM4 foam tips work best for me. Could be the foam tips provided the extra passive noise isolation.

 

[Bazaar]

Agree, was using the stock Sony tips. I’ve gone back to my Bose for on the plane; however I am happy w/ the Sony in the terminal.

 

[joshnor713]

Not sure what ear tips you are using, but the Sony XM4 foam tips work best for me. Could be the foam tips provided the extra passive noise isolation.

The stock tips. I agree they do work the best for isolation, but they aren't 100%.

 

[vo_obgyn]

The stock tips. I agree they do work the best for isolation, but they aren't 100%.

I’m liking the Final Audio Type E eartips quite a bit. Have a good seal and are comfortable. Sound great too