[spinspin]

Ok, so I do enjoy the xm4, I find the quality of sound through Bluetooth LDAC or aac + dsee to be great for my genre of music, techno and general electronica of generally lower quality files i.e. just mp3). I notice that it is good at playing a low volume yet being able to shine at a low volume too. I enjoy the ability it is able to control bass and deliver it with good texture and detail. whathifi says it's good with timing and dynamics so I guess it does that too. It is good with details and the highs are good. Im pretty sure the mids are decent but that might be hard to judge with electronic music. I notice it can make driving and aggressive track more delicate and agreeable - this I don't mind at all.(not sure how it does this and what methods and technical words to use to describe it.

I have to drop the EQ bars for the bass a decent amount to achieve bass that I want. But after EQing the bass it's great. (in general I don't want much bass, just good detail and control in the bass). I also would probably want a bigger soundstage feeling if possible.

BUT, I cannot get used to the small ear cups, the exerted pressure, the need to put a 5mm cloth spacer on the top of my head so the headphones don't hang on my ears, and also the heat these things produce. I understand that clamping force, close back, non breathable cups etc are necessary for good ANC, so be it.

So these just don't fit me and are not comfortable. I will give them to a relative.

So I am requesting suggestions for headphones that I can purchase that can give me similar attributes to the things I like above. I'm pretty sure for the heat issue I will have to go for open backs and that is fine, but if there are any decent closed backs please let me know.

These are my first semi audiophile headphones and I was impressed by the sound. I hope there are products that satisfy my likings above. It might come down to finding a good approximation of my wants and then EQing their profile to my liking.( it's seem's I have already done this with the overly bass heavy cans, so I should be able to do it again with others)

Thankyou for any help and direction.

 

[noobandroid]

apple airpod max

 

[rsantist]

Maybe I'll replace my actual Bose Quietcomfort 35 II for the Sony 1000XM4.
Do you think there is enough change or improvement that justify the 300 euro ?
Specially I 'm thinking in better sound quality, more than noise cancelling.
thank you

 

[Peddler]

Ok, so I do enjoy the xm4, I find the quality of sound through Bluetooth LDAC or aac + dsee to be great for my genre of music, techno and general electronica of generally lower quality files i.e. just mp3). I notice that it is good at playing a low volume yet being able to shine at a low volume too. I enjoy the ability it is able to control bass and deliver it with good texture and detail. whathifi says it's good with timing and dynamics so I guess it does that too. It is good with details and the highs are good. Im pretty sure the mids are decent but that might be hard to judge with electronic music. I notice it can make driving and aggressive track more delicate and agreeable - this I don't mind at all.(not sure how it does this and what methods and technical words to use to describe it.

I have to drop the EQ bars for the bass a decent amount to achieve bass that I want. But after EQing the bass it's great. (in general I don't want much bass, just good detail and control in the bass). I also would probably want a bigger soundstage feeling if possible.

BUT, I cannot get used to the small ear cups, the exerted pressure, the need to put a 5mm cloth spacer on the top of my head so the headphones don't hang on my ears, and also the heat these things produce. I understand that clamping force, close back, non breathable cups etc are necessary for good ANC, so be it.

So these just don't fit me and are not comfortable. I will give them to a relative.

So I am requesting suggestions for headphones that I can purchase that can give me similar attributes to the things I like above. I'm pretty sure for the heat issue I will have to go for open backs and that is fine, but if there are any decent closed backs please let me know.

These are my first semi audiophile headphones and I was impressed by the sound. I hope there are products that satisfy my likings above. It might come down to finding a good approximation of my wants and then EQing their profile to my liking.( it's seem's I have already done this with the overly bass heavy cans, so I should be able to do it again with others)

Thankyou for any help and direction.

Have you considered replacing the pads with this from Dekoni? I replaced the pads on my WH1000XM2 headphones and they're a lot more comfortable. I love my Sony's and, although first to admit they're not super accurate, I love their sound character - LDAC and no adjustments to the eq.

 

[noobandroid]

Have you considered replacing the pads with this from Dekoni? I replaced the pads on my WH1000XM2 headphones and they're a lot more comfortable. I love my Sony's and, although first to admit they're not super accurate, I love their sound character - LDAC and no adjustments to the eq.

i thought dekoni pads for previous gen xm arent compatible with the latest?

 

[pbarach]

Don't plan on a good experience with the WH-1000XM_ (any of this series) when they are used for voice calls. There are several YouTube videos showing how muffled your voice is to the person on the other end of the call. The XM4 was the worst of the series.

 

[jb2unique]

Don't plan on a good experience with the WH-1000XM_ (any of this series) when they are used for voice calls. There are several YouTube videos showing how muffled your voice is to the person on the other end of the call. The XM4 was the worst of the series.

I haven't experienced this while out walking around the city.

 

[Uebelkraehe]

I haven't experienced this while out walking around the city.

I haven't had any complaints, too, even though i specifically asked people to tell me if the quality was good enough.

 

[OhmAlone]

Maybe I'll replace my actual Bose Quietcomfort 35 II for the Sony 1000XM4.
Do you think there is enough change or improvement that justify the 300 euro ?
Specially I 'm thinking in better sound quality, more than noise cancelling.
thank you

I did the opposite as you and actually bought the QC35II after buying the XM4. The XM4 I purchased in August developed the ‘wind noise’ issue in the right earcup in mid October. Now any time I employ ANC, I get this sound after about 15 minutes. The quality control IMO is suspect. Additionally I found no improvements in comfort, sound quality, or ANC from the XM3, which I also own (I don’t use the mic or any other features). The earcups are still too small, cramped, and hot for long term usage in my case.

Once I got the QC35 I did a direct NC comparison with the XM4 using a very loud air purifier in my room. I was shocked to discover how much better the Bose was at reducing this noise. It’s not that the XM4 was bad, but it certainly wasn’t better, and based on most of the reviews I read, I was expecting it to be WAY better.

For sound quality: the Sony’s do have a nice, full, bass heavy sound that doesn’t do anything wrong. With the ANC off and the power on, they do sound quite good to me.

The Bose sound quality is good as well, but it’s more lean, with less low end energy. I prefer them for acoustic music, classical, etc.

The plastic in the Sony’s also creaks. With nothing playing and the ANC on, I cannot move my head or jaw without hearing this. The Bose are silent.

Since I already have closed headphones for sound quality only, I consider the Bose to be the far superior choice in my position. I need the comfort and ANC first here, SQ second.

I also have the XM3’s with Brainwavz pads, and I much prefer those to the stock XM4, simply because of the comfort upgrade. ANC takes a hit with the aftermarket pads, though.

 

[ArchDragoon]

I do own ATH-DSR9BT and wh-1000xm4 will arrive at my house soon.

not sure if I made a wrong decision.

How to eliminate those muddy sound you guy mentioned anyway ?

After market pad would help?

 

[spinspin]

EQ, check if your phone has a 10 band equaliser or there are apps you can download to achieve this.

Here is what oratory did with the EQ on the 10 bands to make it more harman curve.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3wx3nvscvt44i4w/Sony WH1000XM4.pdf?dl=0

Though harman curves might not be exactly what your ears like to hear, You might need to adjust the mids and uppers up or down to taste. So I guess start with this harman eq and adjust the mids and highs to your taste.

 

[GrussGott]

Once I got the QC35 I did a direct NC comparison with the XM4 using a very loud air purifier in my room. I was shocked to discover how much better the Bose was at reducing this noise. It’s not that the XM4 was bad, but it certainly wasn’t better, and based on most of the reviews I read, I was expecting it to be WAY better.

Judging from the ANC measurements curves out there, your experience seems to be by design, i.e., Sony XM4s aren't as concerned with air purifier noise rather the cafe type noise: voices, clinking glasses, crying babies.

Note how the XM4 has lower ANC than the XM3 in the 100-200 range, then higher in 200-300 & 7000-10000 range

We can somewhat compare this to the QC35, which is higher in that 1100 range than either of the Sonys

In any event, you can see the XM4 does better than the QC35 in that 8,000-10,000+ Hz range which is what I think Sony was optimizing for. There are various youtubes out there comparing the two with traffic, cafe, and airplane noise and this point comes across there too: the XM4s are taking on the cafe sounds.

Based on early reports, the Apple Airpod Max are also focused on those cafe sounds and are even beating the XM4s - there's got to be algorithms prioritizing processing power - my guess is air purifier / airplane noise is old school and cafe Hz will be the new battleground.

 

[Roland P]

The plastic in the Sony’s also creaks. With nothing playing and the ANC on, I cannot move my head or jaw without hearing this.

That's very sad to hear. My wh-1000xm3 had this too. I bought the qc25 instead, worse audio and anc (for voices), but no creaking.

 

[GrussGott]

That's very sad to hear. My wh-1000xm3 had this too. I bought the qc25 instead, worse audio and anc (for voices), but no creaking.

No creaking on mine purchased from Crutchfield FWIW, though I've had that in other products and used gummi pflege - works great for squeaks in the car too

 

[Roney]

Hmm, reading all the negative comment makes me rethink getting a pair of xm4s. I now use a pair of Bose QC25 for when I commute and at the office. Not satisfied with them any longer. So what should I look at?