[scarfacegt]

Hi.How is the sound and noise cancelling on these? Im thinkink about selling my fiio fh7,lc 2.5 cable and the fiio btr5 to get the sony's.The fiios are good.But i still cant get comfortable with iems in my ear.And i hate taking them on/off all the time for comunicate with others.At home i have dt1770 pro,amiron home,an modhouse argon t50rp mk3 ( in order ) wich i use with rme adi 2 dac fs and atrox v2 amp.So the sonys are tempting for allround purpose. Am i crazy switching the fiios for the sonys?

 

[starfly]

So, this hissing some of you have been talking about, how does that manifest exactly? The only thing I've noticed on my XM4 is that when I turn on ANC I hear something that sounds like soft white noise. And once sound starts playing I don't notice it. Is that what everyone here is referring to? Or is that soft white noise considered normal? Been hearing that from the first time I turned them on, so I thought it was just normal.

I was able to compare the XM4 back to back to the Bose NC 700 and the Bose becomes dead silent when you turn on ANC, whereas with the XM4 there's always that white noise. Also on an airplane, the Bose drowned out the engine noise completely, whereas with the XM4 I could still hear it faintly in the background.

 

[elnero]

So, this hissing some of you have been talking about, how does that manifest exactly? The only thing I've noticed on my XM4 is that when I turn on ANC I hear something that sounds like soft white noise. And once sound starts playing I don't notice it. Is that what everyone here is referring to? Or is that soft white noise considered normal? Been hearing that from the first time I turned them on, so I thought it was just normal.

I was able to compare the XM4 back to back to the Bose NC 700 and the Bose becomes dead silent when you turn on ANC, whereas with the XM4 there's always that white noise. Also on an airplane, the Bose drowned out the engine noise completely, whereas with the XM4 I could still hear it faintly in the background.

That sounds like its normal. The ANC does have a very low level white noise. In my case I started to hear a louder staticy noise intermittently on the right side.

 

[pbarach]

I use my xm2 headphones primarily for voice calling while working at home, but it is really annoying that my own voice is muffled due to both ANC and passive isolation. If I put my hand on the right cup to shut off ANC for a moment, then my voice sounds like I'm wearing earplugs. Does the xm4's transparency do anything to improve how the user's voice sounds to himself? And how good is the voice quality to the person or meeting on the receiving end?

 

[OhmAlone]

I’ve had these for two days and I don’t hear any hissing. I am, however, getting the same physical ear fatigue I had with the XM3’s - these cups do not breathe and are way too shallow and cramped for me. I thought I’d be able to deal with it this time around, but now I’m not so sure. I also thought the upgrade in comfort would be more than it is.

I already have the XM3’s with Brainwavs pads, and now I’m thinking of just sticking with those and getting a companion NC’er with larger pads.

Sony’s noise canceling, of course, is phenomenal and it’s why you put the cash down, but if something is physically uncomfortable it becomes hard to enjoy it, honestly. Sound quality is superb, as well.

Definitely a hard ‘keep or return’ decision.

 

[elnero]

I’ve had these for two days and I don’t hear any hissing. I am, however, getting the same physical ear fatigue I had with the XM3’s - these cups do not breathe and are way too shallow and cramped for me. I thought I’d be able to deal with it this time around, but now I’m not so sure. I also thought the upgrade in comfort would be more than it is.

I already have the XM3’s with Brainwavs pads, and now I’m thinking of just sticking with those and getting a companion NC’er with larger pads.

Sony’s noise canceling, of course, is phenomenal and it’s why you put the cash down, but if something is physically uncomfortable it becomes hard to enjoy it, honestly. Sound quality is superb, as well.

Definitely a hard ‘keep or return’ decision.

The XM2's had a low level hiss with the ANC on but the XM3's didn't so I was surprised to hear the constant low level hiss with the XM4's. If you're not hearing hiss on the XM4's it makes me wonder if the hiss I heard on my pair was a byproduct of the intermittent right side static issue?

I was really disappointed in the comfort on the XM4's though. Along with the clamping force being higher on them, the foam in the pads didn't feel very substantial either. To top it off it seemed like there was less area for my ears so they rubbed on the pads in a way that they didn't with the XM3's.

 

[raproid]

Waiting it out for a bit. They usually come in batches, so once this lot is sold out, there will be some more coming in. Right now, I'm primarily enjoying my Surface Headphones 2, which have great multipoint and call quality.

Any idea how to:
* Know more or less for sure it's time for a second batch?
* Differentiate this second batch from the first one?

 

[TylersEclectic]

Resolve just finished up his video and written a review of these! Here are the links =)
Resolves Youtube review here:


The written review can be found here:
https://www.headphones.com/blogs/news/sony-wh-1000xm4-review-but-how-does-it-sound

 

[OhmAlone]

Definitely sending these back. I tried with the ear pain, but it’s a no go - especially for something you intend to wear for long periods of time. Sony needs to up their game with their pad depth, material choice, circumference, and breathability.

I was also hearing a lot of mechanical noise from the pads when moving my head/jaw - like a rustling sound - way more than you’d expect for NC headphones. I don’t get this at all with my other headphones or with the brainwav pads on my XM3’s (although they reduce the noise canceling something terrible). I listen to quiet music a lot and this was very noticeable during quiet passages. Maybe I’m noticing it more because of the incredible NC?

Still a damn fine product if your ears fit!

 

[MacedonianHero]

Definitely sending these back. I tried with the ear pain, but it’s a no go - especially for something you intend to wear for long periods of time. Sony needs to up their game with their pad depth, material choice, circumference, and breathability.

I was also hearing a lot of mechanical noise from the pads when moving my head/jaw - like a rustling sound - way more than you’d expect for NC headphones. I don’t get this at all with my other headphones or with the brainwav pads on my XM3’s (although they reduce the noise canceling something terrible). I listen to quiet music a lot and this was very noticeable during quiet passages. Maybe I’m noticing it more because of the incredible NC?

Still a damn fine product if your ears fit!

That would certainly NOT be my experiences with them. I find them the most comfortable NC portable headphones around...it's not even close for me.

 

[d95andek]

Does the xm4's transparency do anything to improve how the user's voice sounds to himself? And how good is the voice quality to the person or meeting on the receiving end?

Yes, it's called "sidetone": https://helpguide.sony.net/mdr/wh1000xm4/v1/en/contents/TP0002752838.html
But I don't think you can adjust the level of it (how much).

The microphones are OK, but not great.

 

[stephenlee2801]

Definitely sending these back. I tried with the ear pain, but it’s a no go - especially for something you intend to wear for long periods of time. Sony needs to up their game with their pad depth, material choice, circumference, and breathability.

I was also hearing a lot of mechanical noise from the pads when moving my head/jaw - like a rustling sound - way more than you’d expect for NC headphones. I don’t get this at all with my other headphones or with the brainwav pads on my XM3’s (although they reduce the noise canceling something terrible). I listen to quiet music a lot and this was very noticeable during quiet passages. Maybe I’m noticing it more because of the incredible NC?

Still a damn fine product if your ears fit!

I've had a very difference with the Sony XM line as well. I find them comfortable to the point where I can keep them on for entire overnight flights or throughout an entire work day. Have had no issues with them from a comfort perspective.

Haven't had any issues with mechanical noise either. I've used in all kinds of scenarios (at desk at work, commuting, at the gym).

 

[d95andek]

Definitely sending these back. I tried with the ear pain, but it’s a no go - especially for something you intend to wear for long periods of time. Sony needs to up their game with their pad depth

Still a damn fine product if your ears fit!

Agree fully, if you intend to use them as headphones and occasional telephone calls. They don't seem to be made for allround headset usage (like Jabra Evolve2 85 or Bose 700).
"This unit supports normal incoming calls only. Calling apps for smartphones and computers are not supported."

I also returned mine due to comfort since the inner parts touched my ears. I guess they want to put it as close to the ears as possible for optimal NC.
The XM4:s where slightly better then the XM3:s, but still not enough room.

 

[SilverEars]

Looks like Bass hasn't really changed, but they raised the upper-mids. It's much greater V-shaped now from being warm side with too elevated bass-boost. I think I would prefer a response that has the upper frequencies of XM3 with lower shelved bass. Also, the measurements show the ANC not improved, and maybe slight worse with XM4. I have no interest in XM4 now. Besides, it seems that they didn't even improve the mic (much like NC700) and just boosted the upper-mids. They didn't do really much to it. If you'll have XM3 already, just EQ it, no need for XM4.

XM3


XM4


A real review, turn on English subtitles. Not garbage like CNET and all that crap.

 

[Derek411]

I have the XB900’s as my wireless noise cancelling headphones. I was stirred by the XM4’s as the 900’s noise cancelling is a bit meh.

I tried the XM4’s and XM3’s in store over a few days with my own device and music. Pretty sure I know what to pin down these days in sound.

Gotta say if you listened to the XM3’s at home and a ‘friend’ swapped to the XM4’s while you went to make a coffee. You wouldn’t even know or spit out said coffee on return.

Needless to say I now have the XM3’s at discount. As far as future proof. Bluetooth plays music sounds good. End of story.