Sony WF-1000XM4 ANC Wireless Earbuds

I was looking for new earphones specifically for fitness with the main usage test being running. I wanted to test across several price points to see which would be most worth the money. I've only had cheap running earphones before (though I have nicer cans that I use to listen with in other scenarios and some nice wired in ears for when I perform live). I don't really care about noise cancelling. My primary criteria were about comfort (and if it can stay in my ear while running), and the sound quality vs price (how much marginal return do I get per dollar). I ended up picking a premium pair because you can really notice how much more digital/fake the audio sounds when testing side by side, the lower down in price you go. (note: a lot of what I put were just notes I was jotting down while testing them. I try to do a more succinct summary in the first line of each option, and then it gets more rambly/random after that) In the running: Sony WF-1000XM4 $189.00 | Beats Fit Pro - $179 | Power Beats Pro - $179 | Jabra Elite 4 Active - $89 | JBL Endurance Peak 3 - $89.95 | Soundcore Sport X10 - $69.99 | JLab JBuds Air Sport - $69.88 | Golrex $29.99 | BMani T16 $39.99 Here are my thoughts: Power Beats Pro - $179 (149) - My winner overall Sounds great. It is not the best sound I've heard in earphones, but doesn't seem to lack anything. Has good thumpy bass, presence in the mids, and good clarity up high. Nothing to complain about the sound. Big/heavy case (doesn't matter that much, but I do take these on big hikes so smaller case would have been nicer) I think ultimately will be more comfortable for long use than the Fit pro. The stock medium tips fit fine, unlike the fit pro for some reason. Sounds essentially the exact same as the fit pro which makes sense Beats Fit Pro - $179 I wanted this to be my favorite. It's light, small, has fun color options, and sounds great. But it ultimately was just not comfortable enough to leave in my ears for longer than 45 minutes. This would vary from person to person obviously. Pretty comfortable, but had to switch to the small eartips (only earbuds I had to switch from the medium/stock tips). Stays in the ears well, but I think that the whole thing being in there will get uncomfortable pushing my ears after a while. Really little case which is nice. Really great clarity, feels perfect Can't find any eq in the app, but I didn't feel the need to adjust any eq settings either, every band/frequency was very satisfying, so that's kind of nice not having to set it myself Sony WF-1000XM4 $189.00 I believe this has a slightly fuller sound quality to it. Can't really pinpoint how or why, but seems to be the most superior sound quality of all of them. I thought it might be better bass but that's not it. I can't pick a part any individual component that seem superior, it just has an overall fuller sound There just doesn't seem to be any way that these are going to stay in during a run. Would be great for any non-exercise application, but just wasn't what I was looking for. I would choose these if I were looking for just walk around town kind of earbuds. Jabra Elite 4 Active - $89 Great clarity and bass out of the box. I am the kind of guy who can only really tell sound differences when a/b testing it. If I only listened to these earbuds, I would have been fully satisfied with the sound quality, the comfort, and the security. It's only because I tested it next to the premium models above that I decided not to go with this. But if this is your budget range, these are definitely the winners. Excessively comfortable, like the most comfortable of any of the earbuds (premiums included), and feel like they will stay in on a run even though they don't have any sort of little hook like the soundcore or powerbeats, or over ear hook like the others. Definitely the best ergonomics. Would take this over the JBL endurance or any other in the sub $150 price range. Soundcore Sport X10 - $69.99 more satisfying for non edm music than the other options down below. Better separation for instruments and vocals. Compared against JLabs with blue tips in, the bass is more comparable. Soundcore keeps more clarity than on higher end (albeit a little tinny sounding), than JLabs Bass is definitely much better than JLabs. It does feel a bit more muddy because of the heavier bass, there may have been better vocal clarity with JLabs Everything else seems fine ANC is decent small profile is light, really comfortable and stays in the ears JLab JBuds Air Sport - $69.88 bigger profile, slightly less comfortable than the Soundcore. Bass is lacking out of the box. There's better mid and high clarity on these than the soundcore. Bass improves a noticeable amount by switching to blue tips, but you lose some clarity higher up bass feels punchier in edm in these than x10 These are definitely more satisfying for thumpy edm music than the x10 The sound quality just feels lacking in depth, no matter which eq setting you choose. Has a connected usb charger on the case as a charger (rather than a separate chord to plug into both charger and power), which I don't think I like JBL Endurance Peak 3 - $89.95 Clear vocals and instruments in mids and highs. Slightly more clear and crisp than the soundcore Nice bass as well, (slightly worse bass than soundcore), less satisfying than the sound core on lyrical song but actually has punchier bass on edm Plenty loud (other reviews saying they don't get loud) The equalizer app gives lots of control This bass is also superior once equalized. So both bass and instrumental/vocals have more clarity. After messing with eq, is better than soundcore. This sounded perfectly fine until compared with higher tier, then when a/b compared it sounded a bit more fake, a bit more digital, definitely enough to notice a difference Golrex $29.99 It is okay sound, probably the best in this price range. If you just want something cheap that will give you sound, these are fine. If you care about sound quality even a little bit, it's worth it to get a better headset. There is no clarity at any frequency, just a decent amount of noise. Has an attempted cheap premium look with led interfaces. BMani T16 $39.99 Sounds way below average, worse than the golrex. Really similar packaging and look to the golrex, so they're either just copying each other or made by the same people

These were expensive but when it comes to sound quality and noise cancelling, I don’t want to cheap out and these didn’t disappoint (I think I bought these at full price too at something like 300$). The noise cancelling honestly feels like magic when I turn it on. It still gives me goosebumps. I've used these earbuds nearly every day for like the last year and a half and have had zero regrets in buying them. Pros: Fantastic sound quality, comfortable fit (I've forgotten I was wearing them on occasion), magic noise cancelling, long battery life, durable earbuds, easy touch controls, outside noise isn't blocked at all when ANC is off so others are still easily heard and understood, sound profiles with the app are pretty easy to play around with and offer some good customization. Cons: Foam ear-tips can get really nasty if used at the gym or for extended periods without taking the time to clean them thoroughly, charging case build quality isn't great (creeky plastic and has some give where others are much more solid feeling), possible bluetooth interference from time to time, simultaneous dual device connection isn't really a thing despite the marketing, no tracking method on the case is a bit of a bummer for earbuds this expensive. I’ll jump into the aspects I disliked since they’re easier to write about. I’d tried beats before these and while I also liked those (and at their price points, they are quite competitive) I found these to have superior noise cancelling and were a bit more comfortable to wear for extended periods. I don’t think they’re the most comfortable earbuds I’ve ever used and frankly, if they were any less comfortable I would have returned them and repurchased the beat fit pro’s I’d originally bought and saved a hundred dollars. I did find the Sony pair to be the more comfortable of the two hence why I stuck with them. I think the issue I have with them is that they’re just a bit large and it can be difficult to feel exactly how they’re supposed to sit in your ear. The way you see them pictured isn’t very comfortable for me so I don’t feel like I’m necessarily wearing them “correctly” but they don’t fall out during my gym time and they don’t look like I’m wearing them the wrong way so it’s really just a nitpick. They don’t sit as flush with my ear as I’d have liked. They look fine though in the mirror. I don’t feel self conscious while wearing them in public which I’d worried about when seeing how large they were. *That could make the difference for you if you like to wear earbuds to get some peace and quiet and get a nap in since they’ll be pushing against your pillow and that’ll get uncomfortable very quickly. The ear tip pieces are not the typical silicon material you find on nearly every other set of earbuds, they’re like a type of memory foam. I assume they chose this material to help with the noise cancellation and I’m sure it does provide a better seal between your ear and the outside world but in I’m opinion, silicon would have been better. Reason being that they’re very difficult to clean off the earwax inevitably gets on them. I clean my ears often and you’d think I never did if you caught a glimpse of my earbuds. For whatever reason, the wax really sticks to the foam and it’s difficult to remove. I damaged one of the tips trying to clean it, they aren’t the most durable things. I ended up removing the silicon ear tips from an older pair of earbuds and using them to replace the memory foam tips. I found them to be more comfortable to wear, easier to get a good fit in the ear, and faaaar easier to clean. The degradation of the noise cancellation wasn’t *that* significant. I did flip between the two types of tips a few times to see the difference and it wasn’t much. It’s a personal preference really, I don’t think the tiny loss in noise cancellation outweighs the easier cleaning. **Edit from future me* Good god, please use silicon ear tips. I made the mistake of squeezing a foam ear tip and I discovered that they act just like little sponges where they absorb all the sweat and ear wax that gets near enough. Wiping them down isn't good enough with foam tips.. you have to literally wring them out and wow was that disgusting. That's with *any* foam ear tips though, not specific to these earbuds. I haven’t really messed around with the equalizer settings all that much. I found a suggested setting on YouTube and tried it out and have since increased the bass some but have left the other settings as they were. It’s pretty easy to change them if you’re into that. Battery life seems great. They haven’t died on me yet and I’ve used them for several hours in a session before when I’d listen to podcasts or use them at home to game with. My advice, try the beats pro fit before jumping up to these. Those had great sound quality and noise cancellation but the little silicon but that holds it in your ear became really uncomfortable for me after half an hour or so. If that doesn’t bother you, then you can probably save yourself the hundred dollars and get those instead. I don’t think the improvements in sound quality and noise suppression on the Sony’s is worth another hundred dollars. But again, these are great earbuds and if you’re willing to spend the money, you’ll get fantastic sound, noise cancellation, and a tolerably comfortable fit. Whether or not that’s worth 50% more for over the competition that has almost the same sound quality is up to you. ***Update*** 1 year and some months later I still recommend these headphones. A year on and they're still fanastic for me but there are a few small issues that have cropped up that I'm not sure existed earlier on in my use with them. The most annoying of which is that I will periodically just lose the sound while gaming for a period of 10 seconds or so. It sounds a bit like that trope where someone's pretending they're going through a tunnel and losing the signal so I wonder if I'm getting some kind of bluetooth interference from another piece of tech in my apartment building. It's not an issue that ruins the product or anything but on occasion I have gotten frustrated with it enough that I took them out and used my wired headset for the remainder of my game session. I think another thing to note with these earbuds is that they're easy to drop and the way they fit into the case often means you'll have to pick them back up because you tried to put them in the wrong side. I'm a cluts so naturally have dropped them dozens of times and on hard surfaces but despite that they still work (nearly) flawlessly. The other issue I have with them is that they're marketed as being capable of being connected to two devices simultaneously when in reality, they're really not. You have to jump through too many hoops for this feature to actually work like it's advertised to. It's not a deal breaker but it does mean that if you use them with multiple devices you'll have an extra step to go through to connect them since they'll often end up paired with the wrong one. Disappointing and inconvenient but again, not a deal breaker. They're still great earbuds.

This is the 3rd, & last, set of recently purchased earbuds I'm returning with each set increasing exponentially in price. All were either defective or wouldn't pair with my Samsung Q80R TV. The TV is 2 years old & when I first bought it I bought a set of Tozo earbuds for $30. They connected instantly & sounded great. They also connected instantly with my various phones & tablets. I then upgraded & bought Samsung Galaxy Buds. Again, connected with everything I own & I was very happy until the left ear stopped charging after 15 months. First thought was 'I'm not spending a lot of money for something that only lasts a year' so I bought Tozo's latest & greatest. Wouldn't connect to anything, back they went. So, I decided to spring for Samsung Galaxy Pro buds. Connected instantly to my phone & tablet but the sound was pathetically weak & ANC didn't do anything but waste battery. They're in the process of being returned. After reading tons of reviews I decided to spring for these Sony's, against my better judgment. They arrived & connected instantly to my tablet. Again though, the sound left much to be desired but after 30 minutes of tweaking in their expansive app I got a sound I could live with, though the buds themselves weren't exactly the most comfy things I've ever worn. On to the TV. After FOUR HOURS of trying everything imaginable, I gave up & was going to send them back until last night when I turned the TV on it asked to pair with the buds! Odd, but ok. Then came this afternoon. After pairing with my S20Ultra phone without a hitch, I went to play a game on PS4 & the buds were back to not being paired again. I turned Bluetooth off on my phone & tablet & the TV finally saw the buds but clicking on 'pair & connect' did squat. I turned the PS4 off, thinking that might help. Nothing. Moved closer to the TV, still nothing. For almost $300 these should be about as perfect as perfect gets but they leave a lot to be desired, even without the not pairing to TV issue. For starters, they're supposed to be a close challenge to Bose when it comes to ANC but they aren't even a close challenge to my Tozo's as far as blocking outside noise & my Tozo buds don't have ANC! Turning on ambient sound is also useless unless you're quiet & not listening to music--only then can you hear the sound around you. My original Galaxy buds were great for this at less than half the price. The app is nice but not very well designed, IMO. The Bluetooth is supposed to be 5.2 but acts more like 2.0. I avtually had to turn off Bluetooth on other devices I wasn't using in order for these to connect to a device I was using. My original Galaxy Buds didn't work like this, they seamlessly switched from 1 device to another. These are supposed to have 'wind noise reduction'. I guess their idea of this is that when turned on it doesn't amplify wind noise but you can still hear it a lot worse than if you had nothing in your ears. Again, my original Galaxy Buds, at least than half the price, were much better in the wind (I used to ride my bike with them without problem). Then there's the fit. Sony decided to use foam tips, ugh. They don't stay in & feel uncomfortable after a few minutes. I used their aggravating app to 'fit my ear' & it had me use the medium size of the 3 included Buds (my $30 Tozo's include SIX!) but that took over an hour to do as it wouldn't properly recognize my ears. For almost $300 these should feel so comfy in your ears that you'd never want to take them off. On top of that hour, the first update was well over an hour to download, my Samsung buds took less than a minute to download & install. It actually took 3 tries to download the update as the first 2 seem to stop at 95%, so my total spent doing that was almost a very absurd 3 hours. I had mentioned the sound being poor. I had the volume at 80% & it was barely at my usually listening intensity which is not very loud. I'm 60 years old & listen to music from the 60's to the 90's (most of which are Master level) on Tidal so you can imagine that I don't like LOUD music. I would consider that a plus for these but the few songs that I do like very loud, these would not get to & listening while cutting the grass on my riding mower was useless. Also, the bass just wasn't that deep, even after adjusting it to about as deep as it would get-which of course muddied the mids & highs. I know there's more I'm forgetting but I'm just done with these frustrating things. Keep this review in mind when reading glowing reviews from 'users' or pros. There are much better earbuds out there for a fraction of the price.

In addition to being a headphone addict, I was looking for another option for a quality set of wireless NC ear buds for air travel. Currently I use over-the-ear Sony WH1000XM (original V1) OR Bose Wired in ear QC20's. Both sound good and have very good noise cancelling. However, I wanted to reduce the bulk while traveling and have an option to go wireless as my new phone does not have an audio jack. Enter this review, and my comparison between the Sony WF 1000XM4's and the Google Pixel Buds Pro (PBP). In this review, I used a 0- or 1-point system with 1 point for the winner, 0 points for the loser and 1 point for each for a tie. If you don't want to read through the comparison, just get the PBP's. These two earbuds are very close in features, sound quality and noise cancelling, but the PBP's are cheaper and still beat out the Sony's based on my scoring...and I really love the Sony’s but cannot justify them for the price difference! For my smaller ears the Sony's were a bit more uncomfortable. Ultimately both are really good ear buds, and it comes down to a matter of fit and price (at least for me). If price is not an option and you have larger ears go with Sony, otherwise go with the Pixel Buds Pro. Detailed review Price: Both were purchased on sale, so the Sony's were $250 (regularly $280) and the PBP's were $150 (regularly $199). In my opinion, PBP's are a bargain compared to the Sony's! Winner: PBP Fit: PBP smaller and lighter. Sony, foam tips seal well, but can be scratchy in the ear and feel hotter. For my smaller ears the PBP's were just more comfortable. Winner: PBP Noise Cancelling: Sony is better with NC and foam tips. PBP's not far behind though. With proper ear tips, the Sony's will block out slightly more noise in air travel. In the office, it is also close, but some of the higher pitched sounds will make it through on the PBP's. Overall, it is pretty close given the cost difference between the two, and Sony's reputation for Noise cancelling. Winner: Sony Bass -no/flat EQ: Both are bass heavy buds. Winner: Tie Mid - no/flat EQ: Both have OK Mids. Sony's seem slightly more subdued, but both were pretty muddy without some EQ help. The PBP's treble boost may also help the MIDs come out a little more but its too close to call. Winner: Tie High - no/flat EQ: PBP have an accentuated high-range making music a little brighter but can get shrill. The Sony's highs were a little dull making for an overall slightly subdued sound Winner: PBP Overall sound no/flat EQ: Sony's sound slightly cleaner out of the box without the EQ, but the two are close. They both need some EQ help to go from good to great sounding buds. Winner: Sony Overall Sound W/EQ: With some EQ adjustments both can be closely matched. Sony needs a treble bump, PBP's need treble reduced. Both need the mid’s bumped slightly. Winner: Tie Touch Controls: PBP has more controls available at once. Both can be changed in the apps, but with Sony you must choose between music control or volume control. The PBP's can do both with taps or swipes. Both will pause music when the earbuds are removed. Winner: PBP Control feedback: Sony's have spoken audio queue's, PBP's use beeps. Much easier to know what you changed with spoken responses by the Sony's. Winner: Sony Volume level: At the same volume settings, the Sony's were louder. For the PBP's it seemed I needed to play these near max volume. Could be a phone issue, but all volume and app settings were the same for both. This bothered me enough to almost make me not want to keep the PBP's. Winner: Sony Battery Life (ANC on): Sony's seem to have a slight edge, but only by a few minutes. Too close to call Winner: Tie Charging: Both have USB C and Wireless charging and charge in approximately the same amount of time. Number of charges and quick charging (5-minute charge for an hour of play) is the same per the specs. I have not tried this out yet as I always keep these charged. Winner: Tie Multipoint (pairing): Sony does not allow you to pair and use with two Bluetooth devices at the same time. The PBP's do. Shame on Sony for not including this for the price of these headphones. Great feature for office use! Winner: PBP App: Both apps are well done. The PBP app is a little easier to use. Both have ear tip check feature which will tell you if you ear tips are sealing well. I used a smaller tip in one ear and both apps detected a bad seal. Winner: Tie Charging Case size: Both are small, but the PBP's have slimmer case and feels better when carried in the pocket. Winner: PBP Assistant features: Both are capable of using Google assistant or Alexa..Yes, the PBPs will work with Alexa Winner: Tie Auto Ambient Switch: Only available on the Sony. If it senses you are talking it will automatically switch to ambient sound pass through and pause your music. Very useful feature and works well especially on an airplane. However, if you like to sing out loud you probably want to disable this feature. Winner: Sony Find my headphones: Only available on the PBPs. You can send a signal and make the buds beep if you misplace them. Winner: PBP Bluetooth: Both connect instantly and have great range. Walking to the other side of my house and through about 3 walls, both ear buds cut out in the exact same location. Winner: Tie Microphone: Did not really test this, based on the soundguys.com review they are close, but in their recorded audio the PBP's mic sounds a bit better to my ear than the Sony's. Winner: PBP Total Score: Sony 13, Pixel Buds Pro 16

The WF-1000XM4 are my current favorites of all the wireless earbuds I’ve owned. They have the best noise cancelling, tied for best sound. Being able to connect to two devices is quite nice. It switches between devices seemly. They are terrific, as they should be for the price they command. 13 months into ownership, I had one ear bud begin to die within 15-20 minutes of initial use. I contacted Sony’s support who walked me through a simple reset procedure. This drastically improved performance, giving me 1.5hrs before the same ear bud started to die. Better, but still less than half the expected life (per Sony). I contacted Sony again, and they elected to give me a RMA to replace them. I’m very pleased to have a corporation stand behind their product in a day and age where most will use any excuse to leave you high and dry. I’m looking at you, Apple. I realize that sound quality is highly subjective, but since I've now tried a several options when it comes to wireless headphones/earbuds, the costs of which are all over the spectrum, I'll offer my rankings based on the experience/s I've had; AirPod Pro - tied for best sound, but after 13 months the battery in one was shot, and the noise cancellation was acting up PRECISELY how Apple described they might in a service program that they were replacing faulty pros under. Mine however, were made the very next month after they magically fixed all of the subsequent AP Pro's, and since mine were made after this magical yet seemingly arbitrary cutoff date, they told me to kick rocks. Which I promptly did, and bought Sony's! Never again, Apple.... EarFun Air Pro 2 - These things really punch above their weight. Sound is great, close cancellation is good, and the battery life is excellent. The only cons I can think of is that the case is bigger than the others I’ve had, and the ear foams/pads are not comfortable. Edifier TWS1 Pro - great sound and performance, i wound up giving these to my girlfriend since she needed something for her work day. No complaints whatsoever for either of us. AirPods (OG) - great if you like the OG headphone fit. They can get really uncomfortable after a while SoundPEATS Sonic - best base of the bunch but just not loud enough to drown out louder ambiance Lenovo Droplets - budget option. Didnt expect much, and didnt get much. No harm, no foul. Not terrible. Sony SBH70 - my first Wireless. About as comfortable/uncomfortable as the OG Airpods. Sound is good but not great. They're older, so like anything else, technology improves, other players catch up. Hope this helps.

UPDATED REVIEW 1 1/2 years later. These USED TO be the best earbuds I've ever owned - until they died, just outside of the warranty window. I am going to leave my earlier review below because all the original Pros and Cons are still valid. However, after a while, the left earbud battery starts draining at a dramatic speed, way faster than the right earbud. To the point where it takes less than 10 minutes for it to go from 100% charge to zero. I have gone to the Sony website and followed all of their suggested tips to fix this issue, but it didn't work. When I contacted the seller here, on Amazon, they told me "nothing we can do." So, folks, don't buy this product from this seller. A pair of $30 earbuds can die within a year, I don't care. A pair of Sony earbuds, so expensive -- no, they have no business dying so fast. So get yours straight from Sony instead. At least Sony would typically honor their warranty or offer paid but affordable repairs when you are outside of your warranty window. Don't buy it from a seller who will tell you that they can't do anything for you. End of story. ------- I am EXTREMELY picky when it comes to earbuds, and I have to say, these are almost unexpectedly good. In the past couple of years, I have tested multiple brands of earbuds, cheap and expensive. These are unquestionably the best. There are a few cons, but the pros outweigh the cons by a long shot. Let me start with the cons: CONS: 1. The memory foam tips are not durable. They certainly provide much better sound isolation than silicone tips would, but be prepared to purchase a bunch of replacement tips right away. 2. Ambient sound could be just a little louder. The level of ambient sound is adjustable (fantastic feature!) but even at its loudest setting, it feels a little too muffled for me. When I am out in the street, I would like to hear the cars approaching and other street noises a bit better, especially if I am jogging. But it isn't bad. I guess I am just used to Buds Pro, which actually amplify external noises a little bit during ambient sound. That's it on the cons! PROS: 1. The equalizer and other adaptive sound settings are incredible. Although be prepared that it won't be excellent right out of the box. In fact, the factory settings might suck. But the equalizer settings are superb, so you should be able to adjust it to your liking very quickly. Your first step is to make sure you identify which ear tips fit you best, as it will make a major difference in your sound adjustment. Once you've got the right size ear tips, you can start adjusting the sound settings on your phone. I would start with the phone's own settings first, and then go to the Sony Buds app and fiddle with the equalizer there. It comes with an app that has a variety of other smart settings. For instance, the level of noise cancellation and the volume of ambient sound can be adjusted. You can also program these buds to recognize the environment you are in, and have a few pre-set operation modes, such as for sitting at your desk at the office versus walking in the street, versus jogging. And the buds will adjust ambient sound, noise cancellation and other features based on your pre-set modes for the above conditions. You can also have several equalizer settings customized and saved. Since I have an Android phone (Samsung, to be exact), I started with first adjusting the sound on these earbuds by going to Samsung's own sound settings and customizing my equalizer through the "Adapt Sound" menu. And then, when that was done, I went into the Sony Buds app and worked with the equalizer there. It allows you to play music straight through that app (via Spotify or whatever else you have) and adjust your equalizer while music is playing, so you can hear the difference right away. For those who don't know how an equalizer works, I strongly advise you to watch a couple of YouTube videos on that first, so that you know what you are doing. A lot of people discard good earbuds and headphones because their sound is "bad" when in fact they just don't know the first thing about setting up the equalizer. I am very picky and demanding in my music settings. I love having such a strong bass that my spine feels the vibration (slightly exaggerating here, but only a little bit), but at the same time I like to hear the vocals loud and clear without distortions. I like hearing high-pitch vocals, and yet, I am not too fond of having excess treble. On most of the earbuds I've tried before, achieving such highly customized sound was impossible. But these Sony buds promised and delivered. I got my settings exactly how I want them, and it is pure heaven. 2. Amazing sound cancellation. Here is what I mean. They don't just cancel out external noises. They are very smart about distinguishing between different types of noises, both incoming and outgoing. And you can program the sound cancellation settings to differentiate between, say, human voices and cars honking. As a result, I can listen to music while vacuuming and not hear the vacuum, but if my roommate talks to me, I will hear what she's saying because that's how I programmed my buds. 3. Excellent sound clarity during phone calls, even in loud surroundings. I was recently riding my bike with wind whistling in my ears, but I could clearly hear the person I was talking to, and the person could hear me just fine. They didn't hear the wind, and my voice was loud and clear, and not cutting out. This, to me, is just unbelievable. I have not been able to get this with any other earbuds. Buds Pro, for instance, are absolutely impossible to talk to in any loud surroundings. Some other brands, cheap and expensive alike, do a good job of muffling background noises but they also muffle your own voice in the process. This is not the case with Sony Buds. They keep my voice clear while muffling everything else around me. I was also recently walking in the street, and there was a siren. Prior to that, I was in the ambient sound mode. When I heard the siren, I tapped on one of the buds to switch them to noise cancelling. I could barely hear the siren while still hearing the person I was speaking to loud and clear, and the person could not hear the siren in my background at all. I have no idea how Sony did it, but my hat is off to them for achieving such high-quality smart sound. 4. Very comfortable. I was hesitant about getting these because they seemed bulky to me. I have very small ears and usually struggle with bulky earbuds. But these are very comfortable, probably mostly because of the memory foam ear tips. Once they are in my ears, they stay there. I've taken them out jogging and bike riding, and they didn't shift at all. Finding the correct size of the ear tips plays a key role here, so you should make sure you got the right size. But once you do, they are comfortable and stay in place for a while. And I didn't notice any burning sensation, or any other sign of earbud fatigue. They stay in my ears for hours, and I am comfortable. 5. The case and the buds hold the battery very well. No complaints there. I am either listening to music or having phone calls all day long, and they hold the battery just fine. 6. A function that I have not personally used: it allows you to sync the buds with two different devices at once. I don't like doing this, but this is probably a great feature for those who might want them connected to the laptop and the phone at once. VERDICT: Superb earbuds. 10/10 would recommend.

tldr: You bought these and you can't connect to more than one device? use the phone app, to 'pair' your earbuds each time you wish to add a new device. Remove them from the app on the phone then re-add them. Your phone will show you a prompt asking to link the earbuds. NOW, go to your computer or other devices you wish to pair and pair those to the earbuds. Like other bluetooth devices, you can only be connected to one device at a time, connecting to one device will boot it off of other connections or to be refused to be connected to by other devices. Long version: I didn't pay for these, I was reimbursed for them as an office/technology expense. If I paid for these with my own money, I'd be PISSED OFF about the fact that I needed to download a Sony app to be able to get the headphones into a pairing mode state. I tried diligently to avoid installing any sort of bloatware as the main intention for these was to be used as daily driver wireless earbuds that I can wear between my work and personal pc and mobile phone as I WFH. I don't use these for phone calls but DO use them for zoom meetings. I'm working with the following comparison experiences: 1. some old school GENUINE over the ear beats by dre headphones from 2012 2. some Anker Souncore Life Notes from 2019 3. some FAKE wraparound beats 4. some Sony ZX's 5. some elCheapo phillips earbuds 6. Steelseries Artics 9X (to use with a PS5 & XSX ++ w/ 1 pair) Those are headsets I've owned and used for a substantially long period of time. I know my way around cheap to mid-tier audio devices (nothing quite audiophile though). MultiCast issue: Out of the box, you can't pair these earbuds with more than one device. I noticed that my Anker earbuds are detected in pairing mode when trying to connect to new devices (right after powering them on). These Sony Earbuds only do that THE VERY FIRST TIME YOU POWER THEM ON OR IF YOU FACTORY RESET THEM. Never again thereafter. To work around this I had to download their bloatware app. I call it bloatware because they want to have the software ALWAYS ON to listen to your device location. They also want to 'offer' a feature that is useless 'badges' (think 'achievements' from xbox or PlayStation trophies) for keeping the software 'always on, always listening'. With those things said, I'd have to say that otherwise the app is pretty good (as it can be). I like the ability to set what the left ear or right ear do when you tap them. The reason I'm keeping them is that they do indeed have stellar audio quality. After listening to music in the Anker's for the past 18 months, I appreciated them for what they were. Ear buds are limited by how much they can output so that they have the battery life to last hours on end. Being able to use the app to set the sony earbuds into pairing mode so that I can sync them to all my devices saved them from being a return. Comparisons: Now when I did research on these earbuds I was planning to go with these or the Bose QCs, but reviewers mentioned that the audio quality was slightly better and that they had a superior battery. I do have to agree with that sentiment for the bit of time that I've used these (will need to follow-up in two years with how these have panned out). I was put off on the Apple pods because they seem to get a bad wrap for going bad and needing to be replaced. These headphones are significantly better than everything else except for the 2012 beats and the steelseries. I'd say that the beats were at par with these in terms of feeling that low rumble and bass in the headphones. The steelseries havent been used for listening to much music beyond what you'd hear in video game soundtracks, I'd say these seem to be just a bit better in quality but I don't have them setup to do a direct comparison to confirm for sure. Ease of use: I've been a technophile, but I see that as we get older, things become more abstract. I had no idea how to turn these on and kept trying to 'press' on them for some sort of click or tactile feedback, these don't provide that. They do power on the moment you pull them from the charging case, so you'll need to have them in your ear to catch the prompt saying that the power is on or 'that they're attempting to pair'. I tried to press the sides a bunch at first to get them to pair, not realizing that they are in pairing mode out of the box on first use. As I mentioned, I tried to use these without installing the sony software, but I found that I was unable to pair more devices after the first one. I needed to install the sony bloatware app so that my phone could consistently connect to the earbuds and set them into pairing mode. Now that I have them connected to my devices and using them, I've found that I just use the play, pause function rather than the passthrough/profiles setting. It feels like the whole passthrough setting (holding your finger against an earpiece until it temporarily mutes out the audio while keeping it playing) is like a 'gee whiz' feature that isn't practical to most. You can just pause the audio, taking the same effort to hold your finger for a passthrough seems unnecessary. I know others mentioned that the foam inserts are stiff. This is true, but I've found that I didn't like the silicone ear tips that came with my anker because over time they got weaker and gradually the earbud felt like it would fall out if I didn't twist it slightly. fitment: it was not clear how these were supposed to fit in your ear. I sort of put it in and gradually started twisting them until they were a snug fit, I see that they appear to go in upside down from how I would have expected, the big part goes up top (doesn't hang down). Once you have them in your ears properly, they seem to fit snug and secure (for someone who isnt moving around much, I wouldn't probably take this advice if you're planning to do any activity or sudden motion). Final thoughts: These earbuds are RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE for not having built-in multicast in the device firmware. I do love the feel and quality of the case and the foam tip inserts, but I suspect I could have saved a hundred bucks and gotten some Galaxy Buds Pros instead (maybe).

I abosultely love my WF XM4. I can't believe how good they sound with such small speakers and the bass is good enough without being overpowering. The battery life is really good. That being said I did buy mine not too long after they came out. Sony had some that had bad early batches and mine ran into the battery drain issue. The right earbud would end up draining faaar faster than the left. But Sony took care of me even though I was passed the 1 year warranty and sent me out new ones. I didn't have to pay for shipping to send them in either. Sony sent a QR code that pays for shipping when you show it to a FedEx location. It was about a 2 week turn around to get me the new ones. So while that was a bit of a hassle, the issue has been taken care of in later production runs. The noise canceling is amazing. It's better than thick ear plugs. That being said it's not perfect. ANC work best with repetitive noises. Like when I'm mowing the lawn and listening to music I can't even tell that the lawnmower is running except by the vibrations in my hand. But when it comes to noises that changes pitch often like voices, it's not going to do as good of a job. It'll mute them good enough but not silence them like repetitive sounds like fans, motors, etc. The adaptive sound control works good enough. I suppose it's like how a weak set of hearing aids work. You'll be able to tell you have them on but you'll still hear almost as good as if you aren't wearing them. They can handle sweat from things like being outside in the sun working but I don't know if I'd want to take them to the gym. The fit of them is only so so. You really have to have the right size eartips. One of them has fallen out once when I was using some aftermarket memory foam tips. I would have preferred if they had an arm that came down like Apple's do. This is not to say they don't stay in well, just not as well as I'd prefer. Speaking of the tips that's really my only complaint with these. The stock so called memory foam tips are a really hard variety of memory foam, if that's even what they actually are. I could only wear the stock tips for around an hour before they became way too uncomfortable. I don't know what Sony was thinking in pairing those tips with such nice earbuds but there you have it. So you'll more than likely want to look into some aftermarket tips. I prefer aftermarket memory foam but those are so fragile especially when it comes time to clean them. (lol Maybe that was Sony's reasoning with their hard ones?) I've gone though almost half a dozen different foam tips and decided to just go with some silicon instead. The silicon makes the ANC take a small hit. I mean that's just the nature of the beast of much thicker foam compared to thinner silicon but it's not that big of a hit. I still can't hear the lawnmower with silicon. You really just notice the hit when you first change them out and are able to compare them back to back. Sony's app these are paired with is really easy to use and with a recent update you can now pair these buds to two different sources at once. All in all I'm really happy I bought these.

UPDATE IV: . After several months with many other earbuds, I decided to go back and order a refurbished pair. At under half the MSRP, I'm happy to live with the issues listed below just for the ANC and sound. . UPDATE III: Rating reduced from 4 to 2 and now to 1 Star! I just received my third set, hoping the issues I highlighted below are quality and not design related. Unfortunately, they are inherent design issues. The third set of XM4 buds have the same dinging tone when you bang your teeth / a slight echo with the same tone when listening to podcasts/the Assistant voice and the same call quality; from a noisy place it's so bad they are essentially unusable for any meaningful conversation. . In a final conclusion, I am sorely disappointed in the performance of what is clearly an over-hyped and over-priced Sony "premium" product. With what it does well, it excels. With what it does poorly, it sucks! No bud is perfect, but even sub-$100 buds do a better all around job than these Sony WF-1000XM4's. I cannot justify $248 for these just for the ANC and sound quality, which I'll miss. I can have almost as good for much less money. I really can't recommend these to anyone without money to waste. . . UPDATE II: Rating reduced from 4 Stars to 2 Stars! . I made a phone call on the WF1000-XM4 in a VERY noisy place and the other end said they couldn't hear me at all well. I was distant and muffled amongst all the ambient noise that could be heard from where I was calling. The XM4 was essentially useless in these conditions. Others online report a similar issue. I called back using my Galaxy Buds Pro and was crystal clear with almost no ambient noise in the background. Just like it should be. C'mon Sony!! So, in the space of just over 1 week, I'm awaiting my THIRD set of XM4 buds! I don't have much anticipation these will be any better, but maybe third time lucky? I really hope so because the sound from the XM4 is just so fantastic. That's why I haven't given up on them. My Galaxy Buds Pro are very close, but the warmth, instrument separation and high frequency reproduction just isn't at the Sony's level. With the XM4, I truly feel like I'm in the room with the musicians. Can I still recommend the XM4? To be honest, NO. I wouldn't want anyone spending $250 to receive a sub-par set of supposedly premium earbuds. If you want THE best sounding buds with top notch ANC, can afford this much money, and don't make calls in public, then go for it. Really, really disappointing from a major brand. . UPDATE I: . With ANC or Ambient mode on and no music playing, I noticed that when I banged my teeth together, I heard a dinging tone, primarily in the left bud. A bit like an echo. I even noticed it when the Google Assistant was talking. There was a slight echo, which was the same monotone ding. It sounds like a knock on a wooden wind chime tube. With ANC/Ambient off, there's no sound. So, it's the ANC system. I've never heard that on any other ANC buds, even the XM3. I had 24 hours on the buds. I did a chat with Sony Support and after all the usual questions, a bud reset, and a 3-minute hold, I was told the buds needed repair. They were OK with my returning them to Amazon and getting a replacement. Those arrived today and guess what? NO CHANGE! I still hear the ding sound, though it's perhaps more prominent in the right bud as well now and perhaps less noticeable with the Assistant. It seems like this is a design defect, as others online report the same 'ringing', with replacements not helping. I guess I'll live with it. I was listening to The Living Daylights by A-Ha and realized it's a very difficult mix for buds to reproduce faithfully. All my cheaper buds struggle with the high frequency details and particularly the bright guitar strums in the chorus, some better than others. The XM4 sounds so realistic it's like you're hearing the instruments in your room. The instrument separation and sound stage is outstanding. I was surprised at the difference and now, my other buds really sound inferior. I added that song to my Earbuds Test Track list! ORIGINAL REVIEW: I’ve been looking for my ideal earbuds over the last few months and have not found them, until perhaps now, with the Sony WF-1000 XM4. My primary criteria are comfort/fit, sound quality, ANC/Ambient performance, app customization and control, particularly volume, in this order. I am an audiophile only in the sense that I love listening to music (every genre you can come up with, but especially Symphonic Metal) and want to experience it as close to how the sound engineer intended, with perhaps a little warmth and bass added in if lacking in the original mix. I use my buds for serious late-night listening, background music when working outside and for late-night TV, not wanting to disturb the sleeping family. I use an android Moto G Power phone. I am not an Apple fan at all! BACKGROUND INFORMATION: I believe I can give a fair review of these Sony’s, based on the fact that I have many, many hours of experience with the following buds… - Boltune BT-BH024 SoundPEATS H1 SoundPEATS Truengine 3 SE SoundPEATS T2 SoundPEATS Trueair SoundPEATS Air 3 Sennheiser Momentum TW2 Edifier NB2 Pro Edifier Neobuds Pro Tribit Flybuds C1 Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Sony WF-1000 XM3 I also enjoy my CCA C10 wired IEM and Soundcore Q30 over-the-ear ‘phones. - I did like the Sony XM3 for its sound, controls, fit and app, but couldn’t get a reliable seal when even just out for a leisurely walk. Generally, my issue has been maintaining that all-important seal during activity and the comfort over several hours of continuous use. I have determined that a stem-style bud doesn’t work in my ears and I hate buds touching my outer ear cartilage. Also, my right ear is more sensitive to having a bud in it than the left, which never complains. I also have very large ears and even the largest wings usually don’t fit! I had finally settled on the Galaxy Buds Pro, coupled with Azla Crystal oval tips as being the design that best suited my criteria. The only gripes were the highly sensitive touch controls, which I turned off and the right bud touching my outer ear, due to the bud’s body shape, and being a constant irritation! So, I was really expecting the Sony XM4’s to be a fit problem since a lot of reviewers complain about the size and foam tips. I’ve tried foam tips and they can put a lot of pressure in the ear canal if too big. Too small and they slide out. It’s expensive the find that perfect size! However, the ANC performance on the Sony XM4 was something I really wanted to experience, it supposedly being the best in the market, as of right now. I decided to take the plunge and order them. - UNBOXING EXPERIENCE: 1/10 I was disappointed, especially after a $248 outlay! Sony has gone to the extreme with their environmental concerns and destroyed that initial enjoyment of getting to the buds. Having experienced the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro and Neobuds Pro unboxing, which was a luxurious and high-quality affair, the plain paper/cardboard packaging was a real let down. The whitish colored box looked dirty and used until I realized it was actually compressed paper material with a simple paper wrapping. To get the box open, the paper wrapping has to be destroyed. So, once you have your buds, you are left with just a bland, unbranded container. I like to keep all my product boxes. While I understand the logic, Sony makes it look like they just went for the cheapest packaging they could. - INITIAL IMPRESSIONS – BUDS AND CASE: 7/10 Again, there was a level of disappointment with these. The case has little embellishment, unlike the XM3. Plain off-white plastic with a smooth upper lid surface and a fine shot-blasted, i.e., slightly textured rough feel to the rest. Not reflective of a $248 purchase, based on all my other buds. The lid feels firm at the hinge and snaps into the open position. It does seem to be more fragile though, compared with the XM3 case. The size is much smaller with the same form factor as the XM3. Much more pocketable, but not the smallest on the market. The buds are similarly plain with a fine texture on the outside and smooth plastic inner surface, but for the unique brass-colored accent around the microphone. They are indeed large at just over 3/4-inch diameter at the main round portion of the body. I suspect the dark buds and case might look better. The off-white exhibits the design’s plainness in a more in-your-face way. This is very much in contrast to the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, which looks awesome in white, less so in black. These buds have an IPX4 rating which is something, compared with nothing on the XM3. Not the best in the market, but acceptable. I would expect better for the high price, especially since the Galaxy Buds Pro are IPX7! - FIT & COMFORT: 9/10 Fit and comfort is incredibly personal and you may experience a worse or even better fit than me. I was pleasantly surprised with how the buds fit. I tried the medium tips that came on the buds and they were just right. The tip goes in reasonably deep into my ear canal and the body sits in my outer ear and filled it more than any other bud I’ve tried. I can see how those with smaller ears will not have a comfortable and a tight fit. However, the XM4 doesn’t actually touch my large outer ear, or if it does, it’s so slight I don’t notice it. I admit the foam tip in my right ear is more noticeable as my right ear canal is slightly smaller than the left. The small tip though didn’t seal fully. I simply address that with a slight pull after insertion to slide the tip out just enough to reduce the pressure. Within a few minutes, I just don’t feel the buds. I tried Spinfit tips (CP100, CP1025 and CP360) and they were perhaps more comfortable, but the ANC performance was reduced and the buds wobbled and hung down, resting against the bottom on my outer ear. The stock tips were better in all respects and I can see why Sony chose them over silicone to hold these bulky buds. - SOUND QUALITY: 10/10 with some EQ adjustment I did like the sound profile of the XM3 and was expecting the XM4 to be very similar if not the same. I was not disappointed this time! As mentioned, I like a warm sound and punchy bass, but with a crisp treble. I used my XM3 EQ settings as a baseline and adjusted from there. Over time, my preference has changed and I now like a brighter sound than when I started this search. When you experience the brightness, and perceived clarity, of the Liberty 3 Pro and Neobuds Pro, for example, you don’t want to go back to a soft sound. I have a large collection of Earbud Test Songs on Amazon Music and I listen to all of them to find the one EQ that meets my desired sound. Check out my Earbud test tracks playlist on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/6c1a03929ed947ab82cc33db24d7c001sune?ref=dm_sh_I4ZRJmh4tIHTtEUHGvvCYkvPi I found the XM3 treble could sound a little artificial on some tracks, but not so on the XM4. I really, really like the sound from them and with a little ClearBass boost, the bass is powerful and not overpowering or muddy. I have noticed that the bass is slightly stronger with ANC on. I use ANC all the time, so that is the mode I set my EQ for. - ANC: 9.5/10 I have been really impressed with the Galaxy Buds Pro ANC performance, closely followed by the Liberty 3 Pro. The Neobuds Pro are in that class also. The Sony XM4 is slightly ahead, but not by much. I actually think the electronics are just as effective on the others mentioned, but the foam tips are what give the XM4 the edge. The passive noise blocking is better. Using Spinfit tips, which, being thin, typically let more noise in, the XM4 is worse at noise reduction than the others. Also, the foam insertion depth and seal, if not deep and perfect, can really affect the ANC performance. As with any earbud, the noise reduction is not as good as over-the-ear headphones. Too much noise gets in around the ear. So, the XM4 wasn’t as impressive as I’d hoped. My advice is not to spend this much money just for ANC. You can get the same performance for less with the other brands! Ambient mode on the XM4 is not super-hearing, like the Galaxy Buds Pro, but it works well. I leave mine at the maximum level. The ambient volume is adjustable. I don’t use Speak-to-Chat as if I briefly tell my dogs to stop doing something, the buds switch to Ambient mode, which is annoying. You can adjust the sensitivity, but then you might not activate it soon enough if you’re talking with someone. It is definitely useful in an office environment on the high sensitivity setting. - TOUCH CONTROLS: 7/10 Unlike SoundPEATS, where you get full control via the single, double, triple and touch/hold functions on both buds with all their models, the Sony XM4 limits your options, even though you get single, double, triple and touch/hold for just playback control. You can change the left and right touch functions, but the options for each are Ambient Sound Control, Playback control, Volume control or None assigned. You can choose one of each per bud. I use playback control (including Google Assistant) on the left and volume control on the right. I have to use the app on my phone for ANC/Ambient/Off control. The touch surfaces are well away from the edges of the buds. So, you can adjust them as much as you want without any accidental touch operations. Samsung, please note! The Galaxy Buds Pro will speak to me automatically for incoming notifications for apps you select, like text messages. That’s my absolute favorite feature of any bud. I never miss the wife’s texts when listening to music, which keeps me alive! The Sony XM4 can do the same, but only after you touch and hold the left bud (only with Playback controls set) and then let go after the tone. Google will then read your new notifications to you. You can also just say “Hey Google, read my notifications”, which is nice, but you hear all notifications, not just from selected apps. I have also used Google to adjust volume and switch ANC modes, though Google often annoyingly goes to an article about ANC and reads that to me! - BATTERY LIFE: 8/10 I haven’t had a chance to do a more detailed check. However, it seems like I can get between about the design 5 hours with 50% volume, ANC on, Custom EQ active, DSEE off and using LDAC codec. That’s at least 25% better than the XM3 and better than the Liberty 3 Pro. I’m OK with that amount of time as I usually need to go do things without buds by then. The left bud loses more juice than the right due to the Google Assistant always listening on my left bud. It is about a 7% difference over 3 hours. I believe the XM4 has a user-replaceable button battery like the XM3. So if you’re mechanically-gifted like me, you’ll appreciate the ability to extend the life of these buds. Sony also sells XM4 cases, individual buds, and tips! Who else does that? Awesome! - VOLUME, BLUETOOTH & CODECS: 9/10 The volume is plenty loud for me. I rarely use more than 65% as I value my hearing! I do have the ‘Absolute Volume’ disabled in Developer Options. I set my phone’s BT volume to maximum and then use the buds to control the volume. This increases the number of volume steps and negates the annoyingly large Android volume control steps that can mean one setting is too loud and the next step down is too quiet. The media volume can be controlled almost as finely as a volume knob. I set the buds to highest sound quality over having a stronger BT connection. So, the Sony Headphones app shows I am using the LDAC codec, not SBC or SBC and DSEE. I turn DSEE off as I really don’t have much need for it as I listen to mostly high-quality files and that saves battery life. On the XM3 app, you are warned that EQ + DSEE use more battery, but not on the XM4 app. However, the DSEE still has to work harder in real-time to modulate the sound with a customized EQ setting, so the effect is the same on the XM4 as on XM3. I never really noticed a difference with LDAC on the XM3 or the Liberty 3 Pro, but strangely I do on the XM4. A much better sound with respect to clarity and crispness. I use the Sony Media Center app as well. That can automatically adjust the phone settings for the bitrate you want without having to go into Developer Options. I set mine to the best possible. That does affect the BT signal and I get some dropouts if the phone is in my back pocket or if I go more than a few feet from my phone. I can set the bitrate to a lower level if I want to reduce the dropouts when outside working. It’s a cool companion app and saves having to set the bitrate every time you connect the buds via the Developer Options and guarantees a higher quality sound all the time. - CALL QUALITY: 9/10 (SEE UPDATE II and III - 4/10) I haven’t had a chance to evaluate this in detail, but I heard and was heard very clearly with a natural sound in a quiet location when I did one call. The buds do go into Ambient mode. While comfortable and quite acceptable, not as good as the Galaxy Buds Pro, where you almost feel like you have no buds plugging your ears. - APP: 10/10 I won’t go into detail on the app. You’ll be here another hour! But I will say the app is as comprehensive as you’ll find in the market and is a customizer’s dream. It’s not as colorful as and is more word-based than the Liberty 3 Pro app, which is also very comprehensive with other unique features. I personally have no need for the location/activity-based auto-adjustment of ANC/Ambient modes and recording of earbud usage while walking, running, etc. and I turn that off. I use the buds mainly at home and prefer to make my own adjustments. I also don’t need Sony knowing my whereabouts. Google is more than enough. It is nice to know though how much/long per day that you use the buds. A feature which is always active. I’m at 2 ¾ hours of listening so far since starting this review and my battery life is at 52%. - VALUE FOR MONEY: 7/10 (SEE UPDATE II and III - 2/10) If it weren’t for the fact that these have the best and most comfortable fit of all the buds I’ve tried, combined with a great sound and good ANC, I would NOT have kept these. I’m wearing them right now and I do love them. All genres sound fantastic. I really don’t think they are worth the extra $ over the Liberty 3 Pro, which is the best value of all buds at the current time. What you get for $170 is incredible, but you have to tame the overly boosted high frequencies with the EQ and vocals can still sound a little thin for my taste even then. Their warranty support is superb. I just couldn’t get a good fit with the wings. The Neobuds Pro at $130 are also superb, but stem-style. I bought the Galaxy Buds Pro for just $148 recently and they were my number one, but way too sensitive with inadvertent operation of the touch controls. Sony is now my number one as it pretty much meets all my earbud criteria. Shame it cost $248! Yes, the Sony app has more unique GPS features than any other brand, but I don’t use/need them. The ANC is the best around, but not worth another $80 and more than the competition! Sony does offer spare parts and that is worth a little extra for an extended life, though the technology is advancing at such a rate that these will be for sure outdated within their expected 2-year life. - CONCLUSION: (SEE UPDATE III) So, would I recommend them? I would recommend you try them but I can’t tell you you’ll love them. One thing I learned this year is that there is no one perfect bud that does it all well. Also, sound and fit are so personal that what I like, you could hate. I even find what I like today can change next week with extended use. The Sony WF-1000 XM4 are absolutely a bud worthy of a try if you can afford them.

Back in 2019, Sony shook up the ear bud market by offering the oddly shaped but highly effective WF-1000XM3's. They offered great sound with, at the time, effective Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), decent phone call quality, and so much more. If you need evidence of how good these are, Google "best wireless ear buds" and you will still find them on most lists some two years later. I used them for about a year before gifting them to my sister. They were ahead of their time in 2019, on par with the best in 2020, but now find themselves with some serious competition in the premium ear bud space. Since 2019 Apple, Bose, Master&Dynamic, Klipsch, Sennheiser, Samsung, Bowers&Wilkins, and so many more are all offering premium buds with serious tech packed inside of them. Sony had their work cut out if they wanted to regain the title. If you want to skip a long review, Sony has accomplished a great deal here. The buds are outstanding. Sound, ANC, battery, and form factor are all significantly improved and this is coming from the aforementioned great foundation of the 1000XM3's. They aren't perfect but they are really good. I usually do bullet points of my pros and cons but there aren't many cons and I think you guys will likely get the most benefit from comparing these to other premium buds in the market. So here we go. -Sound: Sony is featuring a single very well tuned 6mm driver here. They are really good. Natural is what come to mind here. For buds, they have a nice wide sound stage, rich lows, present mids, and nice crisp highs. Sony has their proprietary 360 surround here again which is really cool when it works. Only certain high quality streaming music apps like Deezer, Tidal, QoBuz, Amazon HD, etc can take advantage of it and then only certain tracks are engineered to work with it. Apple and Samsung's Spatial Audio options are better but it sounds very cool when you experience it. Speaking of premium streaming apps, I need to stop and say this now: Sony is only offering one premium Codec with these and that is their very own LDAC. There is no AptX HD/Adaptive here. It is LDAC, AAC, and SBC. In order to really get the most out of these, you need to upgrade to a service like Tidal, for example, that will put out LDAC audio. It is a noticeable improvement even to my old ears. Apple users are stuck with AAC which is okay and certainly an improvement over the SBC default option. Comparing these to the other premium buds available gets tricky. To me, the new Dual Driver Bowers&Wilkins PI7 are in their own class and at $400, they should be. These compare very nicely to the M&D MW08s and the Klipsch Mclarens. In regard to sound, these nudge out the Bose QuietComforts, the latest Sennheisers, and the UE Fits for me but it is close.  Sony bests the Airpod Pros, Samsung Buds Pro, and the Jabra 85ts more easily. Overall, most folks should be happy with sound here. -ANC: It is good here. Very good for buds. In my experience, ear buds are hindered by their lack of physical size and the need for a seal in your ear. Over ears are always better for this reason. To me the Bose QuietComfort buds are the kings of ANC and Sony hasn't done enough to dethrone them. Man it is close though! All of the other premium buds I have mentioned fall in line behind Sony here. It pretty much wipes out everything around you only allowing the most jarring sudden noises in. Music, televisions, conversations, fans, presumably airplane engines are nearly 100% erased. The buds can adjust based on the noise around you. It is all just very well done. It feels right to me to have Sony and Bose lead the ear bud category in ANC quality. After all, they own the over ear category. Well done here. -Calls: This was an area the 1000XM3's showed their age to me. The 1000XM4's fix all of that. To me, these are among the very best in the business on call quality. Apple still owns the crown but, after that, no other bud I have used sound as good on either end of a call. I need more time here to be sure but after handling a handful of calls today, I feel comfortable giving high marks here. I always test calls outside to see how bad wind interference is. Sony really nailed it here. I think. More to come, I promise. -Form Factor:  Okay so, for me, this is where the pure glow of the review fades a bit. If there is an area that Sony missed here, it is in pure physical design. They definitely stick out of your ear and they aren't the lightest buds around so they don't feel great in ear for me. For the record, ear buds that hang out of your ears like pegs are a pet peeve of mine. These are not as bad as the Melomania buds (the kings of peg design) in that regard but they are noticeable. Quite noticeable. These aren't as big as the Bose QCs but the Bose have a slimmer profile opting for more of an elongated look that is actually more in line with the last gen Sonys. They come with sort of a hybrid finished foam tips. I don't love them. I will have my own silicone tips on here by the weekend. The touch pad  buttons work flawlessly, almost never failing to register a tap. Sony finally gave these an waterproof rating. IPX4 is here so they are sweat and dust resistant. Not best in class but I am glad to see them fix the omission of the last gen on these new $279 set of buds. Lastly, I don't know about the gold accents. Totally subjective I know and I get what Sony is trying to do. I think they are trying to add a little bit of class while breaking up the montony of all black or all white buds. It just feels a little too ostentatious to me. Not a deal breaker but it does make me a bit self conscious. -The App:  Sonys app is highly customizable. It allows you to control so much including ANC levels, ambient sound levels (by the way ambient sound here is really good), EQ, and more. You can also mange your personal assistant. If you are an Alexa fan, she is built in and works really well. Google and Siri play well here to. Just depends what you prefer. However, in spite of all of this and in spite of using this app for now two years, I still find it to be one of the least intuitive apps out there. I bring this up because to get the most out of these, you need to use this app especially initially. You will want to use the sound app to start here and you will likely have a little more of a learning curve than many other apps you have used. It's all here it is just a little convoluted. - Battery: Sony's eight hours on bud claim shouldn't really be a win but it is. That is with ANC on. Here are some of the competitors battery life roughly with ANC active and mixed use (my experience not the spec): Airpods Pro: Around 4 hours. Bose QC: 5.5 hours. M&D MW08'S: 9 hours (the best) Wilkins PI7'S:  4.5 hours. Samsung Buds Pro: 4.5 hours. Jabra 85t's: 6 hours. Sennheiser Momentum TW 2: 4.5 hours. I have only ran these down once but in mixed use (an hour of video and calls / lots of music) I managed just over 7 hours. Now wait, you are probably wondering why only 7 hours? I know I was. Then I realized that I was streaming LDAC for quite some time. No doubt the higher audio quality stream was to blame. Regardless, when you see how these stack up, battery here is close to class leading. The Case gives you another 2 charges before you need to plug in. Very good stuff here. - The Case: I hated the last gen Sony case. Frankly, I think that case design is very important to a good set of ear buds as that is what we really interact with most. Fortunately, Sony took the case design seriously here. You get charging via USBC or Qi wireless. It is made of a soft matte plastic that feels good in your hand. The magnets are strong in the case and on the hinge. I haven't recharged yet and will update times when I do but, for now, suffice to say that Sony has a good case here. I will update as I get more time with these but, for the moment, I am very pleased with what Sony has done here. They have upgraded these in almost every possible way. Sound, connectivity, battery, ANC, and more. All better. Of all of the premium buds we have discussed, I think these are the ones I would pick for most people. The Wilkins sound better but the ANC isn't quite as good, the battery isn't close, and they cost an astounding $400. The Bose have better ANC but don't sound as good. The price is a push there. The M&Ds are maybe the most well rounded competition for these. They sound a little better maybe. They have even better battery life as well but the ANC is very much inferior to these. I have some nitpicks. I wish AptX was here. I wish they could have slimmed these down. They could have gone with silver accents instead of gold. However, when you add everything Sony has put together here up, I just don't think there is a more well rounded option on the market. I will tweak and update this review as I go but you should buy the WF-1000XM4' s with complete confidence. Well done here Sony! ***Update***Okay, so there are a number of additional things. First off, my S21 Ultra will not connect LDAC with these. Working on it. I have been through every step concievable. The irony is that my LDAC capable Soundcore buds, whom license the codec from Sony work fine. Hmm. Not ready to ding a star yet but close. I do allow Sony location access. The buds are capable of remembering how you like your ANC in a particular environment. Say gym versus office. Love that! Speaking of gym, I threw these on for a 30 minute HOT beach run today. Waterproofing is solid so far!! There is more to unpack here for sure. Stay tuned. Also, I think Sony really nailed the voice to pause tech here. Their over ears has this as does the Samsung Buds Pro. Sony's is so much better than the Samsung version. With Samsung's, a cough would often pause my content. Here, only my voice. Say hello to someone and it pauses. Very well done. The sensitivity is adjustable as well of you find it to be to much. So good Sony! ***One month update*** So it has been a month. In the last few months I received the afformentioned Master & Dynamic buds, the latest Amazon buds, and the Bowers & Wilkins buds. As someone that has way too many buds, one of my favorite ways to rate my enjoyment of a set of buds is how often I reach for them. I have used these almost every single day since receiving them. I have grabbed the others occasionally but these have been my primary daily drivers. Sony has just nailed so much here. The ANC, sound, and overall functionality is just so well rounded. These are clearly the best all around buds on the market today. There are others that serve different specific purposes better but none that do everything as well as these. Sony has built something pretty special here. The LDAC connectivity is still spotty for me with my phone but, other than that, there is no area these struggle with. I have even grown to appreciate the look. Mostly anyways. Unlike any other set I own, I don't think it matters what phone you use. Folks on iOS should get these over the Airpod Pros because they sound better and the ANC is better. The Pro's still connect and work better with your iPhone but really, who cares? These just perform better in almost every meaningful way. Folks on Android should get these because there isn't a better all around bud that plays as nice in this ecosystem. We don't have Airpods to fall back on. These are the ones! Buy with complete confidence! July 28th Update: So, a couple more things here. First, I received my second software update for these. Considering that they have been out less than two months and were pretty polished out of the box, that is an impressive level of support from Sony. No other buds I own have been this aggressive with updates. Just so good. Lastly, this thought occurred to me a few days ago and I wanted to share it with you guys: In the last six or so weeks, I have been almost exclusively using these buds. I never do that even when I get something new. A few weeks maybe but I don't think I have ever used one set of buds this exclusively. When I get up in the morning to work out I use my Klipsch Mclarens because they have an IPX7 waterproof rating. When I leave to the office, the Sonys are the ones in my pocket. If these aren't the perfect pair of daily drivers, they are very close. Just so good. Buy them.