Sony ULT Wear vs Sony WH-1000XM4
Quick take: The Sony ULT Wear costs $48 less.
| Spec | Sony ULT Wear | Sony WH-1000XM4 |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$150 | ~$198 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Over-Ear Headphones | Over-Ear Headphones |
| Noise Cancelling | ANC | ANC |
| Battery (single charge) | 30 hrs | 30 hrs |
| Battery (with case) | — | — |
| Quick Charge | 3 min = 90 min | 10 min = 5 hr |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 5.0 |
| Multipoint | Yes | Yes |
| Driver Size | 40 mm | 40 mm |
| Weight | 255 g | 254 g |
| Water Resistance | — | — |
| Wireless Charging | No | No |
| Transparency Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Spatial Audio | Yes | Yes |
| App EQ | Yes | Yes |
Pros & cons
Sony ULT Wear
- ✓ANC inherited from the 1000X line — best-in-class under $200
- ✓ULT button gives instant bass boost without touching the app
- ✓LDAC hi-res codec support, rare at this price
- ✓Multipoint pairs two devices with reliable switching
- ✓Light 255g build with low clamp force — owners wear them all day
- ✓3-minute quick charge yields 90 minutes; 30 hr with ANC on, 50 off
- ✓Sony Sound Connect app has a full custom EQ and 360 Reality Audio support
- ✓Wear detection auto-pauses when you take them off
- ✗ULT2 bass mode is comically overblown and swamps mids and vocals
- ✗Sound lacks the refinement of similarly priced Sennheiser and Bose rivals
- ✗Call/mic quality is inconsistent outdoors
- ✗Some long-term owners report earcup-joint plastic cracking after a year or more
- ✗No IP rating or wireless charging
- ✗ANC, while strong for the class, still trails the XM5/XM6 noticeably
Sony WH-1000XM4
- ✓ANC still beats nearly everything outside current flagships
- ✓Warm, EQ-friendly sound with LDAC hi-res support
- ✓Folds compactly into an included hard case, unlike the XM5
- ✓30 hr battery with 10 min = 5 hr quick charge
- ✓Speak-to-Chat, wear detection, and multipoint all still work great
- ✓Five years of firmware updates — software is thoroughly debugged
- ✓Regularly discounted to $198 or less
- ✗Superseded twice — XM5 and XM6 offer better ANC, sound, and mics
- ✗LDAC and multipoint can't be used at the same time
- ✗Headband/yoke plastic is a documented long-term failure point
- ✗Call mic quality lags modern rivals, especially in noise
- ✗Some aging units develop charging or mic faults out of warranty
- ✗No USB-C audio or LE Audio support