Sony
Sony WH-1000XM4
The XM4 launched in 2020, has been succeeded twice — the WH-1000XM5 and XM6 are both in our catalog — and Sony still sells it new in volume, because at its current ~$200 street price it delivers most of the flagship experience for a lot less money. The ANC remains excellent by any standard short of its own successors, the warm, bass-tilted tuning responds beautifully to the app's EQ, and it folds into a compact hard case — something the XM5 gave up. You get the full Sony feature stack: LDAC, multipoint, wear detection, Speak-to-Chat, 360 Reality Audio, and a 30-hour battery with a 10-minute charge worth 5 hours. Long-term owners surface real caveats, though: the plastic headband and earcup yokes are a known failure point after a couple of years, some units develop charging or mic faults out of warranty, and LDAC and multipoint remain mutually exclusive — pick one in the app. Mic quality on calls was always the XM4's weak spot and hasn't aged well against newer rivals. Five years of firmware maturity means the software is stable, and the touch controls still work well. Buy it as the value play in Sony's lineup: 90% of the XM5 for roughly 60% of the price — just don't pay more than about $250, because at that point the newer models are within reach.
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Specifications
Highlights
Pros
- ✓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
Cons
- ✗Superseded twice — XM5 and XM6 offer better ANC, sound, and mics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
Owner Insights(5,000 discussions)
The XM4 launched in 2020, has been succeeded twice, and remains one of the most-discussed headphones in existence for a simple reason: at ~$200 street it still delivers most of the flagship experience. Owner debate about XM4 vs XM5 vs XM6 has largely settled into a consensus — the XM6 is the true upgrade (better ANC, much better mic, and the return of folding), the XM5 is an awkward middle child that costs more while giving up the folding hard case, and the XM4 is the smart-money buy unless top-dollar ANC or call quality is the whole point. Owners upgrading from it to an XM6 report the differences are real but incremental; owners cross-shopping at $200 report nothing else competes.
Day to day the XM4 is still a lovely thing: elite-tier ANC, warm LDAC-fed sound that EQs into whatever you want, plush all-day comfort, and the full Sony feature stack. The long-term ownership picture is where honesty is required. The plastic headband and yoke assembly is the known failure point — cracks and headband detachment after 2-3 years are common owner reports — pads and headband leather peel with age (Sony doesn't sell the headband cushion, so it's aftermarket repair), and aging units develop out-of-warranty mic deaths, ANC ringing, or charging faults. The silver lining of its enormous install base is that replacement parts and repair guides are abundant.
Buy the XM4 if you want flagship ANC and sound at midrange money and will treat the plastic frame gently — it beats the Sony ULT Wear on refinement and cancellation for only a little more. Spend up to the XM6 if call quality and best-available ANC matter, or sideways to the ULT Wear if you'd rather have warranty-fresh hardware and bigger bass than a six-year-old platform. Skip the XM5 unless you find it discounted below the XM6 by a wide margin — that's the owner-consensus reading of the lineup.
Pros
- +Still elite ANC six years on — owners say only its own successors and Bose flagships beat it, and at ~$200 street nothing near the price comes close
- +Warm, bass-tilted tuning that responds beautifully to the app EQ — LDAC on Android makes it a genuine hi-res wireless listen
- +Folds into a compact hard case, which XM5 owners openly miss — the better travel design of the two
- +Full flagship feature stack that still holds up: multipoint, wear detection, Speak-to-Chat, 360 Reality Audio, 30-hour battery with fast top-ups
- +Plush pads and moderate clamp make it an all-day, glasses-friendly wear for most owners
- +Massive owner base means pads, headband cushions, and repair guides are everywhere — it's one of the most fixable flagships
- +The consensus 'smart buy' of the 1000X line: most of the XM5/XM6 experience for half to a third of the price
Cons
- −The plastic headband and earcup yokes are the known long-term failure point — cracks and even full headband detachment show up commonly after 2-3 years
- −Headband leather and earpads peel and flake with age, and Sony doesn't sell the headband cushion separately — aftermarket parts are the fix
- −Mic quality on calls was mediocre at launch and still is — callers describe a muffled, processed voice, and the XM5/XM6 are clearly better
- −Aging units develop faults out of warranty: dead mics after ~3 years, high-pitched ANC ringing, and occasional charging failures are recurring owner reports
- −LDAC and multipoint are mutually exclusive — the app makes you pick one, a perennial annoyance
- −Touch controls misfire in cold weather and with long hair brushing the cup
- −Bass-forward default tuning needs EQ work for neutral-leaning listeners
- −Six-year-old Bluetooth 5.0 platform — no LE Audio, and firmware updates have effectively ended
Common Questions
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