First Look: Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones

As with most Sony audio products, what lets them down is the software. The Sony Headphones app connects the headphones to your phone – the set-up process takes far too long and switching between devices becomes equally tedious. The software is also a little too smart for its own good sometimes. For example, the speak-to-chat function turns off your music when you speak in case you’re trying to have a conversation with someone, but it also turns it off if you make any noise that even sounds like speech (think coughing). You can turn off this and other functions (including a motion detection function that turns noise cancelling on and off), however they’re on by default.

Part of the set-up involves using your phone to take photos of your ears, so the software can tailor the audio playback to your unique ear pattern. I remain unconvinced that this is a real thing, and I’m worried about the database my ear photos are currently sitting in.

The sound quality on the XM4s is undeniably good. The sounds are crisp and clear, and the bass is nice and rumbly. At no point did I think anything was too harsh or unbalanced. It’s also a very good pair of headphones for 3D sound. On the track Here Come the Warm Dreads I was able to hear the music move around me, including directly in front of me and behind me. Similarly, my test track of binaural rain recordings had a depth to the audio that was incredibly realistic. So maybe the ear photos did help.

The noise cancelling is exquisite. They blocked out almost all of the construction noise currently plaguing the Consumer NZ office and even the sound of people trying to talk to me.

They’re some of the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn. The pressure of the headband keeps them in place without squeezing my (admittedly large) head.

There’s a bunch of other little things as well. They fold up flat to fit in your bag or the supplied carry case. The touch controls on the right earcup are sensitive, but not so much that I set them off accidentally (a massive improvement on previous models).

All in all, the Sony WH-1000XM4 might be my favourite pair of headphones of all time. If we were still flying places, they would be my best travelling companion. Sony’s going to have to pull out all the stops to make their next headphones better than this.