Incredible no-can performance: Sony WF-1000XM4 Review

The wireless neo -can's hurdle, Sony, raised another one.

In 2017, when many Bluetooth earphones were still connected by cables, Sony (Sony) announced a complete wireless earphone WF-1000X, and succeeded in stuffing the active no-en -can function in a small size.Four years from there, noikan is now standard for premium wireless earphones.But WF-1000XM4 proves that there is nothing to the right of Sony to erase the surrounding sounds, even if the competition has become intense.

Two years after the WF-1000X, Sony released WF-1000XM3 (for some reason skipping WF-1000XM2), increasing the battery life, which was the biggest task.The WF-1000XM3 was almost perfect, combining a great sound quality, a 24-hour battery with a charging case, and the best no-can performance.But in a few months, Apple launched a compact AirPods Pro, so WF-1000XM3 looks relatively huge like a monster.Regarding the design, the challenge continues.

Sony WF-1000XM4

What is this?: Sony's next -generation Niikan wireless earphone, which has become lighter and more compact than before.

Price: $ 280 (domestic price is 33,000 yen at Sony Store).

Favorite place: Noikan continues to lead the industry.Combined with the earpiece of the memory form, the surrounding sounds are increasingly shut out.

I don't like it: It shrinks a little, but the size is still a bottleneck.

Charging case in your pocket

If you ask people who use Sony WF-1000XM3 to seek improvement, almost everyone should say "I want them to be smaller and lighter."No matter how good the sound quality and no -can performance are, it doesn't make sense if you want to use other earphones for carrying.

In WF-1000XM4, everything, including the charging case, is all smaller.By the way, the case can be charged not only in USB-C but also with Qi standard wireless charging pads.It's not as small as the charging case of AirPods Pro, but it's about half compared to the huge WF-1000XM3.Nevertheless, the battery life including the case is the same as the predecessor, 24 hours, with the earphone alone 8 hours and the remaining 16 hours.

It's big but the fit is good

It is not only the case but also the earphone itself, but there seems to be still a trade -off that it becomes large because of the high no -can performance.

WF-1000XM4 earphones are smaller than WF-1000XM3, but the difference is not big.However, the fit in my ears has improved, so the bulky feeling has been reduced.

The WF-1000XM4 is the largest premium earphone, and as well as the predecessor, but the exercise of the body like jogging is hesitant.There are many small and light types that are more secure in the ears.

For Sony's honor, WF-1000XM4 has a large size, but is firmly fixed than WF-1000XM3.This is because the earpiece is not a silicon but a memory form, and there are three sizes.The form material tries to return to the original shape in the ear like an earplug, so when you put it in your ears, it spreads (it is good to first shrink and put it in).

The earpiece of the memory form is not a new idea, for example, Compry has a form -made earpiece to most of the main manufacturers.However, it is better to replace these third -partys in about a month, because they may be dirty or elastic, but Sony's memory form has the same life as the earphone.

Stanish anytime, anywhere

I don't think that the active no-hi can function is generally completed or indispensable, but WF-1000XM4 shows that someday that day will come.Combined with the earpiece of the memory form, the WF-1000XM4 Noikan has stepped up more dramatically than the wireless earphones that have been tried so far.This Noikan performance test is under pandemic, so it is difficult to move and it is difficult to go to a cafe, so we did it with a pre -recorded sound.The ragged cafe, the airbass A320 in the flight, the crowded trains and bus sounds were played with a large Bluetooth speaker.

WF-1000XM4 has too good performance at a deep frequency (there is no no-can technology that blocks all sounds, and the effect is usually reduced by treble), and when I turned on noikan, I am a computer with a sound source.And I wondered if the connection of the Bluetooth speaker was out.But it wasn't.People who travel well, those who are comfortable during work, and no more effective noikan earphones than WF-1000XM4.

The sound you can hear is amazing

If there is one belief in the home appliance world, the sound of Sony's flagship headphones must be wonderful.And WF-1000XM4 is exactly that.

WF-1000XM4の聴き心地は、箱から出したままの初期状態でも、しっかりキャリブレートしたTVで映画を見てるような感じです。高音と低音のバランスが完璧で、高音はくっきりとし、低音もこもった感じやおおげさな感じはありません。WF-1000XM4のドライバーは、本体サイズが大きい割に6mmしかなく、一方Master & DynamicのMW08は小さな本体に11mmのドライバーを詰め込んでます。

僕自身は、ドライバーが大きく低音に強いヘッドホンが好きなので、多分これからもWF-1000XM4よりMaster & DynamicのMW08を使い続けると思います。たとえばSurf Mesaの『ily』Tropic Remixで、最初から30秒あたりのビートが抜けた後の部分は、MW08だとひとつひとつの音がパシッパシッとしっかり聴こえるんですが、WF-1000XM4だとそこまでの強さがないんです。

However, even if the driver is 6mm, the performance of the bass of WF-1000XM4 is wonderful.Even if you customize bass with the equalizer of the app, there is no feeling that the bass is distorted or artificially emphasized.The sound quality and the active knee can have two major functions of wireless earphones, but the WF-1000XM4 is not only equipped with both, but also surpasses almost all the earphones I tried.

Nice bonus function

プレミアムワイヤレスイヤホン市場が飽和する中、各社は付加価値機能で差別化を図っています。Bowers & WilkinsのP17は充電ケースがワイヤレスアダプターにもなり、他のデバイスからも接続できたりします。WF-1000XM4の付加機能は、そこまでギミック的じゃありません。

There is no multi-device connection function in WF-1000XM4 that is convenient for over-ear type WH-1000XM4, but it contains audio detection function.If the user speaks out, the music will be stopped automatically and the external sound will be imported mode, so you can enter the conversation smoothly without pressing the operation button.The calling sound quality was good, but the phone partner told me that it was not as good as when I was talking directly on my smartphone.

The touch operation on the earphone is also functioning well, and the left and right functions can be customized with the app.You can also turn on "adaptive sound control" from the app, and use this to detect your place and activity based on your smartphone GPS, and the no -can and external sound import mode will be turned off accordingly.。When you are in the usual cafe, you can set as much as possible.There is also a test function in the mounted state, which uses an earphone microphone to detect sound leakage and helps you choose which earpiece is optimal.

Is it worth buying a new one?As long as it emphasizes

Beyond the pandemic, two years after the release of WF-1000XM33, WF-1000XM4 has a price of $ 50 (5,500 yen in Japan), but almost all of the improvements that the predecessor users have wished.Among the premium wireless earphones, the price of $ 280 (33,000 yen in the Sony Store in Japan) is not the highest price, but it is more than expensive competitive earphones.

音質と快適性重視の人には、上にも書きましたがやっぱりWF-1000XM4よりMaster & Dynamic MW08をおすすめしたいです。価格は20ドル高く（日本だと約1万円差）なりますが、MW08のほうが小さくて軽くて着け心地も良いし、11mmのドライバーはオーバーイヤーヘッドホンにも匹敵する低音のパフォーマスを生み出しています。ノイキャンもすごく良くて、バッテリーライフも｢イヤホンだけで12時間、充電ケース込みで42時間｣と、WF-1000XM4を上回ります。

But if Noi Can is the most important person, the story is different.WF-1000XM4 is a little big, but it is a scratch on the ball, but it has a high no-can performance by using a built-in microphone for each of the left and right earphones.Sony seems to have raised the hurdle about blocking the sound of the world.

33,000 yen

33,000 yen

* Display contents such as prices are as of the current writing.Please check the sales page as there is a possibility of change.