A 2020 wireless noise-cancelling over-ear whose noise cancelling is praised almost without exception, especially against low drone like engines and air conditioning. Most sources also find it light and comfortable for hours, though a minority of wearers find the cups shallow, warm or tight. The sound is where opinion splits. All seven measurement rigs show about 5 dB of extra upper bass around 100–200 Hz, most also show a dip through 2–4 kHz, and the top end reads bright or dark depending on the rig. Most mainstream reviewers hear that as warm, punchy and fun. Measurers, enthusiasts and a large share of Reddit and forum owners hear bloated bass that muddies the mids, and the near-universal fix is a bass cut in Sony's app EQ. Treble splits almost evenly, between smooth and detailed on one side and dull, veiled or prickly on the other. Soundstage, imaging, detail and dynamics draw mild praise with an 'it's still a consumer headphone' ceiling. Build divides critics, who call it solid, from owners, who report launch-batch cup hiss, hinge and headband failures and ANC screeching after a few years. Value was rated highly at discount prices, though the XM4 is now discontinued and hard to find new.
About this product
The 2020 flagship wireless noise-cancelling over-ear ($349.99 / £350 / AU$550 at launch). It has 40 mm drivers, Sony's QN1 noise-cancelling processor, DSEE Extreme upscaling, LDAC (no aptX), Bluetooth 5.0 multipoint, Speak-to-Chat and wear detection, and is rated for 30 hours with ANC on (38 off). It also works over the included 3.5 mm cable, powered or unpowered. This is not the older WH-1000XM3, the WH-1000XM5 (2022, flat-folding only) or the WH-1000XM6 (2025). Sony discontinued the XM4 in 2025 and is bringing it back in fall 2026 as the WH-1000XM4C ($300): the same folding design and noise-cancelling chip, with an updated sound profile, a 10-band EQ and Bluetooth 6. As of September 2026 the original sells in the US only as used or leftover stock, from about $240.
Sony's WH-1000XM4 arrived in 2020 as the fourth generation of the WH-1000X line, replacing the award-winning WH-1000XM3. For years it was the default answer when someone asked which wireless noise-cancellers to buy. It paired class-leading ANC with a light, fold-up design, and added multipoint, Speak-to-Chat and wear detection.
The XM5 and XM6 have since replaced it, and the XM4 spent its last years as a heavily discounted bargain before Sony discontinued it in 2025. It was popular enough that Sony is reviving it as the WH-1000XM4C. The argument around it has barely changed: nearly everyone rates the noise cancelling, but its warm, bass-heavy stock tuning divides mainstream reviewers from measurement-minded listeners.
