Despite their annoying nomenclature, the Sony WH-1000XM4s are best in class. This is their fourth generation, and the expertise truly shows. They have a comfortable, ergonomic design; an industry-beating 30 hours of battery life; the best noise-canceling on the market; and intelligent pausing that stops the music whenever you talk. They’re one of the best wireless headphones around.
Even at their normal price of $350, they’d be a decent buy. But now that they’re down to $250 on Amazon, they’re a steal. By high-end headphone standards, this is practically a budget buy. It caught our eye. Or ear, as the case may be.
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The Sony WH-1000XM4 Are Great at Everything
Despite having a mouthful of a name, Sony’s WH-1000XM4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are our favorite noise-canceling headphones. They drown out just a touch more sound at higher ranges than previous iterations do and have outperformed other, more expensive headsets that we’ve tested. They can also detect and equalize air cabin pressure, which, combined with the 30-hour battery life and ability to cancel out the shrieks of angry toddlers, makes them one of the best travel companions we’ve found (if and when we start traveling again).
The design of the headset is a little tepid. But Sony has put effort where it counts. The ear cups are just a little cozier, and they weigh a little bit less. The microphone on this set has improved in quality from previous versions, and Sony has updated several important algorithms to improve sound quality. The headset can also pair with your computer and phone at the same time, so you can listen to music on your computer but seamlessly switch to calls when your phone rings.
If you’re not currently shopping for high-end over-ear headphones, we’ve also seen plenty of deals on other headphones recently:
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