If you’re a headphones fanatic, you’ll no doubt be aware that it’s been a good year for big new releases entering the pantheons of the best noise cancelling headphones you can buy today – including the five-star Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, and the new best-in-class noise blockers, the Sony WH-1000XM6.
And yet it’s neither of these that sits atop our list of the best headphones as our pick that’s the best for most people – it’s the five-year-old Sony WH-1000XM4. This is not a mistake, and it’s something we reassess with our audio specialist team effectively every week, and we still come to the same conclusion: for a lot of buyers, the XM4 still make more sense than newer models.
There are a few reasons as to why they haven’t been fully surpassed, though number one on the list is the biggest one by a long way: the price. I’m going to dig into that, as well as the other reasons I think this veteran of the headphones world has remained on top, and remains well worth buying.
1. Headphones prices rose, but people’s buying power didn’t
I doubt I’m telling anyone reading this anything they don’t already know when I say that inflation since 2020 has been pretty brutal. I’ve been in tech journalism for nearly 20 years, and almost all of that time, we anticipated that new generations of tech would come with a price cut.
Since 2020, that hasn’t been the case in headphones in particular – there are lots of amazing new entries among the best cheap headphones, but the flagship headphones have crept up in price. But for a lot of people, their buying power hasn’t – and actually, we’re seeing data that people are looking to spend slightly less on their headphones than a few years ago.
What all this means is that the sweet spot for what people would like to pay for more premium headphones has held pretty steadily at around $250 / £200. Obviously, some people are very happy to pay $449 for the latest and greatest Sony audio and active noise cancellation, but most of us aren’t there.
You can now get the Sony WH-1000XM4 regularly for $220 / £190 – and at this price, they haven’t really been beaten by newer products that launched as mid-range options. They launched at $349 / £349, so even though the tech is older, it’s high-end tech that’s coming down to this price, so it really holds up.
To give you an example, Sony’s own ULT Wear headphones launch at this kind of price, and our Sony ULT Wear headphones review basically boiled down to: The Sony XM4 are better and the same price, so get those instead.
You can now often get the Bose QuietComfort Headphones for a similar price to the Sony XM4, and these offer superior active noise cancellation, but a worse sound balance out of the box. I prefer the Sonys as the all-rounder option.
As I said, the Sony WH-1000XM4 hit a real sweet spot for delivering genuine value at the kind of price people are able to pay, and that’s important to our ranking of headphones.
2. They still deliver everything that most of us need
In the years since the Sony WH-1000XM5 launched as the successor to the Sony WH-1000XM4, we’ve had one issue with them: they cost quite a lot more, but didn’t offer big steps up in audio, noise cancelling quality, or features.
Now, that’s different with the brand new Sony WH-1000XM6, which offer loads more features, a big sound improvement and a clear step up in noise cancellation… but they cost twice the price!
So yes, the Sony WH-1000XM4 have a less expansive and dynamic sound than the $449 Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, and the noise cancellation lets in more outside sound than the $549 AirPods Max – but for the majority of us, they’re more than good enough.
The noise cancellation is very effective at reducing sound to the point where you’ll barely notice it, even when walking near traffic or while on a flight. The audio quality is detailed and well-balanced, as is Sony’s usual style, with bass that provides a great and impactful foundation, clear and expressive mids, and treble that sounds out well.
They have a 3.5mm jack for wired listening, they have Sony’s LDAC tech for higher-res listening over Bluetooth with compatible devices, they have customizable noise cancellation settings, they have a great mode that means they pass through outside sound when you place your hand over one earcup so you can have a quick conversation with someone, and they have the same 30-hour battery life as the brand-new Sony WH-1000XM6.
Newer headphones have newer features, such as USB-C lossless audio, but the Sony XM4 deliver everything most people need.
3. Comfort and lightness are timeless
Newer Sony headphones look slicker, for sure – and the wider headband of the new Sony XM6 is appreciated by our skulls – but when it comes to the core comfort of wearing headphones for a long period, the Sony XM4 are still up there with the best of them.
Their light weight of 254g means they don’t need a strong clamping force to stay on securely, and they don’t press much on the top of the head, so you can use them for a long time before feeling any physical fatigue.
They’re effortless, and that’s one of the most important parts of a great pair of headphones – being older doesn’t make any difference to that.
4. Not enough premium headphones fold!
This is something I have strong opinions about, but I know I’m not alone: as a frequent traveller, I like headphones that fold down for more flexible (no pun intended) storage in bags. It’s why I’ve kept the Sonys so high on the list of the best travel headphones, and it’s why the folding Sony WH-1000XM6 make it onto that list when the Sony WH-1000XM5 – which don’t fold – missed out.
A lot of premium headphones don’t fold. AirPods Max, Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 and Px8, Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless (and the cheaper Sennheiser Accentum Plus, actually), Dali iO-8 – all high-rated headphones, and none have folding earcups.
Bose is a dutiful folder, and both the Bose QuietComfort Headphones and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones make excellent travel companions, so at least Sony isn’t alone.
But the extra versatility goes into our calculations on which headphones we think are the best value, and it just adds to the Sony WH-1000XM4 being the best all-rounders at the right price.
