Brain-Saver: Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise-Canceling Headphones... Proven the Test of Time
Still noise-sensitive, these headphones were so critical to my well being that I chafe at forgetting them. Which is why I keep a pair in my van and a pair at home now. The in-ear earphones work much less well, and quickly become uncomfortable, so I have abandonded them.
In Brain-Saver: Sony Noise-Canceling Headphones I discussed just how critical the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones to me after my concussion in 2018.
Flash Deal: $110 off the Sony WH-1000XM5 until midnight Nov 25.
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$278 SAVE $70 = 20.0% Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones IN STOCK in Electronics: Audio
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Now using the latest model, the Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling headphones, they continue to be very helpful. I have two pairs actually, and my wife has a pair which she uses constantly, though more for listening to podcasts and such.
Sony WH-1000XM4 @AMAZON or Sony WH-1000XM4 @ B&H Photo
Wireless Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones
Noise is far more of a hazard than most people acknowledge, with studies showing damaging hits to learning of children whose classrooms are in noisy environments. Not that adults outgrow the bad effects of noise! Noise disrupts the ability of the brain to focus and learn, at the least.
See also Wikipedia: Sensory Processing Sensitivity.
I tried the Sony WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Noise-Canceling In-Ear Earphones also. They can’t hold a candle to the over-ear headphones for noise cancellation and I quickly have discomfort with in-ear things of any kind. Airpods—they’re a hit but that’s it—hipness is not performance.
I use them for mowing the lawn, long trips (Sprinter van is very noisy), noisy house stuff (vaccuum cleaner etc), inconsiderate neighbors, etc. How well something like the Apple Airpod Max would perform under similar conditions I don’t know. The Airpod Max are 75% more expensive and a lot heavier (384g vs 254g for the Sony WH-1000MX4). I’ll see about a loaner pair to test/compare.
UPDATE, initial impressions: just received—the Airpods Max definitely have better noise cancellation for some lower frequencies, such as a 20-year old IQAir air purifier with a particularly resonant droning sound. Yet on my lawn mower, the Sony’s might be slightly better, or at least as good. I find the Airpods Max less comfortable to wear and I am more conscious of them with movement that causes up/down inertial forces (eg walking), particulary on rough ground eg while lawn mowing. The top band in particular is quite annoying on my thin hair if not forced down (feels like something crawling). Also, wearing my closeup glasses for computer work, the Airpod Max cups are harder to work with. My initial take is that the Sony’s are more portable/compact and more comfortable, and just as good noise cancellation for some things, but less effective noise cancellation for lower frequency sounds. On a price baiss, the Sony’s are awesome. I’ll be comparing the two some more, but I’m not sold on the Airpod Max other than they are definitely better noise cancellation for some (and only some) sounds.
TIP: buy two pairs, one for car/travel/office, and one for home. Kids might also find them helpful for studying better.
John L writes:
Not an impulse purchase for me (too costly for that!). I got both (yes, it was the XM4), and listened for a few days, testing the noise cancellation particularly — wanted to go with the Sonys (price); never spent near this amount on a pair of headphones before.
(I’m mid-50s. Can still hear ‘subsonics’ — 20Hz — not sure if that’s the technical term — but have typical hearing loss at higher frequencies, ie 16kHz.)
AirPods Max are heavier, but comfortable for me — for hours of wearing. (Earpads more comfy than Sony’s.) YMMV of course.
My study is by a busy road — cut traffic noise superbly. Not my initial plan to wear them for desk work, but now I tend to, for hours — have been enjoying the quiet. Have worn them outside gardening; I’d offer to give the lawn a mow with a flymo (uk), but it’s not the season. I could try a power drill if you’d like. (Like the Sonys, they pass the running tap test with flying colours.) I take them off when it starts raining; I doubt they’re very water resistant. (They are at no risk of falling off when pruning, working on a ladder etc.) Worn around others watching tv etc; very easy to switch in and out of conversations by switching in and out of transparency.
So a real world ‘household’ and ‘general life’ test. Might be different wearing in a plane, etc.
Sony’s seemed to me very good at sound cancellation; but Apple somewhat better. (That’s what I meant by a ‘margin’; ie not by a large margin, but noticeable.) Wearing the AirPods just seemed that bit quieter. That difference might not have decided me; but add to that how much better transparency worked than the Sony's, and how effective that was for Zoom etc (I’ve been doing quite a lot of online stuff for work) or chatting for a moment in the kitchen and I was sold.
Plus — not mentioned before; volume wheel and physical button much preferable for me. And, if you’ve an iPhone and iPad — the switching between the different sound sources near seamless. Also a later discovery — really nicely tuned for a general audience listening, I think.
Reasons I can think of to prefer the Sonys: lighter, so may be more comfortable for some; may be more hard-wearing (show wear less?) by nature of the plastic (also catching things on the cans won’t be so disturbing, ie won’t generate so much noise); better to travel with (fold up smaller); they claim to run longer (though I’ve also heard that claim of 30 hours to be hopeful) — the AirPods seem to be giving something like 20 hours, though I’ve yet to run out as they charge quick; Sonys probably play better with bluetooth in general (just a guess).
No regrets to going with the AirPods; and I’m pretty cautious when it comes buying such (still using mid-2010 Mac Pro, now on High Sierra with CS6). I also do long distance riding; TCR, NC4000, PBP and stuff like that — so (?) I appreciate kit that works well.
I’d recommend you give the AirPods a go if you can get a loaner; their simple usability surprised me. Good Apple, not rotten Apple.
(Like you I can’t get on with in-ear AirPods — uncomfortable and impractical in my experience.)
DIGLLOYD: I’ve asked B&H if I can get the Apple Airpod Max for a loaner to try out an see.
at handlebars
David C writes:
Noise does more than screw up your cognitive abilities at the time, you get cumulative hearing damage that eventually shows itself when, like me, you discover you are reading lips to hear people talking. I don’t know if the damage is latent or if you just don’t notice as your hearing goes away, drip, drip, drip, but I have read that a single exposure to really loud noise may cause permanent damage. I worked in an underground gold mine for five years, so I got plenty; for instance a jackhammer is estimated to be around 130dBA, but that’s on the street, think of the same noise in a small room with stone walls (tunnel face) with a pneumatic rock drill that is a lot bigger than a typical street jackhammer. I wore foam plugs part of the time, but sometimes didn’t have time or inclination (yes stupid, youthful invincibility). all the “old” guys (40+!) at the mine were deaf.
One thing I find odd is most sources list a chainsaw at around 130dBA, but I don’t find them to be very loud. maybe it’s because my high frequency hearing ability is gone (spectrum matters).
An interesting bit of trivia, apparently a lot of older people in the US have become deaf in the left ear because, before AC, they rolled down the car window while driving.
I don’t wear hearing aids yet, mainly because the markup on them amounts to highway robbery (a device bought by millions of people that is mostly electronic shouldn’t cost $thousands). yeah, I know, this isn’t rational; maybe it’s due to hearing damage ;). I *do* wear plugs or headphones running the tractor, lawnmower, grinder, etc now, but too late.
“protect your ears!” is one bit of advice I’d give to all young people if I could; of course they wouldn’t listen.
If you can tolerate them give foam plugs a shot. they are useful sometimes because they are easy to carry, don’t interfere with your head movement and don’t lose their seal as easily by being bumped (e.g. when your head is in the bushes trimming a tree). plugs aren’t sensitive to your head shape, but the size of your ear canals may dictate which plugs will work.
DIGLLOYD: loud noise is bad news indeed.
When I mow the lawn, I use earplugs plugs the Sony noise canceling headphones. Foam earplugs can be risky—I've had way too many that don’t quite fully seat. I prefer the soft rubery ones, having ordered a number of different ones to find some that insert reliably and stay in.
Jeffrey J writes:
I purchased the latest version of the Sony in ear noise canceling earbuds. WF-1000MX3. I had a difficult time getting a proper seal even after trying several sizes of the ear buds.
They would seal for a bit then if I moved the seal would be lost.
Even when sealed the noise canceling was not as good as the over the ear WM-1000MX3’s. I ended up returning them. They must work for some because reviews are generally good. Just didn’t work for me.
DIGLLOYD: I also have hard-to-fit ear canals. I find that even earplugs cause me discomfort within an hour or so too, Apple earbuds are awful for me, etc. And they don’t work nearly as well as over-the-entire-ear solutions.
