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Sony has just released its latest WH-1000XM6 headphones for a whopping £399, but I am here to tell you that I think most people would be just as satisfied with an older pair of Sony headphones that cost less than half the price.
I still use the Sony WH-1000XM4, first released in 2020, and right now they are on sale from Amazon for £195.99, a tidy discount on their £229 RRP – though they were £350 at launch.
I appreciate that £195.99 is not exactly pocket change, and that these headphones came out five years ago, but they still serve me just as well today as when I got them. They are incredibly comfortable, with a lightweight rubberised plastic and easily adjustable headband that means I can wear them for hours at a time and not feel any pain (that’s not the case with plenty of rival over-ear headphones).
The noise cancellation is top notch, too. I’ve worn the XM4 on several long haul flights and happily enjoyed films, music and podcasts, as well as simply with no audio playing just to get some sleep. Sony says it has improved noise cancellation on 2022’s WH-1000XM5 and again with the new XM6, but I am more than satisfied with the XM4s still and see no reason to upgrade.
View the Sony WH-1000XM4 deal on Amazon
Sound quality is excellent, as you would hope from headphones with a prestigious reputation. Music is rich and vibrant with great levels and accurate reproduction. Sony includes the LDAC codec support, so they sound a smidge better with compatible phones and files, but any Bluetooth connection will be boosted nicely with the XM4s compared to lesser headphones. They don’t have aptX though, so aren’t quite Hi-Res compliant, if that’s what you’re after.
I love the design of the XM4s, not just for the comfort but because they have hinges in the arms so you can fold them away in the supplied carry case or so they are smaller inside your bag. The XM5 got rid of this design, but the XM6 brought it back, proving Sony had a winner in the first place with the XM4s.
Add to that touch controls on the earcups for controlling your tunes, multipoint connectivity so you can be connected simultaneously to two devices and an auto-pause feature that halts audio when you remove them, and you have a very complete set of headphones that haven’t been improved upon massively in five years.
If you really must have the latest headphones, and money is no object, the new Sony WH-1000XM6 will likely serve you well.
But at £195.99, the WH-1000XM4 are a superb deal. There are few other headphones l’d buy if I had £200 to spend, though I do also love the Bose QC45s, which Bose is currently selling refurbished for £179.95 – a great saving on the £319.95 RRP.
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