Sony WH-1000XM4C: At a glance

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The Sony WH-1000XM4 were long the dominant headphones on recommendation lists, laudatory Reddit threads, and TikTok FYPs, so it’s no surprise that six years and two flagship releases later, the audio brand decided to take another crack at the older headphones.

Thus, the release of the Sony WH-1000XM4C (2nd gen). What this (slightly confusing) name imparts is that this is not Sony’s latest flagship headphones, but a second generation of the original XM4 flagships. The price reflects a similar story: at $299.99, they’re significantly cheaper than the current flagship pair, the $459.99 Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.

So what improvements were made, and how do they stack up to Sony’s pricier models? I spent two weeks testing out the headphones to find out.

The Sony XM4C come with much of the same interior tech as the first generation XM4 headphones, with major upgrades in the audio department. The spec rundown is as follows:

Equalizer: 10-band custom equalizer on companion app

Multipoint: Connect up to two devices at once

The concept behind these headphones is same beloved shell, slightly better interior specs. Most notably, that comes through in the sound profile, which resembles more closely that of the WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6 headphones, which results in a more detailed and rich sound out of the box.

Powering up the companion app also results in more fine-tuning, with the addition of a 10-band equalizer, compared to the five-band equalizer found in the first generation headphones. The equalizer presets now also include a gaming option, making these an overall more versatile pair of headphones. Whether I was enjoying the spooky season with my favorite fishing sim, playing jazz standards, listening to live rock performances, or listening to a podcast, these headphones delivered on a solid performance. While it never felt exceptional, it was the type of all-around experience you’d hope for at this price point.

As for the design, I’ll keep it brief as it is essentially the XM4 headphones repackaged. That is to say, it’s excellent — comfortable, yet compact and easy enough to throw into my purse and take on the go. While it’s completely free of metal accents or anything particularly fancy, the lower-profile ear cups and cushioning comfortable enough for several hours of wear just make them feel like a classic pair of headphones. I could easily see these being one of my top choices to bring while traveling.

The XM4 active noise cancellation remains competitive even in the current headphone landscape, which maybe explains Sony’s decision to keep the ANC tech the exact same: a QN1 processor with four microphones. I can’t help but see that as a bit of a wasted opportunity.

Worse, though, is the small step back they took with the battery life. These headphones hold 27 hours of charge, compared to the first generation’s 30 hours. It’s not a huge difference, but with six years between pairs, it’s not unfair to hope for no regression in the tech.

Before the release of the XM4C headphones, the XM4 headphones could frequently be found on sale for $230 to $198. Sure, their sound tech wasn’t quite as up to date, but that’s a hard price point to beat. The cynic in me can see a world where Sony is grabbing at a little more cash, while framing this new generation as a more affordable alternative when one already existed in the cheaper XM4 headphones.

The optimist, however, does appreciate Sony paying attention to the popularity of the older model over newer releases, and doing some light revamping to upgrade the headphones for the current market. The result is a really well-rounded pair of headphones that stands on its own among other pairs — and it’s still $60 cheaper than Bose’s mid-range release. Maybe more than anything, these headphones demonstrate that, year over year, headphone tech has only improved so much. The old XM4s held up — it’s natural that these changes could have only been incremental while keeping costs low in a time with rising tech prices.

In other words, these headphones are a solid value for anyone looking for an all-around workhorse to last them for years, without breaking the bank. And with impending Black Friday sales, there’s always a chance they’ll become even more of a steal.

I spent two weeks using the Sony WH-1000XM4C as my daily driver headphones. Specifically, I tested them in the following categories:

Sound quality: When using the headphones, I listen to a variety of genres, from pop classics and live rock to jazz standards and electronic music. I also listen to podcasts, movie scenes, and video games to use the headphones in as wide a variety of scenarios as possible. I’ll listen in different environments, too, from my quiet apartment to noisy cafes.

Active noise cancellation: Similar to my sound quality tests, I take headphones to as many different noise levels as possible when testing them out. This pair in particular got rounds of testing in a louder apartment surrounded by a loud gamer and aspiring DJ, my own work from home space that’s connected to my living room and kitchen (and my roommate’s coexistence), my local library, on a busier street in my town, and of course, a crowded cafe.

Design: In addition to general observations of comfort and aesthetics, I also look at how well the headphones’ design matches their intended purpose. As a model of headphones targeted toward students and frequent travelers, I made sure these headphones were relatively rugged (i.e., could be thrown in a bag without a case), compact, and easy to take on the go.

Value: I evaluated how all of the above factor into the price point of these headphones, while zooming out and comparing them to similarly performing headphones.

Learn more about how Mashable tests headphones and earbuds.

Bethany Allard is a Los Angeles-based shopping reporter at Mashable covering beauty tech, dating, sex and relationships, and headphones. That basically means she puts her hair through a lot, scrolls through a lot of dating apps, and rotates through a lot of different headphones. In addition to testing out and rounding up the best products, she also covers deals for Mashable, paying an especially obsessive amount of attention to Apple deals and prices. That knowledge comes in handy when she’s covering shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, which she’s now done for three years at Mashable.