I'm Seeing a Lot of Negative Reviews around The Sony WH-1000XM4

Wonderstache on 29/03/2022 - 19:29
Last edited 30/03/2022 - 09:43

Hey OzB, I was looking at buying myself a new pair of wireless headphones and the recommended OzBargain choice is the Sony WH-1000XM4 by a long shot on their headphones poll.

When I went to Amazon AU's reviews section I noticed a lot of the top reviews were complaints about the "moisture build up" or "poor microphone quality".

I hadn't heard about any of these issues before so I thought I'd ask here to see if any owners of this pair have issues with them? And if so, what would be a better alternative pair of headphones to go for. (Even though I was really keen on getting the Sony's!).

Thanks!

EDIT: Thanks all for your shared thoughts and experiences, I ended up getting the Bose QuietComfort 45.

Electrical & Electronics Active Noise Cancelling Headphones Headphones Sony Wireless Headphones

Comments

  • Hybroid on 29/03/2022 - 19:36
    +1

    Poor mic quality is a definitely a common thing with Sony headphones. Don't buy these for frequent calling.

    The comfort and fit will either be perfect for you or not suit you at all. Some prefer the Bose fit, some swear by the Sony. Depends. I really like the Sony personally.

    Rest is perfectly fine, they're great audio quality and noise cancelling is up there as one of best. Great for long plane journeys.

    • Wonderstache on 29/03/2022 - 19:44

      Thanks for that, I'm coming from a pair of old Sennheisers and I may use the microphone occasionally - is there an alternative pair of headphones that are similar that have a good microphone that you may be aware of?

      • Hybroid on 29/03/2022 - 19:47

        I swap to AirPods Pro for calls which are always in my pocket so don't see it as a massive issue.

        Don't think you'll find an all-in-one for a reasonable budget.

        • tomlikesbeetroot on 30/03/2022 - 00:09
          +1

          Hard to judge as I can't hear my own microphone, but I used to get a lot of complaints from others when using my airpods pro for calls/zoom, now using WH-1000XM4 and noone ever complains.

  • Mokr on 29/03/2022 - 19:42

    Look at a YouTube review. You got to realise lots of people are very picky about items. Or try it on at JB hi Fi.

    • Wonderstache on 29/03/2022 - 19:43
      +1

      Hey yeah I've already watched a few YouTube reviews but it seems the reviewers don't wear them enough to notice some of the mentioned issues.

      • Kangal on 29/03/2022 - 22:23

        The XM4's are great. The mic is improved over the XM3, but still sucks. The Bose QC are slightly more comfortable, but it also has a crap mic (also costs more). You can use them in the gym/exercise but need to be a little cautious.

        Apple AirPod Max is better than both, but costs about x5 higher. It's not worth it.

  • arbpotatoes on 29/03/2022 - 19:46
    +1

    They aren't suitable for exercise and the mic isn't fantastic. I went with the XM3, they've suited my needs fine and I do use them for conference calls.

    • Wonderstache on 29/03/2022 - 20:00

      Yeah I wouldn't be using them for exercise, just desk use. Are the XM3 better overall? It's just a lot of $$$ for a pair haha.

      • Mokr on 29/03/2022 - 20:19

        Try the Bose comfort. Feels so much more comfortable

  • [Deactivated] on 29/03/2022 - 19:54

    They sound pretty good, not much experience with old models though. I personally find them annoying when gaming though, could just be my Windows setup, but a lot of time the mic doesn't work and I have disconnect and reconnecting until they decide to work. And yes i know how to change Windows settings.

    • Wonderstache on 29/03/2022 - 20:00

      Oh man that's annoying as, I was hoping with the whole 'multi device' feature I could possibly replace my PC gaming headphones with these too..

      • [Deactivated] on 19/04/2022 - 18:57

        The mic doesn't work over bluetooth for pc gaming. I don't think any regular headsets do offer that.

  • GeeDee on 29/03/2022 - 20:05
    +1

    I have the XM3s. Microphone is great for calls unless you're outside in the wind. Then they are unusable.

  • boomramada on 29/03/2022 - 20:19

    Xm3 is old, most of the reviews are based when they newly came out. They had few updates since then. Mic works good although I don't use it much.
    Only negative is not the perfect fit on my ears. I think Xm4 would fit better based on the design.

  • Jenus on 29/03/2022 - 20:21

    Moisture build up is real. I had that issue with XM3's and it causes corrosion of the wires inside. I opened it up after prolonged use (at home, not exercising) and it was wet inside. Probably due to lack of ventilation.

    What happens after a while is that you may start hearing a waterfall like sound that comes on and off as water accumulates and runs off the wires.

    Went to Sony and they said it's a user problem and refused to replace it. Owners of XM4 have the same issue.

    So I bought some absorbent pads from Woolies, cut them down to fit inside the cups and havent had the same issue since. Not too sure if sound quality is impacted.

    Great headphones, inconsistent customer service globally and can be very very poor for what is a premium set of headphones. Do yourself a favour and get a Bose. That would be my choice when I next decide to splurge.

    • Wonderstache on 29/03/2022 - 20:24

      Thanks for sharing your experience, it's unfortunate this is so common in such a pricey pair. Would you happen to know what Bose headphones you would be looking at next?

  • tonyjzx on 29/03/2022 - 20:24

    this to me is an amazing thing

    its not like as if headphones are a new thing… and sony has no excuse given their brand name and engineering expertise (such as it is)

    and given the price too

    there should be no issues

    i mean i have two pairs of B&Ws and they're quality wise perfect

    and at this price i would expect it

  • Benoffie on 29/03/2022 - 21:07

    I'm on my 3rd pair. Not from any failure but because family members keep stealing them…
    Didn't buy them for the mic. Does anyone?

    As for moisture, never had the problem. Wear time can be up to 10 hours. I always store them in their case.

  • DR-JEKL on 29/03/2022 - 21:07

    Ahh this is rather timely I got my XM4 OTE headphones back from my 2nd warranty claim in 3 months. First time they wouldnt charge up, sony sent them back promptly and had stated loose wire socket or something then 2 months later they wouldnt charge noticed teh chage port was melted and the supplied usb c cable was charred!?!? I never had an issue with my phone and never have water around but I do wear them when working and walking (obviously been humid past few months!) They repaired under warranty but have explictdly stated they will not warrant them again i need to take better care of them!!

  • Noire on 30/03/2022 - 04:18

    As someone with q35 and xm3, I would recommend going with the bose instead. Which has good ANC not as good as sony but the comfort and breathability are much better.

    • Wonderstache on 30/03/2022 - 09:44

      Thanks mate, ended up going for the Bose QuietComfort 45

      • burningrage on 30/03/2022 - 22:18

        Looking into this too until I realize none of Bose Headphones support Aptx!!!!

  • lint on 30/03/2022 - 10:36

    I have the XM3 and I never know when the person on the other end can hear me so whenever I take a phone call, I take them off and just answer on my iPhone. I thought one of the XM4's improvements were better mic performance, but I guess it's still subpar.

    Apart from that, all good and I'd still get the XM4 if I was on the market for over ear headphones today.

  • SRdi on 30/03/2022 - 19:10

    I use my XM4 to call my partner sometimes and she can hear me almost always but the mics pick up background noise as well so if I'm walking along a main road and cars are just flying by I become difficult to hear !!

  • FiveDarrah on 05/04/2022 - 10:24

    XM4 noise cancelling is very good. To address your two points - mic is bad as everyone has already said, it is there if you need it but shouldn't be the primary mic. This can cause issues with software however, where it may auto switch to the headphones mic.

    I still need to fix that with discord - it auto mutes all other audio sources for some reason e.g. watching a youtube video then joining discord will mute the video.

    Second issue of breathability - i have no problem with it. I have worn it for 2-3 hours at a time (so far) and didn't feel like I needed a break. It is more comfortable than expected to me. I am coming from mainly using large open backed headphones which are unbeatable for breathability and comfort (as it's literally open for airflow).

    It's hard to say if it's better than bose, I steered away from bose for various reasons, comfort would not sway me as comfort is already good on the sony.

    Last thing I want to say is I had a terrible time pairing to my windows PC. The onboard BT on one of my PCs just couldnt not keep it paired for some reason, its a brand new modern mobo too. BT dongles are cheap though (around $10 for all the latest standards).

    If you're really unsure, buy a pair of second hand sony or bose units. Sell if you're unhappy.

  • shraky on 05/05/2022 - 13:27

    I bought my XM4 from Sony ebay seconds store and it died within 1 year although I didn't cause any damage and even hardly used it. Sony told me charging port has corrosion damage and refused to repair it under warranty. I brought up to Fair Trading couldn't help and now escalate to tribunal. I have my Bose from 2016 and use it almost everyday without problem. If you want peace of mind don't touch Sony.

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