Sony wf-1000xm4 Rant

[sh1fu]

First off sorry for my bad english and any possible spelling atrocities.

I own a pair of AirPods 3rd gen that I'm really happy with, especially the fit. You are probably wondering then why did you have to get a different pair?
Exactly and I don't even know the answer to that question myself.
But I did purchase a pair of Sony wf-100xm4. Why you ask??? Because every single reviewer out there says this are the best earbuds to own.
The ANC is out of this world , the sound quality is amazing......Perfect earbuds right?? NOPE and not even close, especially when considering a price tag of CAD452.33 (USD352.07).
Let's start with the fit. Not the worst earbuds but still a poor fit and no matter what tip I used, I can't get this things to feel comfortable. I did not experience any pain but I only used them for 30 minutes and that's all it took for me to realize this are not for me.

When it comes to the ANC it's good. Is it great ? No. My QC45 have better ANC for obvious reasons. I'm just mentioning the QC45 because if you think this earbuds are going to blow you away in the ANC department you will be wrong. Unless you have never tried ANC before on proper headset.

Sound quality ? lol??
Look do they sound better then the airpods 3rd gen? Perhaps. Although I find the airpods a little more crisp and that's probably do to the ANC on the Sony.
For 450$ this sound horrible. The biggest problem with this headset that made me return them is the bloody volume Sony. There is NO volume. Nada.
I have to have this things on 100% at all times. Is it an issue with IOS maybe they sound better on android?? I have no idea and I don't have an android phone to test them on.
I used spotify , Tidal , Apple Music. I tried all different kind of EQ and tweaked the sound in the sony connect app with preset that I got on other forums.
So either there's something wrong with my ears or evey single you tuber out there lies.


PS. I'm not even going into details on how cheap and flimsy the lid feels on the case.
If you google this earbuds you will actually find plenty of reddit posts claiming all the same issues I listed here.

BTW Since I can't return this at best buy, they only accept exchanges within 14 days on headsets. I bought this thinking I was going to be blown away and I'm not and I really don't want any other headsets but the airpods 3rd gen atm.
Since i have no choice what should I exchange them for ?? Beats fit pro , Bose QC earbuds or new Sennheiser momentum 3?
I'm leaning towards the M3?

Thanks for reading this rant lol.

 

[mavis]

Odd. My WF-1000XM4s sound great (particularly the really low-frequency bass) ... volume is fine, too (I usually keep it around 80%). I agree that the case lid feels a bit flimsy, and I also agree that the ANC isn't that great, at least compared to my AirPods Pro or my WF-1000XM3. And they aren't as comfortable as the AirPods Pro, by a long shot.

But sound quality and volume are fine. I wonder if yours are defective ... ?

 

[GrumpyCoder]

Let's start with the fit. Not the worst earbuds but still a poor fit and no matter what tip I used, I can't get this things to feel comfortable.

Then you bought the wrong ones. If they don't fit your ears and you can't get a proper seal, everything is affected and that includes ANC, the volume and sound quality. Have you tried custom tips? And yes, this is a common issue, not every IEM will fit in all ears. There are many people for which the AirPods don't work and fall out of their ears.

The biggest problem with this headset that made me return them is the bloody volume Sony.

BTW Since I can't return this at best buy, they only accept exchanges within 14 days on headsets.

Huh? You returned them but at the same time you can't return them?

Since i have no choice what should I exchange them for ?? Beats fit pro , Bose QC earbuds or new Sennheiser momentum 3?

Try before you buy or at least make sure you can return them, because you'll likely discover that many more IEMs won't fit your ear unless you go custom. I personally find the AirPods horrible, the AirPods Pro are much better, but still not the best for me personally.

If ANC is a major decision factor for you, then there's nothing better than over ear. Maybe that's an option for you. I personally use both, depending on situation.

 

[sh1fu]

Ok I was able to get a better fit using comply foam tips. I have to use a large for my right ears and a medium for my left.
One of the problems with the volume was spotify. When I tried Apple music the volume is much louder. I had the same song running on both apps and you can tell a huge difference between apple music and spotify.
I even tried Tidal and much louder then spotify.
Actually Tidal is what made me keep this headphones.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

XM4’s are terrible and any reputable headphone review site with freq graphs typically shows they are simply for bass heads who want ANC as well but when I owned them they were uncomfortable and muddy.

I own the Beats Fit Pro and enjoy them for working out but obviously more focused on bass although tastefully IMO. AirPods Pro or AirPods Max are probably your best bet as they have the most all around inoffensive sound but lack highs so depending on your style they are both more of a mids headphone.

If you’re willing to go wired then you get a lot more options and bang for your buck. I just received some Moondrop Katos and really dig the sound and use them as my reference IEMs when I can’t listen to my tower speakers.

 

[DeepIn2U]

First off sorry for my bad english and any possible spelling atrocities.

I own a pair of AirPods 3rd gen that I'm really happy with, especially the fit. You are probably wondering then why did you have to get a different pair?
Exactly and I don't even know the answer to that question myself.
But I did purchase a pair of Sony wf-100xm4. Why you ask??? Because every single reviewer out there says this are the best earbuds to own.
The ANC is out of this world , the sound quality is amazing......Perfect earbuds right?? NOPE and not even close, especially when considering a price tag of CAD452.33 (USD352.07).
Let's start with the fit. Not the worst earbuds but still a poor fit and no matter what tip I used, I can't get this things to feel comfortable. I did not experience any pain but I only used them for 30 minutes and that's all it took for me to realize this are not for me.

When it comes to the ANC it's good. Is it great ? No. My QC45 have better ANC for obvious reasons. I'm just mentioning the QC45 because if you think this earbuds are going to blow you away in the ANC department you will be wrong. Unless you have never tried ANC before on proper headset.

Sound quality ? lol??
Look do they sound better then the airpods 3rd gen? Perhaps. Although I find the airpods a little more crisp and that's probably do to the ANC on the Sony.
For 450$ this sound horrible. The biggest problem with this headset that made me return them is the bloody volume Sony. There is NO volume. Nada.
I have to have this things on 100% at all times. Is it an issue with IOS maybe they sound better on android?? I have no idea and I don't have an android phone to test them on.
I used spotify , Tidal , Apple Music. I tried all different kind of EQ and tweaked the sound in the sony connect app with preset that I got on other forums.
So either there's something wrong with my ears or evey single you tuber out there lies.


PS. I'm not even going into details on how cheap and flimsy the lid feels on the case.
If you google this earbuds you will actually find plenty of reddit posts claiming all the same issues I listed here.

BTW Since I can't return this at best buy, they only accept exchanges within 14 days on headsets. I bought this thinking I was going to be blown away and I'm not and I really don't want any other headsets but the airpods 3rd gen atm.
Since i have no choice what should I exchange them for ?? Beats fit pro , Bose QC earbuds or new Sennheiser momentum 3?
I'm leaning towards the M3?

Thanks for reading this rant lol.

I went through the swap between AirPods Pro’s and WF-1000XM3’s twice each back and forth (straight trades over Kijiji in Toronto). This happened across winter and fall about a year +.

Like you I read reviews of the Sony’s loved the ANC and bass fidelity compared to early builds of the AirPod Pro’s.

The kicker to me was the comfort. Forced in the ear so deep gave a really REALLY warm feeling like my ears feeling like overheating (made me feel like I had the flu).

Kept the AirPods Pro’s and up until last week loved them. Still do, but sold them after I picked up Beats Fit Pro’s.

I get the same sound quality, slightly better bass/mids/top 70-100% volume on the BFT’s but I loose the smaller case and Qi charging. The latter isn’t a big deal. They’re also cheaper and better fit to ‘stay’ in my tiny ears when cycling - it’s been years so I’m going full out this summer.

What was odd is the AirPod Pro’s have a larger retail box than the BeatsFit Pro’s, huh? Yup they do.

BFT stay magnetically in their case just as good as the AirPod Pro’s,
The wing tips will keep them in your ears. The only time I couldn’t keep the Pod’s in my ears is when going over bumps, sudden head turns while cycling (looking for cars behind me before changing lanes, turning streets or avoiding pot-holes , and taking off my sweater/shirt).

Note: I found I turn the AirPod Pro’s upwards to get best fit for my ears - stems point directly to my mouth, whereas the Beats Fit Pro’s turn the wing tips up and forward (turning down towards my face) to get best fit.

PS: Ambient Sound on the AirPod Pro’s is just about perfect and better/brighter/more open for your awareness than the Beats Fit Pro’s - odd because when excercising you NEED this on the latter more than the former. Moreover the Pro’s do this dynamically when you ear bus or car disc/air breaks screeching within 15-10 feet of you. I noticed this last fall as it wasn’t there and it happens even when you’re in ANC mode. By dynamically I don’t just mean it’s automatic, but say a you’re standing at a bus stop and the bus screeches while breaking from your left, the Left Pod goes ambient on the right will not unless you turn your head towards the bus then incrementally adjusting in timing and position of your head turning (slower = slow adjustment, fast then faster).

Advice: Get the Beats Fit Pro’s if you’re into working out, running or cycling or other sports, or get another AirPod Pro’s and use the extra credit from either choice done the road.

 

[Ralfi]

Ok I was able to get a better fit using comply foam tips. I have to use a large for my right ears and a medium for my left.
One of the problems with the volume was spotify. When I tried Apple music the volume is much louder. I had the same song running on both apps and you can tell a huge difference between apple music and spotify.
I even tried Tidal and much louder then spotify.
Actually Tidal is what made me keep this headphones.

’Audio Normalisation’ could’ve been turned on in Spotify, hence the lower volume. Check that next time.