Product test
Sony WH-1000XM4 Review: What can the best noise-cancelling headphones do?
by Livia Gamper
Sony WF-1000XM3: Loud, quiet and almost perfect
31.7.2019
Sony's new wireless in-ear headphones are equipped with convincing noise cancelling. I tested the WF-1000XM3 for a week and can say that the buds are almost unimpeachably good.
Open the box, take out the transport case, connect quickly via NFC, select the right ear pads and switch on the music. And everything else off. The WF-1000XM3's active noise cancelling impressed me right from the start.
I first tested Sony's noise cancelling system in the office. The noise level in the digitec editorial team is usually too high. Everyone often talks over each other. And preferably across the office. At one of those moments when my work colleagues have to talk over my head about something really important, I receive the Sony WF-1000XM3 from our Category Management for testing. The headphones are a blessing.
Next to me, my colleague Dominik Bärlocher is banging on his desk top for some reason. I can feel the slight vibration. I can't hear anything. That's how it is with the WF-1000XM3 - I just listen to music. When my colleagues leave for the evening, I don't notice a thing. Apparently they said goodbye to me five times.
The sound that pleases
In addition to the noise reduction, I think the sound of the WF-1000XM3 is pretty great. Even when I only listen to music at half volume, the headphones still have a lot of punch - that's how it should be.
Next, I listen to Miracle by the Scottish electropop band Chvrches. Their singer has a very high voice. I'm curious to see how the WF will bring it out.
I quickly realise that the headphones produce a very powerful sound despite this high-pitched voice. The highs are no problem. Nothing overlaps. The synthesiser sounds very full and powerful. As soon as the drums kick in, however, I'm a little surprised. The sound is quite deep here, but not yet muffled. The bass is strong.
Functions that work
The predecessor, the WF-1000X, which came onto the market around two years ago, was much criticised. Connection problems and latency when watching videos made headphone owners angry.
In contrast to the previous model, the two buds are now connected to the smartphone independently. Both earbuds process the signal autonomously. And that works. In my entire test period of one week, I didn't lose the connection or have a dropout once.
I used the headphones a lot on the train. I didn't notice any latency, as was the case with the predecessor. The WF played back the sound to the video without any delay for me.
However, some of my colleagues have complained about the call quality when I'm on the phone. Especially when I was on the phone outdoors with the buds, I got feedback several times that I sounded very choppy. However, nobody complained when making calls indoors.
The customisable noise cancelling
There aren't many in-ear headphones that come without a cable and with active noise cancelling. And with most of them, you can't adjust the noise cancelling much. And if you do, it lets too much ambient noise through. This is not the case with the WF-1000XM3. And the noise cancelling can be adjusted to a full twenty levels.
In addition to the twenty levels, there is also a wind noise reduction mode. This mode has proven to be very practical with a fan on the table. Without the wind reduction, the headphones do make quite a lot of noise. The mode is certainly also practical in windy weather. Or if you're planning to go cycling with the headphones on.
As with their big brother, the WH-1000XM3 over-ear headphones, they also feature adaptive noise control. This control system uses the sensors on the headphones and smartphone to determine whether you are moving or sitting somewhere and adjusts the sound accordingly. However, every time you make an adjustment, a short beep sounds and the music pauses - if you move around a lot, this can be annoying in the long run.
In the city, the function saves you from being run over by a tram. Otherwise, I preferred to use the WF in noise-cancelling mode. I didn't particularly like the mix between the ambient noise that you hear via the microphone. Not only because I prefer to just listen to music, but also because the noises sounded artificial and more distant to me than they actually are.
Battery, fit and scope of delivery: Fits
If you listen with ANC, the buds have six hours of juice according to Sony. In my case, the right Bud switched off after 5 hours and 45 minutes, the left one after 6 hours and 3 minutes.
Sony provides you with three different foam ear tips and four different silicone ones. The supplied charging cable is very short - but most people have a USB-C cable lying around somewhere at home anyway.
The two buds fit very well in my ears. They never fell out. Even after listening to music for a long time, my ears didn't hurt, even though the buds sit firmly in my ears. However, the bean-shaped dividers do protrude quite generously from the ears. That's not so pretty.
This could be better
Noise cancelling, sound and functions are good on the MF. However, there are a few points that Sony could improve. I think it's a shame that the WF-1000XMR3 is not waterproof. Nor is it sweatproof. This means you shouldn't take it jogging or to the gym. Unless you're sure you won't sweat in your ears. Too bad, because they would actually be suitable as sports headphones.
Sony has its own high-res audio codec for Bluetooth transmission. The standard is called LDAC. Actually a great thing. Especially for people who don't just want to stream their music from Spotify at a low bit rate, but want to listen to their music in high quality. The problem is that the WF-1000XM3 does not support this standard. And neither does Aptx, the Bluetooth codec from Android.
I often missed the option of being able to adjust the volume on the headphones themselves. Unfortunately, this is only possible on the mobile with the WF.
Conclusion: Recommended for almost everyone
The WF-1000XM3 is convincing. It can do the most important things: play music in tune and keep noise out. The noise cancelling in particular is overwhelming, especially for in-ear headphones. The operation is good and the functions work. But there are a few small details missing that would make the WF perfect.
However, Sony has taken the feedback about the rather poor predecessor model seriously and has now improved these points. The WF has no problems that bother me when listening to music.
The WF will probably not be good enough for audiophiles - but these people are not the target group for these headphones. It's for those who want peace and quiet when commuting and simply want to take the headphones with them. And the WF is perfect for that.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.
