In that time and space background, it has good acoustic performance, connectivity and stability, and has reached the basic level at that time. Coupled with a series of technical blessings in that year, WF- 1000XM3 can be regarded as Sony's best true wireless noise-reducing headphones in terms of performance, experience and performance.
In addition, its appearance laid the foundation and specification of Sony's true wireless products, so it was not only Sony's flagship, but also a new benchmark for Sony's true wireless at that time. Simply put:
So, what about WF- 1000XM4 two years later?
After two years of tempering and evolution, WF- 1000XM4 further enriched the fuselage and improved the wearing stability. With the addition of a new generation of processor V 1 and a brand-new 6mm unit equipped with a highly flexible diaphragm, the transmission performance, noise reduction performance and playback performance of WF- 1000XM4 have all jumped to a new level, from the previous generation flagship to the new generation flagship.
In the past, we may need to add a Sony in front of the strongest WF- 1000XM3, but now WF- 1000XM4 can finally be confident and get rid of Sony:
Enrich, evolve
To say the appearance of WF- 1000XM4, "richness" is a key word.
This keyword starts with packaging and charging boxes.
The new generation of charging boxes, like packaging, are designed with extremely small specifications.
The package is just a small box in the form of a simple "heaven and earth box", with accessories hidden at the bottom and an earphone charging box in the middle.
After further volume compression, the WF- 1000XM4 charging box is now similar to AirPods Pro, but much smaller than WF- 1000XM3, and it is not a big problem to easily fit into the pocket of skinny jeans.
Originally, we thought Sony was forced to give up the slimming plan of WF- 1000XM3 because of the battery. But I didn't expect that this was not a compromise of Sony. They just left as much room for improvement as the previous generation boxes.
Yes, the charging box of WF- 1000XM4 can not only maintain the battery life of 16 to 24 hours, but also increase the function of wireless charging, and the progress can be imagined.
However, unlike the previous idea, the wireless charging module of WF- 1000XM4 is placed at the bottom of the earphone charging box. The compact charging box design, coupled with the upright shape, actually looks quite exquisite.
Because the space of the charging box is further compressed, the position in the box is also relatively compact.
Fortunately, headphones are easy to get in and out. The magnetic attraction structure of the WF- 1000XM4 charging box is also safe, so it can be placed casually. In fact, it can also attract stably and can be used without too high precision.
Like the charging box, the body of WF- 1000XM4 earphone is also greatly slimmed down. WF- 1000XM3, chubby oval three-point support design, has now become a round body that is more convenient to wear in the ear, and the mode of adjusting the wearing direction is much more convenient than before.
After putting on the new style, the center of gravity of the earphone will be inward than before, and the probability of falling due to weight and external pressure will be lower. Personally, I think the stability of wearing is much better than that of the previous generation.
There is little difference in wearing experience. Personally, I feel a little more stable than WF- 1000XM3, and my fullness will be stronger when I wear it. For a deep ear lover who is used to IER-M9, XBA-Z5 and XBA-A3, the experience should be better.
The default rubber plug of headphones has also become a memory sponge plug, and the wearing feeling will be a little different from that of WF- 1000XM3 with rubber plug before. Old users who have not replaced the memory sponge should also adapt to their own size.
Back to the earphone design, after the fuselage compressed the space, the extra space was gone, and now the whole earphone is surrounded by a touchpad. Compared with before, I still need to find the status of the touch version. Now you can touch it directly.
In appearance, most of the updates of WF- 1000XM4 mainly focus on.
The smaller fuselage and lighter weight reduce the wear pressure and improve the stability of this external fixed structure design. Headphones are closer to the ears than before, and the sense of security in wearing them has also improved a lot. Compared with some unsafe WF- 1000XM3, the progress in experience is still obvious.
In addition, WF- 1000XM4 can achieve a longer battery life, and the configuration of the microphone of the call station is richer than before ... These things are superimposed, and it is not difficult to see the skill behind Sony.
Fully functional evolution
In terms of configuration and technical upgrade, WF- 1000XM4 focuses on the optimization of transmission and experience details.
transmit
In terms of transmission, WF- 1000XM4 supports Bluetooth 5.2, and the transmission code is directly added to LDAC on the basis of SBC and AAC, reaching the standard of 202 1 flagship true wireless noise-reducing earphone.
With the addition of LDAC, WF- 1000XM4 can lossless transmit 24-bit Hi-RES high-resolution lossless audio, and finally can fully understand the previous 24-bit audio decoding support. A good sound foundation is also good for improving hearing.
After the transmission specification is improved, I believe many people will be concerned about the stability of headphones.
In fact, WF- 1000XM4 can be connected to Android phones and Walkman stably in LDAC mode, and there will be no obvious disconnection problem when it is used in the street.
WF- 1000XM4 doesn't feel the delay when watching videos and playing games such as Tomorrow's Ark on the mobile phone. If Call of Duty requires more sound, WF- 1000XM4 also performs well, and the stability can be maintained, and the delay perception is not obvious.
In addition, the core update of WF- 1000XM4 is the replacement of integrated processor V 1. This integrated processor has obvious improvement in power control and processing performance.
Noise reduction performance and function
Functionally, the improvement of WF- 1000XM4 is mainly due to the increase of AI function, which is mostly related to noise reduction and daily use.
In noise reduction, V 1 inherits the noise reduction performance brought by QN1E. In terms of overall noise reduction performance, the noise reduction intensity of WF- 1000XM4 is enough to deal with most scenes.
In a relatively quiet office environment, WF- 1000XM4 has no problem at all. In order to increase the difficulty, I also chose a coffee shop with a more complicated sound environment when I experienced it.
Facing the coffee shop with background music, WF- 1000XM4 can still suppress the sound in the environment. Mechanical noises such as fans and air conditioners are natural, and the influence of background music is much less. Even if music is not turned on, the environmental sound has little influence on people and can improve concentration.
Compared with WF- 1000XM3, WF- 1000XM4 has better noise control, and pure noise reduction will sound cleaner than the previous generation. The upgrade here is also similar to the update of WH- 1000xm3 series. Coupled with the higher noise reduction depth than the previous generation, WF- 1000XM4 is really much quieter when used outdoors.
In the street or other public * * * environments, WF- 1000XM4 actually performs very well, and there is not much problem in the "isolation" of the external environment sound, which can minimize the driving sound of the surrounding cars. When listening to songs in the street, it is relatively pure, WF- 1000XM4 can meet all requirements, and the advantage of noise reduction depth can also be experienced here.
However, it is not safe to use the most advanced noise reduction directly when walking on the road. In this case, WF- 1000XM4 can not only adjust the noise reduction level through the connection of Sony headphones, but also directly touch the left fuselage to switch to the ambient sound mode.
The response speed of switching is also relatively fast, and at this stage, under the demand of touch accuracy, there are not many accidental touches, and it feels good to use.
In terms of the listening sense of ambient sound, Sony further optimized WF- 1000XM4, which will make the sound more natural and reduce the relatively abrupt microphone sense of previous WF- 1000XM3 and contemporary products.
In terms of noise reduction function, WF- 1000XM4 also supports 20 levels of noise reduction adjustment, and also adds the adjustment function of "automatic wind noise reduction". WH- 1000XM4 also provides an optimized automatic call-free function, with the emphasis on optimizing the experience.
These small updates can be found on the Sony headset connection, and Walkman rejoined the Android formation. I feel that it is quite friendly to use WF- 1000XM4 on mobile phones and players.
In addition, V 1 brings more significant power consumption reduction. The battery life of WF- 1000XM4 headphones is improved from the battery life mode of WF- 1000XM3, in which noise reduction is 6 hours, 8 hours and 12 hours. With the charging box that can provide two charges, it can reduce noise for 24 hours.
Communicate by telephone
For WF- 1000XM4, calling is also an important update point.
In terms of configuration, WF- 1000XM4 added bone conduction sensor and microphone beamforming this time, which can further improve the accuracy of earphone reception. If you speak in a noisy environment or use a voice assistant, the noise will not have a great impact.
Similarly, I chose to test the calling function of WF- 1000XM4 at the bus station.
During the experience, I found that WF- 1000XM4 can ensure the wearer's voice to be clear even if there are bus stop signs and the sounds of various vehicles around. Coupled with its own improvement in noise reduction effect, compared with WF- 1000XM3 without these two new technologies, WF- 1000XM4 has a much better call experience.
Voice assistants are also used at ordinary times. If the voice assistant is started on the road, WF- 1000XM4 sends voice instructions, and the recognition situation is quite high. As long as the dialogue is standard, even on the noisy roadside, you can easily control your mobile phone by using a voice assistant through headphones.
In this part of the function, I feel that Sony is still relatively stable and meticulous.
The improvement of endurance and transmission performance brought by V 1 is of course important. On this basis, Sony further optimized the functional experience, added the function of enhancing the user experience, and made the overall performance more comprehensive.
During the experience, the microphone with bone conduction sensor can improve the radio reception effect, and the ambient sound becomes more natural when the noise reduction depth increases. In addition, I think the performance of WF- 1000XM4 is more perfect than that of the previous generation.
Experience it, just like the evolution from WH- 1000XM3 to WH- 1000XM4.
Better sound, better foundation.
As mentioned above, WF- 1000XM4 already supports LDAC, so it is no problem to eat 24-24bit 96kHz high resolution now.
The new generation chip V 1 also supports the advanced version of DSEE Extreme Digital Sound Enhancement Engine. In the face of audio with insufficient specifications, Edge-AI technology can also be used to improve the playback performance.
In addition to transmission, WF- 1000XM4 also uses a new generation of 6mm units. This time, the new unit uses a highly flexible diaphragm, and Sony officials said that this new combination will bring about overall improvement.
In the actual sense of hearing, WF- 1000XM4 has indeed made remarkable progress:
(Singer: Chen Baiyu | Album: 53FPS》| Play: NW-ZX505 local play | Specification 24bit 44. 1kHz | Connection: LDAC)
Compared with the previous generation, the sound of WF- 1000XM4 will have a higher degree of completion. With the addition of LDAC, the amount of sound information has been greatly improved, and some details that were originally lost during high compression transmission can also be distinguished.
WF- 1000XM4 equipped with new unit has a good performance in sound resolution. Especially when listening carefully to the singer's singing details, WF- 1000XM4 can be interpreted more prominently. The separation of human voice and background is also done well, and there will be no confusion.
The overall style is still Sony's original refreshing feeling. The output and elasticity of the drum are basically enough, and the low frequency environment is also good. Although there will be no heavy package, it will not make you feel obviously dry.
Guitar like Pure White, combined with Jason's deductive collection, can also support the thickness of sound. Coupled with this cleaner noise reduction function, the whole somatosensory experience is quite good.
Especially in my song list, most of them are songs of Sony Music Entertainment Hong Kong Star, so it is more appropriate to listen to them with WF- 1000XM4. (Laughter.
Initial expectations, the best choice
Back to the original conclusion, WF- 1000XM4 is the best true wireless headset in terms of positioning, specifications and functional performance.
In this specification, it is difficult to determine by visual inspection.
In terms of configuration, the new generation of chips and new generation of units have laid the foundation for two important elements, noise reduction and listening, and ensured the output quality. Sony's optimization in details has also become more proficient after it was adjusted from WH- 1000XM3 to WH- 1000XM4. It is not surprising that WF- 1000XM4 has a good performance in polishing function.
If WF- 1000XM3 is Sony's original destination, then it is what Sony's real wireless noise-reducing headphones should look like at first.
Then WF- 1000XM4, which integrates LDAC, new units, new chips and new functions, is the response to our initial expectation. It is the best appearance of Sony true wireless noise reduction headphones at this stage, and it is also the flagship of true wireless noise reduction that is most worth starting.