Best Headphones
Browse by budget and use
Sony WH-1000XM4

#2 overall · wireless ANC over-ear · counts updated Oct 2026

Sony WH-1000XM4

Ranked #2 of 31: 133 people recommend it and 196 say they own it. Most repeated praise: By far the most-recommended commuting headphone: 14 separate owners in one 2025 ResetEra thread alone. Most repeated complaint: Bulky and warm on the ears; one owner found the clamp uncomfortable and the ANC weak.

Recommended for daily commuting on trains and buses by people who want one headphone that does everything.

CommuteNoise cancellingBatteryWireless (for commuting)
People who recommend it
133
Say they own it
196
Mentions
1,151
Posts read
5,008
Check price on Amazon · $298

Price when checked (Sep 2026): $298. Sale range owners mention: $130-250. Sony's own store listed $349.99 for the original XM4; Amazon listed a newer WH-1000XM4C revision at $298 on the check date.

What owners love

4
  • By far the most-recommended commuting headphone: 14 separate owners in one 2025 ResetEra thread alone
  • Strong noise cancelling, long battery, folds flat
  • Regularly on sale for $130-250, and owners say it is still the value pick over the XM5 and XM6
  • Works wired too; the XM4 is the last of the line that folds

The complaints

3
  • Bulky and warm on the ears; one owner found the clamp uncomfortable and the ANC weak
  • Sony's default EQ is a little V-shaped (boosted bass and treble)
  • Some units develop a faint white noise; touch controls can be fussy

Where owners disagree

Sony versus Bose is the eternal split: Sony for sound and battery, Bose for comfort and slightly stronger noise cancelling.

The 21 sources

Every thread and video these notes come from.

Owner = the person says they use it. Recommendation = passed on without saying so. Dates are when the thread or video was posted.

Recommended for

Compared with

The headphones people weigh against this one most often, counted from comments that name both.

Back to the leaderboard