Bluetooth – Most upscale Sony headphone designs will include the latest version of this wireless audio standard. This means that they will be capable of linking seamlessly with other audio devices (provided they are also Bluetooth-enabled). So, you can sync your headphones up with stereos, gaming consoles, and digital audio players with ease. Historically, this has been associated with longer charge times, but this isn't necessarily the case any more. More recent Sony devices can balance wireless connectivity with easy charging and battery times – but this definitely falls off with cheaper models. So if you do want hassle-free wireless audio, it's often worth exploring high-end designs. The final design change of note comes in the form of an IPX4 rating. This means the WF-1000XM4 can withstand water splashes from any direction so they’re a much better choice than the WF-1000XM3, which had no such protection, for trips to the gym and listening in all weather.

A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control Profile), HSP (Headset Profile), HFP (Hands Free Profile) We tested them on someone who finds a lot of headphones too uncomfortable to wear for long periods, these they could actually live with. They also fold up very neatly ( unlike the new Bose NC700) , and come with a smart fabric case for travelling. All that effort has paid off, because the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones offer a clear sonic upgrade over the preceding pair, to the extent that the M2s, which we loved at the time, sound closed-in and almost dull by comparison. There’s also a handy Personal NC Optimizer function, which analyses the shape of your head and detects if you’re wearing glasses or if you have big hair. The headphones cater the noise cancellation to you by playing a series of test tones and working out what’s happening around your ears. In 2016, Sony’s MDR-1000X came out of left-field to challenge Bose’s dominance in over-ear noise-cancelling wireless headphones. They proved a big success and a solid rival to the finest wireless headphones Bose offered.The Sony WH-1000XM3 comes with a generous selection of extras. You get a semi-hard, fabric-covered case, 3.5mm analogue and USB charging cables, and a double-pronged airline adapter. When Sony created the XM3, it got the recipe spot on. At the time, they were as close to a perfect pair of noise-cancellers as one could find. Today, they're still great all-rounders and a superb buy for the money. By default the NC is turned up to maximum, but you can tweak this in the app. Even better, the headphones work with the motion sensors in your phone, and can offer different levels of NC depending on whether you’re sitting still, walking, running or commuting. While it will connect with each of my computers etc, it refuses to connect to my partner's MacBook Pro even when its little blue light is flashing indicating it is pairing mode - it just doesn't appear in the list of nearby devices. Have given up trying to get a connection.

One of the WF-1000XM4’s most useful features is Speak-to-Chat. It debuted in the over-ear WH-1000XM4 and works in exactly the same manner here. When toggled on in the Headphones Connect app, it automatically pauses your music and cranks ambient sound right up whenever it detects your voice, allowing you to have a conversation without taking the buds out of your ears. I have had the WH-1000XM3 for over a year now. Was initially disappointed with the sound - it felt muffled - but have got used to it or maybe I have managed to tweak the equaliser settings to find ones I like more. There’s a comprehensive list of core features, too, including Google Assistant support, rapid charging and Sony’s QN1 chip, which brings together a digital-analogue converter (DAC), noise cancelling control and an analogue amplification on one chip. the touch controls are good, but if you are in wired mode (eg sitting on a plane for 14 hours plugged into their movies) then they no longer work. They only one that does work is putting your hand over the RH cup to mute the sound. Physical buttons would have been better, but how old fashioned.The WH1000XM3 also adapts noise cancellation automatically for your current activity, cleverly, and this is genuinely useful – it lets in a little bit of nearby traffic noise when you’re walking in town, or chatter directed at you when in an office. You can tweak each one for preference, or turn it off. Following in the footsteps of two previous 1000X models, the Sony WH-1000XM3 were the company's flagship headphones before the XM4 came onto the scene. They're feature-rich, as noted in the section above, and will sound like a premium pair of headphones should. So both headphones offer sensational noise-cancelling, and both feature 40mm drivers – but what about serious audio ability? Are the XM4 worth the extra money? In word, yes, and here's why... It’s a system that takes some getting used to, but once you use it for a week it becomes second nature. Performance Both headphones feature Sony's excellent noise-cancelling, which shuts out the world with impressive efficiency, but the XM4 go the extra mile. They use a new algorithm and new Bluetooth System on Chip to analyse outside noise in even greater detail.

The older XM3 feature the DSEE HX chip, which upscales compressed audio files such as MP3 to hi-res quality in real-time. The newer DSEE Extreme does that too, but it adds Sony's Edge-AI artificial intelligence to the mix, which claims to allow for a more accurate sound from these files too. What’s more, the buds incorporate a couple of the best features from their over-ear stablemates, the Sony WH-1000XM4. Speak-to-Chat has been added, as has the ability for the buds to learn about places you visit and automatically switch noise-cancelling profiles to suit those environments. Both the XM3 and XM4 are five-star performers but in our WH-1000XM4 review, we noted that their "power, punch and sense of poise" make their forebears sound a touch unrefined in comparison. While the headphones have a strong feature set, from fast-charging to support for the Google Assistant, their party piece is improved noise cancellation. This, as you’ll see if you read further, is a serious rival to the best that Bose can offer. Sony WH-1000XM3 review: Price and competitionThat said, while these headphones are fine for the occasional call or two they’re probably not what you’d want to use if you frequently make phone calls in an office setting – call quality isn’t as pristine on the 1000XM3 as it is on other business-ready headsets. Battery life dB/mW (1 kHz) (when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned on) / 101 dB/mW (1 kHz) (when connecting via the headphone cable with the unit turned off) But more than that, they've been designed as powerful headphones. A 40mm driver works with a Liquid Crystal Polymer diaphragm to produce excellent bass quality, meanwhile, Sony's DSEE HX technology actively improves the quality of your music straight from the source.