From CNET: When Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones hit the market back in August 2020, I awarded them a CNET Editors’ Choice Award, calling them nearly flawless. Despite their age and the release of two successors — the WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6 headphones — the 1000XM4s remain quite popular.
Now, Sony is leaning into that legacy model’s popularity with the new WH-1000XM4C (M4 2nd Gen), which comes in new color options and has “updated sound tuning designed for today’s listening preferences,” according to Sony. The WH-1000XM4C headphones list for $300 and are being launched alongside the new WH-CH730N ($180) and WH-CH530 ($80).
Aside from some tiny cosmetic changes, the M4 2nd Gen headphones look identical to their predecessor. The XM4C’s most notable feature upgrade is Bluetooth 6.0 instead of Bluetooth 5.1, and the headphones now support a new 10-band equalizer (and gaming EQ) for “greater sound personalization,” instead of the older five-band equalizer.
The 1000XM4C (M4 2nd Gen) are still equipped with Sony’s QN1 chip along with four microphones (the WH-1000XM6 have 12 by comparison), so their noise-canceling performance is the same. Battery life has dipped a bit: The M4 2nd Gen are rated for up to 27 hours with noise canceling on, compared to the original’s 30 hours.
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