Note: It looks like we didn't try out the touch controls enough or actually use them correctly. Maybe we'll give this a more in-depth look at LTT. Reply back on precisely what questions you have about them, and like this comment, so we can make the case to the powers to be!
Does LDAC (Sony's "hi-fi audio codec, you'll be able to enable it in Android) noticably improve sound quality? How does noise canceling compare to other products?
I've had the XM4s for a while now and noticed right away a couple problems in this video. The "Quick Attention Mode" needs physical contact, not just hovering your hand over the right earcup. That's why it wasn't activiating. Also, play/pause is a double tap. The stuttering at the end was probably the QAM mode activating because it was the closest action to what Linus was doing.
Noticed it too and was a little disappointed they didn't realize since double tapping for pause is pretty much a standard for anything not having a dedicated button.
I had the XM4s for a bit too, though I returned them because any time using wired mode you would get a buzzing on the right side that would never quite go away, and it was an annoying buzz to say the least. I seem to remember seeing a good few other people reporting the same. Wireless was fine though, I wonder if these fixed that issue or not?
Correct. Another point also was the speak-to-chat feature. You can customize the sensitivity and the time period in which it stays engaged. Kinda surprised Linus didn't know these things, because he claimed that he was daily driving the WFXM4s, and the app is pretty standard across the family of headphones/buds. To be fair though, this isn't a review but rather a quick overview on stuff.
7:38 - If anyone seeing this already has XM3's or above, when swiping up/down for volume control you can swipe and hold and it will continue increasing/decreasing the volume. I learned this a week ago after owning the 3's for 3 years 😂
@@SpaceOddity174 haha you're welcome, I just did it accidentally and was like "Wait, YOU CAN DO THIS!? I have been swiping up over and over like a caveman."
Huge fan of LTT over the years but this is probably one of the worst videos they have done, I have the XM4s and Linus didn't know how to use many of the headphones features (it's totally normal for someone that is testing this headphones for the first time but someone should have warn him or teach him how to use quick atention, double tap, hovering your hand on the right side etc etc...). Sorry if I am being somewhat rude, just wanted Linus to experience all the features properly and know his opinion!
True. We understand Linus doesn't have 50h days so he can't invest much time on videos but, come on! I know this is an unbox channel that is spontaneous and that is cool but there's a fine line dividing spontaneous and unprepared-for.
I enjoy both MKBHD and this channel, but comparing these review videos in particular, Marques knocked it out of the park in every way! It's obvious that Marques has daily driven each iteration but maybe this job should have been given to someone on staff that has daily driven them, as this review is not to be taken lightly by average tech consumers, IMO
You can tell tech has moved on so much that it took until the last 2 mins of the video to test the actual primary reason for this gadget: the sound quality!
@@brddiieijdogcoc Idk i have the razer opus, and although all my studiograde headphone sound better ofc the sound on these is still reaaaaly enjoyable. But a huge part of that is also that the razer opus has lossless codec support
Linus, I feel like you would have enjoyed these headphones more if you'd read the instructions in the app that tell you how to pause, how to play, and how to use quick attention mode. It did say, and you did not do what it said
@@Glade4 Yes, I loved that feature on the XM4s because it is instant. It even works really well in my XM4 earbuds, though it isn't quite as instant because it cannot differentiate between just a tap and an entire hand
I really appreciate how not professional dbrands relationship with ltt is, they may still be a souless corporation deep down, but they are at least an entertaining one.
There was another sponsor pulling this crap. I get back then he was desperate to get sponsors, but now he doesn't have to swallow dbrand's crap anymore! The things they've put him through...........🤬
@@Lucian_Andries To be fair his advertisement was saying "they make overpriced stickers for your electronics" so it's not exactly a one way street, although I believe that is probably what DBrand told them to say, it's more entertaining to not think about that and just enjoy the show.
For what it's worth I would ditch this video and do it again. It's a really poor - and surprising - effort from the whole team. It's ridiculously unfair to Sony - with whom I have no dog in the fight - to piss about with controls that you simply haven't taken proper time to read about, thus making them look substandard, then seemingly not having any proper music lined up to use, leaving you with random Disney songs and a meme. Then Linus compares them with Sennheisers which cost literally double the Sonys. LTT wouldn't be so disparaging about a graphics card with a similar price discrepancy. And finally I'm not sure what Linus was doing in this video. I know SS's are meant to be more bite-size/early impressions but this smacked of not caring about the video, the product and that he was late for a meeting. A bit shit, all things considered.
I have to agree on this. I usually love the LTT video's for their indepth video. But if you want honest information about these headphones please see the Marques Brownlee video. Way more honest than this video. Sorry Linus, I love all your video's but this was just bad.
It's the absolute best in class. There really is nothing to compare to expect for much more expensive headsets. Really, they are in a class of their own.
Using Sony wh1000xm3 I have to kinda defend Sony the ambience mode needs a physical touch to activate not hovering over it and I have to say it is amazing how it can differentiate between a pillow and a hand works like a dream. The playback pause/play needs a double tap not a single tab and I don't know what settings u used but seeing that u could use the eq I think it was the stable connection mode which sounds way worse than the high sound quality mode.
@@GlorifiedGremlin it doesn't need pressur but it can still differ between skin and fabric u can use ur nose but laying on a pillow and moving I had no issues
In regards to the sound going off when you talk, why would you want it to come back to quickly? If someone else is talking or moreso 2 or more people start talking then it would need time to let them say their piece before you speak again. Otherwise, you'd just end up having to take the thing off because it would interrupt so much.
Pffff, you are new here, while I've watched everyone since 2014. You don't know the shit they've put him through. And the other sponsor was way worse... Now it's fun and games but, I still won't forgive them!
I have the XM4s and I can tell you most of the problems that Linus had are not actually problems, let me explain: Speak to chat can be activated or deactivated by holding 2 fingers on the touch pad. The deactivation time and sensitivity are also adjustable. For quick attention mode ,you need to hold your hand over the touchpad and touch it not just holding it near it. Play and pause are double tap not single tap. The custom EQs are there so you can customize the eq presets and have them saved. The manual one is for making your own eq from start, at the end, you have 3 customized EQs that are saved in the app. For volume, you can touch and hold to go up or just swipe fast. I think it was the iphone that had problems with registering the adjustments since that works fine on my XM4 on Android. There is also a pop up pair thing like air pods and google assistant on Android as well. Also fiy: There is a specific noise canceling mode for wind, just move the slider in the app one step to the right. You can also switch the ambient mode to focus on voices
Yeah, I've had no issues with using the xm4's. Also, the long pause is needed with the speak to chat function so it doesn't turn on when the other person talks but you can just double tap to play if you don't want to wait.
They're still problems. Sony's UX on these headphones is horrendous. Actually some of the worst UX I've seen in headphones in a while. Edit: For those thinking "just read a manual" I've never read a manual for headphones before and never had problems until the XM4/5. My airpods max don't require reading a manual.
@@Psycovoldy That's because they're using a higher degree of tech inside their cups for advanced controls, saying that you haven't needed to look up information in the past about a product that was less complex and complaining about needing to learn the variety isn't a dig on the product, it's showing your unwillingness to learn.
@@Mattriarc Tell me you don't understand UX without telling me you don't understand UX. If you need a manual to get how something works, it's not well designed. If I design an interface and the clients ask me for a manual, I'd be fired. But yall wanna excuse sony's poor design then that's on you.
To enable the quick ambient mode, you have to *touch* the earcup. Just FYI Linus. :) Would have to give them a listen first, but yeah. I think I'll stay with my XM4 if the improvements are so marginal. 1/4 price increase where I live over XM4.. is quite a bit.
Iv tried the 4s and 5s together and went for the 4s. I appreciate the 5s are newer with better tech but to me the larger 40mm drivers on the 4s against the 30mm drivers on the 5s just sounded better . For me it's more about the sound.than anc or call quality etc.
No it wasn’t at all, the XM5 is just less bassy. I suppose if that’s the sound you prefer then it’s a step down for you, sure. But comparing the XM4 and XM5’s the latter has objectively clearer and more accurate sound
I've had the XM3 for something like 3 years now and I can say they've been my best tech purchase ever. I've been using them daily and the battery still lasts very long, the noise cancellation is top and the materials haven't worn out (I cleaned them only 1 or 2 times). I'd instantly buy them again. I don't like the look of those XM5 tho, it looks like they are wider and more bulky
I think mine sounds better as the time goes by. Still very conflicted 😐 if I will grab this or wait for the XM6 as the “unfoldadbility “ Apple trend is very cumbersome specially if I carry it inside my small mail man bag 💼. Deal breaker
2 года назад+2
mine "broke" right before warranty ended (there's little piece of plastic where you adjust size, it snapped in thinnest spot... headphones were still usable, adjusting them was just much harder, they were like if someone would put a bad glue in it, but that has no effect on sound), I got full price back and bought XM4 (which were completely new on market) and I can say... both are awesome... definitely not worth upgrading from 3 to 4 for 99% of xm3 owners, but if you don't care about money (or get upgrade for free, like I did), it's awesome
@@Englandflick they do get slim better known as "burn in" which some don't believe in. It because the treble goes micro up and also our brains get in love with the sound frequency response which some say it's that reason (burn in)
A shame that these don’t fold for easier storage like the XM4s do (though at least the case still makes sense, unlike the AirPods Max), but they definitely still look great. That aside, it feels weird that it’s been a good long while since the XM4s came out.
I haven't put my XM3's in my case for years, but it was very handy folding them if I was travelling on a plane etc. I see why they did it though, my XM2's failed/cracked on the folding hinges and I got them warranty replaced with the XM3's, apparently it was a big problem.
2 different processors is better than 1 improved one because it means that each ear cup gets a designated processor. This might give faster response times alongside better isolation due to each ear cup being guaranteed to be independently noise isolated.
@@infernys20 Response times... If you have one on each side then you need less data going through the headband. Response times should be important for cancelation because of the intricate science behind it (wavelength knitting).
Yeah, it's challenging to compare IEMs to over-ear headphones at any time, particularly since Sennheiser finally fixed some of the glaring flaws in the tuning of their IExxx line of IEMs. Pair immensely comfortable and compact shells with a competent driver and more conventional tuning and you get a good outcome. Sony is really playing to their normie base with their tuning, because they know their target demographic's preferences. It's a premium variant on a Beats headphone with a lot of good features and enough built-in EQ options to remediate most of the tuning qualms. Obviously they're still not audiophile headphones, and that's fine. There are plenty of other manufacturers that make "audiophile" headphones, even a handful that make bluetooth versions. Audio is a really subjective thing, so try to find a store that has enough of a selection so you can demo the ones you're interested in. Bowers and Wilkins has the PX7, Sennheiser has the Momentum 3 Wireless, etc. Just remember that money rapidly becomes no object in the face of chasing diminishing returns in the audiophile space, so be prepared for some severe sticker-shock if you tread too deeply in the search of audiophile nirvana.
@@joeyp1028If you genuinely care about that kind of stuff, you're not going to be getting a wireless headset. Or at the very least you are absolutely not using Bluetooth
I've had XM4s for about 6 months now. They're my daily drivers for everything. School, leisure listening, the gym, and on transit. The touch controls are sick and the noise cancellation is solid. One of the best deals for the price imo.
here in switzerland the XM4 are insanely popular. since i got them myself i realised just on the street around 3/4 headphones you see are the XM4s, its crazy
@@jakesullivan9179 Sennheiser Momentum 3 is dated, to be honest same quality sound as the XM4/XM5 which shows pristine details but even better Currently Sennheiser hopefully change the game on M4 on sound because they need better imaging
I was at costco a year ago and saw the WH1000XM3 on sale for $120. I asked if something was wrong with them, they said nope its just the last one in stock, so I bought it. I didnt know anything about this stuff and its been going strong since, then I found out this series is actually a really good set of headphones. So I kinda stumbled into it and am glad I did, everything I have compared them to sounds worse XD
I just got mine today and I can feel what Linus says through 11:54. Powered on and connected to my FiiO K3 USB-C DAC via 3.5mm on my PC and trying to play my piano keyboard over midi to Kontakt5... my 2016 ATH-A900X monitors sound way more open a sound-stage than these do. They'll still be great for work and drowning out neighbors though.
I love LTT but this was just awkward, the WH-1000XM headphones are incredibly popular so many people would like to hear Linus's take on it and then we get presented with him just fumbling around, not understanding the touch controls and nearly comparing it to headphones 2x its price while ending with "well its not the IE600 but this is more for like, your normy aunt". I get that he said its not fair but he still made a comparison Straight up weird man
I mean if you care about audio quality these probably aren't the best choice for you. Can't wait for the audio frequency response curve to be measured.
@@kreativeGG Had 990 pro and I wouldn't be so sure. Their construction is really weird with high tones filter that completly ruins high tones. Sony xm4-3 with eq will sound better
1:26 No. They'll mainly be used with the wire, because that's most convenient. I'm doing it right now, I've never ever charged these things since I've gotten them. 🤷♂️
I've been a WH-1000XM4 user since about September of last year. It's a very good headset and the ANC is great. Kinda wished you compared the two. Another thing is you can just place your hand to stop opening ANC passthrough and you can even have it where you keep your hand on the side to open it for however long you'd like.
He tried that, just couldn't follow the instructions and hovered his hand instead. Which obviously didn't work. Just like he couldn't pause the music as he should have double tapped, per the very simple instructions.
What I don't like with some of these wireless headphones is that the software for controlling the thing is not available on your PC. It's like it never occurred to the devs that people would want to use their headphones with things other than their cell phones.
I suppose they figure everyone's using it with *at least* a phone, but only a certain percentage with their PCs. Would be nice though, I agree. Might *require* signing in though for settings, wouldn't it?
It's probably Sony being excessively Japanese. Very few people have PCs in Japan, and most of those who do have them just for work, but smartphones are everywhere.
Eh? I use them with my PC, and grab my phone if I want to change something. I mean, you have your phone with you... Why would I want to do that on my PC? The app of my fridge or washing machine isn't on PC either, that's not an issue. Why is this?
Following the instructions helps, as does tuning the eq in the app. I've had several pairs of this series of headphones and have been consistently very impressed/happy with them
Is there any way to enable the EQ in the app while also using one of the HD Bluetooth modes? As soon as I try to use LDAC or AptX HD it disables the EQ.
No one should buy the XM3/4's for comfort or sound quality. They're hot, sweaty and itchy and sound like bloated ass. But for noise canceling on flights they're AMAZING. Oh and the touch controls are shit and passive mode is a gimmick
When you travel on a plane, the "caveman cable" and the adapter are needed to use the airplane media. Helps you avoid the "standard issue" headphones and use the XMs instead. I guess Linus only travels low cost or something. About Speak-to-chat and "it would be cooler if it lowers it (volume)..." No, no it would not be, not all people use the headphones for music, some use it for audiobooks. If you speak, it should pause the audiobook, not keep going on a lower volume. The pause is on double tap, when you keep pressed it's temporary pause, which is really cool replacement for "speak-to-chat". Read the docs man, or have some of your staff do it. In the end these reviews can be useful to inform people about all the nice features of the product but your team's ignorance makes it look like the designers messed up when they actually didn't.
I came here to say this about the cable. It's actually pretty cool of Sony to include it as I use mine all the time on airplanes. What's more, you can use the headphones with the cable without turning the headphones on and pairing. So if either the battery is dead or you wanted to plug them into a computer at school, for example, without needing to BT pair them, you could use the handy "caveman" cable.
I also on occasion use my wireless headphones to monitor sound which requires 3.5mm, it's very handy to have. It would be very crippling to only have wireless
Still loving my XM4, curious how much the XM5 differs in its sound quality. Eq-ing is essential on the XM4, default sound (including headphone jack) is ridiculously muddy. But with some eq-ing the sound is awesome, at least for a non-audiophile
@@AlphaUros I had the same question when the XM4 came out. Eventually decided on the 4 because I wanted the improved noise cancelling. I can definitely recommend the XM4, but it's a tough choice
@@AlphaUros I'd rather go for the XM4 rather than the new one. As MKBHD said in his video, having the option to fold is really good and the adjustments seems are a bit better. I have the XM3s for 3 years now and since the XM4 is just an updated XM3 (having multi-device support is sick, i wish the 3 had lol), I can say for sure that the ergonomics are really good. Used for 20 hours straight during a flight and had no problem. I actually didnt like this new.. thanks apple
It took me awhile to get them to sound decent but always somewhat muffled, I think I'm just so used to brands like Sennheiser sounding amazing out of the box
For audiophile to. I work at hifi store and I still think sony got best travel Bluetooth headphones at any price point. I tested even b&o h95 for more than double and it sounded meh with quite bad noise cancelling and unresponsive app.
Owning a high end headphone ( I own audeze ) and I use it with dac and amp with flac files, when I put my XM3 with spotify is like going back to the stone age they sound meh, but then I listen to other stuff and the XM3 sound good, then I go back to my home setup and it starts all over again xD
@@huttonberries768 well I have found that if you listen to flac vs spotify for long periods at high volume flac will get you less tired as the music comes out cleaner it can whistand higher volumes without causing discomfort. If I listed to a song a few minutes or seconds to see which is which probably won't notice, but for extended periods of time yes I can feel it.
I like how dbrand sent Linus some really smelly stuff and were just like, "We don't have smell-o-vision yet, so it's not an issue." And Linus 100% made it an issue.
Linus, you can't expect analytical sound when you connect them to an iPhone. I know the LDAC connection won't make them sound 10 times better but it makes a difference
If the previous iterations are of any indication, they will sound just as disappointing even when you drive them wired from a good source, bypassing the built in electronics. They're not exactly good headphones. But they don't need to be, they just need to be good _bluetooth active noise cancelling_ headphones. If you just want good headphones, you're not buying these, or any bluetooth ANC cans for that matter.
Lmao, you think codecs would even make the slightest effect to the tuning of the FR? LOL. You can't expect "analytical sound" out of ANY WH and WF-Series headphones, it's just the nature of their existence to have a v-shaped tuning because that's what most consumers are accustomed to. You can always use parametric EQ like EQ APO or AutoEQ via Wavelet to get somewhat close to "neutral/analytical" target response such as Diffuse-Field or Harman OE.
@@hal9xxx321 Anyone saying that there isn't a difference, I would implore you to get either the WF-1000xm4 or WH-1000xm5, get a list of your favorite 15-20 songs that have some parts that stress the higher end of the spectrum, and do some A/B testing between AAC Compression and LDAC. I promise you will hear a difference if your ears are tunned enough.
I've been wondering the question of heavy headphones, and if I look down on my camera gear or pickup my bag, tie my shoes, my xm4's fall out my ears. As do the airpods pro etc. So now testing out the airpods max, I'm actually noticing something weird, for the first time ever headphones are not falling off my head when I look down or do weird things like yoga.
Sony’s headphone have been getting better and better in the last five years. And I have picked Sony headphones over Bose the last two times. The quality, sound and comfort is just so good now. Plus the price is very reasonable as well.
Hi all OG & M4 user here, Software issue has been here for awhile, the ANC is more aggressive on the OG than the M4. Especialy the voice cancelling, M4 could still hear ppl talking around while the OG verison has reduced the surrounding voice. The ambient on the M4 is quite unclear and weird as well, and OG sound way better! I hope Sony really update the software and fix the problem. Hope you find this info useful...
I love the aux out and the included cord in my XM3's. I know you guys kind of tease it a bit, but recently it was really nice to use them for an inflight movie on an airplane when I don't have to use the super shitty complementary earbuds. The XM3's also only Bluetooth connect to one device (Huge upgrade in the XM4s and 5s) at a time so at work I have my set Bluetooth paired to my phone and then when I need to hop on a zoom call I just plug in the aux cable.
the AUX isn't for convenience, overtime your battery will die and you might need it, that and since WH series are High-Res headphones, you'll need the aux wire to listen to lossless audio codec.
old video but some thoughts 1. might as well use nfc to pair if you have a laptop nearby 2. linus is impatient and doesn't even put in effort to learn how the touch controls work 3. if you take a second to think about who the headphones are made for, you'd realize that these aren't made for audiophiles but for casual users to have decent sound quality 4. god I hate the way linus treats most tech like it's disposable
Did they fix the thing where you can't turn the announcer voice off completely? If I connect my XM4 to my laptop & phone and listen to music on my phone, and I close my laptop, 5 seconds of my music is overpowered by the announcer voice saying 'Bluetooth second device .. disconnected' It kinda makes the multipoint connection feature unusable on the XM4.
I have the XM4's. love 'em. sometimes after a video I'll forget I have them on and be sitting in noise canceled silence for a while, take them off and be startled by all the ambient sounds I wasn't hearing. the reasons for the cable is so you can keep listening if the battery dies, and air travel which is a target market for noise canceling headphones.
after weeks of being aware of dbrands bullshit moves, i’ve finally nailed the discount edit: also, 15% is basically a tax free buy, so, thank you, I guess
@@coatochi I was going to make a comment on VAT, but honestly the mess of corporate taxes and regulations add a ridiculous amount to the cost of goods in the US, so even at 7.75% sales tax, that's... not the full story. I know other countries have corporate taxes and regulations, but in the US, it can get quite ridiculous. All while a significant percentage of people _genuinely_ believe that some of the largest sources of tax revenue are on some sort of imaginary welfare.
I still don't understand how people keep raving about the XM4/XM5 from Sony when there is the Sennheiser Momentum 4. Those cans are super precise, alive and have a 60 hr battery life. ANC is comparable too.
Wicked cushion replacements i got were much better in this regard but could still be better, For my the headband isnt wide enough and i have a mad headphone band dent hahahaha
I’m a headphone fanatic, noise-cancelling addict. I’ve been rocking AirPod Pro’s and decided to jump into the new XM-5’s -largely because of Flossy Carter’s rare “quad major go”, but after three days with them, I have to said that the noise cancelling isn’t nearly as good as the Air Pods. I have The noise cancelling on max setting, good ear cup seal, and I hear running water and people talking quietly next to me. With my Air Pods, I can hear nothing but music. Okay, the good, the sound quality is decent. You know, not booming bass, but balanced-ESPECIALLY when used with EQE or even Sony’s watered down EQ app. The battery life has been very good-I get about 30 hours and the touch controls are solid. Also. Yesterday, I was on Main Street with racing, noisy after market exhaust, blasting stereos and I made a call. The caller had no idea. She thought I was sitting in a quiet office. That’s a very amazing thing. I mean, I do like these headphones very much. The build is light, but sturdy, they charge HELLA fast. I had 60 percent and plugged in for15 minutes and got up to 90%. Is it worth $421? No, I think the Xm-3’s would have worked just as well. Am I returning these? No, don’t want to hassle and I do like them, but if you’re looking to buy, I’d wait for a sale or go with a lower model and if you are okay with 6 hour battery life, go with AirPod Pros or for $400, get two pairs of AirPod pros. These Sony cans are good for the office, but you can’t wear them in 80 degrees weather and you certainly cannot jog with them.
I'd definitely like to see a review on them as well. There are a number of things in here which are probably user error and I'd like to know if they are worth upgrading to fro. My XM3's. They are getting ratty and need an upgrade.
I think there is a touch rejection feature with the volume controls to prevent accidentally bumping several times quickly and blowing out your ears. Swiping and holding allows changing by multiple steps.
Went for the in ear xm4's last december. What i found out: hardware is amazing, software not so much. Also the in ear pieces keep breaking after barely over a month of using. But when they work they are the best nc in ears for sure as far as im concerned 😅
Are you talking about the foam version of the in ear pieces? If so, those are meant to be replaced often, I believe, unlike the silicone tips. Also, depending on your ears, they can start to smell incredibly bad at some point. Personally I use Comply TrueGrip memory foam tips and change them every 1-3 months depending on use.
It's just the way foam ear tips are made, they are replaceable and not meant to last the product's lifespan. I suggest you buy a stock of Comply foam ear tips for the in-ears XM4.
Loved the WH H900n's I've been using for a number of years now but they're finally on their way out with the noise cancelling crawling into the grave recently and the occasional shutting off. Looking forward to upgrading to these but I hope the earpads are more durable than I've experienced; at least they've been easy to replace.
My XM3s have been in daily use for 3 years now, up to 9hrs a day and they still work really well. Battery life is not as long as it used to be and the black stuff on the ear surround has worn off but that’s to be expected. They are probably the best set of headphones I’ve used, and I’ve had quite a few different sets from other brands. Have dropped them, sat on them and even occasionally got them wet while outside in the rain and they are still going strong. I’m Upgrading to the MX5s today as I got a good Black Friday deal on them. I’m am happy Linus gave them his seal of approval because I hate buying something, only to watch reviews on the item while waiting for them to be delivered to find that no one likes them. Dragons….. I added Dragons at the end because it made the story a bit cooler….
I tried the XM4s to use wirelessly around the house but I can't get used to the sound. I use hd598s on my PC and I cant adjust to the overdone bass. It would be interesting to see what the improvement would be on that end with the XM5s
It's funny to see Linus comment about the amount of effort Sony went through to "get the colour as close as possible on all those different materials" - I'm sure developing his own merch has helped him with this insight and I like to imagine theres a materials team in Sony watching this video going "YES - WE DID THAT"
From watching this, I can garner that between my XM3's and the XM5 there really isn't much difference in interface which makes it harder to justify an upgrade. I don't think the newer style is worth upgrading for and the case looks like it's much bigger because of the headphone cup not being folded inward. The ANC seems better on the XM4/5 though, but the XM3's are still solid.
Yeah the xm3 is super solid. I think the main reasons for upgrade are multi device connection and better mic, if you don't need those then it's whatever.
AFAIk the only upgrades they made from the XM3 to XM4 is slightly better ANC and the ability to connect to multiple devices simultaneously then the XM5 added more mics and less weight. So unless you need the multipoint, sounds like there's no need to upgrade.
That's kind of a good thing, no? You have a nice pair of headphones, no need to consider upgrading just because you can get something nicer. Not trying to troll, just saying.
On the quick attention i didn't see you place your hand ON the ear cup, only next to it. how would it work by holding your hand next to the ear cup and not on unless there was a light sensor and then many things could turn it on accidentally?
You missed testing the (in my opinion) main new feature compared to the XM4, the microphones. I've had the XM4 for over a year and I'm still furious that the microphones are so bad I can't even use them for phone calls because it picks up so much background noise. Would be nice to see if they've actually fixed that in the XM5
You should have tried them out on an Android device, because then you could use LDAC which sounds a whole lot better than AAC which is used on iPhone 😅
Do you know if the ears can fully fit in the ear cup? That's my grippe with most over the head head-phone, the top of the ears and the ear lobe are pressed against the material instead of fitting inside the ear cup.
I might get these and I might not. Tbh I'm not the biggest fan of the design compared to my XM4's but I could probably look past it. But I also don't really need new headphones right now.
Maybe they were telling you that there's two noise-cancelling processors, because the previous units shared one. Now there might be one for each ear, giving independent sound isolation to each ear
I gave this a try during my last holidays. They stood two 11 hour flights and four crowded trains, either connected to the entertainment system, listening to music or just blocking the ambient noise. And they were comfortable enough to nap wearing them. 100% satisfied.
yeah, this video felt unusually shit. Got the impression that you weren't at all interested, not even bothering to read the instructions for the touch controls properly. other "smart functions" are mostly annoying to me on my older model too, but you could at least mention that they can be turned off or adjusted. keep doing quality over quantity. i get that short circuit isn't about doing the deep dive, but for most people this wouldn't be a fair first impressions either. get another host to do it or push it back if you're not in the right headspace to explore the product properly within the allotted time sharing out of love, keep doing better
I still have my XM3s for almost 3 yrs now and I love them :) I'm sure ppl in the comments already said this but for the quick ambient mode you gotta touch the earcup not just have your hand close to the earcup like you're trying to use "the force" like some Jedi/Sith haha I'll stick with my XM3s as I have no use for any upgrade yet.
Any issues? I've also used XM3's for 3 years and had to replace my earcups twice due to wear and the right earcjp vibrates violently at certain angles making it hard to use
@@anisimow I keep mine in the carrying case whenever I'm not using but I haven't had to replace any earcups/padding. I try to wipe down the padding as any skin oil or scalp sweat is not good for the material. Audio wise its still crispy clear and battery life is unchanged. I can go around 3 days to a week before I have to charge again. I use my headphones with my iPad a lot more than my iPhone but its fine. I do wish I had the multi device switching but other than that its still on par with the current gens
I am even on the XM2s still, I do not use them for calls, like at all, so the bad in call mic stuff does not bother me at all, bought them 2017... and just now one of the pads got a rip and I bought some nice 3rd party ones.
I can't believe my headphones are now two generations out of date lol but I'm weirdly comforted that they still take several taps to pause or resume music
Headphones are an investment tbh. Good ones should last you a looooong time, but one of the reasons I won't buy Sony's XM line is because you can't replace the earcups/pads. If they get worn out, dirtied, torn, etc, you're toast. I've had my pair of Bluetooth over ears for 5+ years at this point, gone through 2 earpad replacements, & I've even looked up how to replace the battery down the road. Headphone technology hasn't had many innovations since the 80s besides portability & noise cancelation.
@@bbbbbbb51 Damn, that's a good point. Before my XM3's, I had a pair of Sennheisers for more years than I can remember, where I frequently replaced the cushions and cable, I guess these Sonys aren't going to be nearly as long lasting. But they'll continue to sound good as new generations come out, as long as they last I guess
My problem with wireless headphones is that most of them have non-replaceable Lithium batteries. So, if you are unlucky enough to get one that goes defective a few months after the warranty expired you are left with a normal pair of headphones.
At 8:00, he probably had the "focus on voice" mode active. It's not whole ambient but instead focuses on the human voice frequency range, They suggest it for example when you are at a train station waiting: cuts out noises but lets in the departure/arrivals speaker voice. Thus influencing how everything sounds. This video feels a bit rushed.
by the linus review.. it probably not much of the different from WHxm4 in sound signature... Muddy.. but for ANC its great i love wfxm3 more because it has better sound signature but if you looking for a great headphone to use at home.. beyerdynamic dt 990 is the way to go.. and its quite budget friendly
After installing the updates on the 1000XM5, believe me that the noise reduction is terribly scary, when you listen to a movie or music... we expect absolutely nothing from the outside, even we would not wait for an atomic bomb to explode in front of us.
I got to test both the Bose 700 and the Sony XM3 for a couple weeks each while commuting and personally, I didn't like the sound of the xm3. The noise cancelling adjustment was just not good on the Sony's, it made the music sound kinda muddy, because any noises it let through sounded pretty bad and voices in the ambient mode were not clear enough to reliably understand. The sound profile is of course personal, but I didn't like it very much. Pretty much what linus described The bose 700 had ANC that was just as good as the xm3, higher pitched sounds like voices were a little more noticeable. But the build quality and feel! They were superb! The sound profile of the Bose was also more to my liking, being flat, with the very low base being a little pronounced. The 10 step adjustable noise cancelling worked very smoothly and ambient mode was very clear sounding without impacting perceived sound quality. They were also more comfortable to wear. To me, the Bose 700 were just the overall winner between the two. And afaik, the xm4 did not majorly improve on the xm3's shortcomings compared to the Bose 700
Each ear cup probably has their own noise canceling processing being 2 processors. Might be why they're so many mics on each also. Would give the headset really good noise canceling of directional sounds.
Have you tried on zoom while playing a music or something? Its weird it, the music become lowpass and focus on voice. I think its just because on windows 11 or sht. Its only freehand mode there are not option to switch to stereo to hear both voice and music.
Note: It looks like we didn't try out the touch controls enough or actually use them correctly. Maybe we'll give this a more in-depth look at LTT. Reply back on precisely what questions you have about them, and like this comment, so we can make the case to the powers to be!
Looks like you have tinder lol you forgot to blur the notification
Yes that, or I'll wait for DankPods to do a video, but I would also like to know what Linus's height is per Dbrand's request.
Does LDAC (Sony's "hi-fi audio codec, you'll be able to enable it in Android) noticably improve sound quality?
How does noise canceling compare to other products?
i use the whxb910n and they have the same features exactly and they were much cheaper please look into this
Do they support LDAC when connecting to multiple devices?
I've had the XM4s for a while now and noticed right away a couple problems in this video. The "Quick Attention Mode" needs physical contact, not just hovering your hand over the right earcup. That's why it wasn't activiating. Also, play/pause is a double tap. The stuttering at the end was probably the QAM mode activating because it was the closest action to what Linus was doing.
"The "Quick Attention Mode" needs physical contact" also in their guide it says use your palm but usually 3 fingers will do.
Noticed it too and was a little disappointed they didn't realize since double tapping for pause is pretty much a standard for anything not having a dedicated button.
I had the XM4s for a bit too, though I returned them because any time using wired mode you would get a buzzing on the right side that would never quite go away, and it was an annoying buzz to say the least. I seem to remember seeing a good few other people reporting the same. Wireless was fine though, I wonder if these fixed that issue or not?
Correct. Another point also was the speak-to-chat feature. You can customize the sensitivity and the time period in which it stays engaged. Kinda surprised Linus didn't know these things, because he claimed that he was daily driving the WFXM4s, and the app is pretty standard across the family of headphones/buds. To be fair though, this isn't a review but rather a quick overview on stuff.
@@ROFLKNIEFGOESSLIEC buzzing from wired would mean there is a hardware short so I doubt it
7:38 - If anyone seeing this already has XM3's or above, when swiping up/down for volume control you can swipe and hold and it will continue increasing/decreasing the volume. I learned this a week ago after owning the 3's for 3 years 😂
Ive owned 4s for a couple years and only just learned this
Owned xm3s since came out and never knew this, thanks!
@@SpaceOddity174 haha you're welcome, I just did it accidentally and was like "Wait, YOU CAN DO THIS!? I have been swiping up over and over like a caveman."
Got the 4's for Christmas and discovered this last week, don't use it much though.
The XM3 is so small, your head gets crushed/headach in x-xx minutes.
Huge fan of LTT over the years but this is probably one of the worst videos they have done, I have the XM4s and Linus didn't know how to use many of the headphones features (it's totally normal for someone that is testing this headphones for the first time but someone should have warn him or teach him how to use quick atention, double tap, hovering your hand on the right side etc etc...). Sorry if I am being somewhat rude, just wanted Linus to experience all the features properly and know his opinion!
This was very low effort, you're right man. Linus getting a little complacent here
True. We understand Linus doesn't have 50h days so he can't invest much time on videos but, come on! I know this is an unbox channel that is spontaneous and that is cool but there's a fine line dividing spontaneous and unprepared-for.
This isn't a review. It's a first hand impression video.
I agree, very bad review
I enjoy both MKBHD and this channel, but comparing these review videos in particular, Marques knocked it out of the park in every way! It's obvious that Marques has daily driven each iteration but maybe this job should have been given to someone on staff that has daily driven them, as this review is not to be taken lightly by average tech consumers, IMO
You can tell tech has moved on so much that it took until the last 2 mins of the video to test the actual primary reason for this gadget: the sound quality!
😅😂
No. Their primary focus is on noise canceling.
Studio gear is about sound quality.
Nah if u actually cared about sound quality you'd never go wireless. You're paying for convenience here.
@@brddiieijdogcoc Idk i have the razer opus, and although all my studiograde headphone sound better ofc the sound on these is still reaaaaly enjoyable. But a huge part of that is also that the razer opus has lossless codec support
the primary focus with these is ANC
Linus, I feel like you would have enjoyed these headphones more if you'd read the instructions in the app that tell you how to pause, how to play, and how to use quick attention mode. It did say, and you did not do what it said
literally this, you should at least take some time to do a proper review, which includes reading the instructions
this , youre supposed to hold the ear cup, not hold your hand near it
@@Glade4 Yes, I loved that feature on the XM4s because it is instant. It even works really well in my XM4 earbuds, though it isn't quite as instant because it cannot differentiate between just a tap and an entire hand
@@airy_co It's not a review channel, it's an unboxing and first impressions channel.
@@airy_co It wasn't a review. He just unboxed and messed with it. They would be more prepared with an actual review.
I really appreciate how not professional dbrands relationship with ltt is, they may still be a souless corporation deep down, but they are at least an entertaining one.
Role playing an unprofessional relationship.
Find it more entertaining to not give a fuck than being pc.
There was another sponsor pulling this crap. I get back then he was desperate to get sponsors, but now he doesn't have to swallow dbrand's crap anymore! The things they've put him through...........🤬
@@Lucian_Andries because it’s a joke and they pay him. It’s all for the views and sales. He could easily say no if it was real
@@Lucian_Andries To be fair his advertisement was saying "they make overpriced stickers for your electronics" so it's not exactly a one way street, although I believe that is probably what DBrand told them to say, it's more entertaining to not think about that and just enjoy the show.
For what it's worth I would ditch this video and do it again. It's a really poor - and surprising - effort from the whole team.
It's ridiculously unfair to Sony - with whom I have no dog in the fight - to piss about with controls that you simply haven't taken proper time to read about, thus making them look substandard, then seemingly not having any proper music lined up to use, leaving you with random Disney songs and a meme.
Then Linus compares them with Sennheisers which cost literally double the Sonys. LTT wouldn't be so disparaging about a graphics card with a similar price discrepancy.
And finally I'm not sure what Linus was doing in this video. I know SS's are meant to be more bite-size/early impressions but this smacked of not caring about the video, the product and that he was late for a meeting.
A bit shit, all things considered.
I have to agree on this. I usually love the LTT video's for their indepth video. But if you want honest information about these headphones please see the Marques Brownlee video. Way more honest than this video. Sorry Linus, I love all your video's but this was just bad.
I didn't even like the XM3's and i agree
You do realise that this is just an unboxing with short first impression...? This is not a Review.
It's the absolute best in class. There really is nothing to compare to expect for much more expensive headsets. Really, they are in a class of their own.
Completely agree wtf was this! Lol
Using Sony wh1000xm3 I have to kinda defend Sony the ambience mode needs a physical touch to activate not hovering over it and I have to say it is amazing how it can differentiate between a pillow and a hand works like a dream. The playback pause/play needs a double tap not a single tab and I don't know what settings u used but seeing that u could use the eq I think it was the stable connection mode which sounds way worse than the high sound quality mode.
Is it just capacitive touch? Can you trigger it with other objects other than a pillow?
@@GlorifiedGremlin it doesn't need pressur but it can still differ between skin and fabric u can use ur nose but laying on a pillow and moving I had no issues
In regards to the sound going off when you talk, why would you want it to come back to quickly? If someone else is talking or moreso 2 or more people start talking then it would need time to let them say their piece before you speak again. Otherwise, you'd just end up having to take the thing off because it would interrupt so much.
At this point DBrand has just gone past trolling Linus to ‘how can we really screw with him… like REALLY REALLY f**k with him’.
I even tried the promo code and the site said it is invalid and I should be faster next time lol
@@LordLiquidBaconII They don't deserve your money!
And he responds with "Dbrand: they make overpriced stickers for your electronics" LOL
Pffff, you are new here, while I've watched everyone since 2014. You don't know the shit they've put him through. And the other sponsor was way worse...
Now it's fun and games but, I still won't forgive them!
@@Lucian_Andries 😆 I disagree I feel like this was just random shit with no meaning at least the other stuff felt planned out 🤣
I have the XM4s and I can tell you most of the problems that Linus had are not actually problems, let me explain:
Speak to chat can be activated or deactivated by holding 2 fingers on the touch pad. The deactivation time and sensitivity are also adjustable.
For quick attention mode ,you need to hold your hand over the touchpad and touch it not just holding it near it.
Play and pause are double tap not single tap.
The custom EQs are there so you can customize the eq presets and have them saved. The manual one is for making your own eq from start, at the end, you have 3 customized EQs that are saved in the app.
For volume, you can touch and hold to go up or just swipe fast. I think it was the iphone that had problems with registering the adjustments since that works fine on my XM4 on Android.
There is also a pop up pair thing like air pods and google assistant on Android as well.
Also fiy: There is a specific noise canceling mode for wind, just move the slider in the app one step to the right. You can also switch the ambient mode to focus on voices
Yeah, I've had no issues with using the xm4's. Also, the long pause is needed with the speak to chat function so it doesn't turn on when the other person talks but you can just double tap to play if you don't want to wait.
Volume adjust no problem on my iPhone!
They're still problems. Sony's UX on these headphones is horrendous. Actually some of the worst UX I've seen in headphones in a while. Edit: For those thinking "just read a manual" I've never read a manual for headphones before and never had problems until the XM4/5. My airpods max don't require reading a manual.
@@Psycovoldy That's because they're using a higher degree of tech inside their cups for advanced controls, saying that you haven't needed to look up information in the past about a product that was less complex and complaining about needing to learn the variety isn't a dig on the product, it's showing your unwillingness to learn.
@@Mattriarc Tell me you don't understand UX without telling me you don't understand UX. If you need a manual to get how something works, it's not well designed. If I design an interface and the clients ask me for a manual, I'd be fired. But yall wanna excuse sony's poor design then that's on you.
To enable the quick ambient mode, you have to *touch* the earcup. Just FYI Linus. :)
Would have to give them a listen first, but yeah. I think I'll stay with my XM4 if the improvements are so marginal. 1/4 price increase where I live over XM4.. is quite a bit.
Yeah works exactly like on the XM4's so I was confused why he didn't already know how it worked. 🤷🏻♂️
and to pause is a double tap, and you can swipe up and hold up for continuous adjustment of volume level
@@JakesTapes yeah there's nothing really new in any of those from the XM4 which you would have thought Linus would have been aware of??
@@TJWhiteStar yeah, i guess he hasn't use XM´s headphones for a while or ever (?)
it seems like the sound is slightly, slightly better and the design is slightly worse… so I’ll stick with the XM4’s
Iv tried the 4s and 5s together and went for the 4s. I appreciate the 5s are newer with better tech but to me the larger 40mm drivers on the 4s against the 30mm drivers on the 5s just sounded better . For me it's more about the sound.than anc or call quality etc.
The XM5 was quite the step back from the XM4's in terms of sound quality and carrying comfort.
No it wasn’t at all, the XM5 is just less bassy. I suppose if that’s the sound you prefer then it’s a step down for you, sure. But comparing the XM4 and XM5’s the latter has objectively clearer and more accurate sound
I've had the XM3 for something like 3 years now and I can say they've been my best tech purchase ever. I've been using them daily and the battery still lasts very long, the noise cancellation is top and the materials haven't worn out (I cleaned them only 1 or 2 times). I'd instantly buy them again. I don't like the look of those XM5 tho, it looks like they are wider and more bulky
I think mine sounds better as the time goes by. Still very conflicted 😐 if I will grab this or wait for the XM6 as the “unfoldadbility “ Apple trend is very cumbersome specially if I carry it inside my small mail man bag 💼. Deal breaker
mine "broke" right before warranty ended (there's little piece of plastic where you adjust size, it snapped in thinnest spot... headphones were still usable, adjusting them was just much harder, they were like if someone would put a bad glue in it, but that has no effect on sound), I got full price back and bought XM4 (which were completely new on market) and I can say... both are awesome... definitely not worth upgrading from 3 to 4 for 99% of xm3 owners, but if you don't care about money (or get upgrade for free, like I did), it's awesome
@@Englandflick they do get slim better known as "burn in" which some don't believe in. It because the treble goes micro up and also our brains get in love with the sound frequency response which some say it's that reason (burn in)
@@Englandflick it's*
@ Umm i do wonder because my brother XM4 snapped less than a year later.
A shame that these don’t fold for easier storage like the XM4s do (though at least the case still makes sense, unlike the AirPods Max), but they definitely still look great. That aside, it feels weird that it’s been a good long while since the XM4s came out.
It's been less than a year, lol
It was June 2021
No folding killed these for me… bit of a shame. Will stick with my XM3’s
I haven't put my XM3's in my case for years, but it was very handy folding them if I was travelling on a plane etc. I see why they did it though, my XM2's failed/cracked on the folding hinges and I got them warranty replaced with the XM3's, apparently it was a big problem.
@@HamerReviews They still sell the XM4 at a lower price, which does fold.
@@Neoxon619 yeah but, it's not really worth to go from mx3 to mx4 if they work just fine
Also, being a review channel I guess he know that, lol
2 different processors is better than 1 improved one because it means that each ear cup gets a designated processor. This might give faster response times alongside better isolation due to each ear cup being guaranteed to be independently noise isolated.
You don't need 2 processors. 1 more powerful cpu can handle 2 sides separately.
It could also mean that each cup is a mostly self contained unit, maybe even using identical circuit boards if Sony have been really clever.
@@infernys20 Response times... If you have one on each side then you need less data going through the headband. Response times should be important for cancelation because of the intricate science behind it (wavelength knitting).
2 processors make sense when give 4 next generation than it gets crazy
@@infernys20 i think that Sony designers know more than you. If not: why you not working for Sony?
As a user of the software some of the issues can be customized in the software.
The speech detect can be turned off or lowered to 5 seconds
Yeah, it's challenging to compare IEMs to over-ear headphones at any time, particularly since Sennheiser finally fixed some of the glaring flaws in the tuning of their IExxx line of IEMs. Pair immensely comfortable and compact shells with a competent driver and more conventional tuning and you get a good outcome. Sony is really playing to their normie base with their tuning, because they know their target demographic's preferences. It's a premium variant on a Beats headphone with a lot of good features and enough built-in EQ options to remediate most of the tuning qualms. Obviously they're still not audiophile headphones, and that's fine. There are plenty of other manufacturers that make "audiophile" headphones, even a handful that make bluetooth versions. Audio is a really subjective thing, so try to find a store that has enough of a selection so you can demo the ones you're interested in. Bowers and Wilkins has the PX7, Sennheiser has the Momentum 3 Wireless, etc. Just remember that money rapidly becomes no object in the face of chasing diminishing returns in the audiophile space, so be prepared for some severe sticker-shock if you tread too deeply in the search of audiophile nirvana.
It amazes me how no review-er test audio lag in games and how are they when using teams or slack.
bluetooth latency is pretty consistent across the board
@@northwestclasspnw7974 Not zoom/slack performance and microphone quality
@@joeyp1028If you genuinely care about that kind of stuff, you're not going to be getting a wireless headset. Or at the very least you are absolutely not using Bluetooth
I've had XM4s for about 6 months now. They're my daily drivers for everything. School, leisure listening, the gym, and on transit. The touch controls are sick and the noise cancellation is solid. One of the best deals for the price imo.
On amaxzon?
Got some about a year ago, and just found a new pair at a pawn shop, talked em down to $80
I just skip spopnsor stuff with a plugin tbh
Lmfao you can get way better headphones for less but great way to waist your money
@@reapervslayer5367 example?
here in switzerland the XM4 are insanely popular.
since i got them myself i realised just on the street around 3/4 headphones you see are the XM4s, its crazy
They are probably the best headphones in that price range
Maybe they are xm3s? Because they look the same.
@@hasanagera true they look the same, still a massive win for sony
I'm surprised that the Swiss would not use Sennheiser headphones.
@@jakesullivan9179 Sennheiser Momentum 3 is dated, to be honest same quality sound as the XM4/XM5 which shows pristine details but even better
Currently Sennheiser hopefully change the game on M4 on sound because they need better imaging
I was at costco a year ago and saw the WH1000XM3 on sale for $120. I asked if something was wrong with them, they said nope its just the last one in stock, so I bought it. I didnt know anything about this stuff and its been going strong since, then I found out this series is actually a really good set of headphones. So I kinda stumbled into it and am glad I did, everything I have compared them to sounds worse XD
Yup I managed to get mine for $100 a little over a year ago and my god what steal for such an amazing headphone
best headphones under $1000 and they're still really cheap lmao
the m3 is a legend and ive had my pair for three years
Mine are still going strong 3 years later with 8hr a day use.... but on my 3rd set of cushions :) Sadly the head band cushion is starting to go
I have a set of the XM3's as well and I think they're great. I just really wish the quality of audio was better when on phone calls.
@@aa-tx7th are you out of your mind
I just got mine today and I can feel what Linus says through 11:54. Powered on and connected to my FiiO K3 USB-C DAC via 3.5mm on my PC and trying to play my piano keyboard over midi to Kontakt5... my 2016 ATH-A900X monitors sound way more open a sound-stage than these do. They'll still be great for work and drowning out neighbors though.
I love LTT but this was just awkward, the WH-1000XM headphones are incredibly popular so many people would like to hear Linus's take on it and then we get presented with him just fumbling around, not understanding the touch controls and nearly comparing it to headphones 2x its price while ending with "well its not the IE600 but this is more for like, your normy aunt". I get that he said its not fair but he still made a comparison
Straight up weird man
These headphones are better used with a player that supports LDAC. Using AAC on the iPhone degrades them a bit.
I mean if you care about audio quality these probably aren't the best choice for you.
Can't wait for the audio frequency response curve to be measured.
@@ante8247 Which headphones would you recommend?
@@checoweco4772 at this price point Sennheiser HD600
@@ante8247 those are not wireless tho. And for better sound than the sonys in wired headphones even dt770 would be sufficient.
@@kreativeGG Had 990 pro and I wouldn't be so sure. Their construction is really weird with high tones filter that completly ruins high tones. Sony xm4-3 with eq will sound better
1:26 No. They'll mainly be used with the wire, because that's most convenient. I'm doing it right now, I've never ever charged these things since I've gotten them. 🤷♂️
Personally I use my xm3 wireless because otherwise EQ is disabled. And it's also more enjoyable.. Although yes charging can be annoying.
Looks like Sony needs a $10,000 Pantone color chip package lol
1:13 Reject usb-c , return to audio jack monke
My disapointment:
Still no sweat protection or IPX rating. Apparently no replacable ear cushions.
It's double tap to pause, and when touching the earcup for ambier you have to touch it completely, not hover infront of it
Yeah very un intuitive UX
I've been a WH-1000XM4 user since about September of last year. It's a very good headset and the ANC is great. Kinda wished you compared the two. Another thing is you can just place your hand to stop opening ANC passthrough and you can even have it where you keep your hand on the side to open it for however long you'd like.
I just bought XM3's in March. Couldn't be happier.
He tried that, just couldn't follow the instructions and hovered his hand instead. Which obviously didn't work.
Just like he couldn't pause the music as he should have double tapped, per the very simple instructions.
@@hundvd_7 ah, I was only listening so I couldn't see him doing that
Marques actually did just that ruclips.net/video/6CsJZxfZsL0/видео.html honestly he did a much better job reviewing it!
What I don't like with some of these wireless headphones is that the software for controlling the thing is not available on your PC. It's like it never occurred to the devs that people would want to use their headphones with things other than their cell phones.
I suppose they figure everyone's using it with *at least* a phone, but only a certain percentage with their PCs. Would be nice though, I agree. Might *require* signing in though for settings, wouldn't it?
It's probably Sony being excessively Japanese. Very few people have PCs in Japan, and most of those who do have them just for work, but smartphones are everywhere.
Yeah I have Sony buds
Thankfully you can just tap to change between noise cancelling
Eh? I use them with my PC, and grab my phone if I want to change something. I mean, you have your phone with you... Why would I want to do that on my PC? The app of my fridge or washing machine isn't on PC either, that's not an issue. Why is this?
@@nightfly4664 that is the dumbest take ever
8:38 Was that a confession??
4:30 Jono seeing Alpha Linus man handling his "crush"....
Following the instructions helps, as does tuning the eq in the app. I've had several pairs of this series of headphones and have been consistently very impressed/happy with them
Yeah shortcircuit is really a very lazy milking channel at this point
Is there any way to enable the EQ in the app while also using one of the HD Bluetooth modes? As soon as I try to use LDAC or AptX HD it disables the EQ.
Linus... I know Short-Circuit is quick hands-on stuff, but seeing as you reviewed the XM3 and the XM4 (iirc), you really dropped the ball on this one.
I love how Dbrand just fucks with him constantly 🤣💀 I wish other companies did that. It makes the ad tolerable.
1:12 TBH, He can play Tarzan .😅
8:32 Do we need to discussed this further?
No one should buy the XM3/4's for comfort or sound quality. They're hot, sweaty and itchy and sound like bloated ass. But for noise canceling on flights they're AMAZING. Oh and the touch controls are shit and passive mode is a gimmick
When you travel on a plane, the "caveman cable" and the adapter are needed to use the airplane media. Helps you avoid the "standard issue" headphones and use the XMs instead. I guess Linus only travels low cost or something. About Speak-to-chat and "it would be cooler if it lowers it (volume)..." No, no it would not be, not all people use the headphones for music, some use it for audiobooks. If you speak, it should pause the audiobook, not keep going on a lower volume. The pause is on double tap, when you keep pressed it's temporary pause, which is really cool replacement for "speak-to-chat". Read the docs man, or have some of your staff do it. In the end these reviews can be useful to inform people about all the nice features of the product but your team's ignorance makes it look like the designers messed up when they actually didn't.
Agreed, simply lowering would be pretty horrible if you cared at all about the audio you were listening to.
I came here to say this about the cable. It's actually pretty cool of Sony to include it as I use mine all the time on airplanes.
What's more, you can use the headphones with the cable without turning the headphones on and pairing. So if either the battery is dead or you wanted to plug them into a computer at school, for example, without needing to BT pair them, you could use the handy "caveman" cable.
I also on occasion use my wireless headphones to monitor sound which requires 3.5mm, it's very handy to have. It would be very crippling to only have wireless
Still loving my XM4, curious how much the XM5 differs in its sound quality. Eq-ing is essential on the XM4, default sound (including headphone jack) is ridiculously muddy. But with some eq-ing the sound is awesome, at least for a non-audiophile
Bro im also curious, right now the xm4 are fairly "cheap", so I wonder how worth it would be to invest in the xm5
@@AlphaUros I had the same question when the XM4 came out. Eventually decided on the 4 because I wanted the improved noise cancelling. I can definitely recommend the XM4, but it's a tough choice
@@AlphaUros I'd rather go for the XM4 rather than the new one. As MKBHD said in his video, having the option to fold is really good and the adjustments seems are a bit better.
I have the XM3s for 3 years now and since the XM4 is just an updated XM3 (having multi-device support is sick, i wish the 3 had lol), I can say for sure that the ergonomics are really good. Used for 20 hours straight during a flight and had no problem. I actually didnt like this new.. thanks apple
It took me awhile to get them to sound decent but always somewhat muffled, I think I'm just so used to brands like Sennheiser sounding amazing out of the box
For audiophile to. I work at hifi store and I still think sony got best travel Bluetooth headphones at any price point. I tested even b&o h95 for more than double and it sounded meh with quite bad noise cancelling and unresponsive app.
12:13 the least convincing ‘TO BE CLEAR THEY SOUND REALLY GOOD’ I’ve ever heard 😂
Owning a high end headphone ( I own audeze ) and I use it with dac and amp with flac files, when I put my XM3 with spotify is like going back to the stone age they sound meh, but then I listen to other stuff and the XM3 sound good, then I go back to my home setup and it starts all over again xD
@@leviathan19 yeah, my Bose QC35IIs sound like elevator music after using them straight after my DT 1990 pros
@@huttonberries768 exactly and it's not only the headphones source matters too
@@leviathan19 tbh, there is minimal difference between normal Spotify audio and master tidal hi-fi. Even audio experts struggle to tell
@@huttonberries768 well I have found that if you listen to flac vs spotify for long periods at high volume flac will get you less tired as the music comes out cleaner it can whistand higher volumes without causing discomfort.
If I listed to a song a few minutes or seconds to see which is which probably won't notice, but for extended periods of time yes I can feel it.
8:34 don't let this distract you from the fact that Linus might have confessed one of his childhood experiences 😅
Does the headphone charge when it's connected with cable the longer cable? Or does the battery go down?
you have to touch the headphone to use quick focus or whatever its called, at least on the xm5s
I like how dbrand sent Linus some really smelly stuff and were just like, "We don't have smell-o-vision yet, so it's not an issue."
And Linus 100% made it an issue.
Linus, you can't expect analytical sound when you connect them to an iPhone. I know the LDAC connection won't make them sound 10 times better but it makes a difference
Probably tuning. Sony’s wireless lineups always had wonky tuning compared to their wired siblings.
Yeah I was like "Ah man...he's using an iPhone for the first impressions 😔"
If the previous iterations are of any indication, they will sound just as disappointing even when you drive them wired from a good source, bypassing the built in electronics. They're not exactly good headphones. But they don't need to be, they just need to be good _bluetooth active noise cancelling_ headphones. If you just want good headphones, you're not buying these, or any bluetooth ANC cans for that matter.
Lmao, you think codecs would even make the slightest effect to the tuning of the FR? LOL.
You can't expect "analytical sound" out of ANY WH and WF-Series headphones, it's just the nature of their existence to have a v-shaped tuning because that's what most consumers are accustomed to.
You can always use parametric EQ like EQ APO or AutoEQ via Wavelet to get somewhat close to "neutral/analytical" target response such as Diffuse-Field or Harman OE.
@@hal9xxx321 Anyone saying that there isn't a difference, I would implore you to get either the WF-1000xm4 or WH-1000xm5, get a list of your favorite 15-20 songs that have some parts that stress the higher end of the spectrum, and do some A/B testing between AAC Compression and LDAC. I promise you will hear a difference if your ears are tunned enough.
I've been wondering the question of heavy headphones, and if I look down on my camera gear or pickup my bag, tie my shoes, my xm4's fall out my ears. As do the airpods pro etc. So now testing out the airpods max, I'm actually noticing something weird, for the first time ever headphones are not falling off my head when I look down or do weird things like yoga.
Sony’s headphone have been getting better and better in the last five years. And I have picked Sony headphones over Bose the last two times. The quality, sound and comfort is just so good now. Plus the price is very reasonable as well.
Sony has always been better than Bose, Bose is overpriced for very mediocre performance
@@AndrewB23 some will disagree not me though my kinda sound preferences is Sony, and Sennheiser
Hi all OG & M4 user here,
Software issue has been here for awhile, the ANC is more aggressive on the OG than the M4.
Especialy the voice cancelling, M4 could still hear ppl talking around while the OG verison has reduced the surrounding voice.
The ambient on the M4 is quite unclear and weird as well, and OG sound way better! I hope Sony really update the software and fix the problem.
Hope you find this info useful...
Sorry to ask but... What's "OG"? I think I may have missed something.
I love the aux out and the included cord in my XM3's. I know you guys kind of tease it a bit, but recently it was really nice to use them for an inflight movie on an airplane when I don't have to use the super shitty complementary earbuds. The XM3's also only Bluetooth connect to one device (Huge upgrade in the XM4s and 5s) at a time so at work I have my set Bluetooth paired to my phone and then when I need to hop on a zoom call I just plug in the aux cable.
yup air travel is a target market for noise canceling headphones, thus the cord. my XM4's even came with an airline adapter.
My guy the aux is for lossless codec support.
@@potatoeskimos I use my XM3 with the cord for the lossyest, youtube
I use the AUX for an inline mic with my XM4 as the included mic is trash tier.
the AUX isn't for convenience, overtime your battery will die and you might need it, that and since WH series are High-Res headphones, you'll need the aux wire to listen to lossless audio codec.
3.5mm headphone jack, I guess Sony didn't have Apple's _courage_ ... good Sony.
Or Google's, grumble grumble 6a
Yeah, if nothing else it prolongs life span of 🎧
Dell's courage is bigger
old video but some thoughts
1. might as well use nfc to pair if you have a laptop nearby
2. linus is impatient and doesn't even put in effort to learn how the touch controls work
3. if you take a second to think about who the headphones are made for, you'd realize that these aren't made for audiophiles but for casual users to have decent sound quality
4. god I hate the way linus treats most tech like it's disposable
Did they fix the thing where you can't turn the announcer voice off completely?
If I connect my XM4 to my laptop & phone and listen to music on my phone, and I close my laptop, 5 seconds of my music is overpowered by the announcer voice saying 'Bluetooth second device .. disconnected'
It kinda makes the multipoint connection feature unusable on the XM4.
I have the XM4's. love 'em. sometimes after a video I'll forget I have them on and be sitting in noise canceled silence for a while, take them off and be startled by all the ambient sounds I wasn't hearing.
the reasons for the cable is so you can keep listening if the battery dies, and air travel which is a target market for noise canceling headphones.
after weeks of being aware of dbrands bullshit moves, i’ve finally nailed the discount
edit: also, 15% is basically a tax free buy, so, thank you, I guess
I was just a couple minutes too late...
Where TF do you live that sales tax is 17.6%?
@@RaynmanPlays In Mexico VAT is 16%. (except in the usa border, there it’s 10%) and don’t forget import taxes and fees
@@coatochi I was going to make a comment on VAT, but honestly the mess of corporate taxes and regulations add a ridiculous amount to the cost of goods in the US, so even at 7.75% sales tax, that's... not the full story.
I know other countries have corporate taxes and regulations, but in the US, it can get quite ridiculous. All while a significant percentage of people _genuinely_ believe that some of the largest sources of tax revenue are on some sort of imaginary welfare.
@@RaynmanPlays Only 17,6? Here in Sweden it's 20 % VAT as a standard. There are exceptions like food (12 %) and books (6 %), though.
I hope the microphones are actually useful when there's anything even remotely like a wind blowing, unlike my XM3's.
Have you tried wind cancelation mode?
Watch the CNET review. They have covered in-call noise canceling and it is nothing less than impressive.
I still don't understand how people keep raving about the XM4/XM5 from Sony when there is the Sennheiser Momentum 4. Those cans are super precise, alive and have a 60 hr battery life. ANC is comparable too.
Because no one like Sennheiser 😂 Sony is king 👑
@@Mr102185 Lol. So you agree that just a truckload of marketing will sell a lesser product better?
11:06 mind someone share with ethe title of the bgm .. i like the sound of it but i dont have any idea where it come from
Those Pantone chips are really paying off with Linus commenting on color matched materials.
The problem that the Sonys had for me was that the cups were never deep enough so my ears would always end up touching the drivers
For me it's the Alexa integration. Don't need or want it. Don't want headphones to send everything they hear to Amazon.
I imagined you with Shrek ears lmao
@@bbbbbbb51 mine doesn't do that. Change setting from the app.
Same here. I hate when my ears touches to the drivers. I think that's why people recommend qc35 ii over mx3.
Wicked cushion replacements i got were much better in this regard but could still be better, For my the headband isnt wide enough and i have a mad headphone band dent hahahaha
It's really amazing how close they've gotten the colours of all of these different material.
Except the printed one
I’m a headphone fanatic, noise-cancelling addict. I’ve been rocking AirPod Pro’s and decided to jump into the new XM-5’s -largely because of Flossy Carter’s rare “quad major go”, but after three days with them, I have to said that the noise cancelling isn’t nearly as good as the Air Pods. I have The noise cancelling on max setting, good ear cup seal, and I hear running water and people talking quietly next to me. With my Air Pods, I can hear nothing but music. Okay, the good, the sound quality is decent. You know, not booming bass, but balanced-ESPECIALLY when used with EQE or even Sony’s watered down EQ app. The battery life has been very good-I get about 30 hours and the touch controls are solid. Also. Yesterday, I was on Main Street with racing, noisy after market exhaust, blasting stereos and I made a call. The caller had no idea. She thought I was sitting in a quiet office. That’s a very amazing thing. I mean, I do like these headphones very much. The build is light, but sturdy, they charge HELLA fast. I had 60 percent and plugged in for15 minutes and got up to 90%. Is it worth $421? No, I think the Xm-3’s would have worked just as well. Am I returning these? No, don’t want to hassle and I do like them, but if you’re looking to buy, I’d wait for a sale or go with a lower model and if you are okay with 6 hour battery life, go with AirPod Pros or for $400, get two pairs of AirPod pros. These Sony cans are good for the office, but you can’t wear them in 80 degrees weather and you certainly cannot jog with them.
I'd definitely like to see a review on them as well.
There are a number of things in here which are probably user error and I'd like to know if they are worth upgrading to fro. My XM3's. They are getting ratty and need an upgrade.
I think there is a touch rejection feature with the volume controls to prevent accidentally bumping several times quickly and blowing out your ears. Swiping and holding allows changing by multiple steps.
Went for the in ear xm4's last december. What i found out: hardware is amazing, software not so much. Also the in ear pieces keep breaking after barely over a month of using. But when they work they are the best nc in ears for sure as far as im concerned 😅
Are you talking about the foam version of the in ear pieces? If so, those are meant to be replaced often, I believe, unlike the silicone tips. Also, depending on your ears, they can start to smell incredibly bad at some point. Personally I use Comply TrueGrip memory foam tips and change them every 1-3 months depending on use.
It's just the way foam ear tips are made, they are replaceable and not meant to last the product's lifespan. I suggest you buy a stock of Comply foam ear tips for the in-ears XM4.
"hardware is amazing" sure, the tuning is waaaaay too much bass though
@@aniiimeeeaddict I advise you to not comply with comply
If you want more comfort and longevity of the eartips I would highly recommend getting spinfit eartips
Loved the WH H900n's I've been using for a number of years now but they're finally on their way out with the noise cancelling crawling into the grave recently and the occasional shutting off. Looking forward to upgrading to these but I hope the earpads are more durable than I've experienced; at least they've been easy to replace.
My XM3s have been in daily use for 3 years now, up to 9hrs a day and they still work really well. Battery life is not as long as it used to be and the black stuff on the ear surround has worn off but that’s to be expected. They are probably the best set of headphones I’ve used, and I’ve had quite a few different sets from other brands. Have dropped them, sat on them and even occasionally got them wet while outside in the rain and they are still going strong. I’m Upgrading to the MX5s today as I got a good Black Friday deal on them. I’m am happy Linus gave them his seal of approval because I hate buying something, only to watch reviews on the item while waiting for them to be delivered to find that no one likes them. Dragons…..
I added Dragons at the end because it made the story a bit cooler….
I tried the XM4s to use wirelessly around the house but I can't get used to the sound. I use hd598s on my PC and I cant adjust to the overdone bass. It would be interesting to see what the improvement would be on that end with the XM5s
There's a per-device equaliser that can be controlled in the app, might be nice to deal with the bass on your end?
It's funny to see Linus comment about the amount of effort Sony went through to "get the colour as close as possible on all those different materials" - I'm sure developing his own merch has helped him with this insight and I like to imagine theres a materials team in Sony watching this video going "YES - WE DID THAT"
From watching this, I can garner that between my XM3's and the XM5 there really isn't much difference in interface which makes it harder to justify an upgrade. I don't think the newer style is worth upgrading for and the case looks like it's much bigger because of the headphone cup not being folded inward. The ANC seems better on the XM4/5 though, but the XM3's are still solid.
Yeah the xm3 is super solid. I think the main reasons for upgrade are multi device connection and better mic, if you don't need those then it's whatever.
AFAIk the only upgrades they made from the XM3 to XM4 is slightly better ANC and the ability to connect to multiple devices simultaneously then the XM5 added more mics and less weight. So unless you need the multipoint, sounds like there's no need to upgrade.
@@chanchan05 multipoint is a huge deal
@@LoupBlancEA for a very small set of users, yes.
That's kind of a good thing, no? You have a nice pair of headphones, no need to consider upgrading just because you can get something nicer.
Not trying to troll, just saying.
@12:25 you didn't double tap for pausing :)
On the quick attention i didn't see you place your hand ON the ear cup, only next to it. how would it work by holding your hand next to the ear cup and not on unless there was a light sensor and then many things could turn it on accidentally?
You missed testing the (in my opinion) main new feature compared to the XM4, the microphones. I've had the XM4 for over a year and I'm still furious that the microphones are so bad I can't even use them for phone calls because it picks up so much background noise. Would be nice to see if they've actually fixed that in the XM5
I always use the song Desert Tornado by the Aristocrats to benchmark headphones. It has a nice mix and enough dynamic range to figure some stuff out.
You should have tried them out on an Android device, because then you could use LDAC which sounds a whole lot better than AAC which is used on iPhone 😅
Props to the editor on this video for editing the audio, when the music would have resumed as Linus put the headphones back on, etc
Do you know if the ears can fully fit in the ear cup? That's my grippe with most over the head head-phone, the top of the ears and the ear lobe are pressed against the material instead of fitting inside the ear cup.
What laptop Linus pull up at 6:52?
So out of a 11.5 minute video, you spent 5 seconds talking about the actual audio quality. Nice.... That's the high level content we subscribe for 👏🤣
I might get these and I might not. Tbh I'm not the biggest fan of the design compared to my XM4's but I could probably look past it. But I also don't really need new headphones right now.
Maybe they were telling you that there's two noise-cancelling processors, because the previous units shared one. Now there might be one for each ear, giving independent sound isolation to each ear
I gave this a try during my last holidays. They stood two 11 hour flights and four crowded trains, either connected to the entertainment system, listening to music or just blocking the ambient noise. And they were comfortable enough to nap wearing them. 100% satisfied.
yeah, this video felt unusually shit. Got the impression that you weren't at all interested, not even bothering to read the instructions for the touch controls properly. other "smart functions" are mostly annoying to me on my older model too, but you could at least mention that they can be turned off or adjusted.
keep doing quality over quantity. i get that short circuit isn't about doing the deep dive, but for most people this wouldn't be a fair first impressions either. get another host to do it or push it back if you're not in the right headspace to explore the product properly within the allotted time
sharing out of love, keep doing better
I still have my XM3s for almost 3 yrs now and I love them :) I'm sure ppl in the comments already said this but for the quick ambient mode you gotta touch the earcup not just have your hand close to the earcup like you're trying to use "the force" like some Jedi/Sith haha I'll stick with my XM3s as I have no use for any upgrade yet.
Any issues? I've also used XM3's for 3 years and had to replace my earcups twice due to wear and the right earcjp vibrates violently at certain angles making it hard to use
@@anisimow I keep mine in the carrying case whenever I'm not using but I haven't had to replace any earcups/padding. I try to wipe down the padding as any skin oil or scalp sweat is not good for the material. Audio wise its still crispy clear and battery life is unchanged. I can go around 3 days to a week before I have to charge again. I use my headphones with my iPad a lot more than my iPhone but its fine. I do wish I had the multi device switching but other than that its still on par with the current gens
I am even on the XM2s still, I do not use them for calls, like at all, so the bad in call mic stuff does not bother me at all, bought them 2017... and just now one of the pads got a rip and I bought some nice 3rd party ones.
I can't believe my headphones are now two generations out of date lol but I'm weirdly comforted that they still take several taps to pause or resume music
Headphones are an investment tbh. Good ones should last you a looooong time, but one of the reasons I won't buy Sony's XM line is because you can't replace the earcups/pads. If they get worn out, dirtied, torn, etc, you're toast.
I've had my pair of Bluetooth over ears for 5+ years at this point, gone through 2 earpad replacements, & I've even looked up how to replace the battery down the road. Headphone technology hasn't had many innovations since the 80s besides portability & noise cancelation.
@@bbbbbbb51 Damn, that's a good point. Before my XM3's, I had a pair of Sennheisers for more years than I can remember, where I frequently replaced the cushions and cable, I guess these Sonys aren't going to be nearly as long lasting. But they'll continue to sound good as new generations come out, as long as they last I guess
My problem with wireless headphones is that most of them have non-replaceable Lithium batteries. So, if you are unlucky enough to get one that goes defective a few months after the warranty expired you are left with a normal pair of headphones.
9:14 you have to put your hand on the ear cup lol😂
How does your recorded voice of the xm5 sound? Got the XM4s for work and the mic of these are practically unuseable for online meetings...
i just bought some xm5s about an hour ago, seeing linus bend them made me die inside
At 8:00, he probably had the "focus on voice" mode active. It's not whole ambient but instead focuses on the human voice frequency range, They suggest it for example when you are at a train station waiting: cuts out noises but lets in the departure/arrivals speaker voice.
Thus influencing how everything sounds.
This video feels a bit rushed.
Love those audio reviews. Can't wait for the lab to get that audio data.
by the linus review.. it probably not much of the different from WHxm4 in sound signature... Muddy.. but for ANC its great
i love wfxm3 more because it has better sound signature
but if you looking for a great headphone to use at home.. beyerdynamic dt 990 is the way to go.. and its quite budget friendly
@@5at5una Yeah muddy describes the xm4s. Also sounds like the mids are in the room nextdoor
Hi, you can change the duration until the music starts again with the speak-to-chat feature, default is i think 15 seconds and can be set to 30 or 5
After installing the updates on the 1000XM5, believe me that the noise reduction is terribly scary, when you listen to a movie or music... we expect absolutely nothing from the outside, even we would not wait for an atomic bomb to explode in front of us.
I got to test both the Bose 700 and the Sony XM3 for a couple weeks each while commuting and personally, I didn't like the sound of the xm3.
The noise cancelling adjustment was just not good on the Sony's, it made the music sound kinda muddy, because any noises it let through sounded pretty bad and voices in the ambient mode were not clear enough to reliably understand.
The sound profile is of course personal, but I didn't like it very much. Pretty much what linus described
The bose 700 had ANC that was just as good as the xm3, higher pitched sounds like voices were a little more noticeable.
But the build quality and feel! They were superb! The sound profile of the Bose was also more to my liking, being flat, with the very low base being a little pronounced.
The 10 step adjustable noise cancelling worked very smoothly and ambient mode was very clear sounding without impacting perceived sound quality.
They were also more comfortable to wear.
To me, the Bose 700 were just the overall winner between the two. And afaik, the xm4 did not majorly improve on the xm3's shortcomings compared to the Bose 700
Not giving up my XM3 until they dissolve.
Still have mine after 4 years 😁
Each ear cup probably has their own noise canceling processing being 2 processors. Might be why they're so many mics on each also. Would give the headset really good noise canceling of directional sounds.
Have you tried on zoom while playing a music or something? Its weird it, the music become lowpass and focus on voice. I think its just because on windows 11 or sht. Its only freehand mode there are not option to switch to stereo to hear both voice and music.
Loved the background music on this video .. great job editors