When it comes to over-hear noise cancelling headphones, Sony leaded the industry with their wh1000 series. And now, the competition just got more stiffer as Apple introduced the Airpods Max. The latest and greatest noise cancelling king the wh1000-xm4 costs $350, but can be available for around $300, but Apple just dropped the Airpods Max with a price tag of $550, which got people thinking about it. Lets compare them to see that if Sony will remain the king or does Apple take the crown?
Apple AirPods Max takes it from Sony in terms of build quality. Apple uses high quality stainless steel for the body, aluminum for the earcups and memory foam for the headband. They are superior materials in every way compared to plastic used in Sony. But dont take it wrong, the xm4 is also really built well and is really comfortable to use.
In terms of sound quality Apple uses custom built 40mm drivers and they sound extremely good. The H1 chip inside both earcups provide computational audio with adaptive EQ and may more features. Sony xm4 also uses 40mm drivers and Sony's custom Q1 chip together deliver masterclass audio. Both have terrific noise cancellation and a normal customer will never complain over it from both of these headphones. Audio quality and noise cancellation is really high end on both of these headphones.
Apple has a digital crown to control volume with features like single press for play/pause, double press to skip a track, triple press for previous track and long press for Siri. They also have spatial audio which gives the user a 3d sound experience. Sony has a touch pad on the right earcup for volume and music controls, a dedicated assistant button which you can decide between Google assistant and Amazon alexa. Both have proximity sensors for wear detection so when you take them off, the music pauses and noise cancellation is turned off for preserving battery.
Regarding the battery life, the xm4 can last upto 30 hours with noise cancellation and airpods max can last for 20 hours with noise cancellation. If the airpods max is in the case they go into an ultra low power mode, but the catch here is that when you take off the headphones and put them somewhere without putting in the case, they just sit there wasting battery and only turns off after 2hours because they dont have a power button.
What differentiates them?
To Sony's credit, xm4 have multipoint support which lets you to connect to two devices at once and seamlessly switch between them. AirPods Max also has this features only if both devices are from Apple. This feature wont work on Airpods Max is you use a Windows laptop or an Android phone. Sony has a headphone jack and has an aux cable in the box, while Apple on the other hand is the only headphone that doesn't have a headphone jack.
The lightning to 3.5mm adapter costs another $10.
AirPods Max has a variety of color options to choose from, they are the same as the Ipad air, while Sony has only two, black and white. AirPods Max also has detachable earcups which is magnetically attached to the frame. These can be replaced if it wears out over time so you don't need to buy a new headphone. They cost $69 for a pair and comes in different colors.
Portability is also better with Sony as they can be folded and be safely stored in the case that they come with. Apple's headphones are built well but the case that is comes with only protects the most durable part: the earcups. The headband is exposed and the mesh can suffer wear and tear over time. They also take more space as they cant be folded.
Battery life is also better with the xm4 with 30 hours of playback with noise cancellation compared to 20 on airpods max and the fact that the Sony has a power button to turn it off when not in use also helps to preserve battery.
The main differentiator is the price. Are the Airpods Max $200 (sometimes $250) more good than Sony? Probably not. And most people will be very happy if not more happy with the xm4 than AirPods Max because of the headphone jack, more battery life, portability etc.
AirPods Max are for those who does not mind spending extra for minor things, and if you are well into the Apple ecosystem, these are the beast you can get.
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