I’m currently testing the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones and have read many different reviews about the microphones in these headphones. The opinions are pretty contradictory. On Reddit, some write that the microphone’s sound quality is very mediocre. Others say the sound quality differs from AirPods Pro Max and is generally very good. So this is an exciting topic because what different people say sounds contradictory.
I tested the microphone in various scenarios, and here’s how it works for me.
Sony WH-1000XM4 microphone quality
The main drawback of these headphones is the poor noise cancellation. If you’re talking on a noisy street, the microphone will pick up a lot of ambient noise. As a result, your interlocutor will hear not just your voice but also the noise of passing cars or other noises. To me, this is the primary drawback of these headphones. This is important to know before purchasing, as many use headphones for talking in places with a lot of surrounding noise. If this is your case, these headphones may not be the best choice.
Secondly, what I noticed is that the call quality degrades over time. I haven’t yet found an explanation for this phenomenon, but the longer you talk, the worse the sound quality. The degradation isn’t significant, but it is there.
Another problem is that the sound comes across as muffled. This is a common issue in headphones with built-in microphones because bass and high frequencies are transmitted poorly. Therefore, your voice might sound slightly compressed, robotic, or as if you’re speaking “from a basement” or “inside a barrel.” The main issue is that your voice sounds as though it lacks detail. This isn’t critical if you plan to use these headphones for occasional calls, but it can be problematic if you choose them for frequent calls.
Overall, considering that these headphones are primarily positioned for listening to music or watching videos, the microphone in them doesn’t play a significant role. Yes, it doesn’t sound perfect, and the noise cancellation is disappointing. On a busy street or in a room with many people, background noise will be audible to the interlocutor and will silence your voice, significantly affecting the call quality.
So, I would characterize the microphone in the WH-1000XM4 as quite mediocre. It’s sufficient for those who might need to make a call but unsuitable if you want to use the microphone in these headphones for conversations consistently.
Here’s the chart of the mic test by RTINGS.com.
Here, we see the same thing I’m talking about. We observe a significant deviation from the “ideal” scenario at low and high frequencies. It’s precisely because the microphone doesn’t capture these frequencies that your voice sounds quite compressed.
Another peculiarity, which somehow affects the sound quality (though theoretically it shouldn’t), is if you have more than one device paired with these headphones. This also negatively impacts the sound quality of the microphone. But turning off Bluetooth on the second device is relatively easy to fix.
