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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

AKG N700NC M2
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.7

Updated Apr 03, 2024 03:24 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Mar 26, 2025 11:52 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Picture

Variants

  • N700NC M2 (Black)
  • WH-1000XM4 (Black)
  • WH-1000XM4 (Midnight Blue)
  • WH-1000XM4 (Silver)

Our Verdict

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless

The Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless are slightly better headphones than the AKG N700NC M2 Wireless. The Sony are more comfortable, better built, and have a significantly better noise isolation performance. Their continuous battery life is longer, and their companion app offers more customization features. The AKG have a flatter default sound profile, which some users may prefer, and a better passive soundstage performance.

0

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Black
N700NC M2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
WH-1000XM4
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Finding store
 
Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
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Silver
WH-1000XM4
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Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

8.0
7.4

Bass Accuracy 
 

8.6
7.6

Passive Soundstage 
 

5.0
3.5

Mid Accuracy 
 

9.2
8.4

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.2
7.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Design Picture 2
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.5
8.0

Comfort Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Comfort Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.61 lbs
0.6 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.2 lbs
1 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

7.5
7.6

Controls Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Controls Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Decent
Good

Feedback  

Good
Decent

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant

Show text

Breathability 
 

5.4

Breathability After Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

8.2 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

6.2
6.1

Portability Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Portability Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Portability Picture

 

7.4" (18.8 cm)
7.4" (18.8 cm)

 

5.8" (14.8 cm)
6.1" (15.5 cm)

 

1.9" (4.8 cm)
2.0" (5.1 cm)

Volume  

81.50 in³ (1,335.60 cm³)
90.00 in³ (1,474.83 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

8.0
8.0

Case Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Case Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

7.8" (19.8 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)

 

6.7" (17.0 cm)
6.6" (16.8 cm)

 

2.4" (6.1 cm)
2.3" (5.8 cm)

Volume  

125.30 in³ (2,053.30 cm³)
126.00 in³ (2,064.76 cm³)

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.5
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

7.5
7.0

Stability Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Stability Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Angled Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Side Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Front Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Rear Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Top Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless In The Box Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

400 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

2.2 dB
5.1 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-2.29 dB
-0.4 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.3
8.2

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.54 dB
0.35 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.6
7.6

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2 dB
5.2 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10.15 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

2.78 dB
4.49 dB

Mid Bass 
 

2.14 dB
5.5 dB

High Bass 
 

1.69 dB
5.6 dB

Show text

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.2
8.4

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.11 dB
1.58 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.28 dB
1.24 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.02 dB
-0.07 dB

High Mid 
 

-1.6 dB
-1.15 dB

Show text

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.2
7.3

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.77 dB
3.01 dB

Low Treble 
 

-0.22 dB
-1.71 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-0.94 dB
1.38 dB

High Treble 
 

-10 dB
-2.88 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

8.1
7.9

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.36 dB
1.2 dB

Dips 
 

0.57 dB
1.46 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

8.7
8.6

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.45
0.16

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.89
4.36

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.31
0.79

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.59
2.07

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

5.0
3.5

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

4.02 dB
3.11 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

4.85 dB
8.34 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

11.55 dB
1.8 dB

Openness 
 

1.4
0.4

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.5
3.4

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
4.1

Virtual Soundstage  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
On/Off

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
360 Reality Audio

Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.6
7.7

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.364
0.265

WHD @ 100 
 

0.135
0.130

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.7.1
2.6.0

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Off
Off

ANC 
 

On
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

8.9
9.5

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-23.76 dB
-27.13 dB

Bass 
 

-17.70 dB
-24.80 dB

Mid 
 

-24.13 dB
-25.37 dB

Treble 
 

-30.70 dB
-31.92 dB

Show text

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.0
9.7

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.45 dB
-23.51 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-19.66 dB
-22.93 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-22.39 dB
-26.02 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show text

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show text

Leakage 
 

6.9
7.1

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

40.14 dB
39.28 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

Yes
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Recording Quality 
 

7.1
6.1

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

179.59 Hz
269.09 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

4.33 dB
2.11 dB

HFE 
 

4,902.93 Hz
3,726.47 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

0.123
65.861

Gain 
 

1.36 dB
11.46 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

5.8
5.6

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

15.88 dB
11.47 dB

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

6.0
6.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

5.5
5.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

8.4
8.7

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

20.7 hrs
37.7 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

20.7 hrs
37.7 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.8 hrs
2.3 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C

Show text

App Support 
 

7.5
8.0

App Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless App Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless App Picture

App Name  

AKG Headphone
Sony| Headphones Connect

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Parametric + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
On/Off

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
Yes

Button Mapping  

Yes
Yes

Surround Support 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.7
9.9

Cable Picture  

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Cable Picture
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

4.23 ft (1.29 m)
4.00 ft (1.22 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRRS
1/8" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.7 ms
0.3 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Analog

Show text

Bluetooth Connection 
 

8.3
8.6

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
5.010

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No
Yes

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

304.46 ft (92.80 m)
299.00 ft (91.14 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

137 ms
245 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A
237 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC
SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

Check Price

Black
N700NC M2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding store
 
Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding store
 
Silver
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding store

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison

AKG N700NC M2 vs Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless: Main Discussion

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