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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Apple AirPods Max vs Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple AirPods Max
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Feb 10, 2025 03:32 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Feb 05, 2025 06:56 PM
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Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Blue)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Green)
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Midnight)
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Orange)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Pink)
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Purple)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Silver)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Sky Blue)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Space Gray)
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Starlight)
- WH-1000XM4 (Black)
- WH-1000XM4 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM4 (Silver)
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods Max
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
The Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless are better headphones than the Apple AirPods Max Wireless if you care about customizability. The Sony have a companion app that offers many customization features, including a graphic EQ and presets. They also come with a 1/8" TRS cable if you want to use them wired, and are more comfortable. Both headphones offer a fantastic ANC performance, though the Sony still edge in front of the pack in this regard, as they can block out a bit more sound than the Apple.
Check Price
Silver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Amazon.comSilver
WH-1000XM4
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Amazon.comBlue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Amazon.comBlack
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comGreen
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMidnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Amazon.comOrange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comPink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Amazon.comPurple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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BestBuy.comSky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Amazon.comSpace Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Amazon.comStarlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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BestBuy.comMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.5
7.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.6
7.6
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
4.9
7.3
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.0
8.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.85 lbs
0.6 lbs
Clamping Force
1.2 lbs
1 lbs
Controls
7.9
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
iOS
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Great
Good
Feedback
Good
Decent
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
6.1
5.4
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
6.7 °C
8.2 °C
Portability
6.0
6.1
Portability Picture
L
7.8" (19.8 cm)
7.4" (18.8 cm)
W
7.5" (19.1 cm)
6.1" (15.5 cm)
H
1.7" (4.3 cm)
2.0" (5.1 cm)
Volume
99.00 in³ (1,622.31 cm³)
90.00 in³ (1,474.83 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
6.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Soft case
Hard case
L
7.9" (20.1 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)
W
8.5" (21.6 cm)
6.6" (16.8 cm)
H
1.7" (4.3 cm)
2.3" (5.8 cm)
Volume
114.00 in³ (1,868.12 cm³)
126.00 in³ (2,064.76 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
400 Hz
400 Hz
Bass Amount
1.5 dB
5.1 dB
Treble Amount
-4.4 dB
-0.4 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
7.1
8.2
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.6 dB
0.35 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.6
7.6
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.5 dB
5.2 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
1.72 dB
4.49 dB
Mid Bass
1.15 dB
5.5 dB
High Bass
1.49 dB
5.6 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
8.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.3 dB
1.58 dB
Low Mid
0.49 dB
1.24 dB
Mid-Mid
0.2 dB
-0.07 dB
High Mid
-1.34 dB
-1.15 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
4.9
7.3
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.14 dB
3.01 dB
Low Treble
-4.28 dB
-1.71 dB
Mid Treble
-4.58 dB
1.38 dB
High Treble
-3.65 dB
-2.88 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.9
7.9
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.01 dB
1.2 dB
Dips
2.31 dB
1.46 dB
Imaging
7.7
8.6
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.12
0.16
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.91
4.36
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
2.33
0.79
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.86
2.07
Passive Soundstage
4.1
3.5
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
4.28 dB
3.11 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
6.81 dB
8.34 dB
PRTF Distance
5.22 dB
1.8 dB
Openness
1.7
0.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.3
3.4
Virtual Soundstage
2.9
4.1
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
On/Off
No
Virtual Surround
Spatial Audio
360 Reality Audio
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.7
7.7
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.337
0.265
WHD @ 100
0.125
0.130
Test Settings
Firmware
3B71
2.6.0
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
TP-Link BE9300 BT 5.4
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Adaptive EQ
Off
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
9.4
9.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-26.06 dB
-27.13 dB
Bass
-19.54 dB
-24.80 dB
Mid
-30.62 dB
-25.37 dB
Treble
-28.95 dB
-31.92 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.0
9.7
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-21.85 dB
-23.51 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-19.98 dB
-22.93 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-21.92 dB
-26.02 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
Leakage
7.1
7.1
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
38.88 dB
39.28 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.6
6.1
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
273 Hz
269.09 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.77 dB
2.11 dB
HFE
3,466.89 Hz
3,726.47 Hz
Weighted THD
3.025
65.861
Gain
15.85 dB
11.46 dB
Noise Handling
5.0
5.6
SpNR
9.61 dB
11.47 dB
Noise Gate
No
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
5.0
6.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.0
5.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.3
8.7
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
21.6 hrs
37.7 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
21.6 hrs
37.7 hrs
Charge Time
1.5 hrs
2.3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
No
Yes
Charging Port
Lightning
USB-C
App Support
6.0
8.0
App Picture
App Name
iOS Interface
Sony| Headphones Connect
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
On/Off
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
Yes
Button Mapping
No
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.3
9.9
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
N/A
4.00 ft (1.22 m)
Connector
Lightning
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
1.7 ms
0.3 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
7.9
8.6
Bluetooth Version
5.0+H1 chip
5.010
Multi-Device Pairing
No
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
Yes
No
Line Of Sight Range
328.00 ft (99.97 m)
299.00 ft (91.14 m)
Latency - SBC
185 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
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
No
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
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
Silver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSilver
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comGreen
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMidnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comOrange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comPink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comPurple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comSky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSpace Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comStarlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Apple AirPods Max
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Comments
Apple AirPods Max vs Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless: Main Discussion
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