Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Sound
- Design
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated May 27, 2025 08:03 PM
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comTested using Methodology v2.0
Updated May 26, 2025 04:26 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountSlightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble AmountBalanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
Variants
- WH-1000XM4 (Black)
- WH-1000XM4 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM4 (Silver)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Black)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Deep Plum)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Diamond 60th Edition)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Lunar Blue)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Sandstone)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (White Smoke)
Our Verdict
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless and the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless are both high-end headphones, and depending on your needs, you may prefer either pair. Both headphones have fantastic ANC systems, so you'll get top-tier noise isolation from either pair. The Bose are more comfortable and have a better-performing mic. They also support aptX Adaptive, which is a codec that automatically adjusts its performance based on your audio content, so you'll be able to listen to audio in higher quality or, if you're streaming video, reduce lip sync mismatch. The Sony headphones support passive playback and LDAC codec, allowing you to stream higher-quality audio than with the default SBC codec.
Check Price
Black
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comBlack
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comDeep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSilver
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comDiamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comLunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.4
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
400 Hz
950 Hz
Bass Amount
5.1 dB
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Treble Amount
-0.4 dB
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
8.2
7.0
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.35 dB
1.09 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
7.6
8.9
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.2 dB
3.1 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
4.49 dB
3.49 dB
Mid Bass
5.5 dB
3.7 dB
High Bass
5.6 dB
-0.13 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
9.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.58 dB
1.03 dB
Low Mid
1.24 dB
0.45 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.07 dB
0.66 dB
High Mid
-1.15 dB
-1.05 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
7.3
9.8
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.01 dB
1.59 dB
Low Treble
-1.71 dB
-0.52 dB
Mid Treble
1.38 dB
-1.4 dB
High Treble
-2.88 dB
-6 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.9
8.1
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.2 dB
1.13 dB
Dips
1.46 dB
1.29 dB
Stereo Mismatch
6.9
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.79
0.6 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
2.07
1.4 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.36
2.6°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
3.5
5.3
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
3.11 dB
6.19 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
8.34 dB
6.67 dB
PRTF Distance
1.8 dB
9.17 dB
Openness
0.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.4
Harmonic Distortion
8.4
Harmonics Levels
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.265
0.15%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.130
0.40%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
100.3 dB
Virtual Soundstage
4.1
3.3
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
On/Off
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
Adjustable
Virtual Surround
360 Reality Audio
No
Test Settings
Firmware
2.6.0
1.6.7+g6ebabd2
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Off
No EQ
ANC
On
Quiet
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Imaging
8.6
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.16
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.36
2.6°
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.79
0.6 dB
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.07
1.4 dB
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.7
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.265
0.15%
WHD @ 100
0.130
0.40%
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-Ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
8.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.6 lbs
0.56 lbs
Clamping Force
1 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
7.6
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Decent
Feedback
Decent
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
Presets
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
5.4
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
8.2 °C
Portability
6.1
6.4
Portability Picture
L
7.4" (18.8 cm)
7.5" (19.0 cm)
W
6.1" (15.5 cm)
5.9" (14.9 cm)
H
2.0" (5.1 cm)
1.5" (3.8 cm)
Volume
90.00 in³ (1,474.83 cm³)
65.65 in³ (1,075.78 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
8.3" (21.1 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)
W
6.6" (16.8 cm)
6.1" (15.4 cm)
H
2.3" (5.8 cm)
2.1" (5.4 cm)
Volume
126.00 in³ (2,064.76 cm³)
107.08 in³ (1,754.68 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.0
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
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
9.5
9.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-27.13 dB
-27.00 dB
Bass
-24.80 dB
-20.79 dB
Mid
-25.37 dB
-29.81 dB
Treble
-31.92 dB
-31.42 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.7
9.5
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-23.51 dB
-22.12 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-22.93 dB
-21.71 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-26.02 dB
-24.15 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
7.3
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
39.28 dB
37.83 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.1
7.8
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
269.09 Hz
281 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.11 dB
2.3 dB
HFE
3,726.47 Hz
6,088.74 Hz
Weighted THD
65.861
0.055
Gain
11.46 dB
33.39 dB
Noise Handling
5.6
6.5
SpNR
11.47 dB
22.71 dB
Noise Gate
No
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.0
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.0
6.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.7
8.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
37.7 hrs
29 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
37.7 hrs
29 hrs
Charge Time
2.3 hrs
2.3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Yes
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.0
8.0
App Picture
App Name
Sony| Headphones Connect
Bose Music
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
Presets
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
Yes
Playback Control
Yes
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.9
6.6
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
4.00 ft (1.22 m)
3.28 ft (1.00 m)
Connector
1/8" TRS
1/16" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.3 ms
35.0 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.6
7.5
Bluetooth Version
5.010
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
299.00 ft (91.14 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
245 ms
292 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
372 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
85 ms
Latency - LDAC
237 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
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
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
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
Black
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comBlack
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comDeep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSilver
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comDiamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comLunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Comments
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.