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FIRST TEST SONY WF-1000XM4AAC in the UK
Wireless link-up is via Bluetooth
5.2, which is right at the cutting
edge. There’s support for
SBC and AAC codecs, as well
as Sony’s own LDAC hi-res
offering – good news for Xperia
owners. But there’s not a sniff of
aptX or any of its derivatives.Rockaway speech
Just say the familiar wake word
and Google Assistant or Alexa
will spring into life – and thanks
to the three mics in each earbud
(2), voice commands are heard
and acted on quickly. Siri is
available too, if you want to make
things less quick and simple.Get a chip on yourself
The entire audio chain in these
buds is new. The V1 processor
and its associated amplification
are both fresh designs, and once
they’ve finished dealing with
your digital audio file they pass
it to an equally new pair of 6mm
full-range neodymium drivers (1).London squalling
There’s some extensive EQ
adjustment available in Sony’s
control app, including two slots
for your own custom settings.
Some of the presets are worth
experimenting with, although the
one labelled ‘Excited’ isn’t quite
as exciting as we hoped.Kick out the slams
The active noise-cancelling will
adapt to your surroundings to
give you the optimum experience
whatever you’re doing. And Sony
has also developed some new
polyurethane eartips (3) for more
passive noise-reduction than
ever before.1
2 3
4 5
24 hours with
the Sony
WF-1000XM4sGood
Meh
Evil2mins 5mins 10mins 20mins 8hrs 9hrs 10hrs 11hrs 12hrs
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