ISSUE 88 • ANDROID ADVISOR 83Sony made some small refinementsto its already
amazingANC headphones.a mobile app on your smartphone.
Some individuals find that ANC
headphones exert pressure on their
ears, creating a similar sensation to
being under water. If you find ANC
headphones to be uncomfortable,
you’ll prefer a model with good
passive noise cancellation. That
type of headphone deliver other
benefits, too: They’re the least
likely to colour the music you’re
listening to, and they don’t need
batteries. On the other hand, not
all headphones with passive noise
cancellation are wireless.
BEST NOISE-CANCELLING
HEADPHONES
Sony WH-1000XM4
Price: £349 from fave.co/34P4TV7
Two years ago, when I reviewed
Sony’s WH-1000XM3 active noise-
cancelling headphones, I said that
Sony had finally eclipsed Bose in this
category. And I wasn’t the only one to
say it. Now, the company is back with
the all-new WH-1000XM4. While these
new cans don’t advance the ball by a
lot, they nonetheless are my new top
recommendation for music lovers looking
for great-sounding headphones that also
deliver terrific noise cancellation.
Key improvements include a
proximity sensor that automatically
toggles play/pause when you put
the headphones on and take them
off,supportforSony’sLDAChigh-res
audiocodec (a common feature on high-
end digital audio players), and multipoint
connectionviaBluetooth5.0(soyoucan
connecttotwosourcesatonce).Sony
madeotherverysmall improvements to
thehardwareandsoftware,too;butfor
themostpart,thosearejusttweakstoa
winning foundation.