Sony WH-1000XM4 vs Sony WH-CH700N
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| SonyWH-1000XM4 | SonyWH-CH700N | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | August 2020 | 2018 |
| Sound | ||
| Type | Over-ear | Over-ear |
| Noise cancelling | Yes | Yes |
| Transparency mode | Yes | – |
| Driver size | 40 mm | 40 mm |
| Back | – | Closed |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC, AAC and LDAC | SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX HD |
| Lossless over USB-C | No | – |
| Chip | QN1 | – |
| Drivers | 40 mm dome-type driver with an aluminium-coated LCP diaphragm, CCAW voice coil and neodymium magnet; 4 Hz to 40,000 Hz (JEITA); sensitivity 105 dB/mW switched on, 101 dB/mW switched off; impedance 40 Ω switched on, 16 Ω switched off (1 kHz, wired) | 40 mm dome drivers with neodymium magnets; wired response 7 Hz–20 kHz (JEITA), or 20 Hz–20 kHz powered on. Impedance 22 ohms powered on and 48 ohms off; sensitivity 97 dB/mW on and 98 dB/mW off at 1 kHz. |
| Chip | HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 (with an integrated analogue amplifier) and a Bluetooth Audio SoC | – |
| Noise cancelling detail | Dual Noise Sensor technology, with two noise-cancelling microphones on each ear cup (one outside, one inside); Personal NC Optimizer and Atmospheric Pressure Optimising; Ambient Sound Mode with Voice focus; Adaptive Sound Control; Quick Attention Mode; Speak-to-Chat | Digital noise cancelling; hold the NC button for AI noise cancelling to analyse surroundings and choose between three modes. |
| Audio features | LDAC up to 990 kbps (Hi-Res Audio Wireless); High-Resolution Audio over the headphone cable; DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio certified; equaliser in the app | DSEE; app equaliser and VPT surround settings. |
| Battery | ||
| Listening time (maker's claim) | Up to 30 hours | Up to 35 hours |
| Battery life detail | Up to 38 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC or SBC); with LDAC, 24 hours with noise cancelling on or 30 hours off; with DSEE Extreme on, 18 hours with noise cancelling on (16 hours with LDAC); Speak-to-Chat shortens battery life by about 30%; talk time up to 24 hours (30 hours with noise cancelling off); standby up to 30 hours with noise cancelling on (200 hours off); up to 22 hours on the headphone cable with noise cancelling on (36 hours off); can't be used while charging | Bluetooth playback with aptX/aptX HD: up to 35 hours with noise cancelling, 40 without. SBC/AAC with DSEE enabled: 35/40 hours; with DSEE off: 40/45 hours. Powered wired playback with noise cancelling: up to 50 hours. Actual duration depends on settings and conditions. |
| Fast charging | 10 minutes gives about 5 hours of playback with a 1.5 A or higher USB adaptor; full charge in about 3 hours | Micro-USB; approximately seven hours for a full charge; ten minutes gives about 60 minutes of music playback. |
| Design | ||
| Weight | 254 g | 240 g (better) |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 4.1 |
| Two devices at once | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone cable | Yes | Yes |
| Controls | Touch sensor control panel on the right ear cup (double-tap to play, pause or answer calls; swipe forwards or backwards to skip; swipe up or down for volume; hold for the voice assistant; cover with your hand for Quick Attention Mode); power and CUSTOM buttons; a proximity sensor and two acceleration sensors pause music when the headphones are taken off and switch them off after 15 minutes; NFC one-touch pairing | Physical power, volume, playback/call and NC buttons; phone voice assistant access. NC button can be reassigned to Google Assistant or Alexa with compatible firmware, app and phone; availability varies by region. |
| Microphones | Five microphones for calls and Speak-to-Chat (Precise Voice Pickup Technology); MEMS, omnidirectional, 50 Hz to 8,000 Hz | Omnidirectional electret condenser microphone, 50 Hz–8 kHz. |
| Fit and ear tips | Closed, circumaural; foamed urethane earpads; stepless slider; ear cups swivel and fold inwards for the carrying case | Adjustable headband; inward-angled drivers; earcups swivel flat; approximately 240 g excluding cable. |
| Water resistance detail | No water resistance rating; Sony says the headphones are not waterproof | Not waterproof |
| Works with | Sony | Sound Connect app (formerly Headphones Connect) for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices (AAC or SBC only while connected to two); Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built in; Google Fast Pair; Bluetooth 5.0 Class 1, about 10 m range; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP | NFC; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP. Multipoint assigns music and calls to different devices; unavailable while using Google Assistant or Alexa. Up to eight paired devices. Wired listening works with power off and disables Bluetooth; calls use the connected phone's microphone. |
| Colours | Black, Platinum Silver; limited-edition Silent White sold in Europe from May 2021 | Black, Grey and Blue; regional availability varies |
| In the box | Headphones, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C, about 20 cm), headphone cable (about 1.2 m, gold-plated L-shaped stereo mini plug), plug adaptor for in-flight use, carrying case | Headphones, approximately 1.2 m detachable headphone cable and micro-USB charging cable. |
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