Products
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Nov 24, 2025 05:58 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Oct 30, 2025 02:35 PM
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TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
Our Verdict
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless
The Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless are more feature-packed than the Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless. The Sony have a virtual soundstage feature to help immerse you in your audio, have more robust customization features via their companion software, and support LDAC, which is Sony's codec for high-resolution audio. Their ANC also does an even better job of blocking background noise, and they have a longer continuous battery life. However, the Bose are more comfortable and better built with a different tuning you might prefer and an in-line mic for wired situations.
Variants
- WH-1000XM4 (Black)
- WH-1000XM4 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM4 (Silver)
- QuietComfort Headphones (Chilled Lilac)
- QuietComfort Headphones (Cypress Green)
- QuietComfort Headphones (Moonstone Blue)
- QuietComfort Headphones (Sandstone)
- QuietComfort Headphones (Steve Lacy)
- QuietComfort Headphones (Triple Black)
- QuietComfort Headphones (Twilight Blue)
- QuietComfort Headphones (White Smoke)
Check Price
Black
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Chilled Lilac
QuietComfort Headphones
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Amazon.com
Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Cypress Green
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Silver
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Moonstone Blue
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Steve Lacy
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Triple Black
QuietComfort Headphones
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Amazon.com
Twilight Blue
QuietComfort Headphones
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Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Headphones
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Amazon.com
Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
7.4
7.5
Comfort
8.0
8.5
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
400 Hz
1,200 Hz
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
Treble Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
Balanced (0 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
8.1
7.8
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.80 dB
0.90 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
7.6
7.8
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.2 dB
4.9 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
4.49 dB
5.79 dB
Mid Bass
5.5 dB
4.39 dB
High Bass
5.6 dB
3.21 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.9
9.6
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.58 dB
0.72 dB
Low Mid
1.24 dB
0.11 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.07 dB
-0.61 dB
High Mid
-1.15 dB
-0.13 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
9.1
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.01 dB
2.37 dB
Low Treble
-1.71 dB
-0.59 dB
Mid Treble
1.38 dB
0.03 dB
High Treble
-2.88 dB
-4.36 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.9
7.7
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.2 dB
1.27 dB
Dips
1.46 dB
1.83 dB
Stereo Mismatch
8.7
7.7
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.03 dB
0.56 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.11 dB
0.92 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.5°
0.9°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
3.5
4.3
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
3.11 dB
3.44 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
8.34 dB
5.99 dB
PRTF Distance
1.8 dB
3.64 dB
Harmonic Distortion
7.7
8.1
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.23%
0.20%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.80%
0.46%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
115.1 dB SPL
114.5 dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
104.6 dB
106.0 dB
Virtual Soundstage
4.1
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
On/Off
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
360 Reality Audio
No
Test Settings
Firmware
2.6.0
1.0.6-80+f5f219b
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Off
No EQ
ANC
On
Quiet
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
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
0.52 lbs
Clamping Force
1 lbs
0.7 lbs
Controls
7.6
8.1
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Decent
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Portability
6.1
6.4
Portability Picture
L
7.4" (18.8 cm)
7.1" (18.0 cm)
W
6.1" (15.5 cm)
5.4" (13.8 cm)
H
2.0" (5.1 cm)
1.7" (4.3 cm)
Volume
90.00 in³ (1,474.83 cm³)
65.17 in³ (1,068.00 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)
5.7" (14.5 cm)
H
2.3" (5.8 cm)
2.2" (5.5 cm)
Volume
126.00 in³ (2,064.76 cm³)
102.64 in³ (1,682.00 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
7.5
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
9.3
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-27.13 dB
-25.80 dB
Bass
-24.80 dB
-19.74 dB
Mid
-25.37 dB
-27.05 dB
Treble
-31.92 dB
-31.77 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.7
9.1
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-23.51 dB
-20.95 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-22.93 dB
-21.22 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-26.02 dB
-22.79 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
7.1
6.7
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
39.28 dB
41.02 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
Yes
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.1
7.4
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
269.09 Hz
302.04 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.11 dB
2.89 dB
HFE
3,726.47 Hz
6,736.4 Hz
Weighted THD
65.861
0.773
Gain
11.46 dB
15.08 dB
Noise Handling
5.6
5.3
SpNR
SpNR
11.47 dB
46.49 dB
Noise Gate
No
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.0
5.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.0
5.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.7
8.6
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
37.7 hrs
26.1 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
37.7 hrs
26.1 hrs
Charge Time
2.3 hrs
2 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Yes
Yes
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
Adjustable
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
Yes
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.9
7.5
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" TRRS
Latency - Analog
0.3 ms
15.8 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.6
8.5
Bluetooth Version
5.010
5.1
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
183 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
237 ms
N/A
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
Audio Only
Audio + Microphone
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Audio + Microphone
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.com
Chilled Lilac
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Cypress Green
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Silver
WH-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Moonstone Blue
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Steve Lacy
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Triple Black
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Twilight Blue
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
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Comments
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless vs Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
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Now I own both of them.
I’ve always been more of a Bose bass sound follower. Always wanted them, it is a smooth, deep bass I enjoy. Mainly all Bose devices have it.
I was planning to buy the prior QC25, then the 35, and then the 45s, but they were totally out of my budget. Finally, when I was ready to make the purchase, the Sony XM4 were just released. I read and watched many reviews comparing QC45 vs XM4. The features of the XM4 won, and I also let the opinions stating that the bass on the XM4 was better than QC45.
The Sony XM4 are good, they are comfortable to wear and sounds good. The features are really great, specially the one that stops playing when you remove them from your ears, something that the Bose QC45 and the new QC, don’t have it. But I was a bit disappointed with the Sony XM4 for two main reasons: The bass, definitely it is not the bass I love to hear with Bose, it is good, and I have to tweak the EQ a lot to get the sound I like in Sony. Also, their microphones suck.
On the other hand, the new Bose QC have the bass sound I was expecting, “the Bose sound”; the microphone appears to be pretty decent, way much better than the Sony XM4, but… (yes, there has to be also a “but”), is that they lack the function of pausing the playing audio when removed from your ears, and that they still use the AUX mini of 2.5 mm, not the standard 3.5 mm. Another thing to consider, and it is significant to me, are the buttons. I prefer to control the volume, play/pause, answer calls, with physical buttons. The touch controls can be annoying, and your fingers must be very precise for tapping and do the proper gestures. It’s much more simple with the control buttons. Each one by itself isn’t perfect. I would make a hybrid of both (bass sound, physical buttons, and mics from Bose, the rest of the features from Sony, including Sony’s case, It is harder, more rigid.