We compared the noise canceling performance of Apple's open-ear earphones 'AirPods 4' with Sony's 'WF-1000XM4'
On September 20, 2024, Apple released the fourth generation model of its AirPods earphones, the AirPods 4. The most distinctive feature of these earphones is that they are open-ear (designed not to completely block the ears) but have an active noise canceling function, so even people who don't like the wearing style of inserting earpieces into their ears like canal-type earphones can enjoy the noise canceling feature. Having gotten my hands on the AirPods 4, I compared their noise canceling performance with Sony's classic noise-canceling earphones, the WF-1000XM4, which were released in 2021.
AirPods 4 - Apple (Japan)
Table of Contents
1: Connection processing
2: Comparative verification
◆1: Connection processing
AirPods 4 can be used with not only iPhone but also Android devices, but this time we will connect to iPhone. First, turn on the Bluetooth on your iPhone.
Open the AirPods 4 case near your powered iPhone to begin the connection process.
Tap 'Connect' on your iPhone.
A guide on how to use the app will be displayed, so tap 'Skip'.
In the ' Personalized Spatial Audio ' setting, tap 'Start' this time. This setting optimizes ' spatial audio ,' which takes a picture of your face with the iPhone camera and adds depth to the sound, for you.
Tap 'Continue.'
Tap 'Start importing.'
The front camera will start up, so capture your face and move it from side to side.
When you're done setting up, tap 'Done.'
Turn on '
Conversation detection is also on.
For 'Siri,' select 'Not now.'
I don't particularly need the feature to read out callers and notifications, so I tap 'Customize.'
Select 'Not now.'
For 'Move your head to control your AirPods,' select 'Turn on.'
This completes the setup. Tap 'Continue'.
An Apple Music promotion will appear, so tap 'Not now.'
After that, you can review the settings from the Bluetooth settings of your device. In this article, we will focus only on 'noise canceling' and review the other functions at a later date.
◆2: Comparative verification
For comparison, we have prepared the 'WF-1000XM4', which is used by GIGAZINE editorial staff on a daily basis. The WF-1000XM4 is an in-ear type earphone, and is characterized by the earpieces that are made of polyurethane foam material and have high sound insulation and sealing properties. Unlike typical silicone earpieces, it has a resilient force and when inserted into the ear, it spreads out softly and fits snugly into the ear canal. This time, I carried the WF-1000XM4 and AirPods 4 around and tried them out in various situations.
First, I tried wearing them near a bus terminal and stopped for a while. As soon as I put the AirPods 4 in my ears, I heard a 'de-rong' sound and the surrounding noise was reduced. The way the sound was eliminated was amazing, and I was honestly surprised that such noise cancellation was possible with open-ear type headphones.
It's easy to see when compared to the WF-1000XM4, but the AirPods 4 seem to make the surrounding noise less audible by raising the pitch of the noise. When the AirPods 4 noise canceling is activated, you can feel the surrounding low-mid to high-pitched 'buzzing' noise switching to a high-pitched 'whoosh' noise.
When it comes to sounds heard at the bus terminal, both the AirPods 4 and the WF-1000XM make it difficult to hear the clicking of turn signals, the exhaust sound of passenger cars, and the sound of train brakes in the distance. Both 'low, resonant sounds' like the exhaust sound of a bus penetrated the noise canceling. I was also bothered by the fact that both of them had a buzzing sound of the wind hitting my ears. In my evaluation, I got the impression that both of them cancel out noise to the same extent. However, the difference is that the WF-1000XM4 sometimes gives off a 'silence' like when you enter a library, while the AirPods 4 always sound like a hissing white noise.
When I listened to classical music in the above environment with AirPods 4 on, the mid-to-high sounds of the trumpet and flute, and the crisp low sounds of the double bass and tuba sounded a little muffled, but to be honest, there was almost no difference with the WF-1000XM4. Next, when I listened to a storytelling performance, it was completely different. AirPods 4 became 'noisy' overall, the speaker's voice seemed to be loud and distorted, and the popping sounds of the applause were emphasized and resonated directly in the ears, causing a little ear pain. It is unfortunate that it is almost impossible to hear what the speaker is saying, especially in scenes where the applause overlaps with the speech. On the other hand, the WF-1000XM4 has a gentle and round sound from high to low tones, and the speaker's voice sounds clearly raised amid the applause.
Next, we listened to the sound of a babbling river. The AirPods 4 produced a high-pitched 'whoosh' sound like running water from a household faucet, while the WF-1000XM4 produced a mid-low tone like pouring hot water into a glass. When asked which one reproduces the actual sound more accurately, the answer was that neither was accurate. The AirPods 4 seemed to raise the overall pitch of the surrounding sounds, while the WF-1000XM4 seemed to eliminate the high and low tones and combine them into a single mid-tone sound.
Next, we arrived at the restaurant area next to the station. Here, too, the difference was clear, with the AirPods 4 emphasizing high-pitched sounds such as the clanging of trays, announcements in restaurants, and the clicking of heels. On the other hand, low-pitched sounds such as the sound of air conditioners and carts seemed to be completely muted.
When eating food while wearing earphones, the sound of chewing food can be heard in your ears, which can be annoying. I tried eating a hamburger with both AirPods 4 and WF-1000XM4 to see how it sounded, but to be honest, the impression was the same for both. What bothered me more was the sound of the wrapper rustling, which was emphasized so much with AirPods that it was frankly 'noisy'. Both models seem to moderately mute the surrounding conversations and pedestrian sounds, but the sounds never completely disappear. However, overall the WF-1000XM4 mute the surrounding sounds more firmly, so much so that when I take them off, I feel like 'I didn't realize it was so noisy around me,' but with AirPods, there is always some kind of noise around me, so even when I take them off, I feel like 'That's about right.'
Next, I'll get on the train. Below you can hear the sound I recorded on the platform before getting on, but if you're not wearing anything, you can clearly hear the 'gurgling' sound of the train motor. The AirPods tried to mute these low, rough sounds by changing them to a high-pitched 'shhhh' sound. On the other hand, the WF-1000XM4 gives the impression of trying to cut out the high and low frequency noise and combine it into a single 'gurgling' sound. When I listened to music in this environment, there wasn't much difference between the two.
When I was on the train, I noticed that the AirPods emphasized the so-called 'clank clank' sound and resonated directly in my ears, and the sound of the wind hitting them was converted into a strange 'mowa mowa' sound. When I listened to music, it didn't bother me at all, but there were times when I just wanted to enjoy the noise cancellation without listening to music, so it was still a concern.
What bothered me after putting them on and taking them off a few times was that the WF-1000XM4 screw into the ear, which caused my ears to hurt. Of course, I don't put them on and take them off often in my everyday life, but wearing them for a long time can cause a little pain. In that respect, the AirPods 4 are excellent and cause almost no discomfort. It feels like you're just 'snapping them into your ear canal,' and they didn't slip off even after walking for a while.
In terms of noise canceling, the WF-1000XM4 wins in my opinion, but the overall evaluation of the AirPods 4 is still 'pretty amazing for an open-ear type.' If you don't compare them, the AirPods 4 is more than enough, and there's no doubt that the noise canceling will be useful in any place, such as in the city, in a cafe, or on the train. If you're looking for open-ear, noise-canceling wireless earphones and are an iPhone user, you won't regret choosing them.
The price of the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation is 29,800 yen (tax included).
The price of the WF-1000XM4 is 30,978 yen including tax on Amazon.co.jp. At the time of writing, the successor model '
Amazon.co.jp: Sony Wireless Noise Cancelling Earphones WF-1000XM4: Fully wireless/Amazon Alexa/Bluetooth/LDAC compatible/High-resolution equivalent up to 8 hours of continuous playback/High-precision call quality/IPX4 water-resistant/Wireless charging compatible/2021 model/With microphone/Multi-point compatible 360 Reality Audio certified model Black WF-1000XM4 BM: Musical instruments and audio equipment
Related Posts:
