Im currently testing the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones and have read many different reviews about the microphones in these headphones.
The opinions are pretty contradictory.
OnReddit, some write that the microphones sound quality is very mediocre.
Sony WH-1000M4 / Amazon.com
Others say the sound quality differs from AirPods Pro Max and is generally very good.
So this is an exciting topic because what different people say sounds contradictory.
I tested the microphone in various scenarios, and heres how it works for me.
Sony WH-1000M4 / Amazon.com
Sony WH-1000XM4 microphone quality
The main drawback of these headphones is the poor noise cancellation.
If youre talking on a noisy street, the microphone will pick up a lot of ambient noise.
To me, this is the primary drawback of these headphones.
If this is your case, these headphones may not be the best choice.
Secondly, what I noticed is that the call quality degrades over time.
The degradation isnt significant, but it is there.
Another problem is that the sound comes across as muffled.
This is a common issue in headphones with built-in microphones because bass and high frequencies are transmitted poorly.
The main issue is that your voice sounds as though it lacks detail.
Yes, it doesnt sound perfect, and the noise cancellation is disappointing.
So, I would characterize the microphone in the WH-1000XM4 as quite mediocre.
Heres the chart of the mic test byRTINGS.com.
Here, we see the same thing Im talking about.
We observe a significant deviation from the ideal scenario at low and high frequencies.
Its precisely because the microphone doesnt capture these frequencies that your voice sounds quite compressed.
This also negatively impacts the sound quality of the microphone.
But turning off Bluetooth on the second rig is relatively easy to fix.
