WIRELESS HEADPHONES

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Sony WH-1000XM4 £349

By any standards these new noise-cancelling cans are a big deal. Not only do they replace the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning WH-1000XM3s (see p31), one of the most popular pairs of headphones on the planet, they also introduce a raft of improvments and new features.

The XM4s are only one gram lighter than their stablemates (254g vs 255g), but provide an even more comfortable fit. There’s just enough pressure to grip your ears and get a solid seal around them without the headphones feeling too loose – although we wouldn’t recommend using them during exercise.

You’ll need to run Sony’s NC Optimiser (via the ‘Custom’ button) before you use the headphones for the first time. It optimises the noise-cancelling based on factors such as the shape of your face and whether or not you wear glasses.

There are a host of other new features too numerous to describe here, but we will mention what we see as the headline feature for the XM4 – a new sound processor. This attempts to upscale compressed music to near hi-res quality.

There’s no aptX or aptX HD support, but the Sonys are compatible with the company’s own LDAC technology, which allows you to stream high-quality audio wirelessly from a compatible source. You can also now switch between two Bluetooth-connected devices. Battery life remains among the best in class, with a